Developing a unique distinct voice

[Vxvxen]

Just a quick question, anyone has any idea how to sound good? I am practicing on my speaking these days and i find that i do not sound convincing when I speak when i replay my own recording. How did you guys navigate to find out your perfect tone or voice while giving a speech, recording videos, recording podcasts? If I replayed Leo's old videos and compared it to how he sound like today it is rather louder and clearer.

Speaking is an unconscious thing to do, and most of the times we are not aware of how we sound like because we are not the ones who listens to ourselves. Maybe it has much thing to do with the in and outbreaths? Or the amount of confidence one has? Or I tend to withheld myself sounding to loud (being too self conscious) Or maybe I could ask a voice coach..

Cheers, thanks in advance  

[Preety_India]

I'm working on changing my voice. 

I hired a voice coach a few years ago. 

He taught me different ways of humming. 

Singing helps. 

 

[Leo Gura]

Practice a lot.

Record yourself. Speak out loud to yourself. Project your voice. Speak from your belly. Do vocal exercises like speaking the alphabet with various intonations. Practice speaking slow vs fast. Exercise your tongue and mouth before speaking. Practice singing. Speak about things you're really passionate about and know well.

[Preety_India]

@Leo Gura you r voice is   so masculine. 

 

[mmKay]

2 hours ago, Vxvxen said:

Just a quick question, anyone has any idea how to sound good? I am practicing on my speaking these days and i find that i do not sound convincing when I speak when i replay my own recording.

All salesmen are trained to sound assertive. Look for some info about it in YouTube and it should click with some practice. 

The reason you don't sound convincing is not because of what you're saying but how you're saying it. It's about the tonality. 

You can have rapport seeking tonality, which is a no-no. 

Sounds like "My name is Viktor? " It sounds as if you were asking a question instead of making a statement. Also with an upward inflection of the voice at the end, aka raising your pitch at the end of the phrase. 

Basically you should be speaking as every single thing you say was a fact even if it's complete bullshit. 

Practice speaking obvious lies in an assertive tonality. 

Speak as if you were putting a DOT after every single word. 

"My . Eyes. Are. Purple. "

" I . Love. Rubber. Pizza. "

I. Own. This. Taco bell. 

Etc. Come up with your own sentences. 

Soon enough you will sound like an authority in any field with no experience whatsoever. 

Morality check : you can bullshit a lot of people this way. Use responsibly. 

[mmKay]

 

That's some freebie. His Hot seat at home program really transformed the way I speak 180 degrees

[Vision]

1 hour ago, Leo Gura said:

Practice a lot.

Record yourself. Speak out loud to yourself. Project your voice. Speak from your belly. Do vocal exercises like speaking the alphabet with various intonations. Practice speaking slow vs fast. Exercise your tongue and mouth before speaking. Practice singing. Speak about things you're really passionate about and know well.

@Leo Gura Your voice has changed a lot over the years since you started YouTube. I'm sure the upgrade in microphone played some role but probably not the sole reason.

 

How did you change your voice like that? It's inspiring to see you sound progressively more confident over time. 

[Vxvxen]

@Preety_India did you find the techniques thought by your voice coach helped you? Humming feels more like warm ups. Were you trying to get singing lessons? That's cool.

I wouldn't say I'll want to change my voice per say, it's more like I want to polish it to be uniquely distinct.

I've met a voice coach a couple months back who's a vocalist who also works as a voice/vocal coach. If I'll want to step up my game I better hire someone professional. Those singer/performer/talk show host they literally have voices that makes me feel like, 'wow i love your voice'. It's so magnetic and so mesmerizing  

[Preety_India]

Just now, Vxvxen said:

@Preety_India did you find the techniques thought by your voice coach helped you? Humming feels more like warm ups. Were you trying to get singing lessons? That's cool.

I wouldn't say I'll want to change my voice per say, it's more like I want to polish it to be uniquely distinct.

I've met a voice coach a couple months back who's a vocalist who also works as a voice/vocal coach. If I'll want to step up my game I better hire someone professional. Those singer/performer/talk show host they literally have voices that makes me feel like, 'wow i love your voice'. It's so magnetic and so mesmerizing  

You might want to hire a vocal coach. It definitely helps. My voice coach helped me with my voice. 

[Vxvxen]

3 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

Do vocal exercises like speaking the alphabet with various intonations.

@Leo Gura I just tried speaking the alphabet loudly, I sound instantly better already. I realized I was not consciously paying attention to myself while speaking since it's effortless to talk all the time, without needing to recall how to technically speak.

Still remember that you used to speak so fast when you initially started shooting videos, how did you eventually get yourself to slow down over time? Was it some kind of mild feeling of anxiousness that gets you to speak fast? I find that I'll tend to speak fast when I get nervous, I kinda want to get it over and done with, so I'll sound like I'm mumbling instead, the more I speak the softer I'll sound lol.

[Vxvxen]

@mmKay Lying through my teeth doesn't really work well for me. I couldn't make a sale back then when I worked as a real estate agent. Still something I felt I have yet to overcome the internal mental blocks here trying to sell something without feeling the need and guilt to manipulate/mislead customers.

