In our crazy world, very often communication between people begins not in person, but over the phone or, even worse, through computer correspondence. Due to the fact that a person, to a greater extent, perceives the world as a set of pictures and images, in such situations we cannot experience the fullness of communication. Therefore, our imagination carefully draws the image of the interlocutor, endowing him with certain external characteristics, attitude to life, character, favorite poses, habits and everything else that we are used to noticing in our communication partners. The resulting portrait is largely determined by the “artist” himself - we can endow the speaker with those qualities that we love or hate in ourselves, or those that we lack. Ultimately, the resulting picture depends on who we are looking for in the interlocutor and how suitable he is for this role. Therefore, a girl who is actively searching for a life partner will attribute to all pleasant male voices an appearance that she likes. And a disappointed woman will perceive the owner of the same voice as another “adventurer” who will “play and quit.” A cheerful man in the prime of his life will discern sexual attractiveness behind a young woman's voice, while a busy businessman will be more likely to try to understand how reliable you are. So how revealing can a person’s speech be?
What can you learn about a person by his communication style?
Of course, our life attitudes greatly influence how we imagine our interlocutor, but we will endow him with personal qualities based on “how” and “what” he says. The meanings are: rudeness - politeness, formality - ease, friendliness - conflict and much more. Therefore, let's take a closer look at the characteristics of speech.
Person's speech rate
Fast pace of speech
occurs in three cases:
What is the rate of speech?
- Most often, this is a sign of self-doubt, when you want to quickly say everything you were going to say and run away. A person with such speech is not sure that he will be heard to the end, and is very afraid that he will be interrupted, so he tries to fill the pauses that arise as much as possible. This option is characterized by an abundance of garbage words and parasitic sounds (uh, mm, etc.), as well as an inconsistent speech rate. It should be noted that this type of speech often indicates the state of your interlocutor. For a person who is used to speaking more slowly, such speech is a sign of excitement, tension or discomfort. The most telling example is the speech of students during an exam.
- In the second case, it is a reflection of lifestyle. In such people, fast speech is in harmony with confident movement. Breathing is intermittent, as if a person is speaking while running, fast gait, jerky movements, measured pace of speech. He often asks again - is it clear? These people are usually energetic, active, and easy-going.
- Sometimes fast speech is a manifestation of a lively mind and an arrogant attitude towards people. These are usually people of high intelligence who take their vast knowledge base for granted. They are very irritated by the need to discuss “truths.” They look down on any person who dares to stop them and ask them something, as if they were mentally retarded. Such people can be recognized by their clear, logical, well-structured speech.
A leisurely pace of speech is typical for calm, thorough people who are not prone to adventures and sudden mood swings.
Slow speech
speaks of general lethargy, lack of mobility of thought processes, or simply laziness. This type of speech occurs in people taking sedative medications.
Noticeable fluctuations in speech rate indicate a lack of balance and slight excitability.
When a person speeds up the pace of speech in the process, without losing the clarity of pronunciation and the harmony of the structure of thoughts, this is a sign of inspiration, competence, and confidence in one’s knowledge. If the speech slows down, this indicates that the person is not confident enough that he is right from this moment or has lost logic, is trying to restore the thread of the conversation, and is thinking through arguments.
Pauses are a good means of manipulation. With their help, actors attract the attention of the audience, and speakers add significance and weight to their words. The pause may be accompanied by intense facial expressions and gestures. Thus, a person who skillfully uses pauses to his advantage has good control of himself and his speech, while a person who avoids pauses is clearly not confident in himself.
Speech speed
Why did the child begin to speak quickly and unintelligibly?
The reasons why children speak quickly and slurred have not yet been precisely established. Experts have identified several provoking factors leading to tachylalia. It could be:
- heredity. According to recent studies, most children suffering from rapid speech rate have relatives with the same problem;
- neurological problems. They can be caused by infections, injuries and diseases of the nervous system.
If a child speaks quickly and indistinctly, then do not panic. Contacting specialists will help identify the cause of the violation and correct it.
Human voice timbre
High pitched voice
They are disapprovingly called shrill, and all sorts of shortcomings are attributed to its owners. If we remember teenagers whose voices regularly “grow”, it becomes obvious that this is a sign of poor self-control. Situationally, a voice that breaks into falsetto indicates strong excitement, excitement or fear.
Low timbre of voice
is perceived by people as a symbol of reliability, strength and dignity. In fact, its owners are distinguished by self-confidence. They know their worth, are thorough and not fussy. Typically, a low voice timbre is conducive to confidential communication, but an artificially low one seems insincere.
What is the timbre of the voice?
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Intonation
It is not for nothing that in the Russian language there are so many different definitions applied to this characteristic of speech. Intonations can be “capricious”, “bored”, “hysterical”, “ingratiating”. The maximum amount of information can be obtained by carefully listening to the tone in which the interlocutor speaks to us.
