I’ve heard this so many times.
“I hate the sound of my voice.”
“Why does my voice sound so weird in videos?”
“That doesn’t even sound like me.”
I get that it can be unsettling to hear your voice in a recording and think, Wait… that’s what everyone else hears? 🙉 However, once you understand why you think your voice sounds weird – you can move past the discomfort and start to work on becoming a more confident communicator.
Why Your Voice Sounds Different on Video Recordings
When you speak, the sound leaves your mouth and travels through the air into others’ ears.
But when you hear yourself speak, you’re not just hearing through the air, you’re also hearing the vibrations resonating through your bones and skull. The bone conduction makes your voice sound deeper.
That’s why when you listen to a recording of your voice, it sounds off. Suddenly, you’re hearing yourself the way the world hears you. It’s the same reason why photos can look strange, we’re used to seeing our mirror image, not our actual reflection.
Why It Feels So Uncomfortable To Listen To Yourself Talk
You’re simply not used to hearing your voice in that way – and when we’re unfamiliar with something, we naturally resist it.
But if you keep avoiding your recorded voice, the discomfort will never go away. The gap between how you think you sound and how you actually sound will remain so the key is to listen to recordings of yourself talking more.
Yes, that means listening to your own podcast if you have one or recording yourself and playing it back.
Over time, what you hear on the outside and what you hear on the inside will begin to line up, and you’ll stop finding the sound of your own voice so discomforting.
Remember, your voice is uniquely yours.
It’s shaped by your experiences, your stories, your culture, and your values.
No one else sounds exactly like you, and that’s something to be proud of.❤️
