All the truth about a speaker’s TONE

Nancy Tabbara

Fidaa Zebiane

Anwar Bekaie

Zeinab Najem

Omar Hatoum

Sumaya Al Arab

Done by:

2

OutlineTable of Content SlidesCover Paper Side 1

Outline Slide 2

Facts to know Slide 3

What is Tone ? + Examples Slide 4 - 5

Types of Tones + Example of each Slide 6-14

Impact of Tone on Intonation Slide 15-16

Impact of Tone on Pitch Slide 17-20

3

OutlineTable of Content SlidesQuotes Slide 21-22

Best strategies to have a suitable tone in certain situations

Slide 23-28

Tips in improving your tone of voice Slide 29-31

Conclusion Slide 32

Thank you Slide 33

4

Did you

KNOW?that on the phone, 86% of our communication comes

from our tone and only 14% comes from the words we use?

When face-to-face with someone, our body language makes up

55% of how we communicate and 38% is from our tone. This

leaves only 7% to the words we actually use.

With that said, imagine how much room this leaves

FOR INTERPRETATION!

What is a speaker’s

tone?

Tone is an attitude of a speaker toward a subject or an audience. Tone is generally conveyed through the choice of words or the view point of a speaker on a particular subject. The listener must “read between the lines” to feel the speaker’s attitude and identify the tone. Often a speaker’s tone is described by adjectives, such as: cynical, depressed, sympathetic, cheerful, outraged, positive, angry, sarcastic, prayerful, ironic, solemn, vindictive, intense, excited.

5

6

A Real-life Example

You can say the same phrase in different ways, each showing a different attitude or tone.

Try saying, “Come here, Sally” using the following tones:

Commanding or bossy Secretive Loving Angry Excited Playful

7

Types of Tones:

Non Assertive Tone: is a very laid back and bored tone of speaking. It is defined as an inappropriate tone to display at work because it shows you don’t really care about anything and it may be foreshadowing that you are not going to do anything for the company or business. People might use the tone without recognizing that they are doing so and it is not affective when in contact when another person.

8

Boss: ‘’ Did you apply to last week’s tender?’’Employee: “I did not follow up. I think yesterday was the deadline and we did not submit it”.

What is the tone?

9

Boss: ‘’ Did you apply to last week’s tender?’’Employee: “I did not follow up. I think yesterday was the deadline and we did not submit it”.

Boring/Non-Concerned

This speaker’s tone is low and inspires a boring

atmosphere. The speaker (employee) shows a non

concerned mood when talking with his boss.

10

Assertive Tone: is described as a nice, attentive, and reasonable tone and is a great tone to use in a working environment. It shows that you are very well rounded and perfect for any task given. This tone is the healthiest tone to be used.

Types of Tones:

What is the tone?

An employee tells his colleague :” Yesterday, when you were absent, we held the weekly meeting and took many decisions. I wrote the meeting minutes. Would you like me to send them to you by mail so you can be aware of all the decisions and points that were agreed upon ?”

Nice/Attentive Tone

An employee tells his colleague :” Yesterday, when you were absent, we held the weekly meeting and took many decisions. I wrote the meeting minutes. Would you like me to send them to you by mail so you can be aware of all the decisions and points that were agreed upon ?”

This speaker’s positive tone inspires a

Friendly atmosphere. This leads to a worm

mood in the listener. (It a

lso helps the

listener identify that the speaker is concerned and

cares about him)

13

Types of Tones:

Aggressive Tone: is very loud and angered tone. This is a highly inappropriate tone. It could come across overbearing and demanding. This tone is literally the worst tone to have anywhere and will not be effective.

14

What is the tone?

The teacher told the student: “ I told you several times not to throw garbage on the floor. This is not acceptable and you should be punished for it.”

15

Hostile / AngryHostile / Angry

The teacher told the student: “ I told you several times not to throw garbage on the floor. This is not acceptable and you should be punished for it.”

This speaker’s angry tone inspires a violent

atmosphere. The speaker may be hoping to

inspire a tense and uneasy mood in the

listener, emphasizing the breaking of rule.

16

Impact of Tone on Intonation

Intonation refers to the way your voice goes up and down when you are speaking. It’s important to vary your pitch to maintain the listener’s interest. Having a monotonous or flat voice makes the conversation boring for the listener. It also sends the message that you are bored with what the other person is saying.

17

A person’s emotions has a big influence on his tone. By using different tones, the words in a sentence can have different meanings.

When one is prompted to say a positive statement, he would use a high intonation like in how you congratulate or commend someone for a job well done.

However, For negative sentences, that bear messages that are not so good to the receiver, the intonation used by the speaker is usually low or falling. This can best be exemplified when somebody gives you his or her condolences for a relative of yours who recently died.

18

Impact of Tone on Pitch

Pitch is the quality of a sound governed by the rate of vibrations producing it; the degree of highness or lowness of a tone.