No other characteristic of speech is so revealing! It is intonation that gives us the opportunity to recognize the character of the person with whom we communicate.
In order to understand who we are dealing with, it is enough to choose an exact definition of the tone that our communication partner most often uses.
Capricious intonations are characteristic of people accustomed to comfort and satisfaction of any of their needs; ingratiating ones - unsure of themselves; whiny - irresponsible. An imperative tone is a sign of arrogance and power, an arrogant tone is a sign of narcissism. You can continue this list yourself, based on your own observations.
Conversation intonations
In addition, it is worth considering that the perception of our words by others directly depends on what intonation we use. A harmless phrase uttered arrogantly and disrespectfully can take on an offensive sound and cause conflict. And even the most unthinkable request, expressed in the right tone, will be fulfilled. Therefore, we can avoid misunderstanding, inadequacy and unnecessary tension in relationships if we learn to first monitor the intonations we use, and then consciously select the appropriate tone of speech for the situation.
Is speaking quickly a sign of an extraordinary mind?
Some scientists support the theory that fluent speech is the result of accelerated brain function. Indeed, in order to be able to say 2 times as many words, and without errors, the brain must have time to produce them, think them over and “sort them out.”
This theory is confirmed by a television experiment conducted in the early 2000s on the Discovery Channel. The study was conducted on Fran Capo, the fastest-speaking woman on the planet, who set a record of 11 words/second. She was connected to an EEG machine and asked to read a book. EEG readings showed increased activity in a part of the brain called Broca's area. This is where speech processing occurs.
The neuroscientist who read Capo's EEG noted that the woman had a special talent. “She is able to combine the efforts of her nervous system and arrange all the chemical transmitters so that only the part of her brain that is associated with articulate speech and remembering thoughts is turned on,” says the doctor.
Human speech volume
This characteristic of speech is very contradictory. So, for example, a loud voice may indicate self-confidence, openness and sociability, if it is always characteristic of a person, or it may indicate anxiety, an excited state, fear and self-doubt, if it manifests itself situationally.
A quiet voice is usually a sign of a gentle character, restraint, and sometimes some unemotionality and lethargy. However, you need to keep in mind that there are people who go almost to a whisper in a state of rage. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor what voice volume is usually characteristic of a person.
A person who always speaks at approximately the same volume is most likely inclined to hide his own emotions and experiences, is restrained and balanced.
Speech volume
Clarity of pronunciation
Clarity of pronunciation is an indicator of internal discipline and the desire to clearly present one's position.
- Unclear pronunciation (muttering, muttering, etc.) is a manifestation of a disrespectful attitude towards the interlocutor - a person does not care about making it easy for others to hear him. Such people are characterized by a tendency to suppress their emotional reactions.
- Unclear and vague pronunciation speaks of softness, compliance and weakness of will.
- Clear, precise pronunciation of words indicates the calmness and rationalism of the interlocutor.
- If our interlocutor makes practically no open sounds, speaks with his mouth half-closed, then most likely we are dealing with a person for whom it is very important to keep his emotions under constant control. It is important not to confuse this option with another - if a person purses his lips during a conversation and his face takes on an arrogant expression, then this indicates his arrogance and disrespectful attitude towards people.
Clarity of words pronunciation
Manner of speaking
- People who are ready to sacrifice their own interests in order to earn the affection of those around them usually speak softly and quietly.
- An overly self-confident person speaks loudly and harshly, sharply and shrilly. He overestimates himself and his own abilities, so what he says is often at odds with reality.
- Conceited people speak clearly, assertively, with pressure, sometimes in chopped words. They are arrogant and selfish, demanding recognition and respect from the people around them.
- A person who prefers to live in the world of his own fantasies, where he is successful and significant, speaks quickly, indistinctly, hastily, uncollectively. He always remains a child who believes that one day everything will be different and his dreams will come true.
- Loud and clear speech is characteristic of energetic people.
- Words spoken loudly and quickly are usually perceived as a direct threat.
- A person begins to speak softly and quickly in a state of inspiration.
- A soft and clear manner of speaking indicates a person’s caution and prudence.
- A person who feels the need for security speaks softly and slowly.
- A person who is characterized by a fear of failure speaks quietly and indistinctly.
Manner of conversation
Based on all this, certain conclusions can be drawn about a person. About his character, demeanor and reliability. That’s why it’s so important to pay special attention to the delivery of your speech.
It should be noted that all of the above characteristics of speech are amenable to conscious regulation, which means they can be used as a tool of manipulation.
We can achieve our goals more successfully by learning to control our own speech. But we shouldn’t forget that the people around us can also use it. Therefore, hasty conclusions drawn on the basis of a limited amount of information may be erroneous. Only long-term and careful observation can enable us to correctly determine with whom we are dealing.
