I have a soft voice. I remember when I was 18 years old, I phoned a local business to enquire if they had any job openings. After introducing myself in my “professional voice”, the lady on the other end of the line asked if I was phoning to speak to my “mummy”! I was so shocked and offended that somebody could think I was a child when I was trying so hard to put on my “ladylike voice” and sound professional to find a job. Although crushing at the time, that day turned out to be the exact jolt I needed to learn how to use my voice to project confidence, and also reflect my age!
Women naturally have softer voices than men, and we need to make a conscious effort to move our voice from “soft” and “girly” to “authoritative” and “decisive” if we want to be recognised in the corporate world. Today I want to share with you 5 tips that I’ve picked up during my journey of finding power in my voice. Ladies, I hope you find these tips helpful. Gentlemen, if you’re having trouble getting noticed in the workplace, you will no doubt find some of these tips to be useful for your own professional image as well.
When I say “upswing”, I’m talking about the noticeable rise of your voice at the end of a statement. Making a statement sound more like a question. You will often see teenagers speaking like this in Hollywood films. But as an adult, an “upswing” at the end of your sentence can make you sound childish, insecure and indecisive. These are not the qualities that will push you up the corporate ladder. Instead, make a conscious effort to push your voice down at the end of your sentences using what I like to call, a “downswing”.
Power words make your sentences “pop”. They are full of rich ideas and strong emotions that help you get your message across in a more decisive and strong way. It’s just a matter of expanding your vocabulary and boosting your verbs and adjectives. Instead of saying, “You’re working really fast on those reports”, reduce the amount of words you use and add more “bang” to your sentence by saying “You’re flying through those reports”. Or instead of saying “She came up with a fantastic marketing idea”, say, “She masterminded our new marketing strategy”.
The volume of your voice has a significant impact on how others perceive you. When you raise the volume of your voice, you raise the authority that you project. When you raise the authority that you project, you raise the impression and impact you have on others. I‘ve found that to increase the volume of my voice, all I need to do is breath deeper and push more air out of my lungs. Think of air pressure in your lungs as being the fuel for your voice. Try this at home by reading a novel aloud and imagine projecting your voice to the end of the room. Watch how the volume of your voice makes your body language bigger and makes you feel more elevated.
When you use shorter sentences, clearly constructed arguments, and you don’t mask your words with qualifiers or minimising language, you allow the importance of your thoughts and opinions to shine through.
If you’re explaining something in detail during a meeting, try to break down your thoughts into bullet points in your mind. Use clear language such as “I think we can break this issue down into three parts. First…”. Everybody listening will feel they are following a mentally organised and decisive person; a leader in the making.
Qualifying language such as “Maybe we should…” or “Perhaps we could…” can weaken your message. Instead, use sentences such as “I think…”, “I believe…”, or “I would like…”, and don’t be afraid to finish them off with your opinion.
An opinion is something that women often do not feel comfortable giving. But your opinion, your thoughts, and your beliefs are how you will be noticed in the workplace.
I’ve written about the importance of using another person’s name in conversation in a previous post “3 Steps to Remembering Names at Networking Events“ . Today I want to share with you a quote that I recently came across that sums it up perfectly:
“A person’s name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language” Dale Carnegie.
What does your voice say about you? Does it project authority and strength? Or do you feel you come across as uncertain or “girly”? I’d love to know what you do to add power to your voice! Please leave your comments in the section below.
Reserve a weekend of a classic or exotic automobile for your Wedding and Exotic Car Share will, in turn, present you with a $250 American Express Gift Certificate, effectively reducing your cost to reserve your Wedding dream vehicle.
Membership is required and is good for 5 years, for you and a family member, to reserve vehicles from the Exotic Car Share collection.
