Dear Annie: I work on a team with a bright, talented young woman who has a lot of potential. The problem is that our director and other colleagues are frustrated with her communication style, which is what you might call "Valley Girl." We really want her to do well and get ahead, and we believe the way she speaks is holding her back. Can you offer any tips on how to overcome this? She is generally open to constructive suggestions and I think she would follow your advice. — Trying to Help
Dear TH: "'Valleyspeak' is the verbal equivalent of coming to work looking like you just rolled out of bed," says executive speech coach Christine K. Jahnke. "It's sloppy and, worse, it distracts people's attention from your ideas and your performance. It can also wreck your chances of ever being selected for a job where you would be 'out front' dealing with clients."
Jahnke is president of Washington, D.C.-based coaching firm Positive Communications and has advised Michelle Obama and six state governors as well as executives at companies as diverse as the National Geographic Channel and NASCAR. She also wrote a new book, The Well-Spoken Woman: Your Guide to Looking and Sounding Your Best.
One drawback to talking like a Valley Girl is that it often entails ending sentences with an upward inflection, as if they were questions, which "sounds as if you're seeking approval rather than making a statement," Jahnke says. "It makes you seem to lack confidence in what you're saying."
Another unfortunate verbal habit: Peppering one's speech with "like" and "you know." Jahnke believes that Carolyn Kennedy's 2008 Senate bid failed in part because of public appearances -- including a New York Times interview that quickly went viral -- where, Jahnke recalls, Kennedy "seemed unable to articulate a complete thought without saying 'you know.'" Pundits also picked on Kennedy's "baby doll voice" and "tendency to ramble," Jahnke says.
Of course, most of us (luckily) never have to stand in the intense public spotlight that candidates for public office face, but a less-than-polished speaking style can wreck anyone's career prospects, says Jahnke, and it becomes more of a sticking point the higher you go: "As you rise up the ladder, expect that every aspect of your speaking persona will face more intense scrutiny." Gulp.
So what can your colleague -- or anyone else -- do to change speech patterns that may have become ingrained over many years? "Most people really don't need a total overhaul," Jahnke says. "They just need to correct one or two things."
She suggests the following four steps toward a more professional speaking style: