Get A Better Broadcast, Podcast and Voice-Over Voice on Steno.fm

Get A Better Broadcast, Podcast and Voice-Over Voice

Year THREE of short daily episodes to improve the quality of your speaking voice.Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode!And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is...

S3 E1000 · Tue, September 26, 2023
1000 - The End
2023.09.27 - 1000 - The End Thanks for the loan of your ears, for one-thousand consecutive daily episodes. All of my contacts are here: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E999 · Mon, September 25, 2023
0999 – The Diction-ary of Voice – V and W
2023.09.26 – 0999 – The Diction-ary of Voice – V and W **V Verbal tic – the repeated use of words or phrases such as “ like ” or “ y’know what I mean? ” Velum – the soft palate at the back of the roof of the mouth. The back of your tongue touches the velum when pronouncing letters such as ‘k’. Vocal elements – the various ways (such as inflection, pause, pace and phrasing) that one can make the spoken word more engaging he techniques for making a voice interesting and effective Vocal fold – located in the larynx, a multi-layered fold of tissue that vibrates to produce sound when air passes over them Vocal loading – the amount of impact of the stresses and strains on the vocal folds from talking or singing. The loading can be affected by the amount, volume or the tone of the sound, and also by the speaker’s levels of stress or tension Voice actor – different from a ‘voice over’, who tends to be an ‘anonymous voice’, an actor will appear in audio dramas, audio books, computer games and so on, where they are reading the lines to be spoken by a character in a specific situation Voice guide – a director in a recording situation who will read a script, perhaps line-by-line, for the ‘voice talent’ to repeat ‘parrot fashion’, and mimic the cadence. Usually used when the actor is inexperienced in script reading, but has a great voice or high-profile name that is wanted for publicity reasons. A voice guide may also be the temporary voice-over track, recorded so video editors can choose shots and time their cuts to which the ‘professional’ voice talent can talk to later Voice of God (or ‘ VoG ’) - loud and large, stentorious and dramatic reads, reminiscent of 1950s (American) radio announcers, and often heard at sports and showbiz events Voice over – the reading of a scrip, or narration over a video Voice quality – one’s personal vocal attributes and characteristics Volume - the loudness of a voice Vowel - speech sounds of a, e, i, o, and u **W Watermark – or more accurately, an audio watermark. This is a snippet of sound (such as a tone or ‘beep’) used to protect your recording, sample or audition. The sound briefly overlaps with your voice at points during the recording say veery few seconds, or over the brand name. This protects your audio from being misused for example, without payment Whisper phonation – the proper term for when you are whispering Windpipe – the trachea. Windscreen – the covering over or in front of a micr
S3 E998 · Sun, September 24, 2023
0998 – The Diction-ary of Voice – T
2023.09.25 – 0998 – The Diction-ary of Voice – T **T Tag (or ‘ slogan ’) – the branding phrase at the end of a commercial Take (as in ‘go for a take ’) – a recording . Also see ‘pickup’ Take a level (or ‘ take a bit for level ’) – the instruction given by an audio engineer to a presenter to ask them to say some words so the volume on a mic channel can be checked Talk back – the push-to-talk microphone in a gallery/production area, via which a director / producer will talk to you while in the studio. Tape - recorded audio, almost never on tape Tempo - the rate of speech Thin – a voice which is weak, with a lack of air, energy and resonance. It may be trained to become stronger and fuller with exercises in the areas of posture, relaxation and breath control Thoracic cavity - the area enclosed by the chest Throw – a passing link made from one presenter to another, “And now with the latest weather here’s Susie Celsius” Throwaway (as in ‘ a throwaway line/word’ ) – when a speaker gives little or no emphasis on a word or phrase, reducing its significance Tonal quality – the overall timb re, resonance of a voice Trachea – commonly called the ‘windpipe’, along which flows air from mouth to lungs Track – a layer of recorded audio (or an empty ‘lane’ where recorded audio will sit), which can be adjusted independently of other layers before being mixed (or merged) together in a final mix Transients - very short sounds, such as the beginning of a drum hit TX – used to mean ‘transmission’ **U Unidirectional microphone – one that only picks up sound from a single direction Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E997 · Sat, September 23, 2023
0997 – The Diction-ary of Voice – S
2023.09.24 – 0997 – The Diction-ary of Voice – S **S Scratch Track - a temporary recording that is a ‘place-holder’ for the final voice-over. Not ‘broadcast quality’ it is used to help producers feel the pacing and style of a project before a final voice over is added Self op (‘ self op studio ’) – when the presenter controls their own technical equipment, they are ‘self operating’ Session – the single block of time (say, an hour or a day) spent recording with the voice actor, who is often paid ‘per session’ SFX – short for ‘sound effects’ Shock Mount - a microphone mount that tries to minimize handling noise by using shock absorption Sibilance – excessive ‘s’ sounds (fricatives) while speaking which are prone to becoming unpleasantly loud in audio recording Sing-song delivery - when a speaker’s voice rises and falls in cadence in a predictable ‘nursery rhyme’ type fashion Soft-sell commercial – a script that is read with low volume, low emphasis and in a natural, low-key style S.O.T – ‘sound on tape’, what’s been recorded Sound-alikes – these voice actors are similar to celebrity impersonators, but whereas impersonators usually perform exaggerated and comic impressions of the star, sound-alikes create the vocal tones and mannerisms (style, cadence and inflection) for short retakes or dubs in movies, tv and radio, and commercials. This saves the cost and time implications of getting the original star in the studio to re-record just a few words. Sneak - to slowly fade up or out Speech personality – one’s individual speaking-style Spilling over – a distortion caused by too loud a noise Split-track – audio with different content in the left and right channels, to allows for independent control of levels during production, for example, two guests. Audio must be ‘mixed down’ before it can be broadcast Stand by – the verbal ‘get ready’ direction given just before a programme or recording starts Straight-read commercial – a script presented without flourish or over-emphasis Stroboscopy - an advanced way to view the vocal folds. This usually involves a scope that goes through your mouth to properly identify and define vocal problems Supercardioid - a microphone pick-up pattern that is most sensitive to sounds in front of the microphone, even more so than a cardioid Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inform
S3 E996 · Fri, September 22, 2023
0996 – The Diction-ary of Voice – R – Part 2
2023.09.23 – 0996 – The Diction-ary of Voice – R – Part 2 Riding the gain (or ‘riding the mic’ or ‘ riding the levels’ ) – the constant adjustment of the input levels as the sound unexpectedly (and often unprofessionally) varies in volume dramatically Room Tone - the ‘indoor ambience’ or background noise in a room, which should be as close to silent as possible ROT (‘ rot ’ or ‘ R.O.T ’) – a recording of what went out on air: Recording Of/Off Transmission Royalty Free Music – music that can be used (with varying restrictions) after paying a one-off fee RP – Received Pronunciation (‘ The Queen’s English ’, ‘ BBC pronunciation ’, ‘ Standard English ’) and English accent without ‘perceived’ regional accent, usually of the type heard in south east England Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E995 · Thu, September 21, 2023
0995 – The Diction-ary of Voice – R – Part 1
2023.09.22 – 0995 – The Diction-ary of Voice – R – Part 1 **R Rate – the speed of someone speaking or reading Rate – the amount paid to a voice-over for a day, hour or script Raw audio - unprocessed recorded audio Read (or ‘ take ’) – a recording of a script (or the ‘ copy ’) Reaper – a DAW Red-line the meters – to push the audio volume level to the maximum Render – saving and/or converting your audio so others can access it Residuals – payment over and above the initial payment, based on the number of times a commercial is run Resonance – a full-bodied voice (not necessarily a deeper voice), achieved through the sound of one’s voice vibrating in different parts of the body such as the mouth, throat, nose (sinus) and chest areas – collectively known as ‘resonating chambers’ Resonant cavities – the parts of the body which enhance sound and in which resonance develops. Ribbon microphone – the mic type which picks up sound by the use of thin (ribbon-like) metallic elements, suspended between magnets. These vibrate when sound is detected, and converts it into electrical energy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E994 · Wed, September 20, 2023
0994 – The Diction-ary of Voice – P
2023.09.21 – 0994 – The Diction-ary of Voice – P Polyp - usually unilateral (one vocal fold) mass that grows off the surface. Can be hemorrhagic (filled with blood) or not, and’s usually due to voice misuse or overuse. Pop – when a plosive sound is too close to the mic and causes distortion Pop guard (or ‘ pop screen ’, ‘ pop shield ’, ‘ pop stopper ’) - a fabric, foam or metal shield between the mic and the mouth to help disperse ‘breath blasts’ from plosives and so reduce the likelihood of distorted sound being recorded Post - the point at which a voice appears, or the start of a sound or part of a sound, for example, a specific drum beat in a ‘bed’: “ make sure you hit the post ”, that is, stop talking a beat before the drum comes in Post (‘ post-production) - the final step in a recording process, including the editing, mixing. “ It’s OK, we’ll fix that in post” Predictive eye – the name given to the process of scanning ahead as you read to give prewarning of what's coming up Pre-produce - to mix or record a piece or interview in advance of a live show, perhaps for technical or timing reasons Producer - the producer can have more than one role (much like a director), but usually the one who hires the voice actor and other staff, and liaise with clients and agencies Production master – a final, ready audiobook Production studio – where programmes are recorded rather than go out live Production value – the ‘effort’ (including duration, complexity, and post-production) put into the making of an audio or video show. One lasting an hour with several guests, archive footage, and theme tunes would have ‘high production values’. A single presenter ‘read’ lasting just a few minutes is likely to have a ‘low production value’ Pronunciation - a general term for the way a word is spoken (see: ‘enunciation’, ‘diction’) ProTools - the accepted professional standard for a DAW PSA - Public Service Announcement such as a government or charity appeal PTC – Piece To Camera: style of a video presenter, looking directly at ‘the viewer’ Punch – an energetic reading style Punch and roll - a form of ‘continuous editing’, where you scroll back and record from a convenient break, and then start re-recording where the mistake was made Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E993 · Tue, September 19, 2023
0993 – The Diction-ary of Voice – P - Part 2
2023.09.20 – 0993 – The Diction-ary of Voice – P - Part 2 Pharynx – the area between the larynx and the nasal cavities Phonation – the process of making sounds into words, which articulation turns into recognisable speech Phonemes – the different smaller sounds which when combined form a word Phrasing – delivering groups of words within a sentence to enhance meaning Pickup – when you go back to re-record a small section of content, such as a sentence, because of a slip, trip or mispronunciation. A ‘take’ is a longer piece of content. Whereas a Take may be annotated 1, 2, 3 a Pickup will be marked A, B, C, so you may have “ Take 21, Pickup C ”, which helps the producer keep track of the ‘best bits’. Pickup pattern – the three-dimensional area in which a microphone will best detect sound Pitch - the relative highness or lowness of the register of voice, determined by the frequency of the vibration of sound: the faster the vocal folds vibrate, the higher the pitch that they create. Placement – where you put your tongue in your mouth to create certain word-sounds Playback on smalls – playing back a recording on small sub-optimum speakers to replicate how people will hear the produced version, at home or in the car Plosives - the group of sounds in the English language which cause a small ‘explosion’ of air from the mouth, often at the start and end of words (‘stops’) such as b, d, g, k, p, t. (Put your hand in front of your mouth as you say these letters and feel that rush of air.) Plosives are sometimes called ‘breath blasts’, and travel from a speaker’s mouth directly into a microphone’s diaphragm, causing a moment of deep distortion Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E992 · Mon, September 18, 2023
