THE VOICE OF AUTHORITY or RADIO FREE YOU

    The best guild leader I ever followed had a rich, creamy voice. He spoke crisply, with good diction, and could cut into any raid chatter immediately with his distinct dulcet tones. Now, he was blessed with a naturally resonant voice, and so was a tough act to follow. My own voice, for example, is deep and somewhat gravelly. Luckily, not every voice on the radio is a Smoov-Talkin' Late-Nite DJ. Here's a few easy steps.

1. Sit up straight. (Check)
2. Speak from the diaphragm, not the throat. Your diaphragm is a spiffy sounding-chamber in the lower center of your chest. Hold your hand where your belly meets your ribs and speak so you feel it vibrating. Notice how this makes your voice both louder and prettier. If you have trouble finding your diaphragm, lie down and sing, and move your hand in that area till you feel a vibration.
3. Work on diction. Leaders never mumble. Prak-tiss tall-keeng sow yoo say ev-uh-ree sill-lah-bull kleer-ly. Iff itt iss nott a sai-lentt kon-son-ant, mayk shoor yoo kan heer itt wenn yoo speek. Tongue twisters help immensely with this. Say them faster and faster until you sound like the Micro Machines guy.
4. Speak at a leisurely pace. Practice saying every syllable in a sentence and breathing at least once per sentence.
   
    You do not need to stay in the Radio Voice every single second. When just hanging out, talk normally and you'll find you still use some of the good speaking habits you've developed here and be more commanding. Think of the Radio Voice as a "character":you slip into when it's time to lead, and your guildies will learn to recognize that tone to mean you are acting in an official capactiy and it's time to focus. 

    Do not break the Radio Voice for any reason while officially leading. Not at a guild meeting, not when joking with the teammates, not when the poop hits the fan. Joking in a calm, clear voice really does improve delivery-- you sound witty and sophisticated, and people can keep up with you better than some hyperventilating teen ("and then, and then, and then...") In tactical emergencies, a leader who stays calm is reassuring and impressive, and does not risk dragging his teammates into panic with him.
   
    Staying calm in a dire situation is vital, but you can't just sit back like Ben Stein, slowly giving orders when you're being overrun by angry grues. ("Mmmmkaaay... taaaanks, go ahead and c'mon over and protect the heeeealers... mmmkay...") We will cover what exactly to do when things turn south later, but for now, just know that you can and should adjust the pace and intensity of your Radio Voice when you need to focus your teammates.

    One last wonderful thing about the Radio Voice is it's clear and commanding, and you can use it at any time to cut into chatter. Try it sometime when people are talking and you need to give orders. Don't worry about saying "excuse me," just start calling the shots. Afterwards, ask the people to carry on with what they were saying. Some dude mumbling in the midst of a conversation is background noise. Sudden, confident interjection commands attention without breeding resentment, especially if you show you still respect the speakers.
   
    Eventually, you'll be able to consciously adjust your voice for every situation. You can sound insistent and commanding in a massive over-pull without panicking, or suave and confident during smooth trash to let social bonds develop. Just remember, talking in a rhythm, from the diaphragm helps you breathe, and breathing keeps you calm. Train your voice properly, and it will become an invaluable leadership tool, the main way your teammates identify their leader.