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12 - Charismatic Speech Breathing

How Perceived Speaker Traits Are Linked to Chest and Abdominal Breathing Patterns

from IV - Persuasion and Algorithms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 June 2025

By
Oliver Niebuhr  and
Plinio Almeida Barbosa
Edited by
Sofia Rüdiger  and
Daria Dayter
Sofia Rüdiger
Affiliation:
Universität Bayreuth, Germany
Daria Dayter
Affiliation:
Tampere University, Finland
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Summary

It is perhaps one of the most prominent assumptions of rhetorical guidebooks and trainers that abdominal breathing leads to better, e.g., more charismatic and persuasive speech performances. However, recent phonetic evidence was not consistent with this assumption: trained speakers (males more than females) primarily intensified chest breathing when they switched from a matter-of-fact to a charismatic presentation style – and this disproportionate intensification of chest breathing also came with a more charismatic voice acoustics. The present perception experiment builds on these recorded speeches and their acoustic results. We test whether significant correlations would emerge between the acoustic and respiratory measures on the one hand and listener ratings on the other. Twenty-one listeners rated all recorded speeches in individually randomized orders along two 6-point Likert scales: resonance of the voice and charisma of the speaker. Results show significant positive correlations of perceived speaker charisma with f0 variability, f0 range, f0 maximum, and spectral emphasis. Moreover, resonant-voice ratings were positively correlated with both abdominal and chest breathing amplitudes. By contrast, perceived speaker charisma only correlated positively with chest but not with abdominal breathing amplitudes. We discuss the implications of our results for public-speaking training and outline perspectives for future research.

Keywords

breathingchestabdomencharismaresonancevoiceprosodyspeechf0English
Type
Chapter
Information
Manipulation, Influence and Deception
The Changing Landscape of Persuasive Language
 , pp. 250 - 276
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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