It happens to all of us.

We hear the recording and we immediately think:

Oh my God! Do I really sound like that?

The voice that you hear and feel resonating in your chest and sinuses is not the same voice others hear when you speak or sing.

Hearing yourself recorded can be surprising and jarring but fortunately or unfortunately, aside from the exercises and vocal workouts we should all be doing to strengthen and care for our voices, there's little to be done about it.

That's how you sound.

That's how others have always heard you.

You might become aware of and tackle some bad habits like too many filler words or an awkward pronunciation or two…

But whether or not you like the sound of “the real you,” the best strategy is to get over it.

I know a speaker who has a voice like a cement mixer full of rusty shopping carts and her calendar is full.

When it comes to the sound of your voice, steal a play from the motivational speakers' play book:

Learn to love and accept yourself as you are.