Some scripts really make it easy to sound natural. To sound like the guy or girl next door. But that’s not always the case. With legal disclaimers and complicated wording, some scripts make it hard for a voice over talent to sound conversational.
In those cases, what do you do? Dave and I say it over and over again: Practice, practice, practice! When reading a tough or poorly written script, practice every type of interp you can think of. Make it happy, sad, confused, surprised, angry and nonchalant. Practice your read every way imaginable.
Make it sound as comfortable as possible. Remember, we want to believe what you’re saying. We want to believe that the medicine you’re selling will be good for us, even if those side effects in the disclaimer can potentially harm us. We want to feel the new caffeinated beverage will make us work harder and feel better, even if we know it won’t.
It’s your job to be the trusted voice of the company; it takes lots of practice to sound like you believe, even though you really may not. Remember, nine times out of ten, it’s your job to sell for your client. And to do so, you need to make the listening public believe. Find something difficult to read today, and work on reading it out loud till you’re believable.
In other words, find your voice.