The Voiceover Multiverse

The voiceover world is diverse. It is made up of many different and talented people and a lot of them disagree on how things should be done and how voiceover artists should present themselves. This is normal in any mix of creatives whether it's the entertainment business of business in general.

I have viewed this as a multiverse that is horizontal in nature. One universe is not better than another but different in it's views on whats most important. Because of this structure it's important to decide what is best for yourself. There will always be people who will tell you your approach is wrong. You can spend your life changing everything all the time and never make everyone happy or get anywhere. The question is not does everyone like what you're doing, the question is do you like what you';re doing in the universe that resonates with your own taste and talent. And of course you must develop your skills to the highest level possible

An old mentor told me when I was starting out:

 "All you need to know kiddo is find someone who likes your work and stay there. Them find another person who likes your work and continue that process and don't waste any time on people who don't want you. They aren't your people ya big dope!"

Bless his soul. It was his way of saying it's just a numbers game. You have to keep moving and keep auditioning and to de personalize the process. Sales people understand this very well.

I read a meme that came in on twitter. It said,

"You cannot make everyone happy. You are NOT a Taco"

Follow your own intuition...Keep laughing and have fun out there:)

How Success Actually Shows Up:)

The reoccurring question is: How to Become Successful? Insert slogans here I suppose.
Obviously there are many things people have said and written to guide everyone. All I'd like to add are my personal observations over the last few decades about the nature and process of success.
My experience is that success doesn't show up as one huge opportunity as much as it's created by putting one foot in front of the other come hell or high water and simply being persistent and unrelenting in pursuit of ones goals. This approach must include developing ones skills as a life long habit. There is always something that could be better and the fun is in solving the puzzles that will bring improvement. So my approach is to stay focused, keep laughing and have a great time in the journey to the destination of choice:)

The Life Changing Importance of Voice Development

Voiceover artists, actors and all professionals have many skills to learn. Perhaps one area that is overlooked or doesn’t get enough focus is voice development.

Our Voice is the Engine that carries all of our ideas, thoughts, and  plans to everyone we come in contact with. Voice development benefits not just voiceover artists and actors, but everyone. People with superior speaking skills have an enormous advantage over others who are less polished. All great athletes have workouts and its not because they don’t know what they are doing. It is because in this competitive world communication skills need to be honed to the highest levels. A trained voice is more responsive to a persons intent in a conversation. Having control over ones tone of voice and breathing is not only an asset in voiceover work, but also critical in communications both professional and personal.

- It's Never Just About The Words in VoiceOvers or Life

I think maybe the most important thing people taught me when I was starting out, was the absolute importance of "tone of voice". It was emphasized that first contact with clients and casting directors and everyone in ones world use tone of voice to figure out what we mean and if they want to engage with us. Words are important of course, but they are only a small part of the communication at best.
We naturally want to tip a personable server in a restaurant more because it contributes to our experience. It's the same when a salesperson is helping us that seems present and engaged; we are more likely to make a purchase.

The same principle applies not only to doing great voiceover work, but also to getting voiceover work. People hire the people that they like the best. The most important talking you do occurs before the job is even offered. Always take time to listen to new clients needs and to make sure the conversations are centered on them. Being easy company that is well spoken with a tone of voice that is attentive can do a lot to improves the number of jobs one gets.

- Correcting Speech & Breathing Problems

Through the years may people have come to me for help with certain speech and articulation problems that were slightly defective as well as accent correction and of course shortness of breath (non medical).

In speaking, the principles of articulation, clarity and naturalness are the primary skills required for effective communication. These qualities can be refined and dramatically improved by using voiceover articulation techniques.

Learning cadence exercises and other voiceover techniques provides the reframe of coordination to help resolve a wide range of these problems. Fixing these kinds of issues can contribute in a major way to success in any professionals career.

Whether you're a teacher, sales professional, lawyer, CEO, public speaker, voiceover artist, broadcaster or presenter, contact me for a free consultation and lets see what can be done to resolve anything in your speech that you feel is a distraction in your communications with people.

- Your Voice Is A Wind Instrument - Cardio Will Improve it Dramatically

People ask me quite often what one of the single most important things is that they can do for their voice. The answer is "Get some regular exercise, cardio" (Always check with your Doctor before starting any exercise program).

There are about 126 muscles in the cricoid thyroid structure ( voice box) that are directly involved in phonation. That doesn't include all the muscles in the chest that are involved in breathing. When you are getting some kind of regular cardio exercise you are not only strengthening the whole support structure you are perfecting the coordination between the bellows of the lungs and how you speak. When you combine exercise with your voice and breathing exercises you will be amazed at how your voice will bloom into it's full beauty giving you more presence more authenticity and greater confidence.

Superior Speaking Skills Will Create Greater Success

People who have the most responsibility in business need the most effective communication skills. Our Voice is the Engine that carries all of our ideas, thoughts,and  plans to everyone we come in contact with. A leader with superior speaking skills has an enormous advantage over someone who is less polished. All great athletes have coach’s and its not because they don’t know what they are doing. It is because in this competitive world communication skills need to be honed to the highest levels.

How often after a meeting or presentation have we felt that we fell short of what was needed to succeed? The coaching of speech for business success is one of the most important investments an executive can make. It can literally increase ones income in ways that are life changing.

