Get A Better Broadcast, Podcast and Voice-Over Voice
1,002 episodes - English - Latest episode: 9 months ago - ★★★★ - 4 ratingsYear THREE of short daily episodes to improve the quality of your speaking voice.
Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode!
And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VOICE OVER VOICE.
Look out for more details of the book during 2024.
Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart
Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021, 2022, 2023 Peter Stewart
Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama.
He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes.
The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience?
This podcast is London-based and examples are spoken in the RP (Received Pronunciation) / standard-English / BBC English pronunciation, although invariably applicable to other languages, accents and dialects.
The 'Peter Stewart' show is perhaps of great interest to those in broadcast voice overs, the broadcast voice, how to start a voice podcast, broadcasting voice training, your speaking voice, breathing technique, and conversational speaking. You may also find it useful if you are searching for information on voice coaching, voice training, voice overs, podcasting, broadcasting, presenting, being a voice over actor and newsreading, audio branding, public speaking, the recorded voice, vocal tips, performance, vocal health education, vocal technique and voice over training.
Music credits: all Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
"Beauty Flow" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Episodes
0500 – The Anchor/Reporter Rapport
May 14, 2022 23:01 - 4 minutes - 2.58 MB2022.05.15 – 0500 – The Anchor/Reporter Rapport Structure You are a reporter and so you need to be able to succinctly communicate the distinct points that ‘make the story the story’, boiling down the issue or the scene to what’s important. If you get stuck in the weeds of detail, you could end up the creek without a paddle. What is the main story here? What are the elements that took us from where we were to where we are, what order should they logically go in, and how do you explain the...
0499 – Off-The-Page and Off-The-Cuff
May 13, 2022 23:01 - 2 minutes - 1.29 MB2022.05.14 – 0499 – Off-The-Page and Off-The-Cuff Conversational The best two-ways are a balance between what’s off-the-page and what’s off-the-cuff. ‘Structured improvisation’ if you like, working with the script but not word for word. Choreographed. Reading every question and answer just as it was composed at a desk makes the flow, go … and unless you and the host are great actors, may sound stilted and artificial. So usually, you can both reply in bullet points – key facts and figure...
0498 – TV Two-ways
May 12, 2022 23:01 - 3 minutes - 2.63 MB2022.05.13 – 0498 – TV Two-ways VOICE BOX TV Two-ways A two-way is when a studio presenter on radio or t,v interviews a reporter colleague (usually one who is on location, but maybe in the studio) about a story. The reporter: · Is not working to a script · Has to sound fluent and confident · Must get over the main points in a succinct and accurate way · Should be able to cope with any question asked of them from the host · Can react to anything...
0497 – The Lead In – Working Example
May 11, 2022 23:01 - 4 minutes - 2.73 MB2022.05.12 – 0497 – The Lead In – Working Example SCRIPT: “I’m fed up. Another Christmas lunch on the way battling with my worn-out kitchen. Stuck drawers, crammed cupboards and simply not enough surfaces. I’m heading to Kittyhawk Kitchens. They have an in -house design and fitting team, to advise and help every step of the way to your new dream kitchen. From their house to yours, Kittyhawk Kitchens. They soar above the rest.” So faced with that script, build in the imagined prompts for y...
0496 – React To Act
May 10, 2022 23:01 - 2 minutes - 1.66 MB2022.05.11 – 0496 – React To Act One way to do this is a ‘lead in’ (sometimes called ‘the moment before’ technique): think first (or maybe say aloud) part of the conversation that’d take you into that first line. What was said or what happened to cause your character to make this comment? So your scripted sentence is a natural reaction. Having a ‘lead in line’, that you either record and then edit off, or simply think, helps you find the emotion in what a scriptwriter at a desk has asked yo...