Changing the pitch while speaking can convey shades of meaning such as emphasis or surprise, or distinguish a statement from a question

19

Impact of Tone on Pitch

Generally speaking, there are four types of pitch changes you can make, as follows:• Rising Intonation

means the pitch of the voice rises over time [↗];

• Falling Intonation means that the pitch falls with time [↘];

• Dipping Intonation means that the pitch falls and then rises [↘↗];

• Peaking Intonation means that the pitch rises and then falls [↗↘].

20

Consciously or unconsciously the speaker will use the different patterns of pitch to convey different meanings to the listener. Consider the uses of pitch change and the associated meanings in the different categories as follows:

• Informational: for example, "Whom did you see?" or "What happened?“ will be answered by "I saw a ↘man in the garden"

• Grammatical: for example, a rising pitch turns a statement into a yes-no question, as in "He's going ↗home?"

• Illocution: the intentional meaning is signaled by the pitch pattern, for example, "Why ↘don't you move to California?" (a question) versus "Why don't you ↗move to California?" (a suggestion).

Impact of Tone on Pitch

21

• Attitudinal: high declining pitch signals more excitement than does low declining pitch, as in "Good ↗morn↘ing" versus "Good morn↘ing."

• Textual:  information not in the sentence is signaled by the absence of a statement-ending decline in pitch, as in "The lecture was canceled" (high pitch on both syllables of "cancelled", indicating continuation); versus "The lecture was can↘celed." (high pitch on first syllable of "canceled", but declining pitch on the second syllable, indicating the end of the first thought).

Impact of Tone on Pitch

22

23

10% of conflicts are due to difference in opinion and 90% are due to wrong

tone of voice.

Be aware to not be understood Wrong!!

24

Best strategies to have the most suitable tone to go with the situati on

Voice tones are not constant for all situations! Here are some tips that help us to have the most suitable tone to go with the situation of speaking:

When talking about governance or addressing a government, institution or business audience, you may want to stress the worldly and authoritative aspects of your tone of voice.

25

Best strategies to have the most suitable tone to go with the situati on

When talking in an arts event or an audience of undergraduates you might prefer to emphasize the vivid and inspiring aspects.

With an audience of children, try slowing your voice down, don’t talk so quickly, your tone should be very friendly and lovely, so things go easier!

26

Best strategies to have the most suitable tone to go with the situati on

Try different methods of message delivery. Change the word emphasis or stress in sentences to reflect curiosity, excitement, interest, responsibility, and other positive emotions with respect to the requirement of the situations.

Always be aware of cultural sensibilities and adapt the tone accordingly. For example, talking to a sensible human will require a friendly emotional tone, this will relax him.

27

Best strategies to have the most suitable tone to go with the situati on

Whatever is the situation, avoid monotony, (speaking with one pitch tone or little variety in pitch). Make sure to vary the speech as you speak to show emphasis and change in meaning. If you talk in a monotone you will sound dull and uninteresting; you will also lack credibility. The more credible you are the more persuasive you will be.

As a general rule speak with clarity, talk in a strong, steady voice neither shouting nor mumbling. This will leave a good impression about you especially if u are submitting for a new work job.

28

Best strategies to have the most suitable tone to go with the situati on

Be aware of the tone and pitch of the speaker! Think of who you are communicating with and then decide how you should pitch your voice and what sort of words to use. For example if they speak softly and slowly then lower your voice and slow it down. If the other person speaks quickly, try to quicken up.

Avoid aggressive tones when the listener is angry and depressed to calm down the situation, otherwise the ambiance will be more convulsive.

29

Your Tone Of Voice Affects How People Respond To You

When customers hear your voice on the other end of the line, they imagine the person behind the voice. If they like what they hear in the voice, they will perceive you as knowledgeable and confident. If they don’t like your voice, they disconnect or speak to a supervisor. Your voice is your best vehicle for making the customer trust you.To exceed customer expectations, your voice must consistently sound:• Upbeat• Warm• Under control• Clear.

30

Tips in improving the tone of your voice:

1. Make sure you are breathing from the diaphragm. This can cause the voice to sound strident.2. Drink lots of water to keep the voice sounding pleasant all day long. It is important to keep the vocal cords lubricated.3. Avoid caffeine. It is a diuretic.4. Sit up straight. Posture does affect breathing.5. Use gestures to make your voice sound energetic especially when you are tired. They will give your voice additional power and will help you to emphasize words or phrases to get your point across.

31

Tips in improving the tone of your voice:

You automatically warm up the tone of your voice when you smile. 7. If your voice is particularly high or low, exercise the range of your voice by doing a sliding scale. 8. Tape record your voice and play it back. Would this be a voice that says, “I care?”9. Practice speaking at a slightly lower octave. Deeper voices have more credibility than higher pitched voices. 10. Get feedback on the tone of your voice. Ask your manager or a trusted friend.

32

CONCLUSION

Your voice sells people on your knowledge level and professionalism. It

helps you to gain their support when difficulties arise. Make it sound the best it can by pausing and breathing and by maintaining it with good posture, big

gestures and plenty of water.

33THANK YOU !!!