- Personalizing Voiceover Copy

There are many people who can read copy well. The most important skill however is to be able to personalize copy. Making the copy sound like it's a collection your own ideas that you are relating to a friend is key to getting cast. This requires an ability to make subtle change-ups in tone of voice and cadence that sound like your "Day Voice" and not like an announcer reading copy. The ability to persuade comes from staying in the tonal  bandwidth of natural conversation between friends.

- Learning To Work The Mic

It's important to stay 8" to 10" from the microphone (depending on what you're recording of course). When your recording something that gets loud it's important to back off a bit or turn a little to the side.
Aside from that common sense, there is a great opportunity to have greater "saturation" when you're saying something that is more thoughtful by moving in much closer and speaking more softly.
This gives an intimacy to the sound of a persons voice and is a very persuasive sound. Learning to "Work the Mic" can bring a much richer harmonic landscape to your recordings that is much more personal that just reading well at a good recording level.

Speed Drills To Improve Articulation

We have been working in class at speed reading for the mouse print. Whether you can speak quickly or not, trying to go as fast as you can helps you improve the clarity and efficiency of your speech. When you return to normal reading speeds the phrases are more spontaneous and idea driven. It's also a great way to feel how the ideas ought to be grouped. The energy in consonants and vowels is always even in your "Day Voice". When you try and speak quickly it helps even out the energy distribution so you will sound more natural when you return to a normal pace.