A confident, clear, powerful voice is the key that enables you to persuade and influence. Whether you are a lawyer speaking to a jury, a mother with a 5 year old, a sales person closing a deal, a person running for political office, or a CEO speaking to his stake holders, your voice sends many vocal cues that make a huge difference on the impact you and your message have.

Consider some of the best speakers of 2012 listed by Decker Communications: Michelle Obama, Bill Clinton, Sheryl Sandberg, Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Marissa Mayer and Ryan Seacrest. Their vocal cues speak volumes in terms of the positive impressions they make.

Why does how we sound have such an impact?  Listeners can have a positive or negative emotional reaction to the way you speak. Jeffrey Jacobi, author of How to Say It with Your Voice (Prentice Hall, 2000), surveyed 1,000 men and women and asked, "Which irritating or unpleasant voice annoys you the most?" Overwhelmingly, the most annoying sound was a whining, complaining, or nagging tone.

Now is the time to find out how speaking confidently and persuasively can change your life. Sign up for my special free offer of a 20 minute private voice analysis consultation with me, Sandra McKnight, international voice and speech coach for over 25 years. This offer starts Aug. 15 and runs through Sept. 8th.

Foreign Accent ReductionIn your voice analysis session, we will identify and discuss your speaking style and how you can use your voice to communicate more effectively and powerfully. Examples: are you talking so fast so that you’re your message blows right by the listener: is your voice tone so high pitched or grating that it unconsciously turns off your listener: is your pronunciation mumbled and people can’t understand you; are people talking over you because you speak softly and unassertively; are you lacking in credibility because you are nasal, or do you have a heavy accent that creates a communication barrier?

You will discover that speakers who use a lower pitch with pitch fluctuation, strategic use of pauses, non-hesitant speech, clear pronunciation and strong vocal projection convey the most confidence.

 If you are like most people, you pay attention to what you say, but not to how you say it. With awareness and vocal exercise practice you can have a speaking voice that grabs an audience’s attention and has a powerful and engaging impact from the first “Hello”.

Over the past 25 years, the power of the speaking voice to sell one’s services, products and ideas has brought so much success to many of my clients. Changing their voice to sound consistently confident, engaging and persuasive has changed their lives. Why? Because their vocal tone and pronunciation supports what they are saying and their message comes through loud and clear.

It is time to mine the gold that lies hidden in your voice. In today’s competitive economy you need to use all of your available assets. Permanently changing your voice is easy and takes about 3 months. I believe business professionals need a personal voice trainer as much as they need a personal physical fitness trainer. Your voice is that important to your success.

If you have never had a voice analysis now is the time. You will be amazed at how much more success you can have by speaking with confidence. My special gift offer of a private voice consultation/analysis with me, Sandra McKnight, begins Aug. 15 through Sept. 8th. Spaces are limited, so don’t miss out scheduling your voice analysis consultation.