edge studio Blog Learning to Speak Naturally

In the modern voice over world, speaking naturally, or "conversationally" is the key to booking any job. The days of the old-school announcers are over, and if you can't deliver a read that is smooth and natural, you will probably not get hired. This is something that we have to work on with most of our students. Even some seasoned pros still have trouble delivering a read that is free of extra, weird pauses. People tend... to read their copy...like...THIS! As if the script had commas all over the place and choosing odd words to emphasize. It doesn't sound very natural, and will turn off any casting professional. Don't get me wrong, I love William Shatner; he's a national treasure. But you don't want to sound like him in your voice over submissions. If you find yourself delivering these weird, choppy reads, you need to ask yourself: do I speak like this in real life? The answer is probably not. When we speak to each other, we tend to do so naturally, without pauses, moving smoothly from one thought to another. So why do so many voice actors fall into this trap? What can you do in order to smooth out your reads and sound more "natural?" I too struggle with reading naturally, but through private coaching I've been able to work out some of my own issues and improve my reads. Here are a couple of tips that I learned working with some of our coaches that you can keep in mind on your next audition:read more