What makes a voice persuasive?
What makes a voice persuasive?
These vocal tones can increase your influence by 30% and make you more persuasive.
Some vocal tones are more persuasive than others.
Experiments have shown that lower-pitched voices signal competence, strength, truthfulness, empathy and trustworthiness.
Meanwhile, faster speakers are perceived to be more fluent, competent, socially attractive, and persuasive.
“So, if I want to appear as more competent or socially attractive I should speak faster?”
In theory, yes.
“But what if I’m not used to speak fast and it stresses me out?”
Well, that’s where things can go wrong.
In fact, stress and extreme emotionality can have the opposite effect, undermining your perceived competence1.
“Ok, some vocal tones are more persuasive than others.
But, how should our vocal tones sound to be more persuasive?”
This paper from 2021 offers some guidance:
🔍 A voice analysis of 10,000+ Kickstarter fundraising pitches, along with two experiments, shows that to maximize success when trying to persuade (e.g. during a sales pitch, when making a request) you should adopt a tone of voice that is (i) emotionally stable, (ii) focused (i.e. concentrated) and (iii) not stressed (i.e. confident and not nervous).
Kickstarter, a leading crowdfunding platform for creative projects, was the perfect fit for this research. On Kickstarter, creators (such as entrepreneurs and artists) can launch projects (e.g. films, albums, games, stage shows, etc.) and raise funds from a community of backers.
The platform is not based on donations: the creators must persuade potential funders that they will deliver on the proposed projects.
Therefore it makes an ideal setting to study the impact of vocal tone on persuasion.
🔬 Findings
The willingness to fund a project was:
📈 30.5% higher when the speaker sounded focused
📉 26.3% lower when there were signs of stress
📉 29.1% lower when there were signs of extreme emotions (e.g. overly excited, loud, and unnaturally energetic)
A low-pitched voice drove a 27.4% increase in willingness to fund, also leading to greater perceived competence than the control condition, confirming the existing literature.
The research found correlations with a voice tone’s focus, stress, and emotions. The dark areas show a 95% confidence interval.
🔎 If you are trying to be more persuasive in your everyday work, you might also enjoy this past newsletter on how to sell more and influence people.
🧠 Why is that?
Vocal tones give insight into a speaker’s competence.
Speakers that sound emotionally stable, focused and not stressed are perceived as more confident by the listeners.
Literature shows that higher confidence is linked with being determined and being diligent, and that speakers’ perceived confidence impacts whether listeners predict speakers will achieve their goals.
Therefore, when speakers are perceived as more confident, they are also perceived as more persuasive and able to deliver on the promises made.
💼 How this can help me?
Entrepreneurs and business professionals must pay attention to not just what they say, but how they say it, because vocal tone plays a key role in conveying more than just words.
Successful persuasion often comes from tones that signal (i) focus, (ii) low stress, and (iii) emotional stability. These three dimensions of tone help listeners perceive a speaker as competent and in control.
🎁 Takeaway: Try to sound focused, calm, and composed to help demonstrate your competence. While it might take practice, especially for those who are not natural communicators, the impact is definitely worth it.
Here’s what you might have missed recently on ‘Getting Better’:
See you all next Sunday 🗓️
Thanks,
Giacomo
Harker and Keltner in 2001 showed that emotionality-related items like overreacting to minor frustrations or exhibiting the opposite of a calm and relaxed manner correlate negatively with ratings of competence.
Good points here and useful for me to remember. I usually speak a little too fast and I know I do!