Is Rising Intonation Sabotaging Your Executive Presence
Speak like you’ve got a pair!
A few years ago, I sat in a high-stakes client meeting and caught myself doing something that made my stomach drop. I was presenting a proposal I had crafted meticulously over weeks—a comprehensive coaching strategy I genuinely believed would transform their team's performance.
But as I spoke, I noticed something disconcerting about my vocal tone: I was going up at the end of each sentence.
"So our recommendation is to implement this strategy?"
"We believe this coaching will increase team efficiency?"
"The timeline would be six months?"
Every statement had become a question; I was literally asking permission for my own expertise.
In that moment, I told myself to grow a pair. Of ovaries, that is. One pair gives me guts. The second pair makes me unstoppable.
Why Confident Women Sound Uncertain
If you have ever felt like people do not take you seriously despite your expertise, or noticed colleagues questioning your recommendations more than they should, your vocal inflection might be the culprit.
Rising intonation—also called upspeak or uptalk—turns statements into questions. It is that upward lilt at the end of sentences that signals uncertainty, even when you are absolutely confident in your content.
And here is what research shows: this vocal pattern disproportionately affects women in leadership positions, particularly in high-pressure situations.
The Science Behind Upspeak
Dr. Penelope Eckert a Stanford linguistics professor, has studied this phenomenon extensively.
Her research including recent scholars indicate that rising intonation in terms of how people perform power and relational roles often stems from:
Social conditioning: Women are socialized from childhood to be more tentative, accommodating, and collaborative in their communication style. We're taught to soften our statements to avoid appearing "aggressive" or "bossy."
Status dynamics: When we perceive a power imbalance—even subconsciously—we unconsciously adopt speech patterns that signal deference and seek approval.
Likability concerns: The desire to be harmonious, fit in, and be perceived as pleasant can override our natural authority, especially in male-dominated environments.
Why This Matters for Executive Women
Here's the harsh truth: vocal inflection directly impacts how others perceive your competence and confidence.
Research from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business found that executives who use rising intonation are perceived as:
Less confident in their recommendations
Less knowledgeable about their subject matter
Less suitable for senior leadership positions
More likely to need approval before making decisions
The irony? I had complete confidence in my proposal. I had done the research, built the business case, and knew it would deliver results. But my voice was telling a different story.
The "Aha" Moment: Even Experts Fall Into This Trap
Looking back on that meeting, I identified exactly why it happened:
I was under pressure. This was an important pitch, representing weeks of work and a significant potential partnership.
I wanted them to say yes. The desire for approval was triggering an unconscious pattern of seeking validation through my vocal tone.
Here's what struck me most about this experience: I coach executives on vocal presence. This is literally what I do for a living.
Yet under pressure, even I defaulted to this undermining pattern.
It revealed something profound about how deeply engrained these habits are. Our desire to be harmonious, to fit in, to be likable—it is so embedded in how we communicate as women that even awareness and expertise do not fully inoculate us against it.
How to Change that Upspeak Tone: The Two-Step Solution
That evening, I committed to breaking this pattern. Here's what I did before my next important meeting:
Step 1: Record Yourself to Identify the Pattern
Before my next pitch, I recorded myself presenting the key points. This simple act of listening back was eye-opening. I could hear exactly when and where my voice rose inappropriately.
Try this: Use your phone to record yourself rehearsing a presentation or important conversation. Listen specifically for:
Sentences that end with an upward inflection when they should go down
Moments where you sound like you're asking permission rather than making statements
Patterns that emerge when discussing certain topics or making recommendations
Step 2: Do Your Prep to Control Your Nerves
I use a specific preparation routine that I call "The Prep"—a combination of breathing techniques, physical grounding, and mental rehearsal that I have developed over two decades of coaching executives.
The key elements:
Diaphragmatic breathing to activate your parasympathetic nervous system and reduce anxiety
Physical grounding exercises to connect with your body and project authentic presence
Vocal warm-ups that train your voice to end statements with downward inflection
Mental rehearsal of key moments where you'll make definitive statements
Three Vocal Techniques to Command Authority in Any Situation
Based on years of coaching executive women through this exact challenge, here are the most effective techniques for developing powerful vocal presence:
1. The Period Technique
When making important statements, imagine you're placing a verbal period at the end of each sentence. This means:
Your voice should drop in pitch slightly at the end
Your energy should feel definitive, not questioning
Your breath should support a complete thought, not trail off
Practice: Say these sentences out loud, focusing on dropping your pitch at the end:
"This is my recommendation."
"The data supports this approach."
"We should move forward with this strategy."
2. The Power Pause
Instead of filling silence with rising intonation that seeks validation, embrace the pause. After making a statement:
Stop completely
Take a breath
Let your words land
Wait for a response
The pause signals confidence. It says, "I've made my point. I don't need to qualify it."
3. The Grounding Breath
Before speaking in high-stakes situations:
Take a deep diaphragmatic breath
Feel your feet on the ground
Visualize your voice coming from your center, not your throat
Speak from a place of physical groundedness
When you are physically grounded, your voice naturally projects more authority.
The Deeper Pattern: When Socialization Gets in Our Way
This experience taught me something crucial about executive coaching for women: awareness alone is not enough.
Even when we intellectually understand communication patterns, our deeply ingrained social conditioning can override that knowledge in high-pressure moments.
Our desire to be harmonious, to avoid seeming aggressive, to maintain likability—these are not weaknesses. They are survival strategies we developed in response to real social consequences women face for being "too assertive" or "too direct."
But in leadership positions, these same strategies can hold us back from the impact we're meant to make.
How to Know If This Is Affecting Your Leadership Presence
Ask yourself:
Do colleagues frequently question your recommendations before accepting them?
Do you notice people looking to others in the room for confirmation after you speak?
Have you received feedback about seeming "uncertain" despite being confident in your content?
Do you feel more authoritative when writing than when speaking?
Do men in similar roles seem to have their statements accepted more readily than yours?
If you answered yes to any of these, your vocal inflection might be creating a gap between your competence and how others perceive it.
The Two-Pairs Philosophy: Claiming Your Full Power
When I told myself to "grow a pair of ovaries," I was acknowledging something important: women's power does not come from imitating men. It comes from claiming our full strength.
One pair gives me guts—the courage to speak up, to take up space, to offer my expertise without apology.
The second pair makes me unstoppable—the resilience to persist when my voice is not immediately heard, to refine my delivery without losing my authenticity, to lead with both confidence and compassion.
Your Voice Is Your Leadership Instrument
Your vocal presence isn't a superficial concern—it is a fundamental component of executive leadership.
When your voice carries authority, clarity, and confidence, you:
Command attention in meetings and presentations
Build trust with stakeholders and team members
Inspire confidence in your strategic recommendations
Project the leadership presence your position demands
Create the impact you're capable of making
Ready to Transform Your Vocal Presence?
If you recognize yourself in this pattern and wonder how your vocal delivery might be affecting your leadership presence, I invite you to explore it together.
At Vermillion Coaching, we specialize in helping executive women develop vocal and physical presence that matches their expertise and amplifies their impact.
Through personalized coaching that combines voice production techniques, breathing practices, and confidence-building strategies, you'll learn to:
Eliminate rising intonation that undermines your authority
Project vocal power without losing your authentic warmth
Command attention in high-stakes situations
Speak with conviction that matches your competence
Your expertise deserves to be heard—with the full authority it commands.
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Ready to speak with unstoppable confidence? Contact us at info@vermillioncoaching.com or call +44 (0) 7989 747338 to explore how executive coaching can transform your vocal presence and leadership impact.
