I had a great session with my coach, David Ellzey, yesterday. We role-played an important conversation I was going to have with the CEO of a $100 million company. I am completely dissatisfied with their work, and I am going to leave. I am looking to create an amicable parting vs a law suit. I worked with them for a year and spent over a million in opportunity costs, but I lost at least half that much in cash due to their poor work.

David pointed out that the tone of my voice got higher and my speech got quicker as I was grasping to convey just how much they damaged my company by not listening to all of the specific details we provided them. You don’t even have to hear it, although maybe one day I will record it and include it here or add a YouTube. Imagine a 5-year-old pleading with their father, “Why didn’t you just listen to me?”

I am sure you have been stressed at some point in your personal or business life where your voice was not peaceful, assertive, or calm. Maybe you are a woman that is pleading or going up an octave because people are not respecting you even though you might be the most talented in what you do and have the best solution to offer. Or maybe you just dont sound certain or in command.

I also know there isn’t anyone reading this that hasn’t heard Barack Obama speak. I am not talking about the content of his talks. I am speaking about his brilliant oratory skills in terms of modulation, timing, pitch, pauses, and projection. This is the highest level of what I am talking about to aspire to.

Imagine the difference you would make if you spoke quietly, passionately, and with authority. At Unblinded, it is referred to as Zeus energy or Goddess energy. Being authoritative and compassionate.

I challenge everyone reading this to monitor your voice. In fact, record it. I promise you, you will hear things you don’t like. And you will have the opportunity to change who you are in this world by merely intonating and articulating with precision, certainty, and slowly, so people hear, see, and understand what you do and what you have to offer as a human being and as a business.

You also don’t want to trigger the person you are trying to persuade. I can promise that if your voice gets even slightly whiny or goes up a bit, you will bring out the child, or at the very least, the defensiveness in the person you are speaking to. The conversation has nowhere to go but down from there. Unless one of you has the master skill of performing a pattern interrupt to bring the tone down of the conversation.

Yesterday I asked my friend Elaine to articulate who she is. She quickly rattled off “one of only 4 people out of 5000 to speak at this organization, then quickly mentioned speaking in 44 states and 4 countries, and a bunch of major television networks.” I was like WTF? You said all of that so quickly, I literally didn’t even hear it.

Can you imagine if the next time she is speaking to a potential client she quietly took a deep breath and said, “May I tell you a little bit about me?” Dont forget to wait until they are done speaking pause 5 seconds. I promise you they have more to say. Having them felt heard and understood is even more valuable then them hearing your identity. Then ask permission first. ie “May I share a little bit about me?” Then if she quietly said. “You may or may not know I have actually spoken in forty four states and four countries, pause 3 or 4 seconds, lower voice. ” I have also appeared, on HBO, ABC, NBC, America’s Got Talent.

I cant imagine a single person, not saying OMG, and you only charge $5000? Where do I sign up?, when can I start and do you take credit cards?