0495 – 17 - Lead in Lines
May 09, 2022 23:01 - 3 minutes - 2.13 MB2022.05.10 – 0495 – 17 - Lead in Lines 17 - Lead in Lines By creating the atmosphere of a conversation, it’s easier to pretend you’re in one. Most commercial copy sets up a problem, and then provides a product, brand or service as a potential solution. For example, “Want to get your laundry whiter than white?” After that you will presume that the answer will be “Yes I do, but how?” Acting is re-acting to the response that you got. You are having a conversation albeit a one-sided one. D...
0494 – 16 - Rhythm Nation
May 08, 2022 23:01 - 3 minutes - 2.33 MB2022.05.09 – 0494 – 16 - Rhythm Nation 16 - Rhythm Nation A formal script will sound ‘script perfect’. Each phrase and sentence will come with the regularity of waves on a shore, every one much like the previous one. Think perhaps of a documentary style of presentation or an announcer. It sounds like a script has been written, read, rehearsed and recorded. But that’s not how we speak in real life. In real life our utterances have ebb and flow. We don’t really talk in sentences at a...
0493 – Sounding Like An Expert
May 07, 2022 23:01 - 4 minutes - 2.74 MB2022.05.08 – 0493 – Sounding Like An Expert Be conscious of how you sound when you explain something to a friend and try and capture that feeling, mood, zone and so on to sound conversational on air. Here’s an example[1] Read the following aloud as if you are reading it to someone: “The future behaviour of America as the current lone superpower is terribly important to China not only because America can disrupt China's vision of a harmonising world by doing its own thing in the Middle Eas...
0492 – 15 - Pausing
May 06, 2022 23:01 - 2 minutes - 1.55 MB2022.05.07 – 0492 – 15 - Pausing 15 - Pausing Put pauses in different places - as you ‘search’ for the right word or phrase (just don’t make it too often). These may be silent, or vocalised (“errr”). I have heard (but been unable to verify) that Ira Glass the producer/presenter of the podcast “This American Life”, does not use commas or full stops/periods in his scripts … he uses ellipses. When you listen to him, he sounds as though he is talking and yet he’s actually reading … phrase t...
0491 – 14 - Gestures
May 05, 2022 23:01 - 2 minutes - 1.49 MB2022.05.06 – 0491 – 14 - Gestures 14 - Gestures Big gestures and facial expressions can be ‘over the top’ in a conversational presentation. Reign them back to sound more real and believable. But still keep doing some kind of gestures. ‘Talking with your hands’ will help you talk with your voice. Sitting on them will make you sound stilted. Don’t be afraid to smile or laugh where appropriate, shake your head as you read something worrying or surprising. Use ‘air quotes’ to help you...
0490 – 13 - Conversational Intonation
May 04, 2022 23:01 - 4 minutes - 2.69 MB2022.05.05 – 0490 – 13 - Conversational Intonation 13 - Conversational Intonation Flattening out your intonation (but keeping it in the correct place) will, usually make your sound more conversational and move away from the ‘announcery sound’, or as though you’re on stage or to a room full of people. Look back at the section when I brought you the barbecue story and how you change your intonation and loudness levels depending on who you are talking to, how familiar you are with them, ho...
0489 – 12 - Volume and projection
May 03, 2022 23:01 - 3 minutes - 2.17 MB2022.05.04 – 0489 – 12 - Volume and projection 12 - Volume and projection A conversational read is low key, subtle, friendly, authentic and so the voice you need is one of sharing not shouting. You need to engage not enrage. It’s a ‘closer’ voice, one you use when someone is near you and when you are giving calm and reassuring help or advice. Not the voice you use from the other side of a crowded pub when you spot a ‘long lost’ schoolfriend. Consider either taking your headphones off ...
0488 – The ‘Word Merge’
May 02, 2022 23:01 - 4 minutes - 2.7 MB2022.05.03 – 0488 – The ‘Word Merge’ As we saw much earlier, stringing words together can be good because talking too precisely leads to a clunky script. Another issue is, and again we touched on this before, the ‘glottal stop’ – where the last letter of one word is the same as the next word starts with: · You never forget your first time · It’s often a good idea to keep pet insurance · It’s silky smooth and soft to touch · It’s a red danger zone · ...
