Business Communication

Paralanguage
(Voice)

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Cengage Learning Mallika Nawal
Topical Outline
Introduction
Pitch
Inflection
Exercise: To Vary Pitch
Resonance
Enunciation and Articulation
Pronunciation
Volume
Tone of Voice
Timbre
Pace and Rate
Emphasis
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Topical Outline
Fluency
Pauses
Meta-Messages
Final Message

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Introduction
Paralanguage refers to vocal aspects of speech
Includes pitch, resonance, intonation, emphasis,
articulation, diction, tempo, pace, volume, and
rhythm
Paralinguistics the study of paralanguage
Helps in deciphering moods, intentions, attitudes,
and emotions

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Pitch
Pitch degree of height or depth of tone or of sound,
depending on the relative rapidity of vibrations by
which it is produced
i.e. the pitch of your voice is determined by the rate
of vibration of your vocal cords
Higher rate of vibration higher pitch & vice versa
Rate of vibration depends on the length and breadth
of the vocal cord
Women shorter, thinner, and tighter vocal cords
hence, high-pitch voice

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Pitch
Men longer, thicker, or looser vocal cord hence,
low-pitch voice
Moods and emotions affect an individuals pitch
Whenever you get scared, excited, or nervous, the
muscles around your vocal cord tighten, thereby
giving your voice a higher pitch
Varying pitch improves conversational quality

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Inflection
Inflection change in the voice pitch while speaking
Classified into:
Monotonous inflection Sameness of successive
syllabic sounds.
Rising inflection inflection higher at the end.
When asking questions or at a comma
Falling inflection inflection lower at the end.
When answering questions or at a colon/semicolon
Circumflex inflection combines higher/lower
inflection. When being ironic, doubtful, or sarcastic,
double entendre
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Exercise: To Vary Pitch
Imagine a pitch scale Pick a sentence and say it
with varying pitch
Practice breathing techniques When we get scared
or excited, our breathing becomes shallow; this does
not allow for proper inflection. Hence control
breathing and breathe deeply
Practice, practice, and practice Speak to a friend on
a telephone. Speak the sentence (in different tones
and styles) and ask the friend to guess the emotion

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Resonance
Resonance can be pharyngeal, oral or nasal
depending on where the vibrations from the vocal
bands
Oral resonant, strong, and rich, easily associated to
rather large body size, suggests positive male
characteristics masculinity, energy, good health, and
resourcefulness
Deep chest tones firmness, self-confidence, strength
Resonance provides the voice with good carrying
power

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Enunciation and Articulation
Every vowel, dipthong, and consonant has its own
sound
These sounds are the smallest part of language and
are known as phonemes
English language contains 36 to 44 phonemes
Enunciation Pronouncing each phoneme in a word
correctly and distinctly
Open your mouth wide while speaking and do not
swallow words/sounds

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Pronunciation
When pronouncing a word, it is possible to get the
enunciation right but you can still get the
pronunciation wrong
Enunciation focuses on individual sounds, whereas
pronunciation focuses on the pronunciation of the
word as a whole
i.e. pronunciation refers to correctness, enunciation
refers to distinctness
For correct pronunciation, refer dictionary and learn
phonetic notation

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Pronunciation
Pronunciation is a function of our culture
For example, Japanese face problems when
pronouncing the letters L and R. This is so
because the two alphabets are missing from the
Japanese script
For example, native accent effect

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Volume
Volume degree of loudness/softness of the voice
Volume determined by the amount of energy
contained within the sound waves
Measured in decibels (dB)
Sound waves, with differing levels of precision, can
travel through matter (solids, liquids, and gases)
Therefore, for better sound clarity hard, high-finish
floors so they can reflect the waves better
For sound-proofing use surface/materials that are
soft, porous, and bulky such as carpet, heavy drapes,
bookshelves, etc.
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Volume
Be mindful of your volume
Vary the volume to suit the situation/listener
Develop a range of volume so you can be loud without
shouting and be soft without whispering
A breathy, high-pitched soft voice sign of empathy,
caring, credibility, & trustworthiness. Or timidity, lack
of confidence, inferiority complex, & self-doubt
Loud volume Associated with fervor, enthusiasm, &
confidence. Or aggressiveness, ego, & self-importance
People of higher status tend to speak loudly

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Tone of Voice
We have a tone for cheerfulness and joy, for sorrow
and grief, for anger and rage, for fear and terror, for
reverence or awe, and for almost anything we feel
Even if the message itself is not offensive, the tone
may offend the listener
Tone communicates nearly 23% of the context of the
actual message

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Timbre
Sound is characterized by:
the intensity or loudness of voice
the tone of voice
the timbre, or quality, of voice
Timbre overall voice quality of an individual
Timbre lends distinctness to an individuals voice.
That is how you are able to recognize a particular
voice from a sea of voices

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Pace and Rate
Rate of speech speed at which we speak
Speak slowly when discussing core/difficult parts of a
message
Talking fast is associated with excitement. Individuals
seen as expressive and persuasive
Negatively, talking fast is attributed to insecurity and
can make the listener nervous
Similarly, talking slowly is associated with sincerity,
thoughtfulness, and concentration. Or with laziness,
lack of interest, and indifference

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Emphasis

Sentence Emphasis
You can improve your performance. Emphasis on the person

You can improve your performance. Emphasis on persons ability

You can improve your performance. Emphasis on persons action

You can improve your performance. Emphasis on ownership

You can improve your performance. Emphasis on outcome

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Fluency
Fluency smooth, easy, and effortless flow of words
in conversation
Fluency in speech gives an impression of education,
class, and sophistication
Disfluncies pausing, interjecting uhm, backing up,
and revising the wording of an utterance, or
repeating part of the utterance over again
To improve fluency read, practice speaking, and
tongue twisters

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Pauses
Pauses in speech are normal
Pause is a temporary halt in speech and is the oral
equivalent to the written punctuation marks such as
comma, semicolon, and period
Pause suggests logical finish to a thought before
going on to the next
Pause is also used for emphasizing a word or point
Use them sparingly
Too many pauses can irritate the listener and break
his/her concentration

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Meta-Messages
A meta-message is a message that further adds
another level of meaning to a message
Often is disapproving in nature
Can lead to conflict in communication as they
communicate the senders underlying attitudes and
feelings
As meta-messages are subtle, pay attention to the
rhythm, emphasis, and pitch contained within the
message

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Final Message

Always SMILE, while talking!

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