Ah, vocal fry – that little edge to a voice that gets people (almost always women) accused of sounding like Kim Kardashian or whoever the vapid-starlet-du-jour may be. But what *is* it, precisely? Is it actually a problem, or is it just another way of policing someone’s (again, usually a woman’s) voice?
This communication Q&A comes courtesy of Elyse, who asks
What is vocal fry? I’ve got a naturally gravelly voice and have been told that it’s vocal fry and it could make me sound bad. As a woman in a position of responsibility I’m very aware of my professional image, but now I’m worried I’m ruining it by sounding like Kim Kardashian’s long lost sister – help!
Yours,
Elyse,
As with most communication issues, there’s more to vocal fry than meets the ear. In this Communication Q&A, we’re going to check out what creates the ‘fry’, what effect and meanings it creates, and what – if anything – you need to do about it.
(Embedded video not behaving? Click here to watch directly on YouTube. You can also scroll down to read the full transcript.)
Now here’s a question for you: Do you ever slip into vocal fry? Click here to tell me yes or no in the YouTube comments, and if yes when you’re most likely to do it.
TRANSCRIPT
Hello and welcome – it’s time for another Communication Q&A. This week we hear from Elyse, who is feeling rather fried about her voice (bad pun, as you’ll see…)
What is vocal fry? I’ve got a naturally gravelly voice and have been told that it’s vocal fry and it could make me sound bad. As a woman in a position of responsibility I’m very aware of my professional image, but now I’m worried I’m ruining it by sounding like Kim Kardashian’s long lost sister – help!
Yours,
Elyse,
You are in good company worrying about this – I hear so many women like yourself worrying over whether or not they’ve got Vocal Fry!
Here’s what it is – vocal fry is a speech habit where the speaker dramatically lowers their pitch of their voice right at the end of their speech, and also drops the amount of air and energy they use to power their voice, usually trailing off and lingers on the last sound they make. It gives the voice a popping, gravely sound (uhhhhhhh), and in a sentence can sound like this:
“I wish people would stop criticizing me for my vocal fryyyyyy…”
Here’s the thing: all of us vocal fry from time to time – dropping our tone and losing air at the end of our sentences happens to just about all of us, especially if your voice has some damage (like being irritated by a cold) or is naturally gravelly.
The problem isn’t that little bit of gravel, IT’S THE TRAILING OFF. That drop in energy and trailing off that’s so characteristic of vocal fry can make you sound weary, bored, or put out. This, as you can imagine, really grates on people.
To deal with vocal fry, you want to finish your sentence with the same amount of air and energy that you started it with, and commit to really hitting that last sound you say firmly.
Here’s an example with vocal fry:
“If we want to secure the partnershiiiip, than tomorrow’s the last day we can get that contract siiiigned.”
And an example without fry, using plenty of air throughout the sentence and really hitting that last sound with energy:
“If we want to secure the partnership, than tomorrow’s the last day we can get that contract signed.”
There’s a big difference in attitude between the two, and it comes down to using enough air and energy throughout your speech, but especially at the end of the sentence to show that you’re interested and engaged in this conversation.
Good posture – sitting up straight vs. slumping back in a chair, for example – also really helps because it gives your voice the air and muscle support it needs to sound firm the whole way through your sentence.
Now just like with other speech quirks people find annoying – like filler words or upspeak (I’ll link to some videos on those in the description), vocal fry isn’t a problem unless you do it ALL THE TIME. The occasional fry will go unnoticed, but if you’re doing it constantly, that’s where it can make you start to sound juvenile.
Now I’ve never heard you speak, so I can’t say for sure whether you sound like a lost member of the Karsashian clan. But I can say this – most women who are conscious of their tone and impression are way more concerned about vocal fry than they need to be. If your voice has a natural bit of gravel in it, that’s fine. Focus on finishing your sentences with the same sort of energy that you started with, and hit that last sound in the sentence with a bit of oomph. You will sound like the authoritative, professional woman you are.
Do you ever slip into vocal fry? Tell me yes or no in the YouTube comments, and if yes when you’re most likely to do it.
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