0487 – 11 - Contractions and Elisions
May 01, 2022 23:01 - 6 minutes - 4.2 MB2022.05.02 – 0487 – 11 - Contractions and Elisions 11 - Contractions and Elisions Ensure you have natural conversational contractions in your delivery: “they’ll”, “couldn’t” and (if appropriate for your programme or podcast) “coz”, “wanna”. (Obviously check with a director for ‘signed off’ scripts that you can make these kinds of changes.) We saw earlier how elision makes a read sound more natural. That is, the slight running on of words into one another, with a less choppy presentation t...
0486 – A ‘Stream Of Consciousness’
April 30, 2022 23:01 - 6 minutes - 4.24 MB2022.05.01 – 0486 – A ‘Stream Of Consciousness’ Ad-libbing is a way to inject some personality into a read, to humanise it. You’re not supposed to be just releasing the words, you are meant to be like the listener, so (if allowed) make the script your own, different and interesting. In the ‘stream of consciousness’ that makes a script sound conversational, maybe: · Chuckle - as though something just occurred to you “Pfff – remember when you were as young as your grandkids are now…?”...
0485 – 10 - Ad-libs
April 29, 2022 23:01 - 3 minutes - 2.01 MB2022.04.30 – 0485 – 10 - Ad-libs 10 - Ad-libs Ad-lib around, swapping out words as you come across them It’s acting, isn’t it? And OK, it’s a bit odd to script sentences and then ignore the structure. And so too is creating a logical argument and then creating the impression that it’s ad-libbed! When I write a script, I’m certainly doing so with an ear for it to be read aloud. But sometimes on air, the rhythm or a word seems wrong and I adlib something different, with, I hope, greater ef...
0484 – Articulation In Conversationality
April 28, 2022 23:01 - 2 minutes - 1.4 MB2022.04.29 – 0484 – Articulation In Conversationality YOUR ARTICULATION Of course, people have to understand what it is you are saying, and as we saw before, the level of articulation has to be appropriate for the message and the audience, but if you worry too much about them sounding right, then you may sound artificial rather than conversational. Robotic rather than warm. And that means that in some situations it may be possible not to have to read every single word. When you have ...
0483 – Eliminate Banality and Formality
April 27, 2022 23:01 - 1 minute - 989 KB2022.04.28 – 0483 – Eliminate Banality and Formality Obviously, the kind of words you use will differ depending on your audience – another reason why you should have your target demographic front of mind. If someone feels left out of the conversation, confused by the formal phrases or technical terms, they’ll feel left out and will turn off. Using unnecessary jargon doesn’t make you sound smart, it makes your listeners feel excluded. So, eliminate banality, formality unnatural business-sp...
0482 – 9 - The Form Of The Words
April 26, 2022 23:01 - 4 minutes - 2.66 MB2022.04.27 – 0482 – 9 - The Form Of The Words THE SCRIPT Spoken language doesn’t need grammar to give a meaning to the sequence of words. The grammar of the written word evolved to replace the intonation of the spoken voice, and that’s what causes problems when we try and read a sentence and make it sound natural. Spoken language doesn’t have sentences: we speak in a collection of phrases. 9 - The Form Of The Words To sound conversational, use conversational language. A reason ...
0481 – Conversation Questions
April 25, 2022 23:01 - 2 minutes - 1.48 MB2022.04.26 – 0481 – Conversation Questions To summarise, ask yourself · Who is this information important to? · How can you talk to them 121? · What are you telling them? · Why should they listen to you? · What are they likely doing while you’re telling them? · What’s the point in you telling them this? If the key to the first part of this book was ‘breathing is the key thing’, then the overriding message for this part is ‘understand what ...
