James Earl Jones spent years being an unknown actor; save for a small voice part he contributed to a major Hollywood movie. That movie was Star Wars. In the movie he didn’t have a role, other than supplying the voice for one of the greatest movie villains the industry has ever known. From the first few moments of the dark clad figure entering the corridor of Princess Leia’s ship at the start of the movie, we know that Darth Vader is evil. And then, when the character finally speaks, we know that he is the most powerful character in the movie, or at least the one with the most charged presence.
You don’t have to emulate Darth Vader to control a room full of executives. But having a deep voice does have its merits. Being able to present with a voice that reaches the lower levels of sound carries a certain amount of weight, and for some deep speakers, it adds to an overall feeling of charisma. James Earl Jones doesn’t present to executives, but if he did, he would have them listening intently, with his deep and rich voice.
So can you change your voice so that is it’s a little deeper, at least when you are presenting? Yes, you can. But it is only possible to a certain degree, and some people in the past have advised on ways in which to do it that have in fact been quite dangerous (more on that later).
First and foremost, concentrate on talking slower. This allows your voice to leave your body with more space afforded for it to do so. Effectively, you are giving your voice time to resonate, to sound deeper, to fill space. This is something you can practise at home before doing a presentation. Stand with your back straight and your head up high, and deliver part of your talk in a slower voice. Concentrate on articulating the words as clearly and slowly as you can, without sounding too artificial. This small step will greatly enhance the depth of your delivery, so that you will sound like you have a deeper, more resonant voice. It is the single most effective step you can take to deepen your voice for delivery. Try it, practise it, and watch the improvements come pretty quick.
Another tactic that is used a lot (especially by actors) is to tip your head down slightly when you speak. This does actually deepen your voice a little, especially when you are talking slowly. Try this at home, again with your presentation. You should notice a gradual deepening of the voice as your head lowers. This can be very effective, and is something that is definitely worth trying.
And then practise, again and again. Trawl the Internet for some audio files of deep voiced actors. Jones is one. This way you will hear the pitch and tone of their voice. Without going overboard, try to emulate their style. This should leave you in a situation where, eventually, you will find some middle ground that you are comfortable with, and end up with a deeper voice.
Speak softly. Now, this does not mean whispering, that will get you nowhere. But a low volume makes your voice sound deeper in a natural way. Try it, practise it. Get a critical friend to hear this new way of speaking. Make yourself heard, but speak softly. This is a natural way to deepen your voice, as your vocal cords work to be heard even as your volume drops.
Another thing to try and concentrate on is to not talk through your nose. Many people do this without realising it, and the end result is a whine, simple as that. A nasal voice does not command respect. Think of all the major cartoon or comedy series that have come on television over the last few years Any nerd character is always identified by their high-pitched, nasally whine. Simply put, talking through your nose is bad news for your presentation. So if you have a tendency to do this, break the habit.
And finally, breathe. By this I mean exhale as you speak, rather than hold your breath, which a lot of people do. Breathing while you are speaking actually allows your voice to naturally deepen. This is a scientific fact. So don’t forget to take those exhalations while you are speaking in front of a group, it slows you down for a start, which, as we know, is one of the ways to deepen your voice.
And now for the bad advice I mentioned earlier. Even to this day there are some people out there advising speakers to smoke cigarettes to deepen their voice. Cigarettes will deepen your voice. They will even give you a husky tone that can, in fact, command some kind of attention form an audience. But they can also give you deadly diseases. I’m serious, people actually advise this. Obviously, give this kind of nonsense a wide berth, try the other tips above, and deepen your voice naturally.
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That is a great article indeed, And it works…