The Whole Truth And Nothing But The Truth

You know when your kid isn't telling the truth, right? He doesn't look you in the eyes, she fidgets, or he gets super defensive pointing his fingers in a million directions. But have you ever noticed what she does with her voice? It probably goes higher than usual. That's because the high tones in our voice indicate surprise, fear, excitement and general emotional intensity. All of these things are happening on an unconscious level when our children are fibbing. During my acting days, I remember how clearly honesty came through in my fellow actors' work. Not only did the voice not match the body type, but the vocal choices being made were disconnected from their interpretation of the communication. By studying the meaning of pitch variation, I've learned when someone is connected vocally to what they are saying and when they are tossing words around like pizza dough. It's not necessarily easy to build awareness without training, but see if you can pay closer attention to the range of intonation someone (your child, for example) is using when you think they may not be telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth. To be added to Lanartco's Communication Performance Tip of the Week, please connect to this link or send your email address to info@lanartco.com.