SUBTEXTIt is that melody that stand-up comics sometimes use while
talking gobbledygook and making it sound like a foreign language.
Sid Caesar is magnificent at this.
Every language and every dialect of a language has its own
melody, which is affected by grammatical structure, emotional
content, mood, and attitude—and every melody has a subtext of
its own. In addition to the rhythm, music, and harmony, melody
incorporates pitch, register, resonance, speed, and volume.
When you change the melody in your voice, you change the
subtext of what you say. In a job interview a simple statement,
such as "I'd like to work here" can ring with conviction if the
melody is right or fall flat as a pancake if there is no melody to
it. Try saying it in as many ways as you can, and you'll realize
what melody is all about.
A "detail man" I worked with in a pharmaceutical company
used to complain about the difficulty he had with doctors. "I
hardly get into my sales pitch before they tune out. They say,
'I've got patients waiting. Leave the samples and literature.'
But I know that they give detail men from other houses a lot of
time!"
What was wrong with this salesman was a flat, expressionless
voice, one that lacked melody. It had a subtext of weariness and
boredom. Whether he meant it or not, his voice sent the message
"This is my job. It's dull and uninteresting. 1 couldn't care less
if you listened to me."
When I got to know him better, I found that he came from a
family where any display of emotion was considered "common,"
and this attitude must have rubbed off on him. He was simply
behaving in a way he had always behaved, not realizing how it
affected him professionally.
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