When people compliment us by saying that we are smarter than we look, then it is the strangest feeling to experience. Nothing can be worse than knowing that you are smart but you look completely dumb. This is not only discouraging when you are in a social situation but can also lower your chances when it comes to being selected for a job. If this keeps on happening on regular basis then you actually need to look at the issue and fix it.

According to research, it has been proved that your appearance is not something that determines how intelligent you are, but actually the way you sound. The voice of a person has been carefully evolved to showcase competence and intelligence.

Following are the major aspects of voices that sound smart and intelligent.

1- Faster speech:

Listeners perceive people as smart and intelligent and have quick but comprehensible speech. The speed should be 140 to 160 words per minute which are equal to what narrators speak in audiobooks.

Following are the ways you can improve your speed,

• Master tongue twisters:

An easy way to get control of your mouth and tongue is to practice tongue twisters and “Peter Piper” is the one that has been used for ages.

• Read aloud:

Speech capabilities can be taken to high levels if you read aloud at varying speeds. Starting up with a normal speed and then changing it with a slower and quicker speed can help you gain better control of your mouth.

• Addition of arbitrary words:

You need to add words like “And” or “the” when you are reading so that you can speak the work without thinking about its meaning.

2- Avoid filler words:

People who use too many words like “You Know” “umm” and “ah” are perceived as incompetent. So the easy way to stay off this habit is to record your voice during a conversation and listen to that conversation for five minutes a day for at least two weeks. This will help you to become aware of your habits and will replace these filler words with silence. This will increase your credibility when you speak.

3- Lower focal inflection and pitch:

Deeper and lower voices are taken as mature and confident whereas higher-pitched voices are perceived as a sign of nervousness. So keep your sentence inflection consistent till the end of your sentence. So you better avoid the habit of “up talk” at the end as it seems childish.