- Maintaining a Healthy Voice

We all enjoy the luxury of taking our voices for granted. We are a bit shocked when we get laryngitis and can’t speak. It’s a reminder of how important our voice is in our daily lives and how dependent we are on our ability to speak. I’d like to talk about healthy vocal production and voice improvement. I get a lot of questions about how much to exercise a voice without abusing it.

Speaking is a physical activity that can be perfected or abused just like any other sport. In regard to vocal exercise, more is not simply better. I have heard of people who yell and scream to build up the strength of their voice and yet are unaware that they are damaging their voices at the same time. 

You only have one voice in this life and it has to last through the whole trip. Vocal Strength and stamina are necessary whether you’re a CEO, manager, teacher, lawyer, public speaker or politician.

When the voice is properly produced with good breath support, we can speak all day long and still sound as fresh as when we started in the morning. 

When you are doing exercises you should never do them until your voice is tired and never do them until your voice hurts. You don’t want to try and create everything in the same hour or the same day.

It is more important to do vocal exercises 5 to 10 minutes twice a day, than to try and set aside an hour. Shorter sessions, more often, are more beneficial than long haul workouts.

Get in the habit of always warming up your voice before you give a talk or presentation. You want to standardize the feeling of speaking with an agile resonant warmed up voice. This will make you much more effective in any communication.

The natural responsiveness of your voice will sense the rhythm and cadence of a sentence much better when it is warmed up and this will improve your ability to express yourself clearly and persuasively.

- 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.

- One Reason People Get Fired From Voiceover Jobs

This comes up way too often I'm sad to report. I have heard from people in the industry year after year that there are simply too many people who have great VO demos who don't read with the same competence in the booth that their demo displays. It is incredibly important to practice all the time as if you're in a booth doing a job. Go to a gig all warmed up and sharp. They aren't there to listen to you wake up or get rolling. If they greet you and chit chat fine, but don't start telling long stories. Be prepared. Be on time. The first read out of your mouth should demonstrate that you are a pro and ready to go. Time is money, and it's their money.
In order to really be able to take direction and deliver professional reads, you have to be able to vary cadence and melody to solve problems of articulation and or meaning. Have fun out there and practice like you're going to the olympics. You can do it, you can succeed.

- Voiceover Jobs in Your Own Backyard:)

People naturally wonder about getting a voiceover talent agent. It's not how most people start though. Careers don't usually go from nothing to having representation. It's important to build up some job experience because no wants to go first. There are always people in everyones circle who might need an on hold message, friends who need a short voiceover for their web site, HR departments perhaps where you work that need a VO update on company policies. Make a list of everyone you know and think through who might need a little voiceover work that will help them and give you some real job experience.  Keep in mind that you can also do Reading for the Blind. It's done for free, but they are always very appreciative and it's great experience

- VoiceOvers • You Don't Have To Be Like Everyone Else:)

I have been asked a number of questions this month about being like other "great announcers" or famous voiceover artists. Those people are successful and have great skills and much can be learned from them.
However you do not have to be "like them" but you do have be be as skilled as they are. There are many examples of VO artists who were very different and whose "styles"were joked about and thought incorrect. Lots of those peoples styles then became very popular, HAH!

You must always believe there is a place for you. You must always prepare like there is a place for you. You must always know that your best chance of getting work, is to be yourself.