Is that what I sound like ?
I can't think of anything that makes me squirm more than the recording of my voice. I think I like how it sounds much better in my head .
I have probably had more opportunities than most to hear how my voice sounds for other people and no, this is not down to any secret masochistoc tendencies I may be harboring. Despite my dislike of this kind of work, I have worked in three different call centres since 2008 and hated them all equally for different reasons but one key factor they share is the belief that listening to your own calls is a beneficial training tool. For those like me there is little benefit in this when instead of critiquing it, to ensure you do a
Better job next time, you find yourself wriggling uncomfortably in your seat thinking oh god is that what I sound like.
I suppose it could be worse and I am
Grateful that I managed to not pick up the Clonmel accent, not even a little bit. I used to date a guy years ago who slagged me about this as though it was something I had done deliberately.
Did you ever get a call where there's an echo on the line ? I find I usually get so flustered by the echoing of my own voice that I become reticent and end up sticking to monosyllabic answers. Which is fine when you are on your mobile to friends or family but a great deal more awkward when it's your job to speak on the phone and you have a customer on the other end who is looking to cancel their Internet, your job is to convince them not to and your most powerful tool in doing this is your ability to talk them out of it. Good luck doing that when you're feeling too self conscious to utter more than what's necessary to get by.
Today I had the dubious pleasure of being nominated as the new voice of the bookshop where I work. What I mean by this is that when you call the shop you get through to a menu and there's a voice telling you your options and now I am that voice. Allegedly I was the lucky voice model because I have a nice phone
Voice and an indistinictive accent but I think it's more that no one else wanted to
Do it and I got worn down. I got it in one take which was a relief as there's only so many times I could be made listen to my own recording without cringing. lucky for me I don't ring the shop too often so I Won't be forced to endure the echo of my own voice and I can go on pretending
it sounds just like it does in my head
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