"Heard loudly - ignored quietly": How our voice determines power, perception, and career

If you think your voice is just a means of conveying words, you are sorely mistaken. In reality, it is your calling card, your leadership tool - and for many women, an underestimated risk. Those who squeak or mumble convey insecurity. Those who speak in a deep, resonant, and clear voice gain sympathy, authority, and attention.

The sound of power

In the conference room, in the executive suite, in surgical protective clothing: how someone speaks influences whether they are heard, taken seriously, or ignored. This is confirmed by breathing, voice, and speech therapist Jessica Wahl, who has been coaching executives for 20 years: "Our voice is more than a means of transmitting information. It sends signals about presence, self-confidence, and competence--and these signals are picked up subconsciously before the first word is even understood."

But women in particular underestimate the importance of this factor. When under stress, many women's voices automatically rise in pitch - an acoustic "sign of insecurity" that listeners often associate with low authority.
Senior physician Dr. Sabine Kr?ger, head of intensive care at a Berlin clinic, provides an impressive example:
"When things get hectic, I automatically speak higher. I notice that my male colleagues then often repeat what I have said - and suddenly I am ignored, while they are heard and others think that my colleagues are making the decisions."

Scientifically confirmed: Deep voice = leadership strength?

Society B: Biological Sciences showed that the pitch of a voice influences the perception of leadership capacity. In the experiment, participants listened to recordings of identical speech samples that had only been manipulated in pitch. For both male and female voices, listeners significantly more often chose deeper voices when it came to which speaker they would prefer in simulated election decisions. Deep voices were associated with competence, strength, and leadership potential.

Similar results are shown in a study published in PLOS ONE entitled "Preference for leaders with masculine voices holds in the case of feminine leadership roles." Here, it was also shown that low voice pitches generated a higher preference for candidates, regardless of whether they were in leadership roles with more "feminine connotations."

This line of research suggests that biological signals, in this case the voice, can unconsciously influence our judgments about leadership qualities. Deep voices are considered an indication of strength, dominance, and assertiveness--qualities that are associated with leadership roles in many social contexts.

However, recent analyses put this effect into perspective in terms of actual leadership performance: a study published in Evolution and Human Behavior (research teams from Florida Atlantic University and the University of Miami) showed that the preference for deep voices has no direct relationship to objective leadership skills or quality. Deep voices may improve perception or election chances, but they do not necessarily say anything about actual leadership quality.

An unspoken burden for women

The effect is not only academic: on average, women have a higher voice pitch than men, which can lead to their statements carrying less weight in stressful or hierarchical situations. This observation is supported by studies, including those by Puts et al. (2008, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B), who investigated the influence of voice pitch on perception and social status, and by Klofstad et al. (2012, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences), who showed that deep voices are perceived as more competent and assertive.

Dr. Sabine Kr?ger: "If I give instructions on how to proceed in a crisis situation and my voice rises, my message comes across as weaker--even if the content is clear and technically flawless." For managers, this can have fatal consequences: decisions are not implemented, instructions are not followed, and authority is unconsciously undermined.

Why our ears tick this way

The perception of voice is deeply rooted in our biology: numerous studies associate deep voices with dominance, physical strength, or social assertiveness--traits that were considered advantageous in evolutionary terms. For example, Apicella & Feinberg (2009, Animal Behaviour) show that men with deeper voices are more successful in choosing partners and achieve higher social status. Puts et al. (2018, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B) also confirm that voice pitch can be a signal of physical strength, dominance, and leadership ability.

The fact that these preferences carry over into social evaluations is not only evident in electoral contexts: in the professional environment, too, tone of voice influences how competent or trustworthy someone is perceived to be. And this is true regardless of whether it is a board presentation or a medical crisis meeting.

Training instead of embarrassment

The good news is that the voice can be trained--without "falsely" altering one's personality. Breathing, resonance, and articulation exercises can help strengthen the natural voice in its positive areas of effect. Voice coach Jessica Wahl explains:
"It's not about adopting a foreign voice, but about finding your own voice that suits you. Deep, clear tones signal calmness, clarity, and self-confidence. And that can be learned."

For women who have to assert themselves in male-dominated leadership cultures, this can be a decisive advantage - not only rhetorically, but also in how others perceive them.

Our voice is more than just a vehicle for speech - it is a social signal that directly influences how we are perceived.
Deep, resonant voices open doors, while high or uncertain pitches are often unconsciously associated with less authority.

For many women, this means that training is not a luxury, but a strategic necessity. Because in the race for visibility, influence, and leadership, it's not just what is said that counts - but how it sounds.

Hagen PR
Berlin
https://www.jessicawahl.de

The Institute for Personal Performance Coaching has been supporting specialists, executives, and personalities in challenging professional contexts for 20 years. Jessica Wahl, senior performance coach, breathing, voice, and speech therapist, and J?rg Tewes, certified actor and senior performance coach, are internationally renowned as leading experts in performance and career coaching.

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

The coaching approach focuses on posture, presence, and sustainable performance--all under real-life conditions and with a clear goal: to empower people not only professionally, but also personally. Particular emphasis is placed on the development of soft skills, emotional intelligence, and the ability to present oneself authentically. This ensures that clients are optimally prepared for the complex demands of the modern working world, which require both technical knowledge and strong interpersonal skills. https://www.jessicawahl.de/en/coaching/voice-coaching

This release was published on openPR.