0992 – The Diction-ary of Voice – N and P
2023.09.19 – 0992 – The Diction-ary of Voice – N and P **N Name check – saying your name on air Narrative non-fiction – a true-story podcast Narrative voice - the voice you use for the storyteller/author part of the story, rather a character voice Nasal sounds – speech sounds heard in words with m, n and ng letters: ‘many nice singers’, when the back of the tongue is raised against the roof of the mouth (the soft palate) thereby closing off to sound the resonance chamber of the sinus cavities Natural – a delivery which in itself is not noticeable Nodules (‘nodes’) - bilateral (both vocal cords) callouses that form on the vocal folds due to voice misuse or overuse. Usually these are reversible with corrections in vocal technique NPC – Non-playing character in gameplay NSV - Non-Scripted Vocals: any kind of vocals which don't actually contain scripted dialogue, for example, pain hits, exertions, breathing and so on. **O Omissions – when a speaker leaves out certain sounds in their speech omitted such as “cal-forn-ya’ (California) Omnidirectional microphone – one with a pick-up pattern that is equally sensitive to all directions Optimum pitch (or ‘home tone’ ) – the tone at which someone is most comfortable speaking; their natural pitch Overmodulation (or ‘over-modding’ ) - distortion caused by too loud a sound Over-the-top – a presenting style for emphasis or excitement. Not always done deliberately or appropriately **P P2P – ‘pay to play’, online casting sites Pace – the speed of a read Pad – extra talking usually ad-libbed to “fill for time” that is, until a pre-determined end-time is reached Pan pot – the ‘potentiometer’ is an additional dial (rather than a fader) on a sound channel. Turning it to the left or right (‘panning’) will cause more sound to come from (or be recorded to) the left or right channel of a stereo mix Patter – informal, adlibbed, unscripted talk Peak - the maximum instantaneous level of a signal or audio waveform Per hour – the hourly rate based on the length of time you spend at the studio (rather than ‘per finished hour’, when the level of pay is based on the duration of the finished production, which is usually much less especially in audio book production) Per project - a flat rate for a script, regard
S3 E991 · Sun, September 17, 2023
0991 – The Diction-ary of Voice – M
2023.09.18 – 0991 – The Diction-ary of Voice – M Marking copy – different markings on a script (underlinings, arrows, circles) to show which words require different voice presentations such as inflection, characterisation or changes to volume or speed, difficult passages, odd pronunciations and character thumbnails Mask – using sound to cover a bad edits or to smooth a transitions Mastering - the process of preparing and transferring an edited and mixed audio file from which all copies will be produced Mic fright – the fear of talking in an audio or video situation Mic level – the volume of the microphone input channel Microdynamics - the difference between the loudest moments and the quietest moments over a short timeframe, usually referring to transients Microphone – the device which picks up sound and turns it into electrical energy so it can be broadcast or recorded Mix - to combine several audio sources into a single finished piece Mixed audio – see ‘ dry ’ audio Mixer – the equipment that allows various inputs of audio or video to be broadcast or recorded at different times and levels Modal voice - your usual speaking voice Monaural (or ‘mono’ ) - sound on one, single channel, that is, not stereo Monitor speaker (or ‘loudspeakers’ or simply ‘speakers’ ) – used to hear studio or playback output Monotone – when a person talks with little or no variety in their pitch, volume, and speed Montage - several pieces of audio combined sequentially to create a single sound element Monthly retainer - an agreement in which the voice-over is paid a set amount each month for ongoing work, based on the average amount of recording minutes or scripts per month Mouth axis – the direction of your mouth in relation to the microphone: ‘slightly off axis would mean that you are not speaking towards the mic and so you will be heard slightly indistinctly Music bed (or simply ‘bed’ ) - music played underneath a voice Mute button – the manual switch which significantly quietens an audio feed, maybe completely. This is automatically activated on studio loudspeakers when the microphone goes live, to avoid feedback Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E990 · Sat, September 16, 2023
0990 – The Diction-ary of Voice – L
2023.09.17 – 0990 – The Diction-ary of Voice – L **L Labiodental – very few sounds use the sound created when the upper teeth rest on the lower lip, but say ‘very’ and ‘few’ and you will hear two Lapel (or ‘lavaliere’ or ‘lav’ ) microphone - small microphone attached to clothing of a presenter or guest Laryngology – the study of the professional voice. An ENT is not a laryngologist, who can give sophisticated diagnosis and treatment of voice disorders Laryngoscopy - the process of using a flexible scope in your nose or a rigid scope in your mouth to see your larynx (or ‘voice box’) Larynx – connecting the trachea (windpipe) and the pharynx (between the mouth and nose) this area is the location of the vocal folds Level (' volume ') - the amount of audio signal strength usually measured with negative numbers “-12db” means it could be 12 decibels louder without distorting. See “Clipping” Limiter - a really fast compressor designed to reduce the level of loud peaks Lingua-alveolar – the speech sound created when the tip of the tongue (lingua) is against the upper gum ridge (alveolus). Ironically it is very prevalent in the phrase ‘tip of the tongue’ (and not heard as much in those who speak with a glottal stop in words such as ‘butter’) Lingua-palatal – a really rare sound when you say ‘r’ noises (such as in “really rare”) when the tip of the tongue nearly touches the roof of the mouth. Lingua-velar – if you have done phonics with your child you will be familiar with the ‘kicking k’ – and this is how you make that ‘kicking k’ sound: with the back of the tongue up against the soft palate (the velum) at the back of the roof of the mouth, and the tip of the tongue on the mouth floor Lip mic – a microphone designed to be used very close to the mouth to cut out extraneous noise, for example at a sports event Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E989 · Fri, September 15, 2023
0989 – The Diction-ary of Voice – I
2023.09.16 – 0989 – The Diction-ary of Voice – I **I Impromptu (or ‘ad libbed’ ) – a comment made ‘off the cuff’ without a script or prior rehearsal Inflection – the lifting or lowering of the pitch of an individual word or different parts of a word to indicate significance (see: ‘ cadence ’) Insurance takes - when the director wants one more take, ‘just in case’ Integrated loudness - the average loudness across an entire recording Interdental (or ‘ linguadental ’) – the speech sound when the tongue darts through the lips. Used when people say “ theoretically, this third thrush threads theatre throws” Interface - hardware that connects to your computer that allows you to record audio In the mud (or ‘muddy’ ) – a low or distorted volume In the red (or ‘hot’ , ‘distorted’ ) – a high or distorted volume IPDTL ( ipDTL) - Internet Protocol Down the Line: an IP codec running in a web browser, used for remote broadcasts in television, radio, and voice-over and a replacement and compatible with older ISDN audio codecs ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network: a system similar to the newer over the digitalised circuits of the public switched telephone network IVR – Interactive Voice Response: technology that allows phone users to interact with a computer-operated telephone system through the use of voice. A voice-over artist will record, say, movie titles on show and the screening times and ticket availability, which a caller will interactive by responding to voice prompts iZotope – a software company providing plug-ins that repair audio, doing things like removing background noise, distortion and mouth noises Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E988 · Thu, September 14, 2023
0988 – The Diction-ary of Voice – H
2023.09.15 – 0988 – The Diction-ary of Voice – H **H Haemorrhage (‘ vocal cord bruise’ , ‘ hematoma ’) - a collection of blood in the vocal fold that develops after considerable voice use and leads to severe hoarseness Hand signals – gestured directions given to a presenter to, for example, start or stop Handling noise - undesired sounds picked up on a recording caused by touching or moving the microphone Hard copy – a script that is printed out Hard sell commercial – a script that is presented in a loud, urgent and emphatic style Headphones (also ‘cans’, ‘earphones’, ‘headset’ ) – worn over the ears so a presenter can hear themselves, the mix of output and any direction given to them while their microphone is live Headroom - a recording volume range in decibels (dB). It’s the difference between the typical operating level, and the maximum operating level when the audio will start to sound ‘clipped’. So, giving yourself “ 10db of headroom ” means that you set your recording levels so your voice frequently peaks at -10db, and if it gets unexpectedly louder it won’t distort High Pass Filter – an audio filter that cuts out any frequency below a specified point (letting the higher frequencies pass through) and can help prevent plosives and wind noise Hindenburg - a DAW Hit hot - to begin playing at full volume Hit warm - to begin playing at medium volume Hoarse – a raw, scratchy voice (not necessarily low in pitch) which may signify overuse (such as shouting or talking loudly), abuse (such as drinking and smoking) or both (a late-night party for example). At its worst it may be a signifier of a more serious condition Hold / maintain - to keep the volume at the existing level Hook – a line or statement at the start of a commercial designed to ‘hook’ the listener or viewer in by catching their attention, often by using a question: “have you booked your holiday yet?” Husky voice – a lower-pitched speaking sound Hypercardioid - a microphone pick-up pattern that is most sensitive to sounds directly in front of the microphone, even more so than a supercardioid Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E987 · Wed, September 13, 2023
0987 – The Diction-ary of Voice – G
2023.09.14 – 0987 – The Diction-ary of Voice – G Glottal – a softer ‘coughing’ sound when used in speech, often when used instead of proper pronunciation in words such as ‘hot’ or ‘water’ when the tongue has not been used to pronounce the ‘t’ sound at the end or middle of words. Interestingly (?!), those who use glottal stops in everyday conversation, may put the ‘t’ sound back in when they become a passionate speaker and want to be sure they have been understood. Think of a someone who at home might refer to ‘butter’ (using a glottal stop and omitting the ‘t’ sounds in the middle of the word), but when in a hotel and being brought spread instead will say “ I asked for butter ” and pronounce the t-sound. Indeed, the marketing slogan “You’ll never put a better bit of butter on your knife” [1] contained several potential glottal stops Granuloma - a large inflammatory mass that grows in the larynx, usually in the back. This most often is due to voice trauma and uncontrolled acid reflux Gravelly – the description of a low, deep voice with little energy, projection or intonation Guide track (or ‘scratch track’) - when a non-professional voice artist has provided a recording of the script so that the visual edits can be created, and pronunciations given. In this situation, your job is to replace their dialogue with yours [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j1qwcbIzz4 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E986 · Tue, September 12, 2023
0986 – The Diction-ary of Voice – F
