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There it was. A sound in his voice that indicated to the experts on Cal Lightman’s team that the suspect was lying. It was a change in his sound at the end of the sentence. Dr. Gillian Foster could tell easily that the man was smiling, even though she couldn’t see him. She described his voice thinning out and getting a little higher. In this case, this led her to conclude that the man was lying.

Now, let me ask you this. Did YOU hear the change in his voice? I did. In fact, I’d be surprised if you didn’t. We can “hear” facial expressions and attitudes reflected in a person’s voice. That’s because of physiological changes in the way we make sounds based on how we feel.

However, we can also “hear” a person’s intentions. The voice is incredibly revealing. This is why it’s so important to prepare for a speech or a presentation, to identify your intentions or purpose and keep them in mind. Actors and performers are well aware of this. Method acting was born of this phenomena. But even dancers know about it. In an article in Dance Magazine, I read this:

“I dance better when I have a reason to do the steps,” says Kimberly Cowen of Kansas City Ballet.

Good communication requires Clarity; clarity requires clear Intention.

Too often we go into a presentation or a discussion without a clear intention for our communication. We are then surprised that our message comes across confusing and ineffective. Unclear intentions result in unclear communication. Conversely, you don’t have to be a Cal Lightman to hear where a speaker is coming from. It’s written all over their voice!

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