2022.05.05 – 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, how many pe...
May 04, 2022•4 min•Season 2Ep. 490
2022.05.04 – 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 altogether ...
May 03, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 489
2022.05.03 – 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 · She’s the Parks Supervisor I’m sure you can thi...
May 02, 2022•4 min•Season 2Ep. 488
2022.05.02 – 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 ...
May 01, 2022•7 min•Season 2Ep. 487
2022.05.01 – 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…?” · Ponder – ...
Apr 30, 2022•7 min•Season 2Ep. 486
2022.04.30 – 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 effect. We...
Apr 29, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 485
2022.04.29 – 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 a voiceover...
Apr 28, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 484
2022.04.28 – 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-speak whe...
Apr 27, 2022•1 min•Season 2Ep. 483
2022.04.27 – 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 why studio script-...
Apr 26, 2022•4 min•Season 2Ep. 482
2022.04.26 – 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 you are talking about and who you’re talking to’ . You...
Apr 25, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 481
2022.04.25 – 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 brand voice? (A castin...
Apr 24, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 480
2022.04.24 – 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 out why...
Apr 23, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 479
2022.04.23 – 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 explain its significance to my audi...
Apr 22, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 478
2022.04.22 – 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 meaningful ...
Apr 21, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 477
2022.04.21 – 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. For inst...
Apr 20, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 476
2022.04.20 – 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.gellermedia.c...
Apr 19, 2022•5 min•Season 2Ep. 475
2022.04.19 – 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....
Apr 18, 2022•54 sec•Season 2Ep. 474
2022.04.18 – 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 are doing it c...
Apr 17, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 473
2022.04.17 – 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, ask yoursel...
Apr 16, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 472
2022.04.16 – 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 like to help” and so on....
Apr 15, 2022•5 min•Season 2Ep. 471
2022.04.15 – 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 listener has....
Apr 14, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 470
2022.04.14 – 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 ‘our listen...
Apr 13, 2022•2 min•Season 2Ep. 469
2022.04.13 – 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 believable. Radi...
Apr 12, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 468
2022.04.12 – 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 Colley...
Apr 11, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 467
2022.04.11 – 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 exercising or dog-walking while hea...
Apr 10, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 466
2022.04.10 – 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 well and respect – such as a sister, uncle, old university...
Apr 09, 2022•6 min•Season 2Ep. 465
2022.04.09 – 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 when the eve...
Apr 08, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 464
2022.04.08 – 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 sound appropriate a...
Apr 07, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 463
2022.04.07 – 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 in the boo...
Apr 06, 2022•3 min•Season 2Ep. 462
2022.04.06 – 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 to replica...
Apr 05, 2022•7 min•Season 2Ep. 461
