Vocal Habits: Your Voice, Your Responsibility
About this episode
Anne Leatherland discusses everyday vocal habits that can undermine women's confidence and offers practical exercises to help them assert their voice.
In this episode of Be Truly Heard, Anne Leatherland shines a light on everyday vocal habits that can make women sound smaller than they are and shows how tiny, safe shifts can help you “take up space” with your voice. She unpacks four common patterns: shrinking your voice, rising inflection, apologising/minimising, and disconnecting voice from self, then guides short, do-along exercises to build a sound that’s grounded, confident and fully you. These habits aren’t your fault (they’re shaped by years of conditioning), but changing them is your responsibility if you want to be taken seriously and heard. Key Takeaways Shrinking your voice makes people tune out. Use supported breath and a clear, energised call (“here/hey”) so power comes from the body, not the throat. Shoulders soft; ribs widen on the in-breath. Replace rising inflection with a natural downward ending to signal certainty (without dropping volume or intent). Try: “I know what I’m talking about” with the pitch gently falling. Cut the softeners: swap “I just wanted to add…” for “I’d like to add…”. Removing words like “just” and “sorry” stops you sounding tentative. Reconnect voice and self: speak from what you truly…
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