Soft Voice Disorder

Author: Ela Britchkow, Speech and Language Pathologist, Accent Reduction Specialist

Soft Voice Disorder A soft or quiet voice can obviously inhibit communication. If someone can’t hear what you’re saying, they can’t give you a proper response. Instead of asking you to repeat yourself, sometimes they’ll just pretend they’ve heard you and end the conversation. 

When some people meet a quiet talker, they may find it too much trouble to always have to try to make out what they’re saying. Instead, they’ll move on to someone they have an easier time understanding. If you want to speak in a group conversation, especially a lively one, it’s a lot harder to draw attention to yourself if you are soft spoken. If you do get to speak, it’s also more likely someone else will jump in and start talking over you. Not to mention, it becomes close to impossible to make yourself heard and socialize in louder environments like a wedding.

​Reasons People May Speak in a Quiet Voice:
Cultural:

• It is also part of some people’s cultures to speak in a quiet voice. For instance, in Germany people tend to speak loudly when sharing ideas, whereas in Japan people speak softly.

Physical:

• Everybody is born with a different size larynx and vocal cords within that.
• Some may have smaller lungs and can’t generate enough airflow to have a louder voice.
• Pathologically speaking, the volume of a person’s voice can be due to changes in the tissue or vibration rate of the vocal cords. As we age our tissue atrophies and the vocal cords don’t vibrate as fast.
• If the person is a lifelong smoker, or they have vocal nodules or polyps, that can contribute to a softer voice.
• Sometimes a quiet speaking voice is a result of weak vocal cords. This is more likely to be the case if you talk quietly at all times, rather than in particular situations. In addition, if you don’t talk to people very often, your voice may grow weak from lack of use.

Social or psychological reasons:

• Some people just have naturally low or quiet voices, and haven’t yet learned to compensate by developing the ability to talk at a higher volume. Similarly, some people just tend to mumble or talk too fast if they’re not concentrating on speaking clearly.
• Some quiet talkers don’t have confidence in themselves and what they’re speaking about, and so lower their voice in order to downplay what they’re saying. They may also mumble, trail off, or rush their speech to try to achieve the same result.
• Many soft-spoken people will also tell you the issue is tied into feelings of shyness, poor self-confidence, and other psychological factors.
• Some people report that when they feel nervous in social situations they can’t help but speak at a low volume. They may say it feels like their throat is tight, and they can’t get the words out properly. Anxiety can also cause people to speak too quickly, or trail off as they lose their nerve halfway through their statement.
• A person may start talking quietly due to a conscious or unconscious desire to not draw attention to themselves (of course the irony is that speaking softly usually puts you more in the spotlight).
• Someone may come from a family where everyone talks quietly, a style that doesn’t translate well into the outside world.
• Some people grow up in a difficult situation and learn that it’s better to be quiet, agreeable, and inconspicuous. Later in life they have trouble giving up this behavior.
• People who are depressed may start to speak more quietly. It’s a symptom of the generally defeated, low energy mindset they’re struggling with.

By Ela Britchkow, Speech and Language Pathologist
©2017 Ela Britchkow​​​