What Seinfeld Episodes Teach Us About Speaking and Communication
Recently, the 31st anniversary of the famous TV series, Seinfeld, was celebrated. I still watch reruns and still laugh at all of the jokes. There are many memorable episodes that involve speech and voice. Here are just a few of the most memorable episodes that involve communication and what we can learn from them.
The pitfalls of saying “Yeah, sure!” when you didn’t hear what was said.
Has a misunderstanding left you wearing a puffy, pirate shirt during an on-air television interview? This is what inadvertently happens to Jerry in Season 5, Episode 2. Kramer is dating a woman named Leslie who is a “low-talker;” everyone struggles to understand her due to her quiet, speaking voice.
Studies show that listeners tune out someone who is hard to understand after a couple of times of asking “what?” because they grow weary of asking and struggling to translate the message. This could happen because of low volume, mumbling, or a foreign accent. If weariness sets in, the listener will avoid communication with that person or pretend that they heard what the person said which will inevitably cause a miscommunication.
If you are a low-talker, increasing your speaking volume can be achieved by using proper breath support, staying relaxed and exaggerating your mouth movements to create a bigger space for your sound to vibrate. Also, remember to avoid looking down while you talk to people in order to help others understand you more readily.
Deciphering gender based on a phone call can be hard.
Sometimes people have the best intentions, but end up causing unnecessary drama. This is what happened to Elaine’s friend Noreen and her boyfriend Dan in Season 6, Episode 3. Dan became known as the “High Talker” because of his high-pitched voice. Elaine mistakes Dan for her friend Noreen during a phone conversation and accuses “her” of flirting with Jerry.
We normally associate a deep, rich voice with a man. However, some men have a higher pitched voice. The reason for this has to do with the size of the vocal cords (mass, length, tension). There may not be too much you can do to lower your pitch if you want to sound more masculine short of testosterone replacement therapy. But maximizing your natural pitch can be done by exploring tongue placement, staying relaxed, and breathing correctly to give your voice the support that it needs.
What does yada yada yada really mean?
In the hilarious Season 8, Episode 19 otherwise known as “Yada Yada,” George’s new girlfriend Marcy uses the phrase “yada yada” to shorten her stories. For example, she uses it to gloss over important information such as, having sex with her ex-boyfriend and her shoplifting problem. George uses it to gloss over the death of his former fiancé. Jerry comments how her response is a “very concise way of speaking.”
As a business leader and/or a public speaker, it is very important to speak concisely. You can do this by eliminating unnecessary words, using short sentences, and responding to questions in 10, 15, 30 and 60 second intervals. It will be your own special way of yada, yada-ing through your stories and your listener will appreciate it.
Does too much coffee hype up your speech rate?
In Season 9, Episode 16, (“The Maestro”), Kramer is awarded as much coffee as he wants from a coffee shop (Java World) after suing them for coffee that is too hot (Kramer’s skin was burned by it). After drinking several Café Lattes, he not only speaks faster but he walks a lot faster, too.
Studies show that increased amounts of caffeine do increase motor activity in children but not in adults. The effects of caffeine on vocal quality is not apparent but cognitive function does decrease (temporarily) when going off of caffeine. Of course, caffeine can also affect anxiety levels.
If you speak too quickly, you may be losing the most important person—your audience. You can slow down by taking a breath or pausing at normal punctuation and stretching out stressed syllables/words in sentences. You’ll be more fascinating to listen to and much easier to understand. Additionally, you will sound relaxed and comfortable.
How important is it to read your audience’s reactions?
Also, in Season 9, Episode 16, George believes he is so different and special from others because of his special gift of sensing the slightest human suffering. As he tells Jerry his story, Jerry asks him if he can sense Jerry’s human suffering as he listens to George’s ridiculous story.
In Season 5, Episode 18 (“The Raincoats”), Elaine introduces her boyfriend, Aaron, to Jerry’s parents. He is a little bit of a “close talker” as he gets within a couple of inches from everyone’s face. Both Helen and Elaine squirm and are clearly uncomfortable as he moves closer into their space.
Communication exchanges involve a lot of “reading your audience” to judge their understanding. We consciously watch our listeners in order to read their non-verbal cues. This is an important part of communication so that you can adjust the message to meet the needs of the audience. In the case of the “close talker,” the appropriate physical distance between people while communicating is about two feet. Any closer than that feels uncomfortable or very personal and private.
The Seinfeld TV series was great at showcasing the different speaking styles including: Low Talkers, High Talkers, Fast Talkers and Close talkers. Seinfeld made these speaking forms hilarious, but in real life they can hold professionals back in their career.
If you are interested in discovering how your speech, language and voice may be impacting others, we have a lot of free resources for you. You can get started today!
Take the Confidence Quiz–Learn if the way you sound is holding you back. Are you struggling with self-confidence because you don’t like the way that you sound?
“I will teach you to sound like a leader!”