2023.09.13 – 0986 – The Diction-ary of Voice – F **F Fade (in, out, up, down, under) - to gradually adjust the volume of sound from low to high or high to low Fader – an audio channel’s level controller Fade to black/fade away – to decrease the volume of a sound until it cannot be heard Falsetto - the vocal register just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave Feedback – the loud howl-round, looped sound when a ‘live’ mic is too close to a speaker or headphones, and the sound repeats Fluff – mistake or verbal trip “I fluffed that line, can I take it again?” Foley - recording custom sound effects Fricatives – the group of sounds which cause air to ‘seep’ from between the lips, such as f, h, s, v, th and sh. Ironically heard at the start of the word ‘fricative’ From the top – start a recording from, well, the start **G Gain – increasing the volume of sound, usually on a mic channel and usually beyond what is often necessary Gallery – the control room outside the main studio, where a producer, director and clients may sit and work from Garage Band - DAW software that comes for free on a Mac. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E985 · Mon, September 11, 2023
0985 – The Diction-ary of Voice – E
2023.09.12 – 0985 – The Diction-ary of Voice – E Ellipsis – the marking on a script (‘…’) usually indicating that a pause is required Emphasis list - if an author wants to stress a point, they an emphasis list such as “ the country was utterly, totally and demonstrably broken ” Encoding - converting your uncompressed audio files into a format more suitable for certain applications, say from a WAV file to an MP3 Enunciation (or ‘diction’ ) – the clear pronunciation of a word Equalization (‘EQ’) - the process within the DAW of altering various parts of the voice recording, such as the volume and to lower or boost frequency rates to enhance the sound Eye-brain-mouth coordination - the ability to script-read fluently, accurately and effortlessly Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E984 · Sun, September 10, 2023
0984 – The Diction-ary of Voice – D Part 2
2023.09.11 – 0984 – The Diction-ary of Voice – D Part 2 Dry audio – a voice recording without any music underneath (which would be a ‘mixed’ recording) Dry mouth – literally having little saliva in one’s mouth, making talking difficult Dub – to make a copy of an audio or video recording Dub - to re-record audio and sync it to a video which shows someone talking and whose sound is muted. Dubbing is used to re-record a translated soundtrack in another language for different markets and also to replace the original spoken word recording in the original language and by the original actor, to replace audio that was poorly recorded on set (or due to a technical problem, late script change, remove a swear-word for a different audience and so on). The spoken word of any dub must sync with the mouth movements of the original performance. Although this is difficult for a translated script, the timings of each line must certainly be as close as possible to the original Duration – the length of time it will take (or has taken) for a programme element such as a script, to run Dynamic - audio that has wide variations between the quiet bits and the loud bits. See ‘ Microdynamics ’ and ‘ Macrodynamics ’ Dynamic microphone – a mic which incorporates a diaphragm-type device which records sound by vibrating a magnet to create an electrical signal, when sound waves are detected, but which are less sensitive to higher frequencies. See ‘ Condenser ’ Dynamic range - the ratio between the maximum and minimum sound levels in a recording. This ratio is usually expressed in decibels as the difference between the loudest possible undistorted level, and the level of the noise floor **E Early out – ending a programme or item earlier than originally expected “ We come out in 1 minute, but there’s an early out in 20 seconds… ” Edit – cutting down an audio piece for content or duration reasons Edit - to produce an audio piece, weaving a narrative from multiple interviews and other audio elements Editor – in a newsroom, the manager of a team of reporters who’s responsible for deciding what stories goes to air and how, and for giving feedback Editor - the person who assembles a show from raw material, who works to a producer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E983 · Sat, September 09, 2023
0983 – The Diction-ary of Voice - D Part 1
2023.09.10 – 0983 – The Diction-ary of Voice - D Part 1 DAW - Short for ‘Digital Audio Workstation’ (or ‘Workspace’), said variously D.A.W and DAW (as in ‘door’). The software you use to record, edit, mix and play back your audio. Either a computer which is dedicated to audio only, or a complete multitrack recording system (software) such as Protools, Cubase or Logic. Other examples include Audacity, Hindenburg and Adobe dB - abbreviation for ‘ decibel ’, pronounced “ dee-bee ” Dead air – silence Dead cat - a type of mic wind-screen that has long synthetic hairs surrounding it and makes a long microphone look like a dead cat (!) Deadroll - sound or music that begins inaudibly at a specific time in a mix – so that it will come to its natural end at a specific time through the use of ‘ backtiming ’ Decibel – a measurement of the volume of sound, abbreviated to ‘ dB ’. In the digital audio world, it refers to decibels relative to full scale (dBFS), where ‘0dBFS’ represents the maximum possible digital level, and so measurements in digital audio production are generally represented in negative values (say ‘-9 dB’). De-emphasize – to produce a less emphatic, dramatic read De-essing – to reduce sibilance caused by high-frequency ‘ s ’ sounds. A ‘ de-esser ’ is a plug-in to the DAW that automatically controls sibilance in recordings Demo - a recording of your professional voice work given to prospective clients as an example of your voice and variety. Demo as in a ‘demonstration’ of what you can do. A ‘ demo reel ’ or ‘ demo tape ’ is an audio portfolio of examples of a voice artist’s work Dialect – a regional variation of a language with a particular accent. So, the English language may be spoken with a Cockney accent Diaphragm – the muscle which separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity and which is the main muscle used in breathing Diaphragm - the part of microphone that is affected by sound waves and turned it into electrical signals to be recorded or enhanced. See ‘ Dynamic ’ and ‘ Condenser ’. Diction (or ‘enunciation ’) – the way you talk: your enunciation and the types of verbiage (words and phrases) you use. Digital – recording/processing with a computer in which audio signals are broken into numerical values Digital Analog Converter - DAC. Hardware that turns an analogue signal into numerical values, and vice versa. Anything that connects a microphone to any type of computer has a DAC, including Digital Audio Recorder a
S3 E982 · Fri, September 08, 2023
0982 – The Diction-ary of Voice - C Part 4
2023.09.09 – 0982 – The Diction-ary of Voice - C Part 4 Cue – the instruction to a presenter to start talking or performing. This could be verbal or by a light or a audio ‘cue tone’ Cue – the short script read by a radio presenter or newsreader to introduce a guest or other live or pre-recorded item Cut – an edit of a piece of audio to remove a portion Cut - as a direction during a recording, to stop immediately Cyst - usually unilateral (one vocal cord) mass that grows within a vocal cord. Fluid-filled, usually due to voice misuse or overuse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E981 · Thu, September 07, 2023
0981 – The Diction-ary of Voice - C Part 3
2023.09.08 – 0981 – The Diction-ary of Voice - C Part 3 Conversational read (sometimes ‘transparent read’) – when a script doesn’t sound as though it is being read, so, using an authentic, friendly or realistic style that gives the impression the voice-over is talking with the listener one-to-one, telling a story or convincing them from what appears to be their own experience. A tone that personifies everyday speech. It is ‘non-announcery’. Think: everyday conversation Conversational show - a show or podcast where the audience listens to a recorded or live conversation, discussion or ‘roundtable’ Copy - another word for the script, the words written to be read out loud Copy - to duplicate Copy – ‘message understood’ Copy marking – The system or annotating a script to remind you about issues such as inflection, pauses and pronunciation CPM - Short for ‘ Cost per Thousands ’ (confusingly, not ‘millions’, the ‘M’ is the Roman numeral for ‘thousand’). How much advertisers will pay to reach one thousand listeners CTA – the ‘call to action’, that is, the part of the commercial script that tells the user what to do such as “ buy now ”, “ call this number for tickets ”, “ visit our website for details ” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E980 · Wed, September 06, 2023
0980 – The Diction-ary of Voice - C Part 2
2023.09.07 – 0980 – The Diction-ary of Voice - C Part 2 Clipped – when a recorded signal has gone past the 0db threshold (or any other maximum recording level set by the engineer) and the computer software has no more ‘headroom’ to record. This is often heard when a voice actor shouts, or when the microphone is too close to a speaker, or in a field recording, when a large vehicle passes by. To the ear the sound is heard as distorted. On a DAW, the waveform has its top ‘cut off’ and appears flat rather than in various peaks and troughs. Clipping is undesirable and should always be avoided by reducing the input sound. Clipped - when audio is missing the beginning or end of a sound element or word by a split second Co-anchors – two presenters working together in partnership with an on-air role divided between them Cold copy – a previously unseen script. You may be asked to ‘read cold’ or ‘read a cold script’ Comb filtering (also called ‘ phasing ’, or ‘ colouring ’) - when two versions of the same sound play at slightly different times (measured in milliseconds), for example when two mics are live / recording and the voice of one speaker is heard not only though their mic, but also very slightly through the other. This can cause some frequencies to be cancelled out and slightly distorts the true sound. It can be fixed by reducing the possibility of one voice being picked up by two mics: lowering level of the second mic, moving them further away from each other, having a screen between them, or most simply, turning the mics slightly so each pick-up pattern works in an optimum way Coming out – ending a broadcast or recording: “we’re coming out in 30 seconds” Compression (file) – file compression reduces the file’s size . Very different from compression of sound (below) Compression - a process applied to audio recordings, which 'level-off' the peaks and troughs of a waveforms. This is done with a ‘ compressor ’ (below) Compressor - a device or plugin/tool in a DAW, which automatically boosts quieter sounds and supresses louder ones, so there is less variety in the levels, according to a set threshold. Doing this will mean that the listener has less manual work to do in adjusting levels when hearing the audio. Using a compressor is an art and over-doing it will make the whole track, well, over-compressed and restricted Condenser microphone – a mic which reproduces sound with the help of an electric circuit and so needs a small amount of power to operate, either from a battery or from the recorder. See ‘ Phantom power’ , and ‘ Dynamic (microphone) ’ Contractions –
S3 E979 · Tue, September 05, 2023
0979 – The Diction-ary of Voice - C Part 1
2023.09.06 – 0979 – The Diction-ary of Voice - C Part 1 **C Cadence - rhythmic flow of a sequence of sounds or word (see: ‘ inflection ’) Camera panic – anxiety about being in a video affecting someone’s ability to talk or act effectively (also see ‘ mic fright ’) Cans - headphones Cardioid – the pickup pattern of a microphone which is heart-shaped, with a larger area of sound detected from the front of mic and a little from each side and barely any sound from the back Character bleed - when the vocal attributes of one character voice (or sometimes the narrative voice) continue into the voice of another character or piece of narration Character voice - the voice adopted to help portray an individual in the script Choppy – a way of talking in which the flow of delivery is broken up by frequent and unnecessary pauses Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E978 · Mon, September 04, 2023
0978 – The Diction-ary of Voice - B Part 2
