Recently, I started coaching a new member of a Talk show about cars (getting a great deal on one, not how to repair one).

This guy has one of those “cannon” voices – the God-given kind of deep, resonant voice that used to be what every Top 40 Program Director looked for.

But that was then.

Now, a Tom Hanks-type “real guy” delivery works better. (For example, Johnjay Van Es of the Johnjay & Rich show, a longtime friend I’ve worked with multiple times whose down to earth, natural approach makes people bond with him almost immediately. (He has a fine voice, but doesn’t “use it.” He’s just himself.)

I could name many others, but let me share something with you that I sent this new guy the other day after our first coaching session:

Your initial challenge is to be a bit more comfortable sounding. It’s the “I’m only 3 feet away from you” delivery instead of the “You’re 10 feet away from me” delivery. You’re not “announcing” or “presenting” as much as you’re just sharing something with a friend over a sandwich at lunch. This slightly more relaxed delivery will still carry the timber you naturally have, but in a much more absorbable way. “The guy with the nice voice” is better than the “loud guy with a big voice.”

Having a great voice is a gift, but if you sound stiff, too “official,” or insincere, that’s probably not going to get you the results you want.

You won’t be “giving up” anything. And here’s the deal: you’ll still have that God-given resonance, which is really the whole idea, anyway.