0480 – Focus On The Message More Than Your Voice
April 24, 2022 23:01 - 2 minutes - 1.33 MB2022.04.25 – 0480 – Focus On The Message More Than Your Voice You may find it useful to go further and question: · What exactly is this product or service I’m advertising / recommending? What does it do and how? What are the benefits? How is it different from similar products or services on the market? What are the details not actually in the script so I can read it with a greater sense of understanding? · What is the usual tone of this company’s commercials? What is their b...
0479 – Pitching Your Presentation
April 23, 2022 23:01 - 2 minutes - 1.48 MB2022.04.24 – 0479 – Pitching Your Presentation Changing the words, the style, the pace and so on helps the message become more effective. Having a picture in your mind of the ‘target listener’ and their needs (a worried first-time dad, a time-poor businesswoman, a holiday-hungry teenager…), will help you pitch your presentation in a way that they will care more about the message. That ‘vocal connection’ will give you a more genuine delivery. The more you can get under their skin and work...
0478 – The Emotion Duplication
April 22, 2022 23:01 - 2 minutes - 1.92 MB2022.04.23 – 0478 – The Emotion Duplication You need to be able to identify the different parts of the script that instil those emotions in you, so you are better able to replicate them in your voice and so connect with potential buyers: · How will this new gadget improve someone’s life? · What is the emotion that the copywriter wants to achieve in a listener to this car commercial? · Why is this specific story in the bulletin, and do I understand it enough to explai...
0477 - 8 – Know What The Desired Response Is Of That Audience
April 21, 2022 23:01 - 3 minutes - 2.1 MB2022.04.22 – 0477 - 8 – Know What The Desired Response Is Of That Audience 8 – Know What The Desired Response Is Of That Audience[1] So, you have the message and the person it’s being delivered to, but you also need to know the intention of what you are saying. Is the point of the message to inform them, drive them to action, amuse them, get them to sign up or buy, to change their habits, to tell someone else …? Knowing the answer to this will help you direct your voice to them in a...
0476 - 7 – Imagine Where That Audience Is Listening / What They Are Doing
April 20, 2022 23:01 - 2 minutes - 1.55 MB2022.04.21 – 0476 - 7 – Imagine Where That Audience Is Listening / What They Are Doing 7 – Imagine Where That Audience Is Listening / What They Are Doing So now you know the kind of person the story or the script is aimed at, and why they should be interested. In a moment we’ll consider the desired response of that audience, but first let’s spend a short time thinking of where that audience is when they are listening to you – because that too will help ‘direct’ your voice appropriately....
0475 – The Geller Principle
April 19, 2022 23:01 - 4 minutes - 3.08 MB2022.04.20 – 0475 – The Geller Principle Radio presentation trainer Valerie Geller[1] says “there are no boring stories, only boring storytellers” and she’s right: it’s how you tell the story the images you create and the words you use… but also your voice. She says “be interested and you will be interesting”, in other words if you know what you are talking about, believe in and care about it, and want to share that knowledge, then you will become more engaging. [1] https://www.gelle...
0474 – The Information Equation
April 18, 2022 23:01 - 54 seconds - 575 KB2022.04.19 – 0474 – The Information Equation Information + Presentation = Communication Successful communication is largely a matter of presentation, and that depends on how it’s written and how it’s read. A good presenter will remember that they are not reeling off information or reading from a script, but telling someone a story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
0473 - The Listener's B-S Detector
April 17, 2022 23:01 - 2 minutes - 1.29 MB2022.04.18 – 0473 - The Listener's B-S Detector If you do not care, don’t know the audience, or do not understand the content - and let it show - the listener is very likely not to bother either. Their natural B-S detector will be triggered at a hundred paces. If you sound as though you are ‘reading aloud’, you’re doing it wrong. If you sound like you are talking to someone about something interesting, and ‘telling them the story’, or better still explaining something to them, you ar...
