I’ve travelled a lot by train recently. Inevitably on these journeys I end up over-hearing other people on their phones. Sometimes this is because they shout so loudly down them that I’m not convinced the phone is actually necessary at all – for all I can tell the person involved is actually audible back in their office, directly!
Something struck me, however, as I listened to people calling later and later at night: I’m convinced it wasn’t because they were simply getting more and more tired but rather because more and more of them were calling an empty office, staffed only by an ansa-phone machine.
Instantly they realised this, their whole approach to talking changed.
Their voices shifted from interesting, animated, personable and varied to a terrible monotone. Obviously the machine on the far end of the phoneline won’t care – but don’t forget that it’s not a machine that listens to these messages ultimately… it’s a person. (It might be worthwhile thinking about that as you leave messages with prospective employers etc… :) ).
What this reminded me of, as I sat there, stupified by the effects of three days in London, was that unless people are talking to people, they’re boring – perhaps they become less animated/interesting in the belief that such a voice will be more clear and easy to understand, I don’t know. (If that’s the case, call me, I can help you!) Perhaps it’s just a reflexive thing as we talk to ourselves… again I don’t know.
What I do know, however, is that if you don’t establish a relationship with the audience at your presentation you’ll believe yourself to be speaking to no one, or to a machine and if that happens you may well find yourself sounding more and more boring. Certainly it would explain the many, many speakers I’ve heard who were so boring I wanted to die (and the few who were so boring I wanted them to die! :) ). As they failed to establish any personal relationships for their presentation they fell back on their “ansa-phone voice”.
Please, please, please… as you make your presentations, remember not to talk at me, but talk to me!
What a great point – and one I’d never really thought about till now! Everybody’s voice changes when they’re leaving a message, and the tone is definitely more difficult to relate to.
Presenters should remember that they are talking to *people*, and speak accordingly. Thanks for the post – I’ll definitely be thinking about this next time I have to leave an answerphone message!