Body Language of Loud Voice
Cue: Loud Voice
Synonym(s): Shrill Voice, Screaming, Yelling, Booming Voice.
Description: A voice that is forceful and overtakes a room or conversation. It can be booming and baritone or a high pitched soprano shrill.
In One Sentence: A loud voice is a sign of dominance and signals a passion to be heard.
How To Use it: Men benefit best by using a booming voice as it comes across as more dominant. Men can use their loud and deep voice to command respect and be heard. A loud voice is best used to show passion, but it can also be used to demand respect and authority. However, while the loudest voice is most likely to be heard, it is not always the one that is most likely to be listened to. Thus, one should use a loud voice with care so as not to appear belligerent. A loud voice, in the right context shows others that you are passionate, but used incorrectly is taken negatively.
Women should use a loud voice to encourage, but when angry should lower their voices to mirror that of men’s voices. A high pitched shrill voice is rarely seen as positive – though will often command temporary obedience.
How a loud voice is used depends largely on the context. One can use a loud voice to be silly and show amusement but also to scold and dish out punishment. In either case, one should use a loud voice with care so that it does not result in a poor result.
Context: a) General b) Business.
Verbal Translation: “I’m in charge, passionate, and want to be heard or the center of everyone’s attention. I use a loud booming, or shrill voice, so people pay me attention.”
Variant: See Becoming Quiet or Whispering for the opposite cue.
Cue In Action: a) She was the life of the party, laughing, talking loudly, carrying on and telling jokes that every enjoyed. b) When he spoke everyone listened. His voice boomed and controlled a room, he was passionate and dominant and he really loved his work. His enthusiasm was overwhelming. c) They both raised their volume to try to drown the other out with all the noise. Neither person made any valid argument – at least ones that could be properly understood.
Meaning and/or Motivation: The aim of the speaker is to avoid being overlooked. The loud voice stems from a person who wishes to gain attention and control others through authority and intimidation.
The overall meaning of a loud voice is highly context specific. Sometimes people misread loud voices as confidence which is rarely the case as usually it comes from people who fear not being heard. Often, loud voices are aimed at speaking over others and show egotism and impatience. Loud voices can also be used to persuade others, but by trying to create submission in them rather than use constructive reasoning. Loud voices can be used to drown out counterpoints.
A loud voice may be used to compensate for a perceived personal flaw, a reaction to hearing loss or inebriation.
When men use a loud voice in business, it often, though not exclusively, implies passion but is often misinterpreted, especially by women, to be negative in nature. However, the cues of a passionate speaker will be directed at the objective – the desired results rather than aimed at a specific person. A loud voice sometimes means confrontation but will be coupled with adjoining cues such as physical encroachment and finger pointing.
Cue Cluster: A loud voice is associated with passionate gesticulation, batoning, fish chopping and the person will usually be standing to gain a height advantage. When passion meets aggression the loud speaker will encroach on another’s personal space, will use piercing eye contact and finger pointing.
Body Language Category: Amplifier, Aggressive body language, Anger body language, Authoritative body language, Dominant body language, Emotional body language, Frustration or frustrated body language, Hostile body language, Threat displays.
Resources:
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