The Best Tip You’ll Ever Receive
If someone were to ask me for one tip to drastically improve their voice over career it would be these two words:
READ AHEAD!!
Pay attention, mark my words, some day you will have to pay for my book that talks more about this!
If you can master this technique, you can read through anything once (without even a pre-read!) and have it be the final take*! Sound impossible? It’s not, it works for me.
Your short term memory can hold between 5-7 pieces of information at a time. These pieces of information can and should be words you have already read and said in your head! For example, take the following sentence:
- As you are reading this sentence aloud, you should be reading here, your “head voice” is here, eyes here.
(Starting from the first emphasized “here”, there are seven words left in the sentence.) Read the previous, bulleted sentence to yourself as a way of practicing this technique. Make your mind and eyes become used to reading in this manner.
Talk about multitasking! You need to be able to read, “listen” to the voice inside your head, and repeat what you are hearing inside your head soon after you “hear it”. This takes time to master, but it really will take you to the next level.
One way to practice this is to read aloud A LOT! Volunteer at the library and read aloud to children. If you live in Nashville, the Nashville Public Library has a studio where you can volunteer your time to read aloud for one hour. The live reading is broadcast over a closed circuit system to listening booths in the library for the blind. Or, just read to yourself and try your best not to stop. for anything but a breath. Put emphasis and excitement into the reading just as you would if you were behind the mic recording the audio book. While you’re at it, buy a simple recording device and record your sessions. If needed, play the recording back and read 5-7 words ahead of what is being said to get used to the “two voices speaking” simultaneously.
The audio book project I am working on at the time I am writing this article would consume all of my time if I were not using this technique proficiently. This technique cuts down the time you have to spend editing by almost half. It also causes me to be more efficient behind the mic (I can read almost twice as much once instead of reading the same material twice for accuracy!) The project is done quicker, your client stops biting their nails sooner, and you can double your salary (more money over a shorter time= higher dollar per hour!)
Now time for the *. If what you are reading is extraordinarily complex, or based on a topic with which you are not familiar, it might be a good idea to give the topic a read through first. I just usually will skim as fast as I can through the chapter looking for long words and complicated phrases.
Practicing this technique has somehow allowed me to read TWICE as fast when I read without speaking aloud. Not to mention how much more flexible my short term memory is.
This technique of reading ahead has increased my focus as well. One almost has to be in a clear-minded meditative state to be able to execute this technique without hitch. There will be the occasional slip up when your mind loses focus, but other than that, you’ll never have to read anything twice! How awesome is that?
Get working on this technique and you will soon see great improvements to many aspects of your VO technique.
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