0472 - 6 – Understand The Story Or The Message
April 16, 2022 23:01 - 3 minutes - 1.94 MB2022.04.17 – 0472 - 6 – Understand The Story Or The Message 6 – Understand The Story Or The Message Once you know who you are talking to you need to understand the message that you are giving them. Putting them together is part of a ___ step process to engaging naturally with your voice (the tone, words, rhythm, pace, pauses etc etc). What do I mean by ‘understanding’? You have got to actually be interested in the material, and understand why others might be too. In a news situation...
0471 - 5 – Know Who *You* Are
April 15, 2022 23:01 - 5 minutes - 3.25 MB2022.04.16 – 0471 - 5 – Know Who *You* Are 5 – Know Who You Are You need to know your role in this script-reading, what perspective you are speaking from, what gives you the ‘right’ to pass on this information or advice: · Voice Of God – a disembodied, unnamed voice that makes announcements and pronouncements without any emotion. · Representative – perhaps seemingly an employee or brand ambassador, talking to potential clients: look for phrases such as “call us” or “we’d...
0470 – NPR Advice
April 14, 2022 23:01 - 2 minutes - 1.7 MB2022.04.15 – 0470 – NPR Advice “So many of us listen to audio stories through earbuds. It becomes really intimate. One person standing really close and telling a story right to someone's ear. And this is the other key thing to remember about effective audio storytelling. This is really a one-to-one medium. It isn't about you orating to a big audience. You're not performing for a crowd when you tell an audio story, you're talking directly to one person. And that's the experience the liste...
0469 - Keep yourself single
April 13, 2022 23:01 - 1 minute - 1.08 MB2022.04.14 – 0469 - Keep yourself single Keep yourself single It will be easier to talk conversationally, as though to one person, if your script reflects that hypothesis. Radio people often talk in terms of ‘the listener’ rather than ‘the listeners’, because we speak to them on an individual basis. So it’s never ‘all our listeners’, it’s ‘you’; it’s never ‘all of you’, it’s ‘you’; it’s never ‘some of you’, it’s ‘you’; it’s never ‘everybody’, it’s ‘you’, etc. Don’t talk about ‘...
0468 – Intimate Audio
April 12, 2022 23:01 - 3 minutes - 2.05 MB2022.04.13 – 0468 – Intimate Audio To sound credibly intimate, and less like ‘an announcer’, you need to convince yourself that you are talking to one single person. That way each listener will fantasise that that person is them. Direct your comments to this person, and in doing so you’ll become more ‘real’; communicating on a one-to-one basis with someone that you know and with whom you feel at ease. You will feel freer to express real emotions, and so become more relatable and believab...
0467 – Talk To Teddy
April 11, 2022 23:01 - 2 minutes - 1.88 MB2022.04.12 – 0467 – Talk To Teddy When I’m podcasting I… talk and feel like I am having a conversation with somebody, as do other people. When I started off I actually got my old teddy bear out and I sat him in front of my computer and I talked to him. It gave me a focus for my conversation, I was explaining to him. And I did find to start off with that helped me, particularly for solo episodes to come across more naturally, rather less robotically than when I was starting! Podcaster John...
0466 – Where Are They Listening
April 10, 2022 23:01 - 2 minutes - 1.75 MB2022.04.11 – 0466 – Where Are They Listening The next step is, in your mind’s eye, place ‘your listener’ in an appropriate location to hear your message. It’s what we do naturally when we call someone on the phone, whether it’s a colleague or a call-centre, mum or a mate: we ‘see’ them and where they are in our mind’s eye. · The room in which they’re watching the YouTube video · The kitchen as they listen to your radio programme · Where they are as they do the ex...
