When it comes to any communications system, whether it’s audio, video, analog, or digital, the critical component for creating a personal connection is the quality of the voice. The ability of the system you choose to enhance the clarity, nuance, and understanding of the person’s voice can often be the difference between a successful sales pitch to an international customer or a frustrating conversation that ends in a misunderstanding.
Today, with the increased reliance on technology as much of our business communications have shifted online, voice clarity is more important than ever!
Here are four tips to help you sound like a pro in your next virtual staff meeting or sales pitch!
Slow Your Roll!
Great communicators change the pace of their speech to meet the moment. Researchers who study these types of things found that speakers talk fairly quickly in the average casual conversation – around 150 words per minute or higher.
When we’re in a face-to-face conversation, we can pick up on visual cues like expressions and body language more easily. Video meetings (or calls) are unnatural. There are glitches and sometimes delays, or the video might even “freeze.” It’s often hard to hear one person speaking when others are on the call and unmuted. Slow down, and be deliberate in your speaking. It makes it easier to get your point across effectively and can significantly cut down on “Zoom Fatigue.”
Pause for Impact
One method for slowing your speech is to take a dramatic pause after a key message. Let the words hit home. When we rush, we tend to use words like ” um” or “ah” to fill the void. Take a cue from the great Miles Davis; use silence as a tactic!
Enunciate!
Most of us clip the end of words in casual conversation. It’s speech pattern of which we’re all guilty. However, it can become a much more noticeable problem in a virtual meeting, making it harder to hear and understand the speaker. Try practicing old-fashioned tongue twisters to help you better enunciate!
Use a “High-Quality” Microphone
The mics on our laptops are functional but not much more than that. Invest in a headset, or better still, a USB microphone. Video chat software compresses audio, so the higher quality the input source, the better you’ll sound to listeners.
Voice clarity is the key to virtual communications. We can do some things, like practicing our speaking and using better quality microphones, that can help, but sometimes you’re at the mercy of the technology.
The Immersitech Engage™ Software Development Kits (SDKs) are easy to integrate and improve voice quality, increase the ability to detect the number of participants in the conversation, and improve hearing accuracy. Even when we return to “normal,” we’ll probably still conduct more virtual meetings than we did in the pre-COVID days. If you want to leave a good impression, make sure you sound your best!
To learn more, contact Bill Sweeney, Director of Business Development at bill@immersitech.net or 585-888-3078 x703, or visit us at immersitech.io
About Immersitech
Immersitech provides a unique portfolio of patented sound processing technologies, deployed as easy to integrate Software Development Toolkits (SDKs) focused on providing advanced noise cancellation, voice enhancement, and spatial audio management capabilities for Unified Communications, Gaming, and Distance Learning. Our multi-platform SDKs are designed to provide Service Providers in key markets with industry-leading audio capabilities through simplified integration, leading to higher quality collaboration experiences at a competitive price. Immersitech is located in Pittsford, NY.
