What Your Voice Is Actually Capable Of…
…And How to Use It to Strengthen Your Executive Presence
Your voice may be one of your most underutilized leadership tools. Every time you speak, your voice influences how confident you appear, how credible you are perceived, and how clearly your message is understood.
Yet, most leaders have never really heard their own voice. They may hear it on a voicemail, a video recording, a podcast interview, or a meeting replay and immediately think, “Is that what I sound like?” That reaction is very common. Many people are surprised by the sound of their own voice because what they hear internally is not always how others experience them externally.
The Instrument You May Not Have Learned to Use
I often remind people that your voice is an instrument. It’s the one instrument we all play and you need to learn to use it well. Some of us have had formal training, but most of us have not. Yet we rely on our voices every day—leading meetings, presenting to a board, speaking with clients, navigating difficult conversations, and stepping into rooms where we want our presence to be felt.
As a classically trained singer, I learned early that like any skill, your voice can be developed, trained, strengthened, and refined when you learn how to use it:
How your breath supports and sustains your voice.
How pitch, tone, volume, rhythm, and pace change the way a message is received.
How the pause—the silent moments—are just as important as the words you speak.
My 28 years on camera reinforced those same lessons in a different way. In live television, your voice has to carry information, emotion, urgency, clarity, and credibility, often all at once.
You learn how to shift your tone based on the story, how to pace yourself under pressure, and how to sound steady even when things are changing rapidly around you.
That discipline extends well beyond the studio or stage. Whether you are giving a keynote, leading a team meeting, facilitating a workshop, or having a one-on-one conversation, your voice is always sending a message about your presence. It can project confidence, warmth, authority, or sometimes, uncertainty. The real question is: is your voice helping your message land the way you intend?
Why Your Voice May Be Hiding Your IT Factor
The IT Factor is about intentional transformation. It is about the alignment of your physical, mental, and relational self. Your voice sits right in the middle of that alignment.
Physically, your voice depends on breath, posture, tension, and presence in your body.
Mentally, it is shaped by what you believe about yourself, your message, and your right to take up space.
Relationally, it affects how you communicate, connect, and engage with others, and how they experience your presence.
Your voice can either reveal your IT Factor or conceal it. You may have the knowledge, experience, and insight to lead, but if your voice lacks confidence, conviction, or presence, your message loses impact before it ever reaches your audience. People may not remember what you said, but they will remember how your voice made them feel. Your voice should communicate your confidence, reinforce your credibility, and make your leadership impossible to overlook. And all of that comes from vocal variety.
What Vocal Variety Actually Means
Vocal variety is the opposite of monotone. It is the way you use pitch, tone, timbre, rhythm, pace, pausing, and volume to bring your message to life.
Pitch is the rise and fall of your voice.
Tone is the feeling or attitude your voice communicates.
Timbre is the quality or texture of your sound.
Pace is how quickly or slowly you speak.
Rhythm is the natural pattern of your delivery.
Pausing gives your message space and allows your message to resonate with your listener.
Volume helps you emphasize what matters.
Together, these elements determine whether your message inspires attention or fades into the background. Even the strongest ideas can lose their impact if your voice lacks energy, intention, and variety. Your job is not simply to deliver information. It is to create a connection that helps people receive your message, remember it, and act on it.
One of my favorite coaching exercises is deceptively simple: read a children's book aloud. Why? Because children are the toughest audience you'll ever have. If your voice lacks energy, variety, and emotion, they'll lose interest almost immediately. A great children's story forces you to vary your pace, pause for effect, emphasize important words, bring the characters to life, even be a little dramatic. It's one of the fastest ways to develop the vocal variety that keeps any audience engaged. You won’t be as dramatic, but the same principles apply.
Take a Moment to Pause
One of the most powerful vocal tools is also often the most overlooked: the pause. Many leaders feel uneasy with silence. There is a temptation to fill every moment, respond instantly, or keep talking to prove expertise. In reality, the opposite is often true. Thoughtful pauses project confidence, while constant talking can make your message—and your presence—less impactful.
The pause gives your message room to breathe. Comedians understand this. They know that a punchline often works because of the timing before and after it. Politicians are quite good at this technique. And, musicians certainly understand this, because the rests are just as important as the notes because they add context and texture.
The same principle applies in communication. A pause gives your audience time to absorb your message. At the same time, it gives you a chance to choose your next words with intention, thus reducing filler words and allowing you to sound more grounded and in control. You do not need to say more to sound credible. Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is give your words the space they deserve.
How to Start Auditing Your Own Voice
To strengthen your vocal presence, begin by listening to yourself. I know it can feel uncomfortable. Most people don't like hearing a recording of their own voice, but it's one of the fastest ways to become more aware of how you're communicating. But growth often starts with a little discomfort and a willingness to become more aware.
Record yourself speaking for one or two minutes about something you know well. It could be a presentation introduction, a meeting update, or a story you tell often. Then listen back with curiosity, not criticism. Before you begin, take a breath, because breath supports your sound, steadies your delivery, and gives your voice more strength without forcing it.
When listening to the recording, ask yourself:
Do I sound confident?
Do I sound rushed or do I pause long enough for my message to land?
Do I vary my pace, pitch, and tone so my voice reflects the importance of what I am saying?
Do I use filler words when I am thinking?
You may notice things you did not expect. This is not a reason to judge yourself; it is an invitation to grow. Awareness is the first step, and practice is what leads to real change. Choose one area to focus on; pausing, breathing, or pacing. Small, intentional changes can make a big difference in how you are heard.
Your Voice Can Become a Leadership Advantage
Your voice is one of your most powerful leadership tools, but only when you use it with intention. It communicates confidence, strengthens your executive presence, and helps people connect with both you and your message. When you use your voice well, people don't just hear your words, they feel them. Like any instrument, your voice requires awareness and practice. The more intentionally you develop it, the more powerfully your IT Factor comes to life.
The good news is, you do not need to become someone else. You just need to become more intentional with the instrument you already have. Your voice is capable of more than you might realize. Are you ready to discover what it can do?
If you enjoyed this blog post, here are some other resources you might enjoy:
My book, Dare To Own You: Taking Your Authenticity and Dreams Into Your Next Chapter, the winner of two Feathered Quill Book awards, a Book Excellence award, and recommended by Forbes in 2022 as “a teaching memoir”.
My work as a keynote speaker, executive coach and communication expert. You can read more about more of my services here.
My podcast, the "Live Your Best Life with Liz Brunner" podcast: An award-winning and internationally streamed show that highlights powerful stories of re-creation and reinvention from guests who have taken their life experiences, and used that knowledge to create their “next chapters” and live their best lives.
Interested in Taking Yourself or Your Executive Team to the Next Level?
Brunner Communications assists high-profile individuals and organizations in sharpening and developing top level business communication, executive presence, and public speaking skills. Our passionate team provides one-on-one executive business coaching, and runs specialized business workshops. Through customized training, clients learn the necessary skills to become great communicators and build a marketable reputation.