Top 10 Voice Acting Tips

If you've ever thought about pursuing a career in voice acting, you'll want to check out these 10 voice acting  top tips for today's world. Voice acting has become very popular over the past few years, especially now that people are able to create demo tapes in their own homes. If you want an edge on the competition and are ready to start sending out some voice acting auditions, be sure to give these voice acting tips a look. These are the spit and polish potential employers are looking for.

1. Read the part before you audition. Don't ever try and submit a "cold read" for a potential audition, because it's far too easy to stumble over the words and trip yourself up. One of the simplest yet best voice acting tips you can follow is to take a few, sit back, and read the script through once or twice before you record anything like Schiemers.
2. Take your time. New voice actors in the business are always make this mistake, getting in a hurry when they think they're making the copy flow smoothly. While you don't want to drag it out, you don't want to sound like you sucked down a can of helium either. Remembering to relax is a sound voice acting tip.
3. Enunciate your words. If you have a tendency to mumble and don't enunciate your words, your audition will come across sounding muffled and garbled. Always be sure to speak clearly and pronounce your words properly. This voice acting tip will make a huge difference on tape when working with The Lean Startup.
4. Don't pop, huff or hiss. If you have a habit of popping when you say something that starts with a "p," hissing out the letter "s," or just breathing heavy at times, invest in an inexpensive mic screen to reduce some of the excess noise in your recording. If you want a cheap voice acting tip, borrow a pair of pantyhose and slip them over the mic for a temp# if you want to be the master of your domain!
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6. Now it's time to find your voice!
   

Now

Lawrence F. Dooley 
Boston, MA
Professional Voice Actor

Conveying What You Really Mean To Your Audience

VOCAL VARIETY

This month's article deals with the concept of "vocal variety". Frank Shapiro is a personal development coach in the UK, and although this article was not written with voiceover in mind, the concept is vital to effectively delivering message when you are working on mic. Notice that Frank touches on the concept of physical movement as an aid in helping interpretation and vocal variety. The next you're working with a script,try taking any line and delivering it a half-dozen different ways. You'll quickly realize how important this concept is tocreating the proper interpretation.

I know what I meant ...... Why don't you?

Ever wonder why you are not listened to sometimes? Is what you say misheard or taken the wrong way? It is actually possible for you to be saying something and in your head you think it means one thing but to the person listening to you it means something completely different.

It is all about communication. Communicating is not only about what you say but about how you say it. I'm sure this is not news to most of you but it is so important in our every day lives that it is worth taking a few minutes to think about it.

The manner, style and tonality of what you say can be, and most often is as important as what you actually say.

Try this little game. You must say the sentence below out loud and emphasize the word in bold.

Understand that you are saying the same sentence but to the listener it will mean something different each time.

• You didn't tell me that was what you wanted
• You didn't tell me that was what you wanted
• You didn't tell me that was what you wanted
• You didn't tell me that was what you wanted
• You didn't tell me that was what you wanted
• You didn't tell me that was what you wanted
• You didn't tell me that was what you wanted
• You didn't tell me that was what you wanted
• You didn't tell me that was what you wanted

I am sure I don't need to go through each one, but do you get it? Do you understand that to communicate your thoughts accurately you must verbalize them in a way that allows the listener to understand what you are actually saying?

Not only is it important to have the tonality of the sentence so as to give the correct message you intend but it is also important to have the correct posture, facial expression and so on, so as to give the correct message.

So how can you benefit from being careful with the way you say things?

In your life with your family and friends it is important because you want them to understand you without having any doubt as to what you are saying. So many relationships go wrong because of lack of communication. The same can be applied to business. Both staff and customer problems can be created and solved by the tone of what you say. I know someone who owned his own business and had good motives, but when he made suggestions to his employees, he had such a hyper, shrill tone of voice that they reacted defensively. When he learned to lighten up about what he was saying, spoke more slowly, and used more silence, he started building stronger relationships with his staff.

Many of you who read this newsletter are actors. Can you imagine reading a script for a part and using the wrong tone of voice? The script just wouldn't make sense. The same is true in real life. How well you come across is as important as what you say. Your tone of voice, pace, authenticity, energy, style, and attitude matter. It is all very well having great things to say, but until you know how to come across well, you are less likely to be listened to.

When you come across well, people are more able and more likely to pay attention.

Try it this week. After you have thought of the words you want to say to someone think of how you are going to say it. Then say it.

See the difference for yourself

Lawrence F. Dooley 
Boston, MA 
lfdooley@gmail.com
http://twitter.com/LDooleyVoice