Voices

What a difference a voice makes. I don`t mean between having a voice or not being able to speak. What I`m talking (or should I say writing?) about is the tone and volume of voices.

I`ve attended two services today, but I have to admit that the manner and voice of this mornings preacher simply made me unable to concentrate. My mind just wandered the whole while and I took in nothing of what he was saying. Yet, this evenings preacher I found so easy to concentrate and take in what was being said.

Why the difference? They were both male voices, both quite loud voices (I do normally prefer quiet spoken people and voices as I find those the best to listen to). This mornings voice was very excitable, erratic, seeming to rush through everything he read and said without a pause to draw breath, whereas this evenings one spoke calmly and smoothly without rushing. Another difference seemed to be that the first one seemed to just be talking `at` me, whereas in contrast the second seemed to be talking `to` me.

I find the same thing in conversations too, some people are much easier to listen to than others.
That makes me stop and think – how do I sound to others?