Talk Down to Me
By Jeanne Reynolds
A virus is stalking the land — one we as communicators need to be especially on guard against.
No, I’m not talking about Zika. I’m talking about Uptalk.
You know: that annoying habit of ending statements with an upward inflection so they sound like questions?
I notice this more and more, at work, at church, among friends, in the broadcast news mediq, even on (gasp!) NPR. And I find it incredibly annoying, not to mention confusing. Are you asking a question or making a statement? Do you believe what you’re saying or floating out a trial balloon? Are you afraid of the audience’s reaction if you actually have an opinion they disagree with? Were you whipped with wet noodles as a child, totally destroying your self confidence?
At first I thought it was just me (yes, I do think I’m getting crankier as I get older). But a quick search for this topic online brought up reams of reports on what’s apparently a growing trend from respected outlets from Psychology Today to the BBC, plus numerous posts from professional speech coaches offering tips to kick the habit.
Why does it matter? As one communications pro pointed out, you don’t hear it in the executive suite.
If you want to be taken seriously at work — and let’s be honest, as communications professionals we’re often fighting to show the value of the important work we do — uptalk should be out. It brands you as lacking confidence and credibility. It sounds like you’re cajoling instead of persuading. If you’re on the earlier side of your career — and uptalk is more common among younger people — it undermines your effectiveness as you strive to prove your workplace worth to Baby Boomer leadership.
To be fair, speaking with a rising inflection is cultural for some people. And I enjoy as much as anyone the delightful accents of English speakers from Ireland, Scandinavia, India and Canada.
For the rest of us, think back: If you didn’t get buy-in from senior management on your last great idea, or missed out on a promotion or new job opportunity, ask yourself if your speech pattern could be holding you back. Better, yet, ask a friend to listen to you and give you honest feedback.
Because how you communicate matters?
Jeanne Reynolds is director of corporate communications & media relations at Colonial Life and an IABC/SC Board Member.