General

Up-talk Makes You Sound Insecure . . . and More Bad Things

uptalk

I’ve cautioned against up-talk in this space for several years as a career-killer.

It makes you sound clueless, full of doubt, unsure of even the most basic facts.

Up-talk is the habit of inflecting all of your sentences up at the end, so that everything you say sounds like a question.

Even declarative sentences sound like questions.

Now, research in Britain by Pearson Education substantiates the bad news for the world’s up-talkers.

Up-talk:  Ugh!

Want a promotion? Don’t speak like an AUSSIE: Rising in pitch at the end of sentences make you sound ‘insecure’

  • Inflections added to the end of sentences are called high-rising terminals
  • The language trait is common in Australian and American accents
  • As a result, the trait is also known as Australian Question Intonation (AQI)
  • UK publisher Pearson surveyed 700 men and women in managerial roles
  • More than half said if a Briton used AQI it would hinder their prospects
  • While 85% said the trait was a ‘clear indicator of insecurity’

Read more Here in the Daily Mail.