2023.09.05 – 0978 – The Diction-ary of Voice - B Part 2 Binaural – a type of recording and/or processing that allows a 3D sound space to be conveyed over headphones Bit depth – refers to the quality of the recording, where higher ‘bit rates’ have a wider difference between the quietest sound they can record, and the loudest sound, and therefore allow you to record at lower levels. 16-bit is CD quality, 24-bit is preferred for recording, 32-bit uses lots of disk space. See ‘ Headroom ’. Bit rate - how much disk space is used per second of audio Bleed – sound such as a music bed or other microphone voices ‘leaking’ from a presenter’s headphones and being picked up by their individual mic Blimp - a type of wind-screen that entirely covers a microphone and looks like blimp. Sometimes called a ‘Zeppelin’ Board (‘desk’) – the panel of faders and controls that are used to turn on microphones and other audio or video sources and control their levels Boost - to increase, raise or make louder: to boost (sound) levels. Breathy voice – in which excess air escapes as someone speaks BSF (Basic Studio Fee) - the amount paid to the voice actor for the time that they spend in the studio session Buy out – a flat rate which gives the customer of the voiceover project all rights to a recording in perpetuity. So, a recording might be re-versioned as short soundbites and used forever without an additional fee paid to the voiceover artist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E977 · Sun, September 03, 2023
0977 – The Diction-ary of Voice - B Part 1
2023.09.04 – 0977 – The Diction-ary of Voice - B Part 1 **B B2B / B2C – different marketing or advertising models. ‘B2B’ stands for 'business to business', that is, an advert for a product or service services that targets other businesses, while ‘B2C’ is 'business to consumer', where the (in our case) audio advert is slanted towards a personal consumers, and so might use different selling points, words and style Back-time – adding together the durations of remaining programme elements, and then taking that sum from the time by which the programme has to end by. The resulting figure tells you when you the time you need to start the elements to end on time Bandwidth - a measure of a range of frequencies in Hertz (Hz), or musical octaves Barks – the short lines of background dialogue often heard in gameplay Beat – a slight pause perhaps between words, lines or different character’s dialogue, as in “ don’t come in straight away, give me a beat (or “ half a beat ”) first ”, where a ‘half-beat’ is a shorter pause, and a large beat is a longer one Bed (‘music bed’) - the background music played underneath a presenter’s voice, or other ambient sound running under audio Bending the needle – what a sound engineer might say when excess volume is indicated on a visual display and the needle hits the ‘end stop’ of the meter Bi-directional – a microphone that picks up sound from two directions, usually directly opposite each other, such as an interviewer and an interviewee Bilabial (sometimes just ‘labial’) – if ‘labial’ refers to lips, then bilabial is ‘two lips’ and for our situation it’s when both lips are used to pronounce a sound, like the initial sounds in each word of ‘properly wonderful’ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E976 · Sat, September 02, 2023
0976 – The Diction-ary of Voice - A Part 2
2023.09.03 – 0976 – The Diction-ary of Voice - A Part 2 Alveolus – the area just behind your upper teeth and where your tongue darts to in the final sound of the word ‘sin’ Ambience (‘ambient noise’, ‘ambi’, ‘nat sound’, ‘sfx’ – ‘sound effects’) - The general sound at a location, such as traffic noise, a protest march, birds and wind in the trees, or the sound of a studio (such as the air conditioning, slight bizz of computers and so on. The sound can be used by itself or mixed under voice clips. Amplify – to increase the signal strength to make a louder sound Announcer – an on-air role of someone who has an authoritative or commanding way of speaking Articulation – the process by which you use your teeth, tongue, mouth and lips, to shape sounds into words. Sometimes used to mean ‘clear pronunciation of words’ such as the right tone, volume, pitch, and quality. (See: ‘ enunciation ’, ‘ diction ’.) Artifact - undesirable sounds around words, such as random humming noises Aspirate – the release of a puff of air in the pronunciation of a word. The air is not as pronounced as a plosive might be on the initial sound of the word ‘pronounced’, but softer as in Santa saying ‘ho, ho, ho’ Attack time - the time it takes for a sound processor to begin adjusting the volume level, once the noise threshold has been reached Attenuate - to reduce in force, or make quieter Attitude – speaking style that shows how a character (or the speaking actor/presenter) would feel Audacity - free audio editing software, a common first DAW (Digital Audio Workstation: the program on which you can record and edit audio) Audio book - the recording of a narrator reading a book Audio drama – the audio recording of book or play in which several voice actors take part, together with sound effects and music. Sometimes called ‘ fiction podcast ’ Audio engineer – a term used by different studios and stations in different ways for different responsibilities, but essentially someone who uses sound equipment/software to record and edit. Possibly also a ‘ sound recordist ’, ‘ audio editor ’, ‘ audio mixer ’, ‘ mastering engineer ’ (or ‘ engineer ’), or even ‘ producer ’ Audition - Adobe’s paid-for DAW Authenticity – a speaking style that shows credibility and generates trust Automation - in a DAW, the ability to automatically change an attribute over time, such as dipping the volume, or panning a sound from lef
S3 E975 · Fri, September 01, 2023
0975 – The Diction-ary of Voice - A Part 1
2023.09.02 – 0975 – The Diction-ary of Voice - A Part 1 The Diction-ary of Voice ON GOOD SPEAKING TERMS **A Abdomen – your stomach area that moves out as you breath in, as the diaphragm lowers to allow the lungs to expand Actuality (‘act’) – sound, such as an interview, recorded on location or in a studio and which are not the reporter or narrator. Ad lib - a spontaneous addition or change to a script, or a usually witty off-the-cuff comment during a live or recorded conversation ADR - Automated Dialogue Replacement. The art of re-recording or dubbing a video script while matching the original actor’s mouth movements. This is time consuming, expensive and experience is required as the original speech patterns can be unpredictable in speed and delivery Affricates – the speech sound that combines the rush of air of a plosive (as in the letters ‘b’ and ‘p’) with that of a fricative (when air is forced through a small gap in the lips or teeth – as in ‘ssss’), to give what is heard at the start of words such as ‘chant’, ‘choke’ or ‘choo-choo’… which is certainly something to ‘chew’ over… Air check – a recording of transmission (‘ROT’) of either audio or video. Used to give feedback or sometimes required for job applications so someone can hear/see how you perform ‘in real life’ rather than in something specifically recorded for the application Alt – short for ‘alternative’ as in “ give me an alt on that ” when the director asks for another version of a line-read. This can be for a variety of reasons including wanting variations on takes, wanting just one or a couple of words changed, or to be said with slightly different inflection or intonation etc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E974 · Thu, August 31, 2023
0974 – Whispering Voice
2023.09.01 – 0974 – A Whispering Voice Whispering voice Symptom: Speaking very softly Prescription: Don’t. A whisper needs vocal fold tension, with the sound produced in a small gap between them. Instead talk in a breathy voice as outlined in episode 770. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E973 · Wed, August 30, 2023
0973 – The Whining Voice
2023.08.31 – 0973 – The Whining Voice Whining voice Symptom: As you might expect, this sound is related to the ‘unnatural pitch’ described above. It too is a higher-pitched voice, with the added issue of elongated words, especially vowels, and often additional nasality. Those vowels may ‘whine’ on a steady pitch, or rise and fall similar to a police siren. Put all that together and the speaker may be perceived as speaking like a petulant child: “ I doooooon’t waaaaan’t tooooooo-er ”. Prescription: · Listening back to a recording of yourself and identifying this issue is the first step to eliminating it from your vocal personality. Concentrate on speaking with short, more succinct vowel sounds, perhaps highlighting on a script where these may potentially occur. · The higher pitch can be partly solved by using the techniques under ‘forced pitch’ above. · Nasality often means that too much air is being diverted through the nasal cavity while speaking. Look at the advice on that above, or get personal diagnosis and advice from a professional speech therapist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E972 · Tue, August 29, 2023
0972 – ‘Vocal Fry’ Voice
2023.08.30 – 0972 – ‘Vocal Fry’ Voice ‘Vocal fry’ voice [1] , [2] Symptom: We have covered this in some depth previously, especially in episode 38: the low, glottal, creaky, choppy, breathy delivery often described as a millennial speech pattern used most often perhaps by women and most famously by the Kardashian clan and Katy Perry. It happens when vocal folds stay relaxed when you speak, with minimal air passing through them. It can give the impression to some that you are bored, lack intelligence, or less competent and less trustworthy. Prescription: Unless your audience is made up entirely of a millennial audience that would relate to vocal fry, you are probably better off avoiding this pattern of speech. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6r7LhcHHAc [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_LmC-ynqGM Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E971 · Mon, August 28, 2023
0971 – Valley Speak
2023.08.29 – 0971 – Valley Speak Valley speak (short for ‘ Valley Girl-speak ’) [1] ’ [2] Symptom: This is a combination of several vocal features (nasality, uptalk, fast-paced run-on sentences, breathiness and vocal fry) and vocabulary (“ like ”, “ I know, right? ”, “ whatever ”, “ totally ”) Episode 638 discusses the use of the word “like” and 640 is on other ‘filler words’. Prescription: Such a style may be appropriate (although a little dated) for an audience of millennials, but if that’s not you then it’s probably best to avoid this style and adopt one that is considered more mature for most of your reads. [1] The ‘Valley Girl’ dialect was originally associated with materialistic upper-middle-class young woman of the San Fernando Valley in California, and a way of speaking that became familiar across the English-speaking world. It came to be associated with being ditzy and spoken by those with a greater interest in material items than intellectual or personal accomplishment. [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL6XBB-umc0&feature=youtu.be Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E970 · Sun, August 27, 2023
0970 - Uptalk
2023.08.28 – 0970 - Uptalk Uptalk [1] Symptom: Most sentences end on a lower inflection than how they start, to give a signal that the end of the thought has been reached. Apart from sentences which end with a rising inflection. (“ Do you agree? ”). Uptalkers use a rising inflection no matter the sense of the sentence. It can give the impression that you are doubtful of what you are saying, or that you lack confidence or intelligence. Prescription: Again, if you are talking to an audience that speaks in this way then you are likely to connect with them if it also comes naturally to you. Otherwise, ending a sentence formally, on a down-tone, shows confidence. Episodes 190 and 315 look at the correct ‘question intonation’. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEfMwri22SM&feature=youtu.be and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdhJxAmUu3Y Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E969 · Sat, August 26, 2023
0969 - The Unnaturally Pitched Voice
2023.08.27 – 0969 - Unnaturally pitched voice Unnaturally pitched voice Symptom: This is similar to the ‘mono-tone’ (but where that is usually a lower pitch, this problem is usually one of being too high), and ‘forced pitch’ (but this is not done deliberately). It's when nerves or excitement (sometimes combined with an undue haste), cause you to speak with too high a tone, away from your natural ‘home tone’. This makes you sound forced and shrill and some may perceive it to be child-like. It may be wearing to listen to, and wearing on your own vocal folds. Using an incorrect higher pitch reduces your ‘headroom’ and so makes proper intonation difficult. Prescription: · Relax and slow down. · Better breathing and breath control will help steady nerves and instil confidence · See advice on ‘a nervous voice’ and listen to episode 210 ‘Michael Caine on How Your Voice Pitch Can Be Affected By Nerves’ and 277 ‘The Nervous Newbies’ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E968 · Fri, August 25, 2023
