We don’t just talk to communicate, we talk to think, decide, lead, and learn.

We don’t just talk to communicate, we talk to think, decide, lead, and learn. VoicePrint gives us the map to do it all better.

In the workplace, talk is everywhere, but awareness of how we use it is surprisingly rare. We all know communication matters. But few of us truly understand how the way we talk shapes the way we perform. That’s what VoicePrint reveals.

Developed by British psychologist Alan Robertson, VoicePrint is a practical, research-backed tool that makes visible what’s typically invisible: the patterns in our spoken behaviour. It gives individuals and teams a fresh lens to understand how they think, collaborate, and lead by examining how they talk.

And that’s the point. VoicePrint isn’t about personality or preferences. It’s about practice. It shows what people are doing with their voice. And that opens the door to measurable growth, both personally and professionally.

The problem with how we talk at work

Talk is our most immediate and powerful tool for getting things done, whether we’re influencing, solving, directing, negotiating, or reflecting. But in organisations, talk is often unconscious, inconsistent, and misaligned. The result? Miscommunication, frustration, and a lot of missed opportunities.

VoicePrint starts with a deceptively simple idea: we each use a range of ‘voices’, nine in total to navigate work and life. Some we use often, others rarely. We may also over-use, under-use or misuse them. But we’re rarely aware of these habits.

The tool helps people spot their patterns, name them, and work with them. It allows them to see how their typical voices profile shifts under pressure, and how this might be helping or hindering their effectiveness.

Not a personality test, but a development tool

Unlike many psychometric tools, VoicePrint isn’t fixed or final. It’s not a personality profile, and it doesn’t aim to pigeonhole people. In fact, VoicePrint expects people to change.

That’s because it’s focused on behavioural competence. It’s a snapshot of how someone is currently using their voice, shaped by role, context, confidence, and even mood. And because of that, it offers a framework for learning and development rather than assessment.

This is what makes VoicePrint such a practical tool. It meets people where they are and gives them real, actionable insights. It allows abstract concepts like “communication” or “collaboration” to be broken down into clear, observable behaviours that individuals and teams can build on.

Solid foundations, global reach

The VoicePrint model was first introduced in 2012 and refined in 2017 with improved scoring and broader international norms. Today, it’s supported by a dataset of over 20,000 results from professionals across the globe, about 65% UK-based and 35% international.

The nine voices themselves: Articulate, Advocate, Advise, Challenge, Direct, Evaluate, Probe, Inquire, and Diagnose, are universal. Every culture uses them. But how people use them varies. Ongoing research continues to uncover meaningful cultural, gender, age, and role-based differences in voice use.

Critically, the tool has been independently validated by Jane Pollock of the University of Oxford, who confirmed both the distinctiveness of each voice and the reliability of the tool. Despite opting for a lean approach of nine questions per voice, the questionnaire still meets key psychometric standards, and they are especially distinct in voices with more defined structures.

Bringing insight into action

What VoicePrint does best is bridge the gap between psychological insight and workplace performance. It translates complexity into clarity so that individuals can build skill and teams can build trust. That has led to VoicePrint being increasingly adopted by leading organisations, including more than a quarter of the FTSE 100, Global brands, government departments and more.

Whether used in coaching, leadership development, team effectiveness work, or culture change, VoicePrint delivers three core benefits:

• Awareness – helping individuals and teams see how they currently use their voices
• Agility – showing them how to adapt more effectively in different contexts
• Alignment – enabling better, more purposeful dialogue across functions and levels

It’s a tool with rigour, but not rigidity. It doesn’t deliver a verdict. It starts a conversation… often a very powerful one.

Why VoicePrint matters now

In an age of complexity and remote work, how we use our voice has never mattered more. From hybrid teams to high-stakes meetings, the quality of our talk shapes outcomes at every level.

VoicePrint offers a clear, credible, and actionable way to improve that quality. It’s a mirror, a map, and a means to grow.

For anyone looking to build better conversations, stronger leadership, or healthier team dynamics, VoicePrint doesn’t just tell you what kind of communicator you are. It shows you how to become the one you need to be.

Start your VoicePrint conversation.