When we hear the phrase “great voice actors”, we think, Yul Edochie or Deyemi Okolawon, because of their deep commanding baritone vocals. While that is charming, it doesn’t do justice to the real meaning of the phrase.

You can have exceptional voice-over work but with practice and consistency.

Here are tips that would launch you into voice-over greatness.

Quality voice-over work consists of these elements:

1. Audio clarity and volume

The clarity of your voice and a comfortable volume may be the most essential parts of great audio. A fuzzy or muddy-sounding voice-over will be difficult to understand. Audiences will be distracted and unable to absorb the information or may simply move on. Either way, communication is distorted and you miss an opportunity to share your knowledge.

Similarly, if your audio’s volume is too low, it may be difficult for people to hear. Too loud and you risk annoying distortion.

2. Pacing

Ever talk with someone who has a really exciting story to tell, but they’re so excited about it that they rush through it and when they’re done you can’t even remember what they were talking about? Or, someone who drones on and on with no end in sight, threatening to put you to sleep? This is pacing. Too fast and your audience won’t know what hit them. To slow and they’re likely to get bored. The best voiceovers have a natural and deliberate pace. Start with a script and practice it before you record to help you speak at a more natural pace.

Pacing also includes things like pausing occasionally to take a breath, for effect, or just to give the listener a break to process important information.

3. Vocal tone and inflection

Like pacing, vocal tone and inflection refer to ensuring you speak naturally and pleasantly. You want to be friendly and engaging, but not so much that you sound fake.

Here, you alter the tone of your voice as you speak to provide insight into the intended purpose of the voiceover.

4. Pronunciation and enunciation

The final element of great voice-over work is ensuring that each word is pronounced correctly and that you speak clearly enough to be understood. Avoid mumbling — but don’t shout or over-enunciate, either.

Be mindful of your regional accent, those pronunciations may confuse people from other locations.

The best thing you can do is speak naturally and clearly and the rest will follow with practice.

Sourced from techsmith.com