Words and Music
Jeni Beattie
Accredited CIPR member and CIPR NW committee member
Founder & Director, Accolade Media Training
Last month I toured some of the fringe events at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool. I heard some impressive speeches and debates. But what really hit me was the richness and diversity of the different speakers’ voices!
The range of regional accents added a whole new lyrical dimension to the content. We are all from different oral tribes and the way our speech is perceived starts with the tone of the voice. Immediately the listener knows if you are grumpy, unwell or emotional, before fully comprehending the spoken word.
It reminded me of something that neuroscientist Sophie Scott said. According to Professor Scott, we hear the tone or the melody of the voice before we hear what people say. This influences how we receive the message.
Fleeting and subtle micro-expressions pass across the face, giving clues to the emotions people try to mask. This is all down to the way our brain processes language. First, the right side of our brain takes in the tone, then the left side processes the language.
Some people are blessed with a more melodious accent. The BBC’s political reporter, Yorkshireman Chris Mason’s voice sounds warm and trustworthy. Sky’s Beth Rigby’s Essex lilt hits a cheery note. Both resonate with friendliness.
Thankfully, regional accents are applauded today and I am delighted that the major broadcasters are celebrating this diversity.
Often, when I take an interviewee into the studio to record a media interview for training purposes, they say apologetically “I’ve got a regional accent; I hate my voice!”
Once I made a major faux pas during a workshop in London. “Don’t worry” I said to an attendee from Devon: “If you went to Eton and your accent is RP - Received Pronunciation (also known as “Real Posh”) - it can be a handicap. It is only spoken by 3% - 4% of the UK population and is neither appealing nor empathetic. An awkward silence ensued as another attendee drawled: “I went to Eton. Shall I leave now?”
The thing about RP is that it doesn’t define a person geographically. However, it does signal something about their heritage and education. It can be perceived as authoritative and yet, to some, as arrogant or unfriendly.
My advice is: do not ever judge yourself by your accent. It is part of your personal identity, sometimes referred to as a “personal brand.”
However, we can all help the way we are understood and make life easier for a broad audience. You may wish to use some adaption strategies to make sure your messages are delivered with clarity and understood easily. Relax, and slow down your delivery during a presentation. Record yourself and note if you need to enunciate anything more clearly. Please, please don’t try and talk RP posh like Mrs Bucket in “Keeping up Appearances!”
The voice is the most powerful communication tool we possess. It conveys emotion, can make people weep, make people happy, make soldiers march. It is emotion we remember – people always remember how you made them feel.
Shall we try and truly embrace accent diversity and the richness it brings to our beautiful nation? Encourage and support it? And, instead of worrying about standards of speech, should we think about developing new standards of listening? If you cannot hear it, you cannot be it!