“Welcome back to smooth jazz Saturday night. Next up is …. “

“Danny, how dare you speak to your grandmother that way! You go apologize right now!” 

“Hi love, how was your day?” 

“We need that report by 5PM tomorrow. Email it to me as soon as it’s done.” 

“It’s okay honey… shhh shhh shhh… you’re okay, there’s no need to cry.” 

How would these sentences sound if you overheard them? Deep and steady, loud and insistent, quiet and loving, even and firm, and soft and soothing.

We use our voices so often as a matter of course that we rarely (if ever) stop to consider how we’re using them. 

Negotiation is, if nothing else, an exercise in intentional, goal oriented communication. The tone and timbre of your voice must be aligned with your intentions and goal if you want to be consistently successful. Whatever the words you say, the way you say them will either support or overrule your message, without question. 

Of course, the way in which you want to use your voice will depend largely on the interaction you’re orchestrating.

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Listen to Examples of Tonality:

The Persuasion Lab Podcast #79: The Power of Voice in Negotiation