Have you ever lost your voice at a tradeshow?
We’ve all been there. It’s day 3 of the show, your staff is complaining of aching feet and backs, overall body energy is down, yet there are still 2 more days left to go in the show. Their voices are starting to crack, coughing more often, clearing thoughts, or worse – voices become horse! How do you keep your staff from getting that trade show voice?
Your voice is your tool, and as with any tool, you need to maintain it if you want it to function well. When you are at a tradeshow, the people you meet and speak with have an average of 2 minutes to judge you and your company. They look at a few things, such as what your booth looks like, how you are dressed, what are you selling, what you are saying and most importantly how you are saying it?
There are 3 tips you should follow to ensure that you and your staff maintain a strong, clear, and confident tradeshow voice.
Tip #1: Drink plenty of water! Make sure your staff has the water they need to keep their vocal chords hydrated. Many times managers will instruct the staff not to have any water on the show floor, out of fear of the booth looking messy. Well, find a way to make it work. By depriving your staff of easy to obtain water, you are helping to dry out their voices and rest assure, the image you thought you were saving by censoring water, will be just as damaged if not more by raspy voices full of “coughs”.
Tip #2: Keep the water at room temperature. Don’t chill or ice it. Cold water can freeze up the mechanical parts that produce your voice, causing a strain which in turn causes the speaker to cough and clear their throat more often.
Tip #3: Take care of your voice after hours. Your voice is working non-stop all day, competing with other sounds in the convention center. Don’t make it work harder at night by going to a loud restaurant or bar where your voice has to compete with loud music, smoke and crowd noise. Find a quiet restaurant,. Also, keep the alcohol to a minimun. Alcohol will dry your vocal chords, not to mention dehydrate your body causing your voice to work even harder the next day.
You’ve invested a lot of money to get your company into this tradeshow. If the only areas you’re focusing on are the design of the booth and the product, then think again. Don’t’ let all that effort be in vain by giving an unwanted impression of your company through your staff’s vocal problems. You’ve got to pay attention to the people you send, what they say, how they say it and how they sound.
Remember the 3 tips to keep your staff’s voices working at their best. Encourage your staff to drink plenty of water, keep the water at room temperature, and take care of your voice after hours.
