Warning: I'm about to sound like an old guy with this article. You've been warned.
I'm out of town for a work event, and I went to Chipotle to grab dinner by myself. I went up and ordered my standard three hardshell tacos with barbacoa and proceeded to go through the line. The Chipotle line has three people who help you. There's the first dude who slops your stuff on the plate. There's the second dude who slathers too much guacamole on your order. Then there's the third dude who stares at your order for a few seconds before asking you if you want chips and queso. Obviously, I want chips and queso. What kind of a fucking question is that?
Anyway, I noticed one common theme between all three of the dudes that helped me.
Nobody could annunciate or speak in a voice or tone that was audible enough to hear.
With each person, I sort of stared at them after they spoke and either just nodded because I thought I heard what they said, asked for clarification with that "huh" squinted face, or pretended I didn't hear them until they said it again, slightly louder this time.
Does anyone know how to communicate these days?
Communication is one thing; it's the ability to actually speak in a tone and level that is acceptable to exchange words and information back and forth with people. That's key.
It's also a skill that, while I would anticipate everyone should know, it's definitely something we take for granted.
If you can't openly speak and annunciate with people, then you can't tell your story, and if you can't tell your story, then you won't go very far.
This is the part almost nobody wants to hear, because it forces you to look at how you show up in the world. Your voice is your presence. It is the first impression you make before your resume, before your talent, before your effort even has a chance to register.
When you mumble your way through interactions or speak so softly that people have to guess what you said, you shrink yourself down without realizing it. You make people work to understand you, and when people have to work to understand you, they stop trying pretty quickly. Not because they are rude, but because clarity is a gift and confusion is a tax.
Most people choose the path with fewer taxes.
In your career, this matters more than you think. You can be brilliant and strategic and full of potential, but none of that matters if nobody can understand you. The meeting where you stay quiet. The presentation where you swallow your words. The one on one where you dodge stating what you actually need. The interview where your voice barely reaches the back of the room. These moments stack. They either build your reputation or bury it.
Strong communication does not mean being loud or theatrical. It means speaking with intention so the world does not have to guess what you mean.
So yeah, maybe I sound old, but maybe the old guy is right. If you want to grow, get promoted, stand out, lead, influence, or even just connect with another human being at the Chipotle counter, you need to use your voice like it matters. Because it does. It is one of the few things you can control every single day.
Speak clearly. Speak confidently. Speak like someone who knows their story is worth hearing. Because the minute you do, people start listening, and everything in your career becomes a little easier from there.