2022.04.05 – 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.
Apr 04, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 460
2022.04.04 – 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, your message (ar...
Apr 03, 2022•5 min•Season 2Ep. 459
2022.04.03 – 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’t be unn...
Apr 02, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 458
2022.04.02 – 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 3 of the g...
Apr 01, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 457
2022.04.01 – 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, or a sta...
Mar 31, 2022•4 min•Season 2Ep. 456
2022.03.31 – 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 laugh. This v...
Mar 30, 2022•7 min•Season 2Ep. 455
2022.03.30 – 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 services, ‘real peo...
Mar 29, 2022•4 min•Season 2Ep. 454
2022.03.29 – 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 audio. On-air ...
Mar 28, 2022•4 min•Season 2Ep. 453
2022.03.28 – 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 less volume an...
Mar 27, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 452
2022.03.27 – 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 – although they may also...
Mar 27, 2022•6 min•Season 2Ep. 451
2022.03.26 – 0450 – Considerations For Other Reading Styles There are of course many styles in between these two extremes of presentation, all with differing levels of some of those variables and more. For example, your style may change depending on some or all of these (and there may be many, many more considerations): · The content of the message – an emergency announcement or a soft sell · The item being sold – bathroom cleaner or luxury condo · The level of reassurance being given – grass se...
Mar 26, 2022•6 min•Season 2Ep. 450
2022.03.25 – 0449 – The Conversational Style of Reading The Conversational Style Now the desired sound is someone who is more authentic, relatable, believable and conversational. Consumers don’t want to be told what to buy, but to have the benefits of that item explained to them by someone ‘like me’, a friend or neighbour. This ‘real read’ style is deemed to be better at building a relationship. It’s one that’s less talking (or shouting!) ‘at you’ to one that’s more talking ‘with you’, a style-s...
Mar 25, 2022•5 min•Season 2Ep. 449
2022.03.24 – 0448 – The Announcer Style of Reading READING STYLES The Announcer Style The ‘announcer style’ was typically an American format in the 1980s and 90s, scripts read with aggression, projection and stress. The announcer was almost telling you what to buy – in fact sometimes literally shouting at you! It was over the top and cheesy and fake. It’s a style now rarely heard apart from perhaps some local ‘used car showroom sale’ type adverts, or in parodies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p...
Mar 24, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 448
2022.03.23 – 0447 – Conversational Contradictions So, let’s take what we have learnt so far to the next level. Some of what follows will enforce what we have looked at before, but other parts may seem a bit contradictory for example, building in hesitations, softening intonations and ignoring punctuations – but that doesn’t mean the previous pages/podcasts have been a waste of time. Far from it! You have to ‘know the rules’ before you can break them. After all, we don’t follow ‘the rules of the ...
Mar 23, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 447
2022.03.22 – 0446 – Sounding Conversational - Introduction Kids rarely say “can you read out loud to me?” they say “can you tell me a story…? ” And that’s what this section is all about: sounding natural when you’re reading a story. Ideally listeners should not notice you, but just the material – it should appear that there is no presenter, with the audience almost absorbing the message without that verbal go-between. That’s not possible if the script is mumbled and stumbled, read without a sens...
Mar 22, 2022•4 min•Season 2Ep. 446
2022.03.21 – 0445 – Expression Conclusion Gestures will enhance your vocal presentation. They help you focus on the person you’re communicating with and the sense of the story, to concentrate on truly understanding and ‘living’ the message you are delivering rather than simply reading the words. And the audience hears the result of the gestures in your voice, through the resulting intonation and authenticity. So don’t sit on your hands, but give in to the natural impulse to punctuate and strengt...
Mar 21, 2022•1 min•Season 2Ep. 445
2022.03.20 – 0444 – Choosing The Right Gesture If you are nervous (and there’s more on overcoming stress, later), it may be that you suffer from ‘expression suppression’: the life drains from your presentation and you become stiff and starchy. It’s the last bit of the ‘fight, flight or freeze’ trio of possible automatic physiological responses to a threatening event. You’re not going to ‘fight’ the feeling of stress, you’re not going to flee from the studio, but the ‘freeze’ is still a possibili...
Mar 20, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 444
2022.03.19 – 0443 – The Nodding Dog Syndrome Some people get into the habit of ‘self-conducting’ while they are talking, especially when reading from a script. They nod along to the rhythm of the words, or when they ‘highlight’ or ‘lift’ a word’s intonation. That’s not so bad if you are presenting audio (indeed it can help create the rhythm of the read), but on video it can look rather unusual and be off-putting: viewers will be watching your mannerism rather than listening to your message. Host...
Mar 19, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 443
2022.03.18 – 0442 – Expression Suppression Sometimes you may need to sit on your hands and suppress the pressure to gesture. For example, if a newsreader, if it’s a sensitive or emotional story you may benefit from having your whole body ‘small’ and still. Genuine gestures only Be you – don’t just use someone else’s gesture because you think it looked good. It has to fit with your personality and culture: you have to feel comfortable using it, and it has to be genuinely part of you if it is to e...