0465 – Your Audience Reminder
April 09, 2022 23:01 - 5 minutes - 3.46 MB2022.04.10 – 0465 – Your Audience Reminder That person should be: · A specific person · A real person – so not a character in a film · Someone to whom you have some connection – so not a celebrity · Not someone who might be disapproving or with whom you have a parent /child relationship – such as your actual parent! · Not someone who is too supportive and in whose eyes you can do no wrong – so again, maybe not a parent · Someone you know w...
0464 – 4 – Talk To Them One To One
April 08, 2022 23:01 - 2 minutes - 1.69 MB2022.04.09 – 0464 – 4 – Talk To Them One To One 4 – Talk To Them One To One Part of feeling comfortable is also being able to continually monitor the audience, their face, body language and voice for signs of agreement or understanding, or other emotions such as disgust, anger, humour or enthusiasm. But that’s difficult when we are in an environment such as a studio, or with a microphone pointed towards us recording every word we say. Or to a camera or to an auditorium of people. Or...
0463 – 3 - Know Who Your Audience Is
April 07, 2022 23:01 - 3 minutes - 1.99 MB2022.04.08 – 0463 – 3 - Know Who Your Audience Is 3 - Know Who Your Audience Is Whether it’s a news bulletin for a radio station, a YouTube video or a voice over, you need to know who you are talking to. We have already seen how we change our voice, tone, language, speed … everything! – when we speak to different people in our everyday life. So we need to do it with a script as well. Your tone and style will need to change so there is no ‘relationship disconnect’: you want to so...
0462 - 2 - Be Comfortable
April 06, 2022 23:01 - 3 minutes - 2.02 MB2022.04.07 – 0462 - 2 - Be Comfortable 2 - Be Comfortable You will sound more natural, conversational and as though talking to a friend, if you are feeling confident and comfortable, warm and relaxed. It’s easy to work your way up to the state of a ‘fairground barker’[1] announcer, but less easy to pull back, step back and sit back, relaxing into a conversational tone. (We have more on how stress affects the voice and how relaxation in your mind and body also relaxes the voice, later ...
0461 – 1 - Study Natural Conversations In The Wild
April 05, 2022 23:01 - 6 minutes - 4.23 MB2022.04.06 – 0461 – 1 - Study Natural Conversations In The Wild 1 - Study Natural Conversations In The Wild To sound conversational, you need to give the impression that you are talking without a script. If the audience has the perception that you are reading pre-written, edited, and rehearsed words then that sheet of paper or computer screen has come between you and the message. You need to give the impression that you are talking to them unimpeded, with adlibbed fluency. If you want ...
0460 – The Keys To Conversationality
April 04, 2022 23:01 - 2 minutes - 1.38 MB2022.04.05 – 0460 – The Keys To Conversationality THE KEYS TO CONVERSATIONALITY or ‘Tips To Make It Sound Like You’re Making It Up’ or ‘ABCDE: A Better Conversational Delivery for Engagement’. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
0459 – Does A Conversational Read Lessen Your Authority?
April 03, 2022 23:01 - 5 minutes - 3.34 MB2022.04.04 – 0459 – Does A Conversational Read Lessen Your Authority? VOICE BOX The best reads are a combination of intonation, volume, speed, pause, pitch – all slightly dialled up or down depending on the story, the sentence, the word, the situation, the audience… But does being conversational lessen one’s authority? For example, in news reading. Presenting ‘the facts’ you are the voice of authority, the trusted conveyor of important information. But if you sound too official,...
0458 – BBC Presentation Advice
April 02, 2022 23:01 - 2 minutes - 1.28 MB2022.04.03 – 0458 – BBC Presentation Advice ‘Be yourself. Keep your style natural, conversational, lively and engaging. Try to help the listener feel they’re part of the discussion. Address the listener in the first person — this is more intimate and encourages a sense of belonging. Use the present tense wherever possible — it gives a sense of immediacy. Five Live vocabulary should be accessible, jargon-free, simple, clear and intelligent. Be careful not to overcomplicate things and don’...
