What Are the Qualities of a Voice?

To control your resonance, you need to understand what makes a voice sound more attractive. And here is your detailed guide on how to make your voice sound better.

Tempo

Do you happen to have any friend who speaks so fast that you just can’t keep up? Have you ever had people asking you to slow down because they cannot understand you? This is what voice tempo (or pace) does. It makes a voice sound easy-to-understand or the complete opposite.

Unfortunately, you need to work really hard if you want to change your tempo since this is the way you’ve always been speaking, and you need to force yourself to speak slower or faster before it becomes a habit. 

Record yourself and listen to this recording. Don’t freak out; your voice will definitely sound different. See if you can quickly get what you’re saying and whether you need to speed up or slow down your pace. According to the National Center for Voice and Speech, American English speakers use 150 words per minute.

However, the tempo has another important role. It can build up suspense. If you want to narrate a story and add excitement, slowing down and going in circles will help you engage your listeners. But if you want to add different feelings such as anxiety or urgency, you need to talk faster — a common practice among sportscasters. 

The tempo is a vital voice quality that helps your listeners determine whether you are easy to follow or not. Use this quality to your advantage.

Texture

When we’re talking about texture, we’re talking about how your voice sounds in general. It might be a vague term, but it describes voice qualities that most people don’t know how to phrase.

Texture has to do with thickness, vocal range, and feelings. Play an upbeat song by your favorite artist on Spotify. Pay attention to their voice and how they use it to boost their listeners’ moods. Now, play a ballad by the same artist. Their voice will most likely sound much different — soother, calmer, easier.

This is because all people have a wide range of textures that we all use to express different feelings. You’ve heard about breathy, fruity, flat, or even husky voices. This is what texture is about. These little features that make a voice unique but no one really knows how to describe them.

Inflections

Not all words are the same. Some fall. Others rise. And others stay flat. Inflection allows speakers to express, not only themselves but also the meaning of each word.

Each sentence is a different journey, and inflections mark the end of it. They deliver emotions, attitudes, feelings, and they emphasize the type of each sentence. Is it a question? An excitement? A bold statement? Inflections get to decide. 

The incorrect usage of inflection leads to confusion, making people wonder what the person they’re talking to is actually talking about. If, for example, someone adds excitement to a sentence that is meant to be about a serious matter, that would instantly make them less likable and relatable.