0968 – The ‘Tired’ Voice
2023.08.26 – 0968 – The ‘ Tired’ Voice Tired voice Symptom: You sound dull, flat and a little ‘slurry’ as your tongue has trouble forming words. Prescription: · A voice will become tired with the amount, volume or the tone of the sound it is being asked to perform (see: ‘vocal loading’ and episode 756). Regulate your speaking so you don’t speak for too long, too loudly. Consider that 10 x 1-minute breaks allow your voice-tissues to recover more effectively than 1 x 10-minute break. (Episode 774 has ‘Voice Advice From Justin Timberlake and Larry Hagman’ on this.) · As well as warming-up the voice, don’t forget to warm-down too, to relax the voice into its usual state and not harm it. There are some exercises in episode 928. · As well as considering and correcting what might be making you anxious mentally, do a ‘condition check’ on yourself physically to see how anxiety has affected how you are holding yourself and how that is affecting the efficiency of your voice-use. Episode 846 is titled ‘Fit Body, Fit Voice’ and may be of interest. · A voice will also be tired if you are physically or mentally tired. So, have a good night’s sleep and if on a night shift, have an energy boost (being careful to avoid caffeine and sugar energy peaks and troughs, they’re mentioned in episode 853’s ‘Food And Drink Naughty List’). Inevitably, “hydrate, mate!” · Physical tension (perhaps in a rush to meet a newsroom deadline) will drain your energy so control any temptation to panic. Episode 815 is about how you can achieve Relaxation From Tension Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E967 · Thu, August 24, 2023
0967 - The ‘Throwaway’ Delivery
2023.08.25 – 0967 - The ‘Throwaway’ Delivery ‘Throwaway’ delivery Symptom: When your voice trails off on the last word or two of a sentence. This makes them sound unimportant and sometime unintelligible and can be another pattern of talking that you don’t realise you have adopted. Prescription: In news and commercial scripts, the last words may be vital to the item. A pay-off, a punchline or a kicker, as discussed in episode 309, complete with a joke! · Review the sense of the sentence and ensure you know what the point is, of what you are being asked to say, and what words to lift or subdue. · Be careful (and this may sound obvious!) to sound the complete word and not drop off the last syllable. · Concentrate on what you are saying before being caught up with what you are going to say next and throwing away words in the rush to get to it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E966 · Wed, August 23, 2023
0966 - Throat Clearing
2023.08.24 – 0966 - Throat Clearing Throat clearing Symptom: Throat clearing can become a habit. The slightest tickle and you may cough, but this irritates the vocal folds even more and makes them more raw and sensitive which then exacerbates the problem. Prescription: · Swap a cough for a hard swallow, preferably with a sip of water and you have a double-whammy: you have eased the irritation without causing more trauma, and hydrates yourself at the same time. Episode 761 covers this. · If the problem persists, see a health professional in case there is an underlying issue that demands investigation and explanation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E965 · Tue, August 22, 2023
0965 – The ‘Thin’ Voice
2023.08.23 – 0965 – The ‘ Thin’ Voice Thin voice Symptom: A voice which is weak, with a lack of air, energy and resonance. It may lack authority. Prescription: · It may be trained to become stronger and fuller. Review the advice about relaxation to reduce tension, better breathing skills and breath control, and increasing resonance in your voice. · A thin voice may also be down to starting at too high a register which is leading to poor resonance and running out of breath … both of which lead to nervousness and hence a higher pitch. (Look back at the advice for ‘a nervous voice’ and listen back to episode 277.) · A different kind of mic, its placement or the acoustics of a room may help to a small extent. There’s a lot of advice on this from episode 513. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E964 · Mon, August 21, 2023
0964 - Stumbling
2023.08.22 – 0964 - Stumbling Stumbling Symptom: Verbal mistakes in adlibbed conversations or more likely, when reading as script: restarting words, mispronunciations, mis-intonations, repeated corrections and generally losing your way in a sentence. I outline some more of these in the episodes after 650. Prescription: Give your mouth and mind a chance to get things right! · Relax and warm up to remove any held tension in your vocal apparatus. Have a good rest before a recording (episode 108 and the ones just after). · De-stress mentally so you are not distracted. Have confidence in what you have been asked to do, your knowledge of the topic and your experience. · Review and rehearse your script or make notes if you are adlibbing (ad-libbing is in episode 485 and 633 amongst others). Knowing your topic will help you with intonation, checking pronunciations (episode 138 onwards) will help reduce guesswork and inaccuracies. Reading through and good sight-reading (episode 590 and 642) will give you familiarisation that will reduce on-air or on-tape surprises. Practice this ‘cold reading’ to improve your confidence. · Open your mouth enough to allow your tongue to properly form the words (episode 72) · Hydrate to allow your tongue to slip around your mouthy easily (episode 751) · Sitting properly will lead to better breathing, which will calm you and lead to better resonance and calmness and accuracy, in a ‘virtuous circle’ · Adjust the script (if you are able to) to make it easier to read: maybe the words used, sentence length, font size or layout. We looked at this in episode 174. · Slow down if stumbles are caused by your mind working faster than your tongue (episode 379 is a good one on ‘fast talking speed traps, also 646 and the ones just after). · Remove tongue or lip studs that may reduce tongue manoeuvrability Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E963 · Sun, August 20, 2023
0963 - Stammering –
2023.08.21 – 0963 - Stammering – Stammering – also called ‘ stuttering ’ Symptom: Stammering is when someone: · repeats sounds or syllables – for example, saying " mu-mu-mu-mummy " · makes sounds longer – for example, " mmmmmmummy " · a word gets stuck or does not come out at all Prescription: · Little is known of the reasons behind stammering. Those with it have probably experienced it since childhood and are probably already in the health-care system and being assisted by professionals. Therefore, such advice is beyond the scope of this book. · Although acute nervousness and stress are not thought to cause stammering per se, those situations can trigger it in those who are already predisposed. · At a very basic level, relaxation and breathing exercises can be used as well as helping the becoming calmer emotionally, with reassurance from others about your work, content and environment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E962 · Sat, August 19, 2023
0962 - 'Sloppy' Speech
2023.08.20 – 0962 - ' Sloppy' Speech Sloppy speech Symptom: Good diction doesn’t (usually) matter (!). As I have said several times in different ways (such as in epsiode 263), what’s important is whether your target listener is getting a muddled message. If they are, then you are not communicating with them and you need to consider whether how your delivery or diction is at fault. Prescription: · Relax and open your mouth effectively to help you form the words. Vocal warm-ups will also help, as will lubrication (“ hydrate, mate! ”) · Breathe properly to give your sound more support. · Don’t over-do the elocution, you want to sound conversational not jerky and staccato Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E961 · Fri, August 18, 2023
0961 – The ‘Sing Song’ Delivery
2023.08.19 – 0961 – The ‘ Sing Song’ Delivery Sing Song Delivery Symptom: This presentation or reading style is characterised by an artificial, repetitive pattern of a gradual rise in pitch for the first part of a sentence …. and then a gradual fall until the end is reached. Or any other regularly-repeated and predictable rhythm in melody which takes the listener away from understanding what is being said, to how it is being said instead, and may bore or annoy them. Rhythms struggle against the sense of a sentence and muddle the meaning. Episode 275 and 276 and others around it, will give you a better understanding of this issue. Prescription: · This pattern may be a verbal rut that you’ve got into (perhaps initially through nerves), and then has become a habit. Aircheck yourself regularly to hear how you really sound. · If working from a script, check to see how it is written and laid out. Consecutive sentences which are of similar length and construction, perhaps with a single-syllable word at the end, often leads to a repetitive rhythm. There’s an example of this in the episode and show notes for 171. Simply re-writing them and then marking up the meaning-full words, can make a big difference to presentation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E960 · Thu, August 17, 2023
0960 – The ‘Sibilant’ Voice
2023.08.18 – 0960 – The ‘ Sibilant’ Voice Sibilant voice Symptom: When a voice is perceived to have excessive ‘s’ sounds it may be because the microphone is picking up and exaggerating that particular frequency. (Consider that sibilance, like many ‘voice sounds’ is subjective. In other words, slightly more ‘s’ sounds may be in the ear of the listener rather than the err, mouth of the reader! And sibilance may be considered a sound of ‘interest’ (rather than the archaic and offensive term ‘impediment’); it gives colour and character to the voice. As long as you can be understood and the message is received, that communication happens … who cares? Having said that you may feel self-conscious about the sound, feel that people are being judgemental about you, or that it’s reducing your opportunities.) Prescription: · Adjust the angle of the mic so you are not speaking directly into it. If that doesn’t help, speaking with an audio engineer who may be able to suggest altering input settings on your studio desk / workstation. · If you are recording audio, then you may be able to clean it up in post-production: many recorders have a ‘de-esser’ which reduces the high frequencies of sibilance. There are also specialist post-production programs such as Auphonic which will be able to help you (but be careful you don’t change too many settings so your voice becomes unrecognisable!) · You may want to consider changing your microphone as different makes and models and pickup areas cope differently with different voices. · Or it may be an issue with your own vocal production: poorly-fitting false teeth, a pierced tongue or a tooth-gap. All of our ‘mouth furniture’ is slightly different in its shape and size and place – teeth, tongue and where we place them in relation to each other (as discussed in episode 101). · We make the s-sound differently. Say ‘sizzling sausages’ and feel where the tip of your tongue is. Is it curling up or down? Or somewhere flatter? We make the sound in different ways just through culture and learning, not being taught, but it may be that if you try the other way it will increase or decrease the sibilance: the amount of air within the ‘s’ may affect the sibilance, as might the length of time you make the sound for. Episodes 76 and 86 are good ones to catch up with on this. · So, there are lots of small changes that you may be able to make, and if you are worried or need more help or advice, see a trained speech trainer to work with you individually. · Listen back to episodes 545, 557 for more on this topic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E959 · Wed, August 16, 2023
0959 - The 'Script-reading' Voice
