0959 - The 'Script-reading' Voice

Get A Better Broadcast, Podcast and Voice-Over Voice

2023.08.17 – 0959 - The 'Script-reading' Voice

Script-reading voice

Symptom: When you sound as though you are reading words rather than communicating or telling a story. When you sound wooden, bored, flat – or at the opposite end of the spectrum, overacting and maybe even shouting. When you sound different when you adlib an on-air conversation with a colleague or interview a guest and when you read the cue into the next story, or the weather forecast: the warm personality either falling flat or being exaggerated like a fairground barker.

Prescription:

· Remember you’re having a one-to-one conversation, not one to many. Imagining them sitting in a room with you, just the other side of the desk, may help in the volume and tone you use (it’s what I previously called a ‘point of vocus’ in episode 343).

· Talk with your hands! Use body language and gestures to help bring the script to life. If you ‘act natural’ you are more likely to sound natural as we looked at in episode 430 onwards.

· Know what it is you are reading, the trick is outlined in episode 280. That is understand the context: why are you reading it? It must have some kind of importance for someone, that’s why you have been asked to read it, so tap into that understanding and relevance. Picture who is listening and their likely reaction, as discussed in episode 238.

· Review what we have looked at before about colouring words and lifting or subduing the ones that are important (or not!). Don’t worry too much about applying those ‘rules’ in the moment, but having that background knowledge will help you use them more naturally over time.

· As I mentioned in episode 132 and 133, Don’t worry about precise diction of every letter in every word and stop worrying about how you sound, but what it is you are trying to communicate.

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