Voice
Why are so many people uncomfortable with microphones? It’s a thing. Have you ever noticed? Maybe not. Perhaps you are one of these people. Not trying to be a jerk, but there seems to be some sort of allergy that gets agitated when people hear their own voice projected out beyond normal parameters.
I can’t count the number of times I’ve been at a random event where the speaker asserts that they have a loud voice and prefer to not use the microphone they are holding. The speaker drops the mic to waist level, “You guys can hear me without this thing, right?” Then they don’t even pause for a response. “Right. We’re good.” With their anti-amplification agenda in place, they continue to speak to the front half of the audience while the people in the back give confused looks to their neighbors. “What did she say?”
The point of a microphone is to magnify our voice. Yet, we immediately shrink back the moment we hear it happen. Our subconscious squirms: “Oh, I don’t like that.” It’s like when we hear our voice on a recording. Have you ever thought that your voice sounds weird? Like somehow the recording is faulty. “That’s not how I sound, is it? It sounds off.” I suspect something similar is happening when a speaker pulls the mic away from their face. They are reacting to the unfamiliar strength of their dulcet tones. So they naturally yank the mic away from their pie-hole and consequently cause massive issues for the audio technician.
That poor audio technician. They stand back there with all those buttons and knobs. And the moment something goes wrong – everyone turns and looks at them. Meanwhile, they are actively trying to enhance the sound of a person against their will. Pulling away mic + turning up volume = feedback. You know the sound. Have you even twisted your torso to glare at the nameless human standing innocently in the sound booth? They’re screwing up the experience! But if they had a mic, they would likely be saying, “It’s not my fault the person you are listening to is uncomfortable with their own voice.”
It makes sense to me that we feel fear when our voice is amplified. It’s a vulnerable thing to hear ourselves thrusted onto a larger stage. Especially when our voice is being thrown out into the expanse of strangers who will all develop opinions about what we are saying. I get it. Still, that doesn’t mean we should pull the mic away and try to talk louder. Instead, trust the mic.
It’s true that a microphone will amplify our mistakes. It will catch all our “um’s” and “likes” (vocal fillers as we call them in the biz), but it will also catch your brilliance. That little piece of technology will wrap its arms around your authentic voice and give it room to breath and fill the space. People outside of your immediate circle will find themselves impacted by the sound waves of your message.
I am not afraid of mics – largely because I have tons of experience using them – but I am afraid of rejection. I don’t like it when people disagree or disapprove. So sometimes, I censor my message to make it more palatable for the masses. That is my version of pulling the mic away from my face. And I can see the universe standing innocently in the sound booth shaking their head. “Dude, just speak your truth.” That image makes me smile. It reminds me that my presence in life is not only to bring joy and happiness. I’m also here to bring reflection and consideration. One time, Jesus said that he did not come to bring peace, but a sword. I think that’s what I mean, too. If I pull the mic away, I dull the edges of my presence. I rob others of my unique perspective. Sure, it reduces the risks that vulnerability creates, but it also dilutes my authenticity, my integrity, me.