Upspeak: will it stop you getting ahead at work?

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Psychology Today deemed it an ‘epidemic’. Feminist writer Naomi Wolf argues that it ‘hobbles’ female empowerment. And a BBC report into its origins tentatively points the finger of blame at LA teenagers, Australian immigrants and even ninth century Scandinavians before giving up and declaring it ‘a genuine linguistic mystery’.

It’s upspeak. Or perhaps we should say: it’s upspeak? The trend – also known as upward inflection, high rising terminal or simply uptalk – where a speaker turns a statement into a question by raising their pitch towards the end of the sentence. “As though”, wrote Professor of Linguistics Robin Lakoff, identifying the pattern some 40 years ago, “one were seeking confirmation, though at the same time the speaker may be the only one who has the requisite confirmation.”
 

“It doesn’t make you sound credible or authoritative.”

The New York Times

  While there are clear reasons for its use – to seek reassurance, to check you have a captive audience or to ask a question indirectly to name a few – we may never get to the bottom of where or when we began to upspeak. One thing is certain however: its use can have a detrimental effect on your career. A study of business leaders conducted by UK publishers Pearson found that 85% of bosses believe that upspeak is “a clear indicator of a person’s insecurity and emotional weakness”. Seven out of ten find it particularly annoying. Over half (57%) confirmed that it has the potential to damage a person’s professional credibility. And 44% stated they would mark down applicants using upspeak by as much as a third. Of those bosses responsible for interviewing applicants for senior roles, only 16% said that they would be willing to overlook upspeak and focus solely on the candidate’s talents and skills.

“Upspeaking tells the listener that you don’t really believe in yourself or in what you are saying — and that you badly seek approval.”

The Spectator

  With persistence, say linguistics specialists, it is entirely possible to eliminate upspeak, just as it is to stop using message-weakening filler words (um, ah, like, sorry, just). Here’s how:  

1. Develop self-awareness of your speech patterns

It may be enough for you to consciously tune into your tone and intonation, and notice when you veer into upspeak territory. Or you might need to record yourself while reading aloud or rehearsing the points you want to raise in a meeting.  

2. Buddy up with another upspeaker or enlist the help of your mentor

Ask your mentor to call you out every time you deliver a statement as a tentative question. As he or she catches you in upspeak, stop and reframe aloud your words more assertively before moving on with the conversation. Or strike a deal with a trusted colleague to pay extra attention to one another’s speech patterns and give constructive feedback.  

3. Practise private declarations

When preparing ideas you want to share in a group, don’t just jot down your bullet points – state them out loud too, rehearsing over and over until your words pack a punch and there is real, audible belief behind your statements. Again you might benefit from recording yourself or asking a partner, friend or colleague for feedback.

4. Continually develop your confidence

To communicate with conviction you must believe in your ideas; to have self-belief you must eliminate negative self-talk and bolster your confidence. As you take risks to speak up more clearly with clarity and explicitness, conviction and authority, you’ll grow in self-esteem, which in turn will do wonders for your delivery.  

5. Use visualisation

“One quick fix that helped me,” writes habitual upspeaker Kristen Wong in her article for Lifehacker, “was visualising a [full stop] at the end of my sentence. It sounds silly, but it drove home the fact that I was communicating a sentence, not a question.” For the sake of balance, a journalist for the New York Times seeking speech therapy for her upspeak addiction asked whether there could be any benefits to her linguistic affliction. She concluded:  “What upspeak may do, [my voice coach] conceded, is make people more comfortable with me. Though it doesn’t sound authoritative, it may sound egalitarian and accepting. In an interview situation, that may cause a source to open up to me.” “There may be times when you consciously wish to allow a little upspeak into your conversations,” agrees business consultant Mary Crane, writing for the New York City Bar Association “When you aren’t certain about a fact, end your sentence with a question mark. Similarly, when you wish to build consensus, adopting a less definitive speech pattern may help.”  

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