It’s not about your voice! Well, maybe a little, yet I can assure you that most voice over artists lend far too much weight to how their voice sounds. This craft is much more about how you tell the story of whatever you are talking about.
I witnessed this firsthand this week. It was during an amazing group session with a well know agent who was directing 2 reads from each talent. There was a gentleman in the group who as soon as he started to talk, you just couldn’t help but think wow! His voice had a low timbre that shook the room and probably the adjacent buildings. It was rich, full and sounded pretty darn amazing.
Then he started to read. And don’t get me wrong, his first reads were OK. They just weren’t great. The first thing the director said was “you are in love with your voice, aren’t you?”. What she meant by this was that the person was putting way too much emphasis on making sounds with his voice rather than telling the story at hand.
Wow! After that direction, the guy gave another read that was simply amazing. He just lost himself in the copy and forgot about his voice. It was a read that would have definitely booked the spot in real life. In fact, the director said it was the best she had ever heard that copy read.
And there lies the lesson. Forget about the voice and get lost in the script. Even if it is a corporate or eLearning read. If you just immerse yourself in the read and forget about the world and trying to make sounds with your voice, you will connect with the copy and more importantly, with those who are listening. And if you can make those who are listening feel something because of what you said, then you have done your job.