2023.08.17 – 0959 - The ' Script-reading' Voice Script-reading voice Symptom: When you sound as though you are reading words rather than communicating or telling a story . When you sound wooden, bored, flat – or at the opposite end of the spectrum, overacting and maybe even shouting. When you sound different when you adlib an on-air conversation with a colleague or interview a guest and when you read the cue into the next story, or the weather forecast: the warm personality either falling flat or being exaggerated like a fairground barker. Prescription: · Remember you’re having a one-to-one conversation, not one to many. Imagining them sitting in a room with you, just the other side of the desk, may help in the volume and tone you use (it’s what I previously called a ‘point of vocus’ in episode 343). · Talk with your hands! Use body language and gestures to help bring the script to life. If you ‘act natural’ you are more likely to sound natural as we looked at in episode 430 onwards. · Know what it is you are reading, the trick is outlined in episode 280. That is understand the context: why are you reading it? It must have some kind of importance for someone, that’s why you have been asked to read it, so tap into that understanding and relevance. Picture who is listening and their likely reaction, as discussed in episode 238. · Review what we have looked at before about colouring words and lifting or subduing the ones that are important (or not!). Don’t worry too much about applying those ‘rules’ in the moment, but having that background knowledge will help you use them more naturally over time. · As I mentioned in episode 132 and 133, Don’t worry about precise diction of every letter in every word and stop worrying about how you sound, but what it is you are trying to communicate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E958 · Tue, August 15, 2023
0958 – The ‘Quiet’ Voice
2023.08.16 – 0958 – The ‘ Quiet’ Voice Quiet voice Symptom: I once worked with two people in the same office who spoke very quietly. Neither of them seemed concerned or embarrassed when their colleagues continually said “ sorry? ” or “ pardon? ”, or when it was easier, simply nodded along unable to hear them. Talking quietly is usually the result of little vocal energy or breath support. In a studio you can electronically boost the levels of the sound being recorded, but as we saw before, this can also mean that other sounds are louder too: your breaths, the slight clicking as you open your mouth, the studio air conditioning and the general studio ambience. Prescription: A quiet voice can be the result of a number of issues. · It may be a mental issue, inasmuch as the speaker (whisperer?), is shy, nervous or embarrassed. You can overcome this in part with friendliness, explanation and other ways to boost confidence such as their ‘on-air miles’, and understanding of what is expected of them, how to ‘drive’ the studio desk and the topic or script at hand. · It may be a symptom of that person not being very enthused with their job. Basic talking ‘therapies’ may uncover such an issue. · The main physical reasons for a quiet voice are to do with a lack of projection of sound, a lack of energy from the diaphragm pushing the air. This can be overcome with better breathing, done diaphragmatically of course, and better posture, all tied up with core-strengthening exercises to better assist your abdominal muscles to be able to push and regulate the whole air-flow mechanism. · Episodes 354 and the couple after that, deal with this ‘voice extreme’ and how to overcome it Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E967 · Mon, August 14, 2023
0957 - Popping on the Mic
2023.08.15 – 0957 - Popping on the Mic Popping on the mic Symptom: Some letters are pronounced by the lips temporarily stopping and then releasing a flow of air from your mouth. That means that when you say words with ‘p’ and ‘b’ in them, particularly at the start of a word and particularly if that word is at the start of a sentence (when you have more air and energy), air may hit the mic, causing the sound to momentarily distort on-air or on the recording. Prescription: · Be aware of words which contain these ‘plosive’ sounds and back off from the mic an inch or two as you say them. · Do this together with reducing the power of pronunciation of such letters, and consider turning the mic at a slight angle so that you are speaking across it rather than directly into it. · You should also have a pop shield or filter fitted to the mic – either a foam covering directly on the head of the mic, and/or a gauze-covered ring attached to the stand and sitting in front of the mic. · More in episodes 555 and 556. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E956 · Sun, August 13, 2023
0956 – The ‘Plonking’ Speech Pattern
2023.08.14 – 0956 – The ‘ Plonking’ Speech Pattern Plonking speech pattern Symptom: This is when a reader doesn’t know which word to highlight in their intonation, so they do it either randomly or, like a metronome, on every fourth word (or the last word in every SENTENCE). It’s also what politicians do when they want to give the impression of strength and certainty. Rhythms are lazy and show the reader is in a rut. Catch episode 273 and 274 for more on this. Prescription: Listen to people talking in conversation, when they naturally lift the correct words for meaning. Then replicate those ‘conversational rules’ onto written news scripts, and mark them up correctly. Work out the context of what you are saying: what makes the story (or the ‘sell’), a ‘story’? what words do you need to colour in some way by lifting or subduing? A poor rhythm doesn’t make you sound authoritative, in fact it makes it sounds as though you don’t know what you’re talking about. Plonking is for plonkers [1] . · I have a whole possibly unique series on how to work out what words to lift or subdue, from episode 283, that I’d highly recommend you listen back to. [1] A ‘plonker’ is a slang British term for a foolish or silly person. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E955 · Sat, August 12, 2023
0955 – Noisy Breathing
2023.08.13 – 0955 – Noisy Breathing Noisy breathing Symptom: Your in-breath is clearly heard on the recording, sometimes as a suck (occasionally this comes with a lip-smack as well), or a wheeze. This is covered, along with others from episode 0092 – “The Seven Kinds Of Extra Weird Mouth Noises”. Prescription: · Re-angle yourself or the microphone so breaths are less likely to be picked up. Or as a ‘last resort’ reduce the level of every breath in the final recording. (Removing the breaths completely may result in the script sounding unnatural, with ‘wordsandsentencesbuttedtogether’.) · Relax. The noise may be caused by a tightness or obstruction in the airway (the mouth, throat or upper chest) · Don’t breathe before you have properly open ed your mouth (you’re aiming for it being wide enough to slide a halved-burger bun in, but not a fully constructed Whopper!) · Consider if you are sitting properly. A slumped posture will mean less air can get in to power your voice, and that means that not only the air you do breathe is quickly used up and so you have to breath more often), but that you have little control over how it powers your words. Exercise and don’t smoke. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E954 · Fri, August 11, 2023
0954 – The ‘Nervous’ Voice
2023.08.12 – 0954 – The ‘ Nervous’ Voice Nervous voice Symptom: These may include a higher-pitched, fluttering voice, quickly-snatched breaths, little variation in intonation and regular mistakes. Prescription: · We looked in some depth previously how nerves are a natural part of a performance, but reinterpreting them can be a good first step to overcoming them. See them not as ‘nerves’ but as an indication of ‘excitement’, a buzz. A feeling that you control , not one that controls you, and a realisation that of the ‘fight, flight or freeze’ options, you’re going to fight and win-over this feeling with confidence. · Physical ease produces mental ease, so consider how comfortable you are in your seat and at the studio desk. If it’s hard to breath, it’ll be more difficult to control your mouth, your tongue and your airflow. Can you breathe easily and fully? (Oxygen has a natural calming effect on the body: Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, exhale through your mouth for 8 seconds.) Do some physical warm-ups. · Warming up your larynx, articulators and brain will also help: we have covered vocal exercises in some depth and reading your script and knowing its context will help prepare you mentally. · There’s a whole series on ‘mic fright’, the possible causes and potential remedies, from episode 884. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E953 · Thu, August 10, 2023
0953 – The 'Nasal' Voice
2023.08.11 – 0953 – The ' Nasal' Voice Nasal voice Symptom: This is when ‘too much’ sounded-air goes through the nasal cavity where the resonance of sound is changed (a ‘bunged up’ voice is one that doesn’t have enough air through the nasal cavity! Episode 64 discusses the difference in a bit more detail.) Although powerful and penetrating, such a voice has a thin and twangy ‘honk’ to it, with very little depth. It sounds false and put on for broadcasting and is sometimes described as “too much of a ‘ head-sound ’” – there’s a great example in episode 417 from a TV sitcom character you may recognise. Also check out episode 68. Prescription: Relax! Yep that basic treatment again! Review the exercises on opening the mouth and throat, relaxing your tongue and controlling your soft palate. Better your breathing too. Doing this will increase your mouth and throat resonance and lead to a better, more balanced voice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E952 · Wed, August 09, 2023
0952 – The ‘Monotonous’ Voice
2023.08.10 – 0952 – The ‘ Monotonous’ Voice Monotonous voice Symptom: Spoken tonal delivery which has little variation, with a perception of a single (or ‘mono’) tone. Such a delivery gives the impression that the speaker is bored or tired, that the topic is boring, or if reading from a script, that they have not understood the content enough to feel confident giving correctly-placed intonation. Some people deliberately adopt a flatter-sounding voice in the (mistaken) belief that it makes them sound authoritative, as they are keeping their emotions under control. A listener could mentally turn off from such a ‘drone-like’ delivery. Catch up with episodes 217, 221, 258 and 316 for more monotonous content (if you see what I mean!) Prescription: · Presentation is a performance so think about what it is about your situation that may make you sound bored or distracted: are you fed up doing podcasts, or this particular topic again? Perhaps it’s something outside the reading: do you feel stuck in a rut in life or your marriage? Maybe you (maybe unknowingly) feel you should be paid more and so will not give 100% until you are…. (Episode 890, if this sounds like you…) · A slight monotone may also be as a result of feeling less than comfortable in a current situation, perhaps working with new people or in a new studio or with new, unfamiliar equipment (episode 897 and those around it for more on this). · Remember the need to ‘turn up the personality’ a bit when appearing on radio, tv or stage to achieve ‘cut through’ a some of your energy is ‘lost’ in transmission. (I explain more in episode 332.) · A monotonous voice may be because of tiredness and is sorted rather more obviously: more rest and less stress, better breathing and eating and so on. · If you don’t understand your script, you may keep your intonation in a limited ‘safe zone’ [1] this sometimes happen when you have to sight-read. Although this reduces the chances of not misplacing an emphasis too badly, it also inevitably creates less variety in the voice range leading it to sound boring, flat and lifeless. Explanation, rehearsal and marking-up a script will help. Better sight-reading for say newsreaders, usually comes from a background knowledge of current affairs so you immediately understand the significance of what it is you have just been handed and can show that in your colouring of words. Episode 720 is a good place to learn more about sight-reading and there’s a whole series on marking up a script from 177. · Be more conversational in your delivery. Imagine talking to one person across the room from you and telling them a story (episode 464 onwards), and using gestures (episode 430 onwards) as you do so. <a href="about:b
S3 E951 · Tue, August 08, 2023
0951 – The ‘Hoarse, Husky or Croaky’ Voice
