Is it more persuasive to look smart or sound smart?

By Brian Maynor

 

Be sure to look the part.  Dress to impress.  You’re smarter than you look.

Conventional wisdom, training and coaching has always placed appearance at the forefront of image, especially when it comes to making a good first impression, but researchers at the University of Chicago found that how we look is not the biggest factor when it comes to appearing smart.

The study, published in the Journal of Psychological Science, found that our voice actually carries more weight than our appearance in this situation, and in fact appearance didn’t change the outcomes at all.

Human evolution has been cited as the reason, viewing our voices as carefully honed tools for communication that conveys cues of our intelligence and thoughtfulness that are absent in written texts.

So how do we make ourselves sound smart?

Here are 3 key factors of our voice that others use to gauge our intelligence:

1.   Lower the pitch and inflection.  Higher-pitched voices are associated with nervousness or childishness.  Think about every portrayal of a nervous speaker we’ve seen on television or in the movies.  Raised inflections at the end of our sentences are also stereotyped as being unintelligent.  Remember the valley girl dialect where every statement sounds like a question?

While we may never sound like James Earl Jones, intentionally dropping the pitch and inflection of our voices will help us sound more confident and mature, which translates to our listeners as smart.  Just be careful not to overdo it or you run the risk of sounding rude or confrontational.

2.    Find the right rhythm.  Most people, particularly in the South tend to speak with a slower cadence, and that is often used to perpetuate the stereotype of being dumb.  On the other hand, Northerners are often stereotyped as ‘fast talkers’, which implies dishonesty.  The ideal speaking rate has been cited as 150/words-per-minute.  This is the rate used in most audio books.

Reciting tongue twisters are great exercises to do, especially before public speaking, to loosen up your lips and tongue and help you focus on articulation.  Peter Piper seems to be one of the most popular ones.

3.    Align the emotion of what you say with how you say it.  Our voice, like our personalities, can convey a multitude of attitudes.  This trait is called our vocal timbre, and it should always match the words we’re speaking and the emotion you are trying to convey.

Think of this as your vocal flexibility.  Just because you can bend over backwards and touch your toes doesn’t mean you should in the middle of a pitch.  You need to pick and choose how you use your timbre so that it delivers the most impact to the listeners.

Very few of us like hearing the sound of our own voice, but knowing it has such an impact on how others perceive us, especially our intelligence, maybe it’s worth suffering through a recording or two just so we can practice tweaking it.  After all, it would be a waste to put so much effort in dressing smartly just to have it undermined by how we sound.

 

Click here or on the images below to learn more about the outfit.

 

Click here or on the images below to learn more about the outfit.

 

 

I am always curious to hear about your weekend wardrobe dilemmas and help make your work wardrobe pull double duty.  Email your questions, quandaries and conundrums to [email protected].  Also find each of these storyboards at http://brianmaynor.polyvore.com with links to purchase each item.

 

 

About Brian Maynor

Brian Maynor has built a reputation as one of the leading style coaches in the Southeast and is quickly expanding his eponymous company, BRIAN MAYNOR and his FIND, FLATTER & FLAUNT line of image consulting services. A professional with a fresh, upbeat and down-to-earth personality and boundless creative energy, he works frequently with with local celebrities; Fortune 500 companies and nonprofit organizations; modeling agencies; fashion designers; production companies; record labels; media and individuals. A regular contributor to various fashion blogs and online communities, Brian Maynor is one of the most trusted and recognized style experts in the region, utilizing his education and training as a broadcast journalist to serve as a style lecturer, emcee, and commentator for over a decade. He has appeared at fashion shows, expos, and charity fundraisers, as well as events with big brands like Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Chico’s and Macy’s. His approach is innovative, creative and fashion-forward, balancing fresh, modern styles with classic pieces to keep one’s look grounded. To learn more, visit http://www.brianmaynor.com.

 

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