Katherine Streeter for NPRI have long said this, but seeing it on National Public Radio's website makes it official: "Humans make split-second judgments about others based on the way they talk." That's the caption to this illustration, which accompanies an NPR story (cleverly headlined "You Had Me at Hello") about the science behind this claim. The story reports on a study done by psychologist Phil McAleer and colleagues at the University of Glasgow. And what did this study find? The first sounds out of your mouth make an immediate, indelible impression.

I hope you go to the link and listen to the story for yourself. When I heard it Monday morning I experienced that wonderful sense of affirmation that comes when Science confirms something you already know to be true.

But any actor will tell you that voice can convey more about character than looks, posture, dress, etc. I pass this on to my clients, telling them they can speak however they like in private, but in public they need to work to make sure their voices project the desired personae. From the get-go. So now I have more evidence to share with people who would rather ignore their voices, feel doing a warm-up is unnecessary and silly, or truly believe it's OK to "wing it": because you never have a second chance to make a first impression!