2023.08.09 – 0951 – The ‘ Hoarse, Husky or Croaky’ Voice Hoarse, husky or croaky voice Symptom: A raw, scratchy voice (not necessarily low in pitch) which may signify overuse (such as shouting or talking loudly), abuse (such as drinking and smoking) or both (a late-night party for example). Prescription: · If there’s an obvious one-off cause (such as singing at a concert, or shouting at a sports event), rest the voice and avoid such situations in the future (episode 756, might be worth a listen on your ‘vocal battery’). · If you know the regular, work-related cause (say, commentating at a sports event, and talking loud over a crowd), then have a good voice-care regime: hydration, warm-up and warm-down techniques, vocal rest, good breath support and so on. (Episode 920 is a good one for more on this.) · Croakiness may be the result of too much thick phlegm in your mouth and throat. Remember to “ hydrate, mate ”, and consider whether reducing your intake of things like dairy and chocolate make a difference (as some say it does for them). I have lots of episodes on this: try 753 on why hydration oughta be water and 751 on ‘mucus’! · Smoking and shouting should always be avoided or reduced as much as possible (episode 766). Learn the best ways to scream and shout in episodes 352 and 353. · As a basic cause, a hoarse voice may be down to nervous tension, so practice relaxation and better breathing skills and check your posture. · At its worst, and for ongoing problems (a recurring sore throat), hoarseness may be a signifier of a more serious condition perhaps from scarring because of ongoing misuse, so seek professional medial advice. More in episodes 761, 767. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E950 · Mon, August 07, 2023
0950 – The ‘Gravelly’ Voice
2023.08.08 – 0950 – The ‘ Gravelly’ Voice Gravelly voice Symptom: A low, deep voice with little energy, projection or intonation. Prescription: This may be reduced by losing weight which could enhance better posture and increased energy. This will enable easier breath support (listen to episode 833) and projection, with more energy for increased intonation. (A series of episodes from episode 323 was about the volume of your voice.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E949 · Sun, August 06, 2023
0949 – The ‘Gabbling’ Voice
2023.08.07 – 0949 – The ‘ Gabbling’ Voice Gabbling voice [1] Symptom : Different situations require different speeds: a brash ‘ pile ‘em high and sell ‘em cheap ’ commercial is likely to be faster than one for luxury lingerie, a late-night presenter on a classical music station likely to have a slower pace than a jock on a city-based Countdown show. Having said that, someone who speaks too fast may not be pronouncing their words correctly. Or if they are, they may stumble more than they should. This may be as a result of their eye > brain > larynx > mouth workflow being unable to keep up with the speed demanded of them. While words are jammed together, parts of many of them (full syllables and clear consonants for example) may be lost. Also affected will be correct intonation (there may be very little, or too much), proper phrasing and of course proper pausing. The nuances of the copy is lost and what could be intelligible becomes incoherent. Prescription: The psychological issue here may be of someone trying to emulate an experienced and confident presenter who speaks faster because of those two attributes. Newbies should develop their own style of course. Faster speech if required, is made clearer with understanding your content, clear script markings, good posture and breath control, and enunciation exercises. Slower speech is easier to practice and it should come hand-in-hand with good diction, and an understanding of the script so the reader is clearly communicating… being expressive and not being an express train. · Our series on the ‘speed of the read’ was covered in episodes 368 onwards A subgroup of this may be referred to as ‘ shotgun speech’ when someone speaks suddenly, quickly and in a rapid outburst of words. This type of talking may be a sign of nervousness and lack of self-confidence, and as you don’t take much air in, can weaken your voice and affect the clarity of your diction. (See advice for ‘gabbling’.) [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeK5ZjtpO-M&feature=youtu.be and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X4Fy8YqysY Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E948 · Sat, August 05, 2023
0948 – The ‘Forced Pitch’ Voice
2023.08.06 – 0948 – The ‘ Forced Pitch’ Voice Forced pitch voice (also see: unnatural pitch) Symptom: Some people force their voice to produce sound at a different pitch than is normal or comfortable for them. Men and women may artificially lower their pitch in the belief that it gives them more gravitas or presence. (Raising the pitch is less usual.) This results in an inauthentic delivery which the listener can usually detect. At the very least a listener may be concentrating more to the voice than the content, the speaker having created an obstacle to clear communication. Using one’s natural ‘home tone’ voice, a speaker has the ability to more-easily intonate in the range above and below it. Starting from a (usually) lower point gives the speaker less room for manoeuvre: they have increased their ‘ceiling’, but reduced their ‘floor’ which limits their expressive range. Prescription: Re-read the section on finding your ‘home tone’ (listen to episode 290 onwards) to discover your natural expressive range. You can help lower your voice in less damaging ways: · Feeling confident for example in your surroundings and content will reduce your stress and so change your voice. · Your posture will give better breath support and will open up your chest resonator to give your voice a fuller sound. · Holding your head up and opening your mouth properly when you speak will make full use of the resonators in your throat and oral and nasal cavities. · I give a case study of a student who did this, in episode 217. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E947 · Fri, August 04, 2023
0947 – Filler Words
2023.08.05 – 0947 – Filler Words Filler words (over-use of) Symptom : Verbal ticks in conversation, links and adlibs include words like “ umm ”, “ so ” and “ yeah? ” (and, indeed, “ like ”), or phrases such as “ you know what I mean? ”, “ kinda thing ”. [1] Prescription: · Record and listen back to identify the use and regularity of these words. Some may be OK, but too much may be grating on the listener. · Prepare your notes better so you know what you want to say and how you will end your thought. Adding some planned structure to what you say will keep it conversational and make it more listenable. · Relaxation, proper breathing and a judicious use of the pause, will create a calmer more decisive mind when you start speaking and so add to fluency. · More tips in episode 637 onwards. [1] Lots of them, as well as other annoying vocal habits, are demonstrated here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwfopSOcb-w Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E946 · Thu, August 03, 2023
0946 – The ‘Ending Pattern’ Voice
2023.08.04 – 0946 – The ‘Ending Pattern’ Voice ‘Ending Pattern’ voice Symptom : A variety of the ‘sing song’ pattern discussed below, this presenter may (annoyingly and predictably) end a phrase or sentence with the same or similar intonation. One beloved of news reporters is to speak naturally for most of the sentence and then pause, before giving the same emphasis to each of the three words… At. The. End. As you can tell it’s very… Annoying. To. Hear. Prescription: · This style maybe an unknowing verbal rut tha t the presenter has… Got. In. To. Gently highlighting it will help, together with looking at sentence constructions in scripts and… In. Ad. Libs. More examples of this in a short series of episodes from 267. Understand what it is you are reading, what is it about, what’s the context? Look again at the actual words you need to lift or subdue or to help tell the story. Listen back to episode 322 for more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E945 · Wed, August 02, 2023
0945 – The ‘Choppy’ delivery
2023.08.03 – 0945 – the ‘ Choppy’ Delivery ‘ Choppy’ delivery Symptom: This is the style of [breath] having to take a breath [breath] after every few words [breath] in a sentence. The scrip is disjointed. Chopped up. Rather than a smooth flow. Short word-groups are said. Rather than a full, phrase. Or a sentence. And so, the script may be hard to understand. (I referenced a famous British newsreader who does this, in episode 412.) Prescription: · Ensure you have enough breath. Have you just been talking off air immediacy before opening the mic and so you don’t have a ‘full lungful’? You’ll also be out of breath if you run into the studio at the last minute. Relaxed breathing will help you read more smoothly and increase your words-per-breath ratio. · Relax. You may also have emotional stress affect their voice, as tension will restrict the amount of breath you can take and the support you can give it. · Put aside time to read and understand the script. Some reads are perceived as choppy because the broadcaster is reading ‘blind’ and taking random breaths because they don’t know where the sentence is taking them and when the next opportunity it might be. It’s along the lines to what we looked in in episode 270. · Be more conversational and don’t stop after every word. Some perceived choppiness is because the reader is being too precise in their diction, sounding every letter when we usually let words merge. For example: when one word ends with the same letter as the next word starts. So, say “ that table ” as “ thattable ” and “ next time” as “ nexttime ”. Similarly, when the first word ends with a consonant and the next word begins with a vowel: “ about it ” becomes “ aboudit ”, “ passed out ” is said “ passdout ”. Individual words can be (depending on the context), be ‘thrown away’: “ and ” becomes “ n ”, “ but ” is said “ buh ”. We looked at diction from episode 126 and conversational reads from 446, both in some detail. · Consider re-writing the script. Sometimes the words on a page (especially short sharp sentences of a commercial) are set out almost like a poem, with lines of a similar length. If it’s OK, change the layout and join up the phrases so you have your own rhythm, and provide a take of the original and the more ‘conversational’ read. There’s an example of this in episode 171. · Ignore the written punctuation slavishly, and go over them, so you run-on some sentences, and consider ignoring commas. More in episode 502 on this. · Understand the ideas in the script, and the flow of them, so there’s a developing concept rather than a list. Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;'
S3 E944 · Tue, August 01, 2023
0944 – Bunged up voice
2023.08.02 – 0944 – Bunged up voice Bunged up voice (also see ‘nasal voice’) Symptom: This permanent ‘cold-like’ sound is caused by ‘not enough’ sounded air to get to the nasal cavity, where the resonance of sound is changed. The voice sounds ‘thick’ or ‘clotted’ and there’s little resonance where there should be in some sounds (say ‘ mmm ’ and ‘ ng ’ – as in “ sing ” – and pinch your nose, and the sound should stop!) Prescription: · However, the first thing to consider is that the speaker may have got into a bad habit (there is a current trend for this kind of sound which people may be emulating), or because of tension in the mouth and throat. The causes: either a raised back-of-tongue blocking airflow to the nose (do a ‘Mr Bean’ voice and you will feel what I mean). The very basic treatment is the same too: a relaxation of the mouth, jaw and throat, and lowering the back of the tongue. · Consider too why perhaps air is having trouble leaving through your nose. Perhaps you have a cold or allergy that’s causing it to be blocked. Maybe they have become swollen because of cigarette smoke, dairy food, dust or dry air. You can effect change with some of these issues, although antihistamines can also dry up your mucus. Oh, and blowing your nose to clear the passages may inflame the membranes even more. (Listen back to episodes 63 and 870 for more on ‘allergies and the voice’.) · Also consider always-helpful stress-busting techniques and looking at the potential cause of stress either personal (problems at home that are causing anxiety at work), or professional (upset with a colleague, uncomfortable at being on air, lack of training …). Episodes from 884 dealt with this topic. · This may because by some kind of physical formation in the nasal area, best investigated by a specialist such as a speech therapist, ENT expert or allergist. · The problem may be because you have a cold, so look back on the section on that, run previously. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E943 · Mon, July 31, 2023
0943 – Breathy Voice
