February 21, 2025

Six Messages Students Listen for in Our Voice

Our voice is a powerful tool. Our tone can tell others how we are feeling, provide a context for what we want to communicate, or project how we want to be seen. Our pacing can communicate nervousness, confidence, or hesitation. Our volume can demand respect, convey impatience, or request attention. Amazingly, all these elements can be present in as little as one spoken sentence!

Without question, the words we choose to convey information matter. We need to be organized, prepared, and timely in our instruction and other communication. We need to stay focused and avoid sidetracks that can generate confusion and distractions. However, how we say what we say is likely to have as significant an impact on whether our students hear and accept our instruction and other messages as what we say.

Students are gauging and evaluating what we are saying in the context of what they hear in the unspoken messages carried by our voice. Let’s explore six of the most common emotions conveyed by the tone, pace, volume, and other elements of our voice.

Confidence. Students want assurance that we know what we are talking about and are confident enough to help them if they struggle. Confidence can be communicated through an even speaking pace, a clear voice, and the absence of filler words like “um,” “like,” and “you know.” Confidence can also be conveyed through the absence of frequent hesitation and distracting pauses used to refer to notes and reminders.

Enthusiasm. Students listen for whether what we are discussing is interesting to us and worth becoming excited about. A positive tone and quickened speaking pace can be conveyors of enthusiasm. The volume of our voice, be it raised or lowered, can also communicate excitement, wonder, or novelty.

Empathy. Students seek reassurance that what we are saying includes consideration of their needs, fears, and questions. Our voice tone can tell students that we care about whether they grasp what we are saying and that we understand that they may struggle initially. We also may slow our pace when discussing elements that students may find challenging or unfamiliar.

Curiosity. Students will likely be listening to hear if we are interested in and paying attention to their response to what we are saying. Our curiosity can be conveyed through brief gaps in our speech as we observe whether students seem to be following us. We may speed up or slow down as we gauge our students’ readiness and ability to stay with our pace. We may even shift the tone of our voice at the end of a statement to allow it to sound like a question.

Vulnerability. Students want to hear and observe that we are human. We may misspeak, forget a point, or need to adjust in response to what we observe in how students are responding. Our voice can communicate whether we are angry, embarrassed, or accepting that we are not perfect. In fact, an even tone, matter-of-fact response, and some humor can be reassuring for students. Yes, it is possible to be confident and willing to be vulnerable.

Responsiveness. Students are listening for clues in our voice that it is okay to ask questions. They may even be wondering if they can disagree with or challenge an aspect of what we say. The tone and volume of our voice in response to a question or pushback can either invite more dialogue or close the door to further engagement. When students feel as though we are open to questions, welcoming of observations, and accepting of different perspectives, we are more likely to hear what they are thinking and be able to engage them in deeper dialogue.

We know that nonverbal communication speaks volumes, but we may not think much about how the tone, volume, and pace of our voice influence student perceptions and acceptance of our instruction and other communication. Yet, they often carry the “unspoken” message that determines whether the words we say are given the weight they deserve.