Does Sound Affect Communication? A Conversation with David Tyler - Part 1

Audio Branding

“Communicating is something at surface level: we’re communicating, here’s the words, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Okay, go, see it. That’s the message, right? But what you want is meaningful interaction. There’s a quote in my book, and I could read it for you in a minute, but the idea is to shift from transaction to transformation. I could give you all kinds of data, but it’s not going to transform you. It’s not going to inspire you to do something different.” – David Tyler

This episode’s guest is a media and communication coach who’s passionate about helping people connect. He believes communication is the key to breaking down barriers, building relationships, and solving problems, whether at work, home, or in life. His mission is to inspire others to communicate with empathy, understanding, and respect while keeping it practical and actionable. He’s also a sync music composer and a voice talent widely recognized as the network voice of CTV News in Canada and dozens of other brands worldwide.

His name is David Tyler, and what he has to share about communications is particularly important, especially now. If you’re looking for ways to make a deeper connection with the people around you, both in business and your life, this is definitely a conversation you’ll want to tune into.

As always, if you have questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes. If you have questions for me, visit audiobrandingpodcast.com where you’ll find a lot of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter will let you know when the new podcasts are available and what the newest audio chats will be about. If you’re getting some value from listening, the best ways to show your support are to share this podcast with a friend and leave an honest review. Both those things really help – and I’d love to feature your review on future podcasts.

(0:00:00) - Journey From Music to Voiceover

We start the conversation off with a look back at David’s early memories of sound, and the surprising comfort he found in the sound of thunder as a child. “As the storm was coming,” he recalls, “the wind started pushing into the house and as it was going, the wind would be gushing out, but I would hear that sound of thunder, and that is the answer to your question. That sound of thunder, you know, to me means safety.” He tells us about his start in music, and what inspired his career in radio. “We were writing songs and stuff and my music teacher at the time,” he says, “had these things on the wall. It says careers that you could do as a musician and one of them was radio DJ. So that’s when I started to think maybe that would be a way to still use my love of music, but make a sort of living.”

(0:14:43) - The Role of Brand Voice

Our discussion turns toward voice branding and “signature” voices, such as David’s work as the voice of CTV News over the past fourteen years. “In the old days, there were guys, [and] fewer women now that I think about it, but there were people who were signature voices, and when you got that signature voice to be the voice of your brand, it was a major coup.” We talk about such iconic signature voices as Mason Adams as the voice of Schmuckers and James Earl Jones as the voice of CNN, and David shares his seven “colors” of the voice. “I think most voice teachers only teach four,” he explains, “but I teach seven and I’ll go through them quick. These are the colors of the voice: pitch, pace, prosody, timbre, and tone, which are often confused together, volume. And the best one is silence.”

(0:24:14) - The Art of Transformative Communication

The first half of our discussion comes wraps up with David’s advice to brands and voice talents about the value of emotional authenticity. “Psychoacoustics is an amazing study of the way that sound affects us emotionally,” he tells us. “We know I mean from a sales perspective. We know that people buy on emotion but justify using logic.” We discuss the interplay of music, voice, and branding in both the sound booth and sales floor, and the power of sincere communication. “Every conversation holds the potential to change perspectives,” David says, “Approach each interaction with this in mind and you’ll find that effective communication isn’t just a skill, it’s a powerful force for positive change.”

Episode Summary

• David’s tumultuous early memories of sound and his start as a voiceover artist.
• The enduring value of a signature brand voice and how it helps cement a brand’s identity.
• How sound impacts our emotions and what sets communication and connection apart.

Tune in for next week’s episode as we discuss some of the recent headlines that have emphasized the importance of communicating in a crisis, David’s media preparation tips, including when to stay focused and when to redirect, and the role AI might play in the future of audio branding.

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