Chest pain Post infarct angina occurs in up to 50% of patients. Most have residual stenosis even after successful thrombolysis.[1]
Dyspnoea Patients may present with shortness of breath due to the heart failure, pericarditis or embolism. [3],[4],[5]
History of pericarditis (Dressler's Syndrome) Patient experience chest pain which relieved when leaning forward. In Dressler's syndrome is characterized by persisting fever, pericarditis, and pleurisy, may be due to autoimmunity. [6]
Peripheral edema Acute myocardial infarction often followed by thinning and stretching of that segment which leads to the increase in wall stress with progressive dilatation and hypertrophy of remaining ventricle(ventricular remodeling). As the ventricle dilates, it becomes less efficient and heart failure occurs. [7]
murmur Pansystolic murmur can occur due to the rupture of the papillary muscle which cause mitral regurgitation or due to the rupture of interventricular septum which lead to the ventricular septal defect. [2],[3]
s3 As a result of ventricular remodeling left ventricular failure may occur in some patients. They get s3 ,best heard at the apex, which occurs due to the left ventricular dysfunction [4]
pitting edema Acute myocardial infarction often followed by thinnning and stretching of that segment which leads to the increase in wall stress with progressive dilatation and hypertrophy of remaining ventricle(ventricular remodeling). As the ventricle dilates, it becomes less efficient and heart failure occurs. [7]
Acute myocardial infarction Occurs with central/retrosternal tightening chest pain/discomfort with radiation to jaw/ left arm. [1]
Chronic heart failure These patients may present with dyspnoea, orthopnea, pitting edema. Patient may have history of hypertension, cardiomyopathies, alcohol intake and endocrine disorders.[3]
Electrocardiography The presence of pathological Q waves on the 12-lead ECG signifies a prior transmural myocardial infarction. Q wave may regress or even disappear over time in as many as 25% to 63% of patients with a history of a Q-wave MI by ECG. The overall sensitivity of a Q wave for prior MI is limited by the ECG and is as low as 25% for a lateral MI. [1] Also done to identify arrhythmias, pericarditis
Chest radiography CXR is done to assess for the presence of Enlarged cardiac silhouette, Cephalization of pulmonary vessels, pleural effusion, interstitial edema, Alveolar edema, hyperinflated lungs.[3]
ambulatory electrocardiography Done to evaluate conduction impairment. For patients with nonsustained episodes of palpitations/ arrhythmias, an ambulatory electrocardiogram or an event monitor can be useful in capturing an ECG during an episode. [1]
Lipid profile Patient's lipid levels should be assessed as hyperlipidaemia increase the risk of subsequent infarction and the benefit of lipid(LDL) reduction has now been strongly supported by the significant decrease in cardiovascular events, including cardiovascular mortality. [2]
Blood glucose levels People with impaired glucose tolerance have a cardiovascular mortality rate twice that of their counterparts with normal glucose tolerance. Therefore assess and maintain normal blood glucose level is important[3]
Secondary Prevention by Raising HDL Cholesterol and Reducing Triglycerides in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease : The Bezafibrate Infarction Prevention (BIP) Study. Circulation [online] 2000 July, 102(1):21-27 [viewed 13 July 2014] Available from: doi:10.1161/​01.CIR.102.1.21
Smoking cessation Cessation rapidly reduces the risk of cardiovascular events including fatal events. The risk of recurrent coronary events decreases 50% at 1to 2 years after smoking cessation. 5 year mortality doubled in patients who continue to smoke than who quit smoking. If cessation last for 15 years, the risk of coronary heart disease becomes that of a nonsmoker's[1], [2]
Lowering hyperlipidaemia The plasma levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol are important risk factors for coronary heart disease. lowering cholesterol levels slows the progression and promotes the regression of coronary atherosclerosis. Lowering hyperlipidaemia done by statins as dietary modifications are ineffective. Irrespective of serum cholesterol concentration all patients should receive statin therapy. [4]