Mar 18, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 442
2022.03.17 – 0441 – Signature Gestures What to Remember When You Gesture Mind your mannerisms When does your ‘signature gesture’ cross from being a trademark (such as, for UK listeners, the Anne Robinson wink [1] , the Huw Edwards pose [2] , or Magnus Pike’s ‘windmill arms’ [3] ) to being irritating, a distraction or a self-parody? When will viewers cheer or jeer what you do, could they be a distraction to the information, rather than helping them concentrate on your content? [1] https://www.man...
Mar 17, 2022•4 min•Season 2Ep. 441
2022.03.16 – 0440 – Thaw Your Frozen Face The most communicative voices have active facial language. The voice from a poker face – one that looks like a ventriloquist’s dummy, with no life in the eyes, brow or mouth - sounds mechanical bored and disengaged. You need to thaw them out! Don’t read with a blank face, but animate it. This may be tiring at first but find a balance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Mar 16, 2022•1 min•Season 2Ep. 440
2022.03.15 – 0439 – More Advantages of Gestures More advantages of gestures Gestures affect your energy, help lower your tension and raise your resonance On video people will see your energy – it’s obvious, you will be animated. And using energy will releasing happy hormones into your body, affecting how you feel and sound. Smiling and moving will help release tension, rather than having stored-up stress in places such as your shoulders and jaw. Again, that will be heard vocally. Bringing your a...
Mar 15, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 439
2022.03.14 – 0438 – Gestures In Voice Acting Voice-over is acting, it’s not just about ‘reading out loud’. Getting your whole body involved will help you develop your character: a ‘little old lady’ voice will be easier and more authentic if you ‘become small’, maybe hunched over, pulling your clothes near you to keep out the cold. But it’s not just humans. The ‘voice’ of a steam train will be more on track in its express-ion, if you ‘act like a train’: big, powerful and forceful. The sound of th...
Mar 14, 2022•5 min•Season 2Ep. 438
2022.03.13 – 0437 – Eye Contact For Video And Stage Performers Eye contact for video and stage performers OK this isn’t about the voice per se but let’s just spend a short time looking at this closely associated topic. When you speak, involve your listeners with your eyes: it’s natural, personal and conversational and helps create a bond with them. That’s easy of course if it’s a one-to-one conversation or with a handful of people as you can look at each of them in turn. With an auditorium of pe...
Mar 13, 2022•6 min•Season 2Ep. 437
2022.03.12 – 0436 – Gestures For TV and Video Presentations Expressions on Televisions - Gestures on TV and Video TV video work can be a bit different. With audio production (either radio or voice over work) you can make many and large gestures to help your vocal presentation, partly to give life to your words. TV is more intimate. Gestures are small and your delivery is more conversational. On TV viewers can see your natural reactions, and see them quite close-up too! And even though you the pr...
Mar 12, 2022•7 min•Season 2Ep. 436
2022.03.11 – 0435 – ‘Verbal’ Gestures Verbal gestures – ones which enhance what you are saying or replace what you’re thinking, maybe: · Moving hands in front of you from one side… and then another – indicates comparisons (that while A was happening here, B was happening there) · Closed fists being put on top of one another – showing the stages of something (a structure or the ‘building blocks’ of an idea) being built · Clicking fingers may suggest something sudden or an idea, (or be me used as ...
Mar 11, 2022•6 min•Season 2Ep. 435
2022.03.10 – 0434 – ‘Leading’ and ‘Ideas’ Gestures Different types of gestures When you are speaking with an audience face to face you employ any of these types of gestures to help you influence them. So even if they are not there in front of you, you may still want to use them: [1] Leading gestures – show people what you want them to do, such as: · Point – to make them look in a certain direction · Raise your hands – to encourage them to do the same thing · Applaud – as you say “ let’s give the...
Mar 10, 2022•6 min•Season 2Ep. 434
2022.03.09 – 0433 – Adopting Authentic Gestures So, gestures along with the words we choose and the way we deliver those words (for example a timid or a robust voice) helps in communication – the message we are delivering and the understanding of it and the impact that it has. In most of the situations that we are looking at here, radio/podcast/video and stage delivery, we want to be imparting information with confidence and naturalness, conversationality and authority. Therefore, if we adopt th...
Mar 09, 2022•1 min•Season 2Ep. 433
2022.03.08 – 0432 – Your Lesson In Physical Expression For Better Verbal Connection. Now this is where we start your lesson in physical expression for better conversation and connection. Of course, we use gestures all the time: · when we are looking for the remote control at home, we may tap one palm with a finger of the other hand as though we are using the device we are searching for · we may touch our temple with a forefinger if we think someone we are referring to is a bit confused, and we s...
Mar 08, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 432
2022.03.07 – 0431 – Face-To-Face Gestures When Talking Face-To-Mic The ‘father of modern public speaking’ Dale Carnegie, wrote, “ A person under the influence of his feelings projects the real self, acting naturally and spontaneously. A speaker who is interested will usually be interesting ”. If you are interested in your subject, believe in what you are saying, and want to share your message with others, your physical movements will come from within and be appropriate to what you’re saying. And...
Mar 07, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 431
