What Does Our Tone Of Voice Communicate?

The tone of voice is one of the elements with the greatest influence on the communication  of all those who exist. In such a tone there are a series of sound parameters that give meaning, conscious and unconscious, to the message that is being transmitted. Some of them are: timbre, intensity of sound, speed of diction, clarity, projection, etc.

Several people can say the exact same phrase. However, the tone of voice used by each communicates  different psychological information. It is then when it is discovered that there is a verbal and non-verbal content in the words. The non-verbal sphere is less controllable and therefore more authentic.

You can tell a lot about a person’s condition by examining their tone of voice. Even when someone speaks in another language that we do not know, we would be able to outline something of their way of being and feeling just by listening to how they speak. Here are some ideas to interpret what a person’s tone of voice tells us.

Tone of voice and perception

The Laboratory for Instrumental Analysis of Communication on speech and imagination, of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, ​​carried out a study on voice and perception. Its conclusions are curious and interesting. Let’s see:

• A deep tone of voice suggests maturity and builds trust in others. It is the most used in advertising advertisements

• If the tone of voice is extremely low, it refers to dark sensations
• A firm and sure voice makes us think that the speaker is someone distinguished and important
• Speaking in a low tone of voice suggests that the person has great weaknesses  or is clumsy
• Those who use a high-pitched tone of voice convey low credibility

Voice is such a personal pattern that it is currently used to verify identity and give access to many computer systems. It also serves as evidence in a trial. Its reliability is as great, or more, than that of a fingerprint.

Other interesting facts

Some psychologists have gone to the trouble of identifying hidden meanings in voice management. The result is a whole catalog of interpretations for these subtleties, those that often go unnoticed by most of us. Let’s see.

Breathing

The way you breathe while speaking gives an idea of ​​the rhythm at which you live:

• Quiet: someone balanced speaking.
• Deep and constant: energy and dynamism.
• Deep, steady and strong: repressed anger.
• Superficial: lack of realism.
• Short and fast: anxiety, anguish.

Intensity or volume

Define in a general way how a person interacts with himself and with others:

• Normal: self-control and listening skills.
• High: weakness, selfishness and lack of patience.
• Low: inexperience and repression.

Articulation or vocalization

Vocalization has to do with the ability to understand and the interest in being understood:

• Well defined: mental clarity, openness to communication.
• Inaccurate: deception or mental confusion.
• Very marked: narcissism, tension.
• With obstacles: aggressiveness, repression.

Speed

Talk about the emotional time in which the speaker is immersed:

• Slow: lack of interest, disconnection with the world.
• Fast: tension, desire to hide information.
• Regular: containment, repression, lack of naturalness.
• Irregular: confusion, anxiety, communication breakdown.

The voice and interpersonal relationships

The tone of voice stamps a stamp on the way a person uses to communicate with the world. Although your interlocutor is not an expert on the subject, he unconsciously receives a series of messages through the voice of the other. Those messages shape the image you have of the other person.

The tone of your voice also communicates the kind of relationship you want to have with someone. If it is cold and sharp, it imposes distances. If it is warm and whispery, it invites the approach. The tone of the voice defines the tone of the bond.

It is important to clarify that a person’s tone of voice is not always the same. However, there are some elements that remain present. It is precisely those constant patterns that give us the key to someone’s personality or their state of mind.

A good exercise in self-knowledge is to record ourselves in different situations and then listen to those hidden notes in the tone of our voice. Inasmuch as it is a communication and interrelation tool, it is an instrument that is worth learning to handle.