Problems modulating voice volume

[Lundi]

Ever since I was a small child, I always had a problem adjusting the volume of my voice. It did not help that I have always been very socially awkward, but I often am accused of mumbling or talking too low that no one can hear me. So in order to talk louder, I would raise my voice. Often I would overcompensate, because people would then tell me that I am yelling and get angry, asking me why I am raising my voice so loud. I felt like I could never please people with my voice volume.

Is this connected with Asperger's? I have extremely sharp hearing and often hear somewhat whispering over 20 m away from me. I can hear people having conversations on the street from my house, even with the windows closed. As a result, when I speak I always feel that when I speak that it is loud enough to hear, yet most people do not. Thus, my voice is basically monotone but too low-frequency and too low in volume, or the opposite extreme, almost like pseudo-yelling.

My voice is naturally very low, and people often say that I sound like a hippopotamus or elephant making noises with their snouts/trunks. Some accuse me of having a voice that sounds as low as a bass guitar. When people tell me to talk louder, I raise my voice and my voice pitch goes higher, and then people say that I sound kind of like a tiger growling. I just cannot get this voice thing right at all.

This is screwing me up professionally because any interview makes me appear like I have a problem. And I plan to apply to medical schools next year. I do not want to be in this situation years later, and then patients start saying why their doctor is either mumbling or yelling at them.

Does anyone else have this problem? How did you solve it?

 

[Misery]

Yes, I have this issue.

I've got the hyper-hearing, so no sound escapes my notice. But it means that I tend to forget that most people DONT have that, and so I'm always talking too quietly. Cant count the number of times I've been told to speak up or talk louder. And then whenever I do that, I have that sort of feeling like when you are talking to someone with a hearing aid that isnt quite working.

Annoying. Unfortunately, I've never found a solution. Though at the same time, I have no real need to.

 

[Fino]

I've always been told that I only have one volume, which is too loud, and I always think people can't hear me when really everyone can.

I also have this thing where I feel as if only the person I'm directly talking to can hear me and so if I say something about the dood a few feet behind him, I feel like the dood won't hear me, just the person I want to hear me.

There have been times when I said, "You heard that?"

And they're all, "What...? I'm right here!"

 

[Trophonius]

I experience the same.

It may be a side-effect of a slightly sensitive hearing.

I try to speak louder only when it's required (a large group), but it requires a conscious effort.

 

[SDRSpark]

Same. I've actually been questioned as to whether I have hearing loss, because I speak so loudly.

The opposite is true, and I can hear some frequencies at 0 decibels (I have regular hearing tests at work).

I just have no idea what I sound like to everyone else. I'm either mumbling or yelling.

 

[clg114]

I do speak to loudly because of hearing loss. However, it is age related, not autism related. When I was younger, normal conversation was not a problem for me. The non-verbal communication is where I fall short.

 

[AuBurney Tuckerson]

Ever since I was a small child, I always had a problem adjusting the volume of my voice. It did not help that I have always been very socially awkward, but I often am accused of mumbling or talking too low that no one can hear me. So in order to talk louder, I would raise my voice. Often I would overcompensate, because people would then tell me that I am yelling and get angry, asking me why I am raising my voice so loud. I felt like I could never please people with my voice volume.

Is this connected with Asperger's? I have extremely sharp hearing and often hear somewhat whispering over 20 m away from me. I can hear people having conversations on the street from my house, even with the windows closed. As a result, when I speak I always feel that when I speak that it is loud enough to hear, yet most people do not. Thus, my voice is basically monotone but too low-frequency and too low in volume, or the opposite extreme, almost like pseudo-yelling.

My voice is naturally very low, and people often say that I sound like a hippopotamus or elephant making noises with their snouts/trunks. Some accuse me of having a voice that sounds as low as a bass guitar. When people tell me to talk louder, I raise my voice and my voice pitch goes higher, and then people say that I sound kind of like a tiger growling. I just cannot get this voice thing right at all.

This is screwing me up professionally because any interview makes me appear like I have a problem. And I plan to apply to medical schools next year. I do not want to be in this situation years later, and then patients start saying why their doctor is either mumbling or yelling at them.

Does anyone else have this problem? How did you solve it?

Welcome to the club. Oversensitive hearing, monotone voice, AND trouble adjusting the vocal volume. We're all there.

 

[Lundi]

It affects me all the time in any situation, whether social or formal. When speaking to people, often they ask me to repeat or that they cannot hear me. Then I augment my voice volume and then they say, "You do not have to yell!".

Sometimes I just want to say, "I am going to mumble or yell. Pick your choice!"

 

[Bolletje]

I used to speak very softly and now I generally speak a little too loudly.