Here's how you don't want to sound.

Sure, we loved the Charlie Brown teacher voice when we were kids, but no one wants a teacher with the wah-wah-wah voice for real. What's more, research articles (such as "The Influence of Teachers' Nonverbal Behaviors on Students' Perceptions and Performance" by A.E. Woolfolk & D.M. Brooks and "Affect in Teacher Talk" by J. Arnold Morgan and C.M. Fonseca-Mora) suggest that the way teachers talk—including their tone of voice—has a definite effect on student learning.

Admittedly, it does seem like that's one of those things we've known intuitively, without the research, for a long time—hence the Charlie Brown teacher voice. Still, nothing like a little research to prove your hunch, not to mention to back you up when you're making your case to have your school pay for those voice lessons. As long as they don't find out you're really doing it to get on American Idol.

It's Like Talking to Puppies…Kind Of

You know how you can say anything to a dog—really, anything—and as long as you say it in a happy, singsong voice, the dog will prance and jump and lick your face like all is well with the world? It may seem like a mean trick, and maybe it is, but we bring it up for a reason. And a good one: tone of voice matters as much to people as it does to puppies.

 

We wish.

Well, okay, so people might place some importance on the words, too. But if the words were the only thing that mattered, no one would ever have uttered the phrase, "I don't like your tone."

And think what a different world that would be.

That's one reason your tone of voice matters in the classroom. No, not because your students are like puppies. (Well, not just that.) It's because in addition to communicating content, you're sending nonverbal messages that communicate "emotional meaning in very subtle, to the foreign ear even imperceptible, ways" (source).

If you're bored by the information you're conveying, for instance, your students will pick up on that and be inclined to find it boring as well. If you're upset—with the class or with something completely unrelated to school—then your anxiety, anger, or detachment may distract from the content you're trying to communicate. Or worse, create anxiety, anger, or detachment in your audience. Whether they're puppies or students.

Further, a voice that is too loud, quiet, fast, slow, staccato, or lilting can jolt, sedate, confuse, bore or just be generally off-putting.

So many ways to go wrong.

You Know This

This is all pretty obvious, right? You've listened to a speaker whose plodding, detached tone has nearly put you to sleep, and you've probably found yourself tuning out people who sound either overly aggressive or too meek to be conveying anything important. So, yeah. You got this.

But even knowing it, you may feel powerless to make a change in your own method of delivery. After all, how exactly are you supposed to remain in constant control of your tone of voice when it can be so easily influenced by your emotions, your health, what you saw on TV last night, you name it?

So, sure, a sore throat or a blistering headache will likely affect the way you speak, and there's not much you can do about either of those.

Except, of course, what you can.

First: Notice

If you approach your tone of voice the way you approach other aspects of teaching (lesson planning and preparation, grading and assessment, research and content development), you may see that there are plenty of elements you can control. So start focusing on your tone of voice as an instructional tool—an audio aid, if you will—instead of something fixed ("My voice is my voice—I can't change it!"). If you do, you just might begin to notice subtle alterations you can make to increase your effectiveness in communicating with your students.

As suggested in the article "Affect in Teacher Talk," the first step to improving your tone of voice is paying attention to it. Here's what that's got to say:

"For a few days notice features of your speech other than your words. For example, observe the tone of your voice, including intonation, timbre, softness, harshness. Notice the volume at which you speak, and also how fast you typically speak." (Source)

Not a bad idea, huh?

One of the goals of this process is to make sure that your nonverbal communication is in synch with your verbal communication. Are your words and your tone saying the same thing? If not, why not?

You may find that adjusting your volume, pace, or even the amount of talking you do (if you want students to answer questions, are you giving them time to do so?) can have a big impact on your message and the way it is received.

Second: Tone it Down (or Up)

Volume is of particular importance. You want your students to be able to hear you, but speaking too loudly (a.k.a., shouting) is just as ineffective as mumbling so low no one can understand a word you say. You need to find a balance.

According to Montessori philosophy, it is important for a teacher to speak in a low-volume voice in order to "limit the noise level of the classroom, not disturb other children that are concentrating," and also in order to encourage "children to develop listening skills."

Further, as stated by the North American Montessori Center, "the tone of your voice is just as important as the volume. Students are much more likely to listen to a voice that sounds warm and encouraging than to one that sounds harsh and judgmental. A caring and inviting tone of voice communicates our desire to have an atmosphere of acceptance, love, and respect."

Advice like that might seem more appropriate in an early childhood education setting (most likely because of words like "acceptance" and "love"—what 9th grader wants anything to do with that?). But we assure you: this is good advice regardless of the age of your students.

Actually, it's good advice for all of your conversations. After all, are you more likely to engage with someone who seems to be harsh and judgmental or someone who seems accepting and respectful, with or without the love? Mm hm.

Third: Boost Your Skills and Batten Down the Hatches

By now you're probably saying, "Okay, I get it. Tone matters." Which means it's time for you to start working on yours. Even if you think your tone is pretty good, there's probably room for improvement. Besides, many of the exercises that help with improving your tone of voice will also help to protect those tender vocal chords.

There are numerous vocal exercises you can do to help you with your pitch, volume, tone, and overall vocal delivery. With a little practice, you'll even learn how to bring some variety to the rhythm and cadence of your voice.

For a few ideas—in fact, more like a slew—check out the websites below:

• Quick, easy, effective tips for vocal variety from write-out-loud.com
   
• The Teacher's Voice from Pearson Classroom Link (scroll down to see the voice maintenance activities)

And if you are a teacher who gets frequent sore throats or laryngitis, you may want to scan through these ideas for protecting your voice.

• 5 Ways to Protect Your Voice in the Classroom from the National Education Association
   
• Saving the Most Valuable Teaching Tool—Teachers' Voices from The Huffington Post
   
• Voice Care from the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (I.N.T.O.)

Your voice is one of your most powerful tools, and you know you're going to want to be able to use it for a good, long time. So it's not a bad idea to start taking care of those delicate vocal chords now. Otherwise you may never get on "American Idol."