0457 – Don’t Be A Micro-Phoney
April 01, 2022 23:01 - 1 minute - 1.08 MB2022.04.02 – 0457 – Don’t Be A Micro-Phoney Radio presenters talk to millions of listeners, one at a time and yet the best ones still sound natural. But some new (and young) presenters hide behind an artificial ‘radio persona’ of what they think a presenter ‘should’ sound like. They sound ‘micro-phoney’. In the following pages/podcasts, learn how to read aloud and sound as though you are not reading, but talking, as though the words are just coming to you spontaneously: Levels 2 and...
0456 – The ‘Level 1’ Read
March 31, 2022 23:01 - 3 minutes - 2.35 MB2022.04.01 – 0456 – The ‘Level 1’ Read Level 1 Style: A very loose style, more ‘street speak’ perhaps. The style may be almost ‘throwaway’. Further contractions in the script, and the ‘slurring’ of words (not in a drunk style, but meaning looser articulation). The pace may be quite fast, or changeable, the projection might be more, the voice having a variety of tone and life, possibly with some up-tone at the end of sentences, and maybe some other vocalisation such as a chuckle, a sigh,...
0455 – The ‘Level 2’ Read
March 30, 2022 23:01 - 7 minutes - 4.75 MB2022.03.31 – 0455 – The ‘Level 2’ Read Level 2 - Conversational Style: More ‘articulate’ than 1 (below), but not too much more. It’s still a conversational ‘speak’, casual but more ‘chilled’ than ‘street’. Even though you need to sound like you’re having a conversation, you still have to read the actual scripted words, and that’s quite a feat. You may, if the director allows, be allowed to play with pace and pause and include some authentic adlibs, an appropriate sigh, chuckle or a lau...
0454 – The ‘Level 3’ Read
March 29, 2022 23:01 - 3 minutes - 2.31 MB2022.03.30 – 0454 – The ‘Level 3’ Read Level 3 Style: The style relaxes further, with a bit more character in the voice. In some situations, this may mean less projection, less pace, with a touch of ‘sell’ and a few conversational and casual contractions in the text. Becoming more authentic, relatable and believable. Brand: Conversational e-learning and commercials for businesses in, say, the finance and medical fields, not targeted at traders and medics, but the users of the servic...
0453 – The ‘Level 4’ Read
March 28, 2022 23:01 - 3 minutes - 2.44 MB2022.03.29 – 0453 – The ‘Level 4’ Read Level 4 Style: Serious, focused and formal; less ‘heavy’ and ‘polished’ than Level 5, and certainly warmer, but still reasonable slow, dry and articulate. At this Level and Level 3 below, your presentation style is to give trusted information to a broad market, Brand: Perhaps for a corporate HR statement on a serious protocol such as health and safety, or a medical or ethical narration, training programs, e-learning or instructional videos or ...
0452 – The ‘Level 5’ Read
March 27, 2022 23:01 - 3 minutes - 2.16 MB2022.03.28 – 0452 – The ‘Level 5’ Read Level 5 Style: Clear and paced diction, shorter sentences (or even ‘statements’), and quite directive. There’s a still a heightened performance, it’s energised, direct, animated and salesy. Slick and polished. Brand: Less common nowadays for many companies, products and services but still used for presentations where luxury or class is being suggested – although in these situations although the delivery may be clipped and formal it will carry ...
0451 – “Can You Dial It Down A Bit?”
March 27, 2022 00:01 - 5 minutes - 3.86 MB2022.03.27 – 0451 – “Can You Dial It Down A Bit?” And in doing so, if a director says “Hmm, you may wanna dial that down a bit”, you’ll be more aware of what it is that you need to dial down on, to give them the read that they need. VOICE BOX (The list is subjective and not definitive.) Level 6 – Announcer[1] reads Style: Loud and fast, this presenter almost shouts at the audience with energy and emotion. They are ‘in your face’ and designed to be clear and directive – althoug...