perfecting the “conversational” voice acting tone for your reads

If you’ve spent any time at all auditioning on casting sites or for your agents, you’ve likely noticed the flood of requests for “conversational” voices. Many auditions stress that the client does NOT want an announcer style voice over, or anything that sounds too “professional” or “perfect.” Gone are the days where the announcer read reigns supreme, as more and more listeners seek to connect with real, natural, and authentic voices.

The conversational read is probably the most challenging (and most sought after) vocal style in 2022. But here’s the problem: not all copy is created equally. Some of the scripts we receive as voice over actors are downright atrocious, and don’t even begin to resemble normal human conversation that would sound authentic. So how do we combat this issue, and ultimately perfect our conversational vocal style? Here are some tips.

think about your audience

Sure, you’re alone in a tight, cramped booth, and you’re struggling to sound natural because of it. I get it. In this situation, you need to make use of your acting chops and imagination. Try to form a mental image of your audience; it can be a friend, a loved one, or whoever the target audience might be for whatever you’re narrating. Use that mental image and pretend that you’re speaking directly to these people.

If you need a little extra help setting the scene, try pulling up a picture of someone that fits the description. Pretend that you’re speaking directly to them, and you will begin to hear the difference in your tonality.

imagine the character you’re meant to portray

Your character will undoubtedly have some motivation, as well as a relationship to the audience. Once you determine these crucial elements, you can begin to craft the voice that fits. What are you selling when you read this ad copy? Or, if you’re reading an audiobook, what character does your voice represent? How do they fit into the story? How does the audience perceive them?

It’s a performance, and you’re an actor. When actors truly get into character, performances become more authentic.

consider your body language as you speak

While a good performance mostly rests on the quality and authenticity of your voice, the rest of your body can play a pretty important role in the acting process too. Yes, even for voice actors. Don’t be scared to move your arms, talk with your hands, and even make facial expressions as you read. For example, if you’re meant to say “Hey! It’s so nice to see you today.” you could actually pretend that someone is there and wave your hand while smiling. Get into it and move around!

use natural language when you can

Adding pauses, stretching words, and utilizing contractions can help make reads sound more realistic and conversational. You can even ad-lib a bit, if the script allows for it. Don’t be afraid to make things your own, if the production allows for it, as you will come across much more authentic and true to self.

The truth is, everyday language and conversation is far from perfect. It’s full of pauses, colloquial language and other idiosyncrasies. By embracing these things, we can deliver a much better performance that mirrors every day speech patterns.

speak as if you’re talking to one person, indoors

The fastest way to sound like an announcer with a booming voice is to project too much. If you’re trying to sound like you’re narrating a sporting event in your local arena, you’re not going to sound conversational. Lower the volume of your voice manually (not with the gain knob) and pretend that you’re having a one-on-one conversation with someone. At what volume would you speak to your spouse, if they were in the same room? That’s the volume we need for a conversational read.

finally, practice all that you can

Mastering anything takes time. You’re not going to nail down the perfect, conversational read overnight. Continue to practice this extremely useful skill, and make sure to identify and address problem areas in your performance. Work with a voice over coach to help improve your performances and grow your skillset as as voice over actor. Once you get comfortable with this process and practice regularly, it will begin to show in your reads.