Maintain blood glucose levels Mortality among diabetic patients myocardial infarction remains high. Many factors, such as severe coronary artery disease, diabetic cardiomyopathy, disturbed autonomic balance, and decreased fibrinolytic function, may contribute to the unfavorable outcome. Therefore dietary measurement and correct medication as oral hypoglycemics and/or insulin should be taken. Intensive glucose control, lowering glycated hemoglobin levels (A1C) values to ≤7% in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, provides strong benefits for microvascular complications and, if achieved early in the disease, might also provide a significant macrovascular benefit, especially as part of a multifactorial treatment approach. More intensive glucose control, A1C ≤6.5%, may be sought in patients with a shorter duration of diabetes, no evidence of significant cardiovascular disease and longer life expectancy, provided this does not result in a significant increase in hypoglycemia. An A1C target ≤8.5% may be more appropriate in type 1 and type 2 patients with limited life expectancy, higher level of functional dependency, a history of severe hypoglycemia, advanced comorbidities, and a failure to attain established glucose targets despite treatment intensification[3],[6]
Diet Patients should take a Mediterranean‐style diet—more bread, fruit, vegetables and fish; less meat; and replace butter and cheese with products based on vegetable and plant oils. this will reduces total mortality and the risk of myocardial infarction. They have to consume at least 7 g of omega‐3 fatty acids per week from 2–4 portions of oily fish per week. If within 3 months of a myocardial infarction and patients are not achieving this, they should be considered for providing at least 1 g daily of omega‐3‐acid ethyl esters treatment licensed for secondary prevention after myocardial infarction for up to 4 years. Initiation of omega‐3‐acid ethyl esters supplement treatment is not routinely recommended in patients that have had a myocardial infarction more than 3 months earlier. Achieve and maintain a healthy weight is also important. Therefore patients who are overweight or obese should be offered appropriate advice and support. [5] Patients should be advised against taking: Supplements containing beta‐carotene as they may increase risk of cardiovascular death; Antioxidant supplements and folic acid supplements as no evidence of benefit.
Alcohol intake Patients have to restrict their alcohol intake to within recommended safe limits of 14 units per week for women and 21 units per week for men, and avoid binge drinking.[5]
Cardiac rehabilitiation With an exercise component (reduces mortality) should be offered to all patients, and made accessible regardless of the patient's age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or comorbidities. Should include the following components: exercise (reduces mortality), health education, and stress management (reduces anxiety, depression and the risk of non‐fatal myocardial infarction); however complex psychological interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapy should not be routinely offered. Patients should take regular physical activity sufficient to increase exercise capacity (reduces total mortality), and building up physical activity to 20–30 min/day to the point of slight breathlessness. [5]
SARGENT R. P. Reduced incidence of admissions for myocardial infarction associated with public smoking ban: before and after study. BMJ [online] 2004 April, 328(7446):977-980 [viewed 13 July 2014] Available from: doi:10.1136/bmj.38055.715683.55
Drug therapy - Aspirin and clopidogrel Platelet activation and aggregation play a key role in initiating and propagating coronary-artery thrombosis. Aspirin imparts its primary antithrombotic effects through the inhibition of PGH-synthase/COX by the irreversible acetylation. Clopidogrel is an adenosine diphosphate–receptor antagonist, a class of oral antiplatelet agents that block the P2Y12 component of the adenosine diphosphate receptor and thus inhibit the activation and aggregation of platelets.Low dose aspirin (75 mg/ day) therapy reduce future risk of infarction by 25%. [1][2]
Drug therapy - Beta blockers Continuous treatment with oral Beta blockers reduce the mortality by 25%. But some patients (patients with bradycardia, asthma, hypotension) do not tolerate beta blockers. Beta-blockers bind to beta-adrenoceptors located in cardiac nodal tissue, the conducting system, and contracting myocytes. Because there is generally some level of sympathetic tone on the heart, beta-blockers are able to reduce sympathetic influences that normally stimulate chronotropy , inotropy , dromotropy and lusitropy. Therefore, beta-blockers cause decreases in heart rate, contractility, conduction velocity, and relaxation rate.[3]
Management of Dressler's syndrome Medical management consist of the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin, given for 4-6 weeks and is tapered as fluid decreases. For patients who does not respond to aspirin, acorticosteroid (prednisone) may be administered for 1 week, with a 4-week tapering period followed. Immediate pericardiocentesis is necessary to relieve life-threatening cardiac tamponade. [5]