How Advisors Can Use Voice Mode Without Feeling Awkward

Jun 25, 2025 / By Sean Bailey, Horsesmouth Editor in Chief
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AI for Advisors: Voice Mode in AI tools like ChatGPT allows you to interact with the system through spoken language, creating a hands-free, conversational experience. There are two primary versions of this technology that advisors should understand.

AI for Advisors newsletter

Talking to a computer still feels strange to many people. But as AI becomes more conversational, Voice Mode is emerging as a powerful, time-saving feature that can help you brainstorm, summarize, and get things done on the fly. This is a feature you want to start using.

Voice Mode lets you interact with ChatGPT (voice conversations) by speaking instead of typing. Activate Voice Mode by clicking the microphone icon in the prompt box. Voice Mode creates a hands-free experience ideal for multitasking, brainstorming aloud, or simply thinking more fluidly. There are two versions you should know:

1. Standard voice (transcription mode)

Here’s what happens under the hood:

  • Converts your voice to text, then in the chat box, you send that text to the AI.
  • Responses are printed to the screen and then read aloud if you click the speaker icon.
  • Works well for prompting and interacting with your AI model instead of typing.

Think of it as traditional speech recognition bolted to a chatbot. It functions, but may feel a bit mechanical, especially during longer conversations.

I use this function when I don’t want to type or can’t type, especially when using the AI model on my mobile phone.

2. Advanced voice mode (conversational)

This is where the magic happens. This mode directly processes your voice and generates an audio response from your AI model. By eliminating the transcription step, it offers real-time, fluid conversations that often are described as feeling “human-like.” It:

  • Captures pace, emotion, tone, speaker emphasis, and natural dialogue flow.
  • Enables real-time conversations with minimal lag.
  • Is capable of responding in multiple languages and handling overlapping dialogue.

This mode’s fluid, natural back-and-forth is more like talking to a very attentive assistant than using a tool. It recognizes subtle shifts in your voice, like frustration or excitement, and adapts accordingly.

I’ve used this feature extensively for brainstorming.

Pick a voice personality

ChatGPT features nine distinct voices in Advanced voice, each with its own personality, tone, and accent. Whether you prefer a calm and professional assistant, a dynamic storyteller, or a soothing conversationalist, there’s a voice to match your mood or task. You can easily switch voices in the app’s settings in your profile (Settings>General>Voice).

Top 7 voice mode use cases for financial advisors

Whether you’re a solo practitioner or part of a team, these use cases highlight how Voice Mode can free up your time and sharpen your thinking:

1. Brainstorming on the go

Voice Mode lets you capture ideas while driving or walking. Say what you’re thinking, and the AI will organize your ideas into a coherent strategy, blog outline, or client message. Advanced Voice can even match your tone—excited, concerned, thoughtful—to refine its response accordingly.

2. Summarize meetings and client interactions

Use Voice Mode right after a client call to record a quick recap in your own words—no need to write anything down. ChatGPT can turn your spoken notes into clean bullet-point summaries, highlight next steps, or draft professional follow-up emails.

3. Practicing presentations or pitches

Rehearse by attaching your slides and speaking your presentation aloud to your AI. Make sure to invoke the role “Act as a skilled public speaking coach with 20 years of experience helping financial advisors.” You’ll get real-time feedback on clarity, tone, and structure. With Advanced Voice Mode, you can ask it to listen for persuasive tone, slow pacing, or overly technical language.

4. Morning prioritization ritual

Use Advanced voice to walk through your to-do list with ChatGPT. Explain your priorities, deadlines, and personal time blocks. Ask ChatGPT to help sort tasks, identify what can be automated or delegated, and clarify the day’s top three outcomes.

This creates a fast, low-friction daily planning ritual that improves focus and decision-making.

5. Practicing for a difficult conversation

Prepare to deliver tough feedback to a colleague or client. Using Advanced voice mode, role-play the conversation with ChatGPT, which simulates responses and suggests ways to improve tone and clarity. This will build confidence and emotional intelligence before high-stakes conversations.  

