
Finding The Right Voice For The Job
Finding the Right Voice for Your Job
Is Part of the Job
You owe it to your clients, colleagues, and team to show up as the professional they can trust and depend on.
Your role calls for a certain voice. Whether you're a doctor, financial advisor, creative director, or manager, the way you sound influences how you're perceived — just as much as your writing skills, interpersonal skills, or expertise. And yet, voice often gets overlooked.
The key is to find a balance between a professional voice — one that communicates confidence, clarity, and competence — and a personal voice that's human, flexible, and expressive. One that can shift with the moment and reflect the full range of your thoughts, reactions, and intentions.
Many people struggle to find this balance. I see it all the time.
Finding your professional voice
The Pitfalls of a One-Note Voice
One common issue is getting stuck in a single mode of expression — a narrow range that feels safe or "professional."
Clients often adopt a certain voice early in their career — maybe one they think sounds authoritative or polished — and stick with it. It becomes automatic. They use it at work, and eventually, it spills over into all areas of life. The result? A voice that can sound flat, rigid, or disconnected from who they are now.
Other times, a voice has been shaped by earlier life experiences — or cultural influences — and no longer reflects the person's current identity, values, or goals. They've evolved, but their voice hasn't caught up.
And voice habits run deep. They can be hard to recognize — and even harder to shift without guidance.
Your Voice Should Be Distinctly Yours
In short: You shouldn't sound like just another [insert title here]. Because you're not just another one. You bring your own perspective, tone, and energy to the role — and that should come through in the way you speak.
If your voice doesn't feel like it fits anymore — if it feels too buttoned-up, too hesitant, or simply not you — you don't have to keep using it.
Case Study:
The CFO's Borrowed Voice
Marcus had been CFO for two years when his CEO pulled him aside after a board meeting. "You know your stuff," she said, "but sometimes you sound like you're reading from someone else's script."
It was true. Marcus had developed what I call a "boardroom voice" — measured, formal, slightly monotone. He'd unconsciously modeled it after his predecessor, a respected but rather stern executive who'd been with the company for decades. Marcus thought this voice conveyed gravitas and financial prudence.
But what it actually conveyed was distance. During our first session, he played me a recording of himself explaining the quarterly numbers. Technically perfect, but completely bloodless. No energy, no connection to the impact of those numbers on real people's work.
"I sound like I'm delivering a weather report," he admitted.
The real Marcus was curious, engaged, even excited about the stories the data told. He'd light up talking about how a small operational change had cascaded into significant savings, or how a strategic investment was starting to pay off in unexpected ways. But none of that came through in his "professional" voice.

The shift happened gradually. We worked on letting his natural analytical excitement surface through vocal variety — pauses for emphasis, slight tempo changes when he hit key insights, allowing his voice to actually rise and fall with the significance of what he was saying. Instead of the flat, steady rhythm he'd borrowed, he learned to match his vocal energy to his genuine engagement with the material.
We also worked on breathing. His borrowed voice had made him tight and controlled, speaking from his throat instead of his chest. When he started breathing deeper and speaking from a more grounded place, his voice naturally became warmer and more resonant. He started using more specific language instead of generic financial terminology. Instead of "we saw positive trends in operational efficiency," he'd say "the new inventory system is saving us four hours of manual work every day."
Six months later, he told me about a budget presentation where a board member said, "Marcus, I can tell you actually believe in this strategy."
"The weird thing is," he said, "I always believed in it. I just wasn't letting anyone hear that belief."
Let's Talk About It
If you're trying to find a voice that suits both your role and your personality — one that communicates credibility and feels authentic — I'd love to help.
Feel free to reach out for a complimentary consultation. We can talk about where you are, where you want to be, and how your voice can help you get there.
— Judy
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