There’s plenty of debate about whether or not vocal fry, that Kardashian-esque speaking affectation, is bad for you, professionally. Some experts claim that talking like a reality TV star will permanently cripple your career, while others note that even high-level financial executives now embrace the professional equivalent of baby talk. Regardless, having more awareness of and control over your public image is always a good thing. This week’s roundup covers how to manage vocal fry, plus networking without feeling phony, and staying productive during the lazy days of summer.
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The CareerShift Team: How to Train Your Voice to Get the Job You Want
…a 2014 study published in PLOS ONE shows how vocal fry — or squeaks and cracks in your speech — can be perceived negatively and hurt your chances of getting a job. The study found young adult females with vocal fry are perceived as less competent, less educated, less trustworthy, less attractive, and therefore less hirable. While the negative perceptions of vocal fry are stronger for females than for males, males are still susceptible to undesired voice cracking.
If you want a fighting chance at landing the job, you’d better start exercising those vocal cords.
Their tips will help you speak more assuredly, whether your natural tones are high or low – without winding up sounding like a Batman impersonator.
Kelly Gurnett at The Brazen Careerist: How to Network Without Feeling Like a Big, Fat Phony
“Networking often gets a bad rap,” Gurnett writes. “We know it’s an important part of growing our careers, but it makes many of us feel like used car salesmen — fake, forced, pushy, and only interested in the sale (in this case, advancing our own careers).”
The key, she says, is to make a few “mental adjustments” that allow you to see that upcoming networking event as an opportunity, rather than a trial. Her tips tell you how to engage without seeming desperate or stalkerish, how to ask interested (and interesting) questions, and most importantly, how and when to make your escape.
Sarah Landrum at That Working Girl: Top 3 Summer Productivity Tips
“Managing your productivity at the best of times can be a careful balancing act, but in the summer it can feel like it’s ten times harder,” writes Landrum. “Who wants to work when the sun’s shining and you could be soaking it up outdoors? With the kids home from school, work can easily shift down the list of your priorities.”
Landrum’s tips will keep you from sliding so far into the summer slump, you can’t enjoy your real time off.
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