6. Thinking through a presentation outline

This approach uses both modes. Use Standard voice mode for presentation prep by voicing initial ideas hands-free. Midway, switch to Advanced voice mode for a dynamic dialogue, asking ChatGPT to ask clarifying questions, co-develop the structure, and help map slide-by-slide content. This free-flowing, nonlinear workflow captures raw insight first and then hones it into polished presentation structure.

7. End your day with insight

Use Voice Mode to reflect aloud on the day’s wins, challenges, and surprises. ChatGPT responds with thoughtful follow-up questions and practical suggestions for tomorrow, turning a few minutes of talk into a powerful self-coaching ritual that sharpens awareness and supports continuous improvement.

Why advisors feel awkward talking to AI (and how to move past it)

Even tech-savvy professionals hesitate before speaking to an AI. Here’s why:

  • It feels unnatural to talk without a human on the other end.
  • Fear of judgment (“Do I sound weird? Am I doing this right?”)
  • Uncertainty about how AI will respond or how useful it will be.

Let’s reframe those concerns:

  • You already do this with Siri and Alexa. This is the same—just more powerful.
  • The AI isn’t judging you. It doesn’t care how you sound. It cares about clarity.
  • You get better quickly. Most users become comfortable after just a few attempts.

Tips to get started:

  • Practice in private settings—commutes, home office, evening walks.
  • Start with simple, one-sentence requests.
  • Don’t be afraid to correct the AI or give it feedback aloud (“That’s not quite right. Try this instead.”)

Guiding your spoken prompts

Just because you’re talking instead of typing doesn’t mean you should skip the bones of a great prompt. Role, Task, Format, Context, Questions, and Examples (RTF-CQE) still matter—especially context, which tells the model why you’re asking and where you want it to steer.

Think of Context as the GPS coordinates for your conversation; the richer the address, the faster you arrive.

Below is an “ideal” quick side-by-side to show how the same “brainstorming on the go” request sounds in writing versus speech. Keeping all or some of the RTF-CQE framework elements in mind will make your results more robust.

  Written Prompt Spoken Prompt (hands free)
Role Act as a senior marketing strategist for RIAs. “ChatGPT, you’re my senior marketing strategist today.”
Task Brainstorm five LinkedIn post ideas about Roth conversions for pre-retirees. “Help me brainstorm five LinkedIn posts about Roth conversions for pre-retirees…”
Format Return ideas as a numbered list with snappy hooks. “…and give them back as a numbered list with punchy hooks.”
Context My audience is mostly 50- to 60-year-olds who worry about taxes in retirement. “…Remember, my audience is 50- to 60-year-olds worried about retirement taxes.”
Questions and Examples Ask clarifying questions if needed; here’s an example hook I like: ‘Stop the IRS From Taking Your Nest Egg.’ “…If you need more details, just ask. One hook I like is ‘Stop the IRS From Taking Your Nest Egg.’”

Why it works: By following the RTF-CQE structure, the spoken version stays clear, provides rich context, and invites follow-up questions—so the model responds with sharper, more usable ideas. But don’t get slowed down trying to mimic it perfectly. Just get to the elements as your conversation unfolds.

Not a novelty

Voice Mode is a gateway to faster thinking and smoother workflows. With Advanced voice mode, the experience is more intuitive and human-like than ever before. And even Standard voice mode offers tremendous time-saving potential for everyday tasks.

Remember: It doesn’t care how you sound. It cares about helping you work faster and smarter. And the more you use it, the more natural it becomes.

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Sean Bailey is editor in chief at Horsesmouth, where he has led editorial strategy for over 25 years. He is the co-author of Hack Proof Your Life Now! and has spent over 3,000 hours researching how AI can transform the way financial advisors work. Through his AI-Powered Financial Advisor and AI Marketing for Advisors programs, he helps advisors save time, deliver better client experiences, and market their services with unprecedented speed, quality, and confidence.

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