The most limiting factor in a persons career is often as simple as not developing their speaking skills. We don’t listen very closely to people who don’t impress us, and the main reason we aren’t impressed is because of how someone speaks.

We have entered a great new age where communication is dependent upon our ability to connect, and our ability to connect depends on what we decide to say and our manner of delivery. This is the result of the intensity of the information age. We cannot rely solely on the fact that we have the authority or the answer. We must have the ability to organize and personalize thoughts in order to be heard and understood. This has become of paramount importance in, corporations, hospitals, organizations and all of the service industries. How we communicate with our voices and how we organize ideas has never been as important as it is today. Our voice is the engine that carries our thoughts to people. Our voice and presentation is the point of first contact. The point of first contact must be maximized in order to achieve success consistently.

A business person gives many kinds of presentation to many different kinds of groups.

The vocal game plan needs to be different for each different circumstance. When giving a presentation, “one size dos not fit all”. The manner of a presentation to a group of sales people is different than the manner that is used to talk to investors, or a board, or a jury. Those different approach’s need to be worked out using a persons natural speech patterns and personality to communicate successfully.  Voice coaching is designed to orchestrate the various vocal elements for maximum natural impact without going outside the natural compass of ones voice or personality. Learn the secrets that Hollywood voiceover artists use to make millions, to take your career to a whole new level.

Some Thoughts On Reading Inspirational Copy

Aside from all the regular corporate narrations, voiceovers for How To Videos and commercials, there are Inspirational Narratives. We spend a lot of time pitching, talking and explaining everything from healthcare benefits to how not to get your arms ripped off while using certain machinery.
All of those voiceovers serve a necessary function. An even more important human necessity is inspiration.
There is a vast market for reading inspirational copy. The source may be religious, new age, leadership, communication, relationship, or success. The important thrust is always inspiration to live a more spiritual life, a more fulfilling life, a more complete life, a better life and whatever that means to you personally.
When we receive the copy for one of these projects it's important to really think through who the audience will be. How do they view life and their own hopes and dreams. No one likes to be lectured or talked down to, we all want to feel like we are in it together and the ideas are being shared. The tone of voice used in sharing great ideas is never condescending or patronizing. It is always warm, friendly and very personal.
In order for the message to be "heard" we have to be the story teller who is devoid of any affect. Everything must be "idea driven" and sound like it's the most reasonable conclusion.
There is hardly anything more important or a voiceover job that is more satisfying than inspiring or comforting people with uplifting text that contributes to their spirituality and peace  of mind while they navigate their lives.

- How you use your voice can change your life

 The Power to Persuade can create unlimited success. Our voice is the engine of that success. We can use it to create empires or a successful life, or to complain and explain why we are victims. Our tone of voice is very often a reflection of how we view the world. If we’re nervous and up tight the voice often has an edge and puts people off. Whether a person wants to be a voice over artist or more successful in their own profession it is extremely important to look for the good or opportunity in all situations and be patient. The things we say to ourselves control our mood and tone of voice. It is useless to do voice exercises to improve how we sound if we are saying negative things to ourselves because the voice will reflect the sound of mistrust that is in our minds.

We want to be optimistic, but not delusional of course. It’s important to use our voice to bring a positive experience to other people; To work at being pleasant. Then we notice that we have positive experiences ourselves. We really do attract and create the situations we are in. All of this is a process and takes time.

It is perfectly natural to say things like, “why can’t I do that,” “I wonder how to do that”, oh I could never do that.”

In order to develop greater ability to persuade people we must practice and be patient. Learning to allow for process is one of the most important things that we can practice in in our lives. Process is how the earth was made. Process is how math, science and art achieve all their great accomplishments and inspirations.

If we don’t allow process because of impatience we are literally making the choice to NOT understand because we have interrupted the process of building up familiarity, understanding and skill. Voiceover artists, teachers, sales people and everyone can become more persuasive and successful as we improve how we speak to others and the things we say to ourselves.

- Warm up Your Voice Before You Work

This is a reminder that its best to warm up your voice before any VO session and also before any presentation or business meeting. When our whole system is warmed up we are naturally more responsive to ideas and create more nuances that make our vocal efforts more natural and more persuasive.

- Success and the "Power To Persuade" - What You Can Learn From Voiceovers

The human voice is a wonderful musical instrument. We rely on it to transmit the symphony of our ideas and feelings. The ability to persuade determines our financial success. Everything in life is about presentation, we connect with people based on how well we do it Whether we are  teachers, CEO’s, sales people, lawyers, politicians, religious leaders or managers, our voices are the engines that carry our ideas to others. Our voices provide the point of first contact with people.

We all want to be able to communicate effectively with people in our personal and professional lives. We all want to do it better and more successfully. No matter who we are, we all seek the power to persuade.

Non of this is magic. Rapport is composed of certain elements in our delivery. Voiceover artists have refined those elements to enjoy tremendous success with their communication skills.

Becoming aware of them, mastering them, hands us the keys to effective and successful communication which can take our lives to a whole new level of success. Whether you want to be a voiceover artist or just enjoy new levels of success in your profession, study the art of voiceovers.