My name is Gayla Zoz and you are listening to Simple Marketing Academy Podcast Episode #11.
Today, we’re going to talk about habits. Bad habits. When it comes to building a brand or creating a reputation as a subject matter expert, the way you communicate matters. It matters a lot. And many of us develop bad habits around communication and we have no idea.
I call these bad habits credibility killers.
Have you ever been in the midst of a conversation with someone, and been so completely distracted by some speech pattern or mannerism that you completely missed what the person was trying to say? You couldn’t hear what they were saying—because of the way they were saying it.
It happens all the time. And, the unfortunate reality is this. You may be indulging in one of these credulity killers, unaware that people are drawing conclusions about you that you don’t want them to draw.
If you’re running a business or you’re in a position to interact with the public, you owe it to yourself to avoid these credibility killers. If you’re planning to create videos or launch a podcast, this is even more important. When you’re the center of attention, you want it to be for the right reasons, not because you did something unprofessional that grated on the nerves of your audience.
You could have all the knowledge in the world on a subject yet perceived as less than knowledgeable. People may be even laughing behind your back. And don’t be surprised if no one tells you. Your competitors won’t tell you. Because they’re too busy enjoying it.
Let’s look at four of the most common credibility killers.
First, there’s Uptalk.
This is when you end a declarative sentence with an upward inflection in your voice like you're asking a question. Only you’re not asking a question. You’re making a statement.
This annoying communication trend may have started with Valley Girls back in the 80s, but it has been embraced by generations since then.
Uptalking implies a lack of certainty in what you’re saying. It sounds like you’re floating a suggestion, not stating a fact. It conveys a lack of authority, knowledge, depth, and experience. If you want to sound unprofessional and insecure, this is a good way to do it.
Let’s look at an example. You’ve heard of the Gettysburg address. Everyone knows the first few lines. They go like this.
"Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Listen to my inflections. They go down at the end.
Now, if I’m uptalking, the Gettysburg address would sound like this.
Fourscore and seven years ago? Our fathers brought forth, on this continent? A new nation? Conceived in liberty? and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal?
Would you have taken Abe Lincoln seriously if he read it that way? Probably not.
So, if you’re interested in communicating your expertise, uptalk creates an obstacle to being taken seriously. Ending each statement by appearing to ask a question gives the impression that you’re not confident. And that can lead your listener to lose confidence in you.
Next, there’s what I call the over-blink.
This is when a person blinks way more than normal. You’ve probably seen someone doing this. Maybe during a conversation. Maybe even on video. Communication experts say that it’s a sign of nervousness. Or maybe your contacts have slipped out of position. Or you’ve got dust in your eye.
Either way, turn the camera off and start over.
There’s a cable news channel that I watch quite a bit and there’s an anchor on this channel who does the overblink. It took me by surprise the first time. This person is on a major—and I mean MAJOR—news channel and she’s blinking 200 times a minute while she talks.
Her eye blinks just don't stop. And that means that I can’t stop watching because I want to see if she gets ahold of her overblinking. And she doesn’t. I’m thinking, somebody PLEASE tell her that she’s overblinking. How can a person at this level not know? Where is her producer? Where is her agent? Where is her doctor?
Whether you’re leading a meeting, networking, presenting a proposal, or shooting a video, it’s especially important to avoid the overblink. If you don’t, the people you’re trying to reach won’t be able to hear—or see-- anything else.
Third, there’s the Vocal Fry
You know that thing that people sometimes do where they make their voice sound low and creaky, often toward the end of a sentence? Almost like they’re running out of breath and all they can manage is a weak little croak. That’s the vocal fry.
It can best be observed among people who bring their voice to a lower register as they complete a sentence. The Kardashians are famous for it. If you’re a football fan, you’ve heard the announcer Chris Berman do it.
[do the vocal fry] Vocal fry, that low, glottal, creaky sound from the vocal cords, is everywhere.
If you’re a business owner, the vocal fry can make things harder than they have to be. A 2014 study in the journal Psychological Science showed that listeners found authoritative, hierarchical voices to be “steady in pitch, more varied in volume and less strained.”
Women seem to catch most of the flack for the vocal fry, even though there are plenty of men who do it, too. It may be that it’s not as noticeable among men because their voices are normally deeper.
Age may have something to do with it. Research and anecdotal evidence show that older listeners are the most offended by the vocal fry. A Stanford University study found that while those older than 40 thought a radio reporter with vocal fry did not sound authoritative, those younger than 40 actually thought the creaky-voiced reporter, did, in fact, sound authoritative.
Another study published in 2010 in the journal American Speech, showed that although college-age Americans say that creaky voice makes a speaker sound “hesitant, nonaggressive and informal,” they also thought it made the speaker sound “educated, urban-oriented and upwardly mobile.”
So, has the vocal fry wormed its way into normalcy in American speech? Personally, I hope not.
And finally, there’s the Filler.
These are words and phrases that get inserted into sentences. Things like, “Ah” – “Umm” – “Like” – “You know…” Words like sort of, basically, kind of. I could go on, but you get the drift.
Fillers are crutches. They can help us when we’re at a loss for words. More often, they’re habit. Most people use them without thinking, and don’t even notice when they use them.
But, trust me on this, other people notice them.
Overusing filler can make you look less than competent.
The overuse of the word “like” is a good example.
Modern usage of the word "like" stems from what's known as "Valleyspeak." If you’re of a certain age, you may remember when this was a thing. It all started in the 1970s in California's San Fernando Valley. Valleyspeak is how a Valley Girl talks. If you’re too young to know what a Valley Girl is, Google it.
Well, this universally annoying Valleyspeak spread across the U.S., morphing into what some people now call "Mallspeak," where the word 'goes' takes the place of the word 'says' and words such as 'you know,' 'I mean' and 'like' fill pauses in the conversation.
Though full-on Valley Speak and Mallspeak have faded out since the 1980s, overuse of the word “like” has hung on. It’s a habit I’ve had to overcome myself, and I hear it a lot in others. In fact, yesterday I was listening to the podcast of a well-known personal coach whose proteges appear on her podcasts. One protégé spent an hour using the word “like” as filler, so I started counting the number of times I heard it. I stopped counting at 250, about five minutes in, and this was a 60-minute podcast. It was a total distraction.
Okay. So there you have it. Up-talk, the over-blink, the vocal fry, and fillers.
These are four communication habits that every small business owner should be aware of, especially before you go on camera to record videos or sit down at the mic to record podcasts.
If you’re not sure whether you’re falling into these traps, I have two words for you. Get feedback. Ask someone you trust to give you the straight scoop. Ask the person to watch your videos and listen to your audio recordings with the goal of rooting out any distracting communication habits.
Here’s the key takeaway. If you’re a small business oner, communication habits that seem harmless can do real damage. They can have a powerful negative effect on the way you’re perceived by prospects, referral sources, everyone. They’re called credibility killers for a reason.
That’s it for this week’s episode of the Simple Marketing Academy podcast. I’ll catch you next time.
