Leadership means being heard: Voice trumps competence

Competent but ignored: When women fail not because of their knowledge, but because of their voice--how pitch determines power in meetings.

The modern working world considers itself enlightened. It measures performance, preaches equality, and yet still prefers to listen to deep voices. This is especially true when it comes to leadership. Women in management positions often lose influence before they even begin to argue their case. Not because they are less qualified, but because their voices are perceived as too high, too quiet, or too uncertain.

The underestimated power factor of voice

Those who are heard in meetings have power. Those who are ignored lose it. A study by Rafael Wilms, Janneke Oostrom, and Emma van Garderen (2024, Leadership Quarterly) showed in three experiments with over 2,400 participants that women with deeper, calmer voices were significantly more likely to be rated as competent, strong leaders, and worthy of hiring--regardless of the content of their statements. The researchers refer to this as a "voice pitch bias" that has a systematic effect.

A study by the University of Cambridge (2023, Political Science Research and Methods) provides similar evidence: when speeches were identical, the pitch of the voice alone influenced the listeners' preferences. Women with deeper voices were preferred - even when their arguments were neutral or controversial. Voice therefore determines authority more quickly than any content.

A meta-analysis by Lund University from 2022 comes to the clear conclusion that vocal characteristics such as pitch, volume, and stability explain up to a third of perceived competence in leadership situations - a value comparable to that of formal qualifications.

A personal perspective

Nora Brinkmann, 38, team leader at a Berlin-based software company, is highly skilled, always well prepared, and clear in her decisions. But her voice is soft, high-pitched, and cautious. In meetings, people's attention wanders, priorities are discussed, and responsibility is passed back and forth. The problem is not her knowledge or professional competence - it's her vocal technique, which comes under pressure and slips when she's stressed.

"Our voice immediately reveals where we stand," says Jessica Wahl, breathing, voice, and speech therapist and director of the Institute for Personal Performance in Berlin. "Under stress, the abdomen tenses up, breathing becomes shallow, the voice rises and loses volume. This makes us appear insecure, and teams automatically interpret this as a lack of competence."

Psychologist Dr. Marvin Keller adds: "Stress changes speech rate, pitch, and volume. Listeners unconsciously perceive these signals and conclude that the speaker is confident and assertive even before they think about it rationally."

The social dimension

A study by Hannah Xiaohan Wu et al. (2023, British Journal of Social Psychology) shows that deep voices are associated with competence and assertiveness, while higher voices are associated with warmth and sympathy. Women thus find themselves in an acoustic dilemma: if their voices are too soft, their authority suffers; if they are too harsh, they risk rejection.

The world of work may preach equality, but it continues to reward masculine forms of expression. If you want to be heard, you not only have to be smart, you also have to lead audibly.

Leadership does not begin with arguments. It begins with the breath before you speak.

For women like Nora Brinkmann, this means that being competent is not enough--you also have to sound like you are allowed to lead. In an "enlightened" world, this is the quiet but powerful filter that determines who is heard and thus has a decisive influence.

Hagen PR
https://www.sprechcoaching-berlin.de
Germany

The Institute for Personal Performance Coaching has been supporting specialists, executives, and public figures in challenging professional contexts for 20 years.

Jessica Wahl, senior performance coach and breathing, voice, and speech therapist, and J?rg Tewes, senior performance coach and certified actor, are internationally renowned as leading experts in performance and career coaching. Clients benefit from the unique combination of therapeutic, artistic, and professional expertise.

The services offered include performance coaching, executive coaching, career coaching, speech and voice training, media and camera coaching, and soft skills training. The special focus is on authentic self-presentation, emotional intelligence, and practical exercises to optimally prepare specialists and executives for demanding professional situations.

Performance coaching takes place in a unique setting in the heart of Berlin-Kreuzberg: the professionally equipped institute is located in a beautiful church that offers an atmosphere of calm, concentration, and clarity--a conscious counterpoint to the pulsating dynamics of the big city.

With their holistic approach, Jessica Wahl and J?rg Tewes combine professional expertise, practical training methods, and individual counseling to strengthen their clients in the long term and help them develop their full potential. https://www.sprechcoaching-berlin.de

This release was published on openPR.