For more on growing a career in voice overs, visit the How To Get Started and Career Advice sections of Bobbin’s Blog , also Voice Talent Tips, Voice Talent “How To” and check out my recommended reading list.
No amount of research and preparation is going to drive home a sales presentation if the rep’s voice and demeanor are weak or ineffective. Kate Peters, a voice coach in Yorba Linda, Calif., and author of Mastering the Vocal Elements, offers the following tips to a better vocal impact.
Pace Yourself
Maintain a pace of talking slightly faster than conversational speech to appear confident and full of energy. But slow the pace down when making a point-pace variation keeps listeners engaged.
Practice Pitch and Pace
That is, the pitch of your voice. More pitch variation makes a speaker sound friendlier and more engaging. Crank up the Volume- A lower voice indicates a lack of interest on your part, which will surely result in the same for your client.
Most of us are answering the telephone, writing emails, surfing the Web and dealing with colleagues and clients in an ever-dizzying whirl of activity. Asking a multitasking businessperson to stop and concentrate on your beautiful prose is not exactly realistic. People want it short, quick, and precise. If TV advertisers can deliver their marketing messages in fifteen- and thirty-second spots, imagine what you can deliver in sixty seconds of finely crafted audio delivered by a professional announcer who knows how to grab your prospects attention and make an impression. The more you practice reading aloud, the more proficient you’ll become and make discoveries within your reads if you change up your pace, pitch, and phrasing.
One the the biggest proponents of the use of audio on the web is Jerry Bader. I am a big fan of his writings on the subject found here: http://mrpwebmedia.com/articles/