Some of my friends told me to go a convenience store and try to ask the retail assistant to check the price tag on a random product, saying that I saw there was some advertised discount on a product, literally making trouble with the sales assistant training myself to be more assertive by insisting there was some kind of discount on the item. I thought that was funny, but a good idea. 

3 hours ago, mmKay said:

Basically you should be speaking as every single thing you say was a fact even if it's complete bullshit.

This is actually a good suggestion. I laughed hard when I say "My. eyes. are. purple." Lol, you see? I don't even believe what I just told myself, because I know that that's not true, my eye are not purple lmao

3 hours ago, mmKay said:

Soon enough you will sound like an authority in any field with no experience whatsoever. 

Morality check : you can bullshit a lot of people this way. Use responsibly. 

Yeah please do use this technique with caution. This is helpful, though not sure about the bullshitting part, but I appreciate it  

3 hours ago, mmKay said:

That's some freebie. His Hot seat at home program really transformed the way I speak 180 degrees

The guy is pretty tensed in his head, he couldn't let go of how other's judge him. When you're so tensed your jaw muscles are so tight and contracted. Most of us do this unconsciously all the time. Oooft, so you went to Owen's program? Cool stuff, how does that impact you personally?

Edited February 11, 2022 by Vxvxen

[Leo Gura]

3 hours ago, Vision said:

@Leo Gura Your voice has changed a lot over the years since you started YouTube. I'm sure the upgrade in microphone played some role but probably not the sole reason.

How did you change your voice like that? It's inspiring to see you sound progressively more confident over time. 

I wrote a list of how above.

Lately my vocie got deeper because I am was gaming in loud ass clubs, forcing me to project my voice a lot more.

When you project your voice a lot the tissues in your vocal chords tough up like calloused hands, producing a deeper, richer sound effortlessly.

Gaming in Vegas will give you the voice of a titan

[Carl-Richard]

4 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

When you project your voice a lot the tissues in your vocal chords tough up like calloused hands, producing a deeper, richer sound effortlessly.

Just don't overdo it or you'll end up like Phil Anselmo ?

0:32 

 

[Osaid]

It might help to treat it as "voice acting" or as if you're playing some overly enthusiastic character, like a more extroverted version of yourself. And then slowly you can mold yourself into that as social situations arise. Project your voice, don't be timid, act like you're on a radio show being a radio host, and the entire world can hear your voice. It also helps to talk about things you are passionate about, it naturally makes your voice stronger and more powerful, pay attention to that.

[mmKay]

23 hours ago, Vxvxen said:

@mmKay Lying through my teeth doesn't really work well for me. I couldn't make a sale back then when I worked as a real estate agent. Still something I felt I have yet to overcome the internal mental blocks here trying to sell something without feeling the need and guilt to manipulate/mislead customers.

I know what you mean and this one was a reallity check for me some years ago.

Like it or not, manipulation, keeping a front, deceiveing, lying , withholding information are all part of the socialization skillset.

I used to belive mastering social skills was this noble cause but it's not that innocent.

Obviously there is also the happy side of making friends, joking around and being playful and expressive etc.

- - -

I'm not saying that you are suposed to compulsively lie and make everything up. But consider that many times you speak in a truthful and assertive tonality even though you unknowingly are wrong anyways, so why not just speak in an assertive way most of the time if that's what people actually respond well to?

 

 

[John Paul]

@Leo Gura any videos of exercises, resources etc? 

[John Paul]

@mmKay

videos of sales training, etc, what you got, you sound like you learned something....or are you just bullshitting

[Vxvxen]

On 2/12/2022 at 4:02 AM, Osaid said:

It also helps to talk about things you are passionate about, it naturally makes your voice stronger and more powerful, pay attention to that.

@Osaid Practice speaking authentically from the heart definitely is a good idea.

I like your feedback, I wonder what it's like to be an extroverted version of myself, that'll definitely open new doors for me.

*I'm about to buy myself a microphone and amplifiers so that the ENTIRE world can hear MY VOICE* I need to be heard  

[Vxvxen]

On 2/12/2022 at 11:00 PM, mmKay said:

Obviously there is also the happy side of making friends, joking around and being playful and expressive etc.

so why not just speak in an assertive way most of the time if that's what people actually respond well to?

@mmKay well said! I'll try to be more playful and expressive, maybe I'm suppressing too much here by the fear of being judged by what's being said. Your feedback is helpful mate, thank you!  

[Vxvxen]

On a side note, I'm thinking I'm being too hard on myself. The reason I wanted to speak better is because I'm currently doing a course that involves me communicating to people in a way that the voice plays a factor in what's being absorbed into the mind. I figured having a magnetic voice would be a strength when it comes to providing a service to people. However my instructor gave his feedback and said I have great intonations, I'd just have to keep it up and just be myself.

Thanks everyone who gave your feedback at the above, I appreciate your time spent on this post. feel free to give a comment if you have more suggestions on how to develop your own unique voice <3