Voicing 101: How to not sound awkward.

Voicing can seem like such a weird and uncomfortable thing to do. Especially if it’s something you’ve not done much of.

And I get it. You’re sitting there in a quiet room, talking into your mic like it’s your best friend. It feels weird. And when you’re feeling weird, it totally comes across in your voice.

Then when you sound awkward, you feel more awkward, which makes you sound more awkward, and it just keeps going around in a circle of awkwardness.

But here’s the deal. It doesn’t have to be such an ordeal. There are a bunch of techniques you can do to help you feel more comfortable and sound much more natural.

First things first, as with anything – it’s going to take practice.

After reading this, you’re not just going too magically turn into a pro voice artist. #sorrynotsorry.  So keep that in mind, and have a little patience.

Read your script, then read it again, then read it again:

The more you know your script, the more comfortable you’ll be. In the industry, they call the first read a ‘cold read’ for a reason. You don’t know the content, and it shows.

When you don’t know the content, it’s hard to know what to do with your tone. So, read your script. And read it again and again.

Keen for more tips on scriptwriting? Read how to script your podcast to make voicing 100x easier

Smile:

Sounds cheesy I know, but smiling changes the way your voice sounds when you’re speaking. It makes you sound cheerful, upbeat and lighter.

It makes sense too - think of your voice as an instrument. The shape of your cheekbones, bone structure and windpipes can have a huge effect when you’re speaking or singing or doing anything vocally!

So, sit up tall, lift your chin and SMILE.

Drink heaps of water:

No one likes listening to sticky mouth sounds and they can be a pain in the bum to edit around! To avoid it, stay hydrated, steer clear of dairy and drink a glass or two of water before you start voicing.

LISTEN and learn:

The only way you’re going to truly grow as a voice artist is to listen and learn.

I know when you’re starting out, it can be a bit cringe listening to the sound of your own voice. I mean, it sounds different in your head than it does out loud, right? But trust me, you NEED to listen back to yourself if you’re gonna get better! 

Listen for habits, listen for things you stumble on and listen for tone and mood.

Do you sound monotone?

Are you repeating yourself too much?

Does the tone of your voice match the tone of the content?

Slow down a wee bit.

Chances are, you’re speaking way too fast. We all do it! And half the time we don’t even notice we’re doing it. Particularly if you’re excited, passionate about what you’re talking about or nervous.

When you rush through your content, you’re more likely to make mistakes and stumble over words.

Put emphasis on the right words.

To help with remembering emphasis, you can use bold or italics in your script. And even though no one can see you, it always helps me when I use hand gestures. This can also help you sound more natural.

Don’t be afraid to pause.

If you’re like me, you fear silences.

I always try to fill awkward silences by rambling on or talking super fast. But don’t worry about pausing here. Pause for as long as you like!

It can help you regain your composure when you’re discussing something tricky. It can help you catch your breath. And it can let the gravity of what you’re saying sink in for the audience.

Leaving gaps will also help a tonne when you’re editing. You can always narrow down a silence in post-production, but it’s harder to add one in.

Pay attention to how you’re breathing.

Like when you’re singing, you want to make sure you breathe in the right places. Save your breath for the end of the sentence. And if you know a long sentence is about to come up, make sure you take a big breath before you start.

Your voice will sound super strained and awkward when you’re fighting for breath in the middle of a long sentence.

Imagine you’re speaking directly to your audience.

One of the most common things I hear when it comes to voicing is “I feel silly speaking into nothing”.

You’ve heard of people “imagining their audience naked” to get over fears of public speaking, right? Well a good way to overcome this fear, is to get super specific about who your target audience is. Heck – if it helps, print out a pic of someone you think fits your target audience perfectly and speak to that person.

 know it’s a clique but practice really does make perfect. You’ll get better at this over time.

Once you’ve learnt this, forget about it.

Voicing is a little like driving a car. When you start off, there’s so much to think about. You’re thinking: “oh I forgot to smile, let’s try that again. Oh, that time I needed to put emphasis in a different place. Oh, I took a breath in the wrong spot”.

When you’ve practised and gotten used to talking to seemingly nothing, it becomes like second nature.