- Vocal change ups and deceptive cadences will help get you work

 I hear a lot of reads that are very well spoken that really don't sound convincing. They don't really sound conversational at all. They are articulate but not "idea driven". I've heard casting agents on large project auditions describe it like this. "Nice voice, but doesn't mean it"

Advertisers and casting agents tend to pick voiceover artists who can meet all the stylistic demands of the copy and still sound like they're just talking to one of their best friends. This ability to "personalize" copy isn't magic, it has certain musical characteristics. It very important to study the phrasing that you and other people use during the day. Make notes about different styles of speech that you are drawn to that connect with you and figure out how to use those elements.

Think of all the stuff that we have bought from sales people that we didn’t actually need. They have connected with us by being personal and not pushy. It sort of triggers Stockholm’s Syndrome… we start wanting to not disappoint them so we buy what they are selling. Hah!

When we are talking to people in our "Day Voice" we naturally use a lot of vocal change ups, "beat Changes" and deceptive cadences. It's part of the harmonic geography of how we communicate in daily life. When we read copy these characteristics are often left out, making the copy sound merely like a person just reading copy. It's important to study and retain these variations in our best natural speech and not loose that spontaneous expression when we are doing voiceover work.

- Learning How to be Yourself

Well, here’s the task for all mankind let alone a voiceover artist. Whether in a person’s business life or personal life, we spend a lifetime asking our selves who we are. Learning how to be yourself requires that we know who that person is, to some degree at least. The advice I give people all the time is to simply say: “Your best chance of getting work is to be yourself.” It does'n’t matter whether it’s a voiceover job you’re trying to get, or going to the next job interview, be yourself”.

It’s a useful “bumper sticker” slogan, but I’d like to talk a bit about the process of the discovery and how to relax into that, and how to trust it... and what it means and what it doesn’t mean. 

When we get to a place in our heads where we can “be ourselves” the advantages are huge. Life isn’t nearly as stressful. We stop being angry. We stop taking things personally and start viewing things as feedback that allows us to make corrections and move on. When we learn how to be ourselves and accept ourselves, we stop criticizing everyone else. The stress of NOT being ourselves or knowing ourselves is exhausting and frustrating. It can create a lot of stress and we can find ourselves acting out on people because of it. So in learning to be ourselves we are UN-cluttering our minds and freeing the hard drive space between our ears to engage in the process of success.

When we are comfortable in our own skins people will enjoy being around us. And of course that is very helpful in getting jobs, voiceover jobs, or any job. In these times that is becoming more and more important. This is important to remember. It is not merely about being the most talented voiceover artist, plumber, teacher, sales person, lawyer or dentist. A lot of people could do the actual work, but people hire people that they like the best. The best plan in the world is to like yourself and be yourself.

- Where Do You Fit In? What Should You Look For?

It is very important to have a business plan in any endeavor. Especially in the voiceover industry there is a subjective element that can feel elusive and very arbitrary. This presents a bit of a dilemma.
How do you keep from getting depressed? How do you find your niche ? What should you be looking for? Here is one point of view that I personally have found very helpful. when I was very young, an old timer said this to me. "Ok, you're going into this crazy business...just find one person/company that likes your work and stay there...then find two more people that like your work and stay there ...AND don't waste an ounce of energy on anyone that doesn't want to hire you! THEY AREN"T your people ya big dope!" We don't need everyone to like us/cast us. We fit in with the people who do like our work and that is simply what we should look for and not worry about the rest.

- Follow The Directions For Auditions

There are simply too many examples of people not following directions for auditions. If you are told to call on a specific day and time, call at that time. Some people thinks it makes them seem pro active if they call a day early. You don't make any friends by interrupting what people are doing by not following directions concerning when to call.
If the directions are to send an MP3 audition file with 3 takes, do not send 5
Production of voiceovers, video and all media requires a great deal of coordination. Make sure you help these people learn that you could be an asset in their hectic lives by following directions .