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Will sometimes pull up Katie Couric’s podcast on the cell while at chores around the house, because of the guests she gets and also because of that trademark broadcaster voice. It’s a good one and arguably was a success component in the best job of her career, Today Show co-host. Her voice was perfect for that kind of show.
She shared something on one of those podcasts I never knew – early in her career she retrained her voice with regard to it’s pitch.
Pretty low female pitch for Katie, right? When she started out in TV, she said she had a higher voice and was advised to shift it downward. It’s not that hard, you just find a pitch you’re comfortable with and force self to use it until it becomes second nature. That was super advice for her career.
Taking an objective viewpoint here – not anything in the way of critique of higher voices. But this is interesting & something almost never discussed in the public realm.
The trick of shifting vocal pitch downward is only useful for women, unless it’s a man with a high voice / same benefit. The lower pitches just resonate better, and that can help you in a job.
So Couric effectively tossed out a tip to anybody who wants it. Try it out on friends – worth a shot.