2023.08.01 – 0943 – Breathy Voice Breathy voice Symptom: A voice with lots of air, which disperses the sound waves, makes the voice weak, and soon runs out (such as that of Marilyn Munroe [1] ). The cause may be serious, a physical problem in closing your vocal folds during phonation causing extra, unnecessary air to ‘leak’ as you speak. A breathy voice can be affected, put-on for dramatic effect when the speaker thinks it creates a sultry sound, but like any non-natural speaking styles it can be harming your voice. Prescription: If the cause is serious then it will be identified by a professional ENT specialist. Before booking an appointment with them, try this two-step solution. · Breathiness might be a real (or a perceived) issue of running out of breath as you speak. Relaxation exercises will help, along with better posture. Core exercises will strengthen your diaphragm to allow you to better control your exhalation rate by pulling in your abdomen muscles more slowly. · Then concentrate more on word pronunciation, your phonation. This is something a speech therapist will be able to assist you with. (Episodes 524 and 851 may be of interest if you want to know more about this.) [1] Marilyn Monroe's breathy voice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DYVRT8LpWw and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jOMS-xXaqc Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E942 · Sun, July 30, 2023
0942 – Dry Mouth Problems
2023.07.31 – 0942 – Dry Mouth Problems Dry mouth Symptom: Unable to move your tongue around your mouth properly to form words leading to poor articulation and mistakes. Prescription: · Learn to breathe in more through your nose, which moistens and filters the air. Although this is usually less possible when actually talking as we tend to take snatches of air through our mouth between thoughts, the mouth may be dry in the first place as ‘mouth breathing’ has become a habit. (More on what we knows about the nose in episode 63.) · Drink plenty of water for several days before a speaking event to give you systemic hydration for your whole body, and keep topping up on the day to keep your mouth and larynx wet (topical hydration). Some say apple juice works wonders, others suggest running the tip of your tongue deep along the trench between your cheek and teeth, top and bottom. (A series of episodes from number 750 The Hydration Situation – will see you right.) Possible side effects: When you drink too much water, your kidneys can't get rid of the excess and the sodium content of your blood becomes diluted. This is can be life-threatening ‘hyponatremia’. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E941 · Sat, July 29, 2023
0941 – The Boring Voice
2023.07.30 – 0941 – The Boring Voice Boring voice (aka ‘dull’, ‘flat’, ‘monotonous’, ‘uninterested’) Symptom: If you are having trouble being engaging it may be because your voice lacks variety, and so listeners have trouble working out what is vital and what is trivial. Prescription: · Maybe your voice is lifeless because that’s almost what your body is! Consider your posture: are you sitting in a relaxed yet upright position to allow life-giving CO2 easy-access to your lungs to power your sound? (Read the sections on this ___, and listen back to the podcast episodes from episode 15.) · Work for more ‘melody’, so the words aren’t said at the same pace and tone (as though being fired from a machine gun), but with more ‘vocal variety’. Remember the elements of pitch, tone and speed. · Speak in colour! Where ‘throwaway comments’ are said in ‘black and white’, quietly and without consideration, more important information (perhaps “ free ”, “ unique ”, “ now ” as well as the names of people and brands) are said in colour. That is with a stronger voice, and a greater variety of tone and slightly increased emphasis to cut-through. (Note, that is not shouting.) Podcast episodes 253 onwards will help. · Consider whether you understand the key words in your script, especially if it’s been written by someone else. Being genuinely interested in the news or the script will help in knowing the context of what you are saying, and that is key to getting the correct variation into your presentation. Episodes 178 onwards discuss how to mark up your script. · Use your hands to help your voice. And your face too. Your presentation doesn’t just come from your mouth, so go to episodes 430 onwards to hear about how the rest of your body helps you sound more alive and engaging. Possible side effects: Be wary of over-punching words, or adding too much variety that you sound vacuously inane. Also see: sing-song delivery (which is when the voice has too much melody). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E940 · Fri, July 28, 2023
0940 – YOUR ‘GET A BETTER VOICE’ SYMPTOMS AND PRESCRIPTIONS
2023.07.29 – 0940 – YOUR ‘GET A BETTER VOICE’ SYMPTOMS AND PRESCRIPTIONS Although requirements for broadcast, presentation and voice-over work has changed over the years, less ‘announcer’ to more ‘natural’, you do still need a certain amount of vocal strength and a versatile, pleasing voice if you are going to communicate effectively with your intended audience. Many of the conditions below may cause the listener to shift their attention from the content, to the delivery [1] , and then your desired message is lost. Therefore, you need to honestly evaluate your skills professionally. This ‘symptoms and prescriptions’ checklist will help you with self-correction before you decide whether to seek additional professional help maybe from a GP, speech therapist or other ENT [2] . Below is a helpful checklist or symptoms and prescriptions for various situations. Additional advice is covered in more detail elsewhere in the podcast series or book. [1] Comedy Routine given by Will Noonan at Club Comix Boston: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To0otqt0cQc&feature=youtu.be [2] Ear, Nose and Throat Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E939 · Thu, July 27, 2023
0939 – Emotional Stress After Vocal Injury
2023.07.28 – 0939 – Emotional Stress After Vocal Injury Emotional Stress After Vocal Injury The flip-side of emotion causing changes to the voice, is when vocal damage then affects you psychologically, perhaps because of: · Sadness about the injury and how long recovery may take, if at all · Stress about meeting a deadline, letting people down, loss of income · Awareness that part of your identity is ‘damaged’ · Self-recrimination that the injury may be caused by something you did or didn’t do Consider then, that the healing process may involve emotional as well as vocal healing. Finally Beware if you have been given a radio mic to wear that you turn it off when you want to let off steam to a colleague or go to the toilet. Many presenters [1] have been broadcast when in full flow, and in full flow. [1] And even famously, a politician, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEReCN9gO14 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E938 · Wed, July 26, 2023
0938 – How Emotions And Trauma Affect How You Sound
2023.07.27 – 0938 – How Emotions And Trauma Affect How You Sound Tears and crying They may be tears of joy, sadness, relief or something else, but tears can create vocal problems: · Crying affects your vocal folds · Snotty sinuses swell · Long sobs (from a particular incident or over a period of time – such as in grief or depression) can lead to vocal damage such as nodes on the folds Rest is imperative: vocal, physical and psychological. How emotions and trauma affect your voice One woman was concerned about her decreased vocal range and tired-sounding, painful voice. After some time, it emerged that she had recently left an abusive relationship, but hadn’t realised that such emotional stress could affect her voice. After counselling and vocal rest, she gradually regained her previous sound. This shows that vocal issues may not be directly attributable to the folds themselves, but can be affected by other outside, stressful or psychological situations from starting a new job to death or illness in the family. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E937 · Tue, July 25, 2023
0937 – Studio ‘Corpsing’
2023.07.26 – 0937 – Studio ‘Corpsing’ Corpsing This is when you collapse in uncontrollable fits of laughter, perhaps from a perfectly innocuous remark by a colleague, and you can’t get over your ‘fit of the giggles’. The BBC Radio Four newsreader Charlotte Green tells a great story on the website of the Guardian newspaper:- “The most memorable occasion was during an eight o'clock news bulletin on the Today programme with Sue MacGregor and Jim Naughtie, both of whom have a very good sense of humour. The mood was relaxed, the bulletin was about to end and I was preparing to read my final story. The voice piece playing had 10 seconds to run and the green light in the studio had gone on to warn me that it was coming to an end. Suddenly the name of the head of Papua New Guinea's armed forces, Major General Jack Tuat (pronounced Twat) resonated round the room. It is an open secret that I have a ribald sense of humour. I knew immediately that I was going to have trouble getting through the next story, which to compound the problem was about a sperm whale. In the few seconds before the voice piece ended, Sue repeated sotto voce, almost with a sense of wonderment, "Jack Tuat". I caught her eye and from that moment knew I was lost. My voice rose and dropped like Dame Clara Butt on speed, the laughter broke free and the item about the stranded sperm whale came to a premature end. I was transported back to my 10-year-old self, ambushed by mirth because my best friend had farted, unexpectedly and explosively, during school prayers. Poor Jim managed to splutter the words, "Good luck to the whale", before heroically embarking on an interview with a man named Pratt, who in the general chaos of the moment he then inadvertently called Spratt. It was a moot point as to which one of us slid under the table first!” [1] How should you get over that kind of situation? Look away from others in the room, get into another ‘zone’ mentally, read the words on the page while thinking of Great Aunt Agatha’s funeral, self-inflicted pain like digging your nails into your arm? These all work to some extent - but when the waves of laughter threaten to break the banks of broadcasting professionalism, there is very little you can do. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPtTqCNVdIE and another one, when normally straight-laced sounding Radio 4 presenter Charlotte Green can't keep a straight face after someone in the studio apparently whispers in her ear that the world's oldest sound recording sounds like 'a bee in a jar'. https://www.yout
S3 E936 · Mon, July 24, 2023
0936 – Breaking News
2023.07.25 – 0936 – Breaking News Breaking News Stories News readers need to be cool under pressure. There are occasions when a story breaks just before, or while you are on air and it has to be covered immediately. In such circumstances, a news presenter has to tread a difficult line between making the story sound urgent and important - without making it sound overly dramatic and possibly upsetting. A steady slower, more precise pace and more authority and a hint of urgency in the voice is necessary. A pause after the previous item and this piece of breaking news will help draw the listener in. [1] [1] BBC announces the death of Queen Elizabeth II https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/video/2022/sep/08/bbc-huw-edwards-announces-death-queen-elizabeth-ii-video Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E935 · Sun, July 23, 2023
0935 – Stopping Silly Script-reading Slip-ups
2023.07.24 – 0935 – Stopping Silly Script-reading Slip-ups Other mistakes Don’t let yourself get in your own way! Knowing some of these will help you avoid them in the first place. · Slow down if you can, and you’re likely to make fewer mistakes · Consider that you may be going fast because you are thinking of something else. So, leave your troubles at the studio door · Don’t allow distractions to compromise your concentration. If you can control it, control it. If you can’t (a crackling headphone lead, stale air in the studio) speak to someone whose job it is to sort it, and get it sorted. · If you keep tripping up over a certain phrase or can’t get the intonation right, it’s probably because it’s wrong, unnatural or ungrammatical. So, if you are allowed to, rewrite it · See a pattern of what you trip up over, maybe the sounds or groups, and practice those The only thing you accomplish by rushing through a take, is getting through that take that much sooner. They ‘invented’ takes 2 and 3 for the pro’s, those who prepare and rehearse. If you don’t, then make good friends with takes 7 and 8 because you’re going to be seeing a lot of them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E934 · Sat, July 22, 2023
0934 – If It *Does* Go Wrong
2023.07.23 – 0934 – If It *Does* Go Wrong IF IT DOES GO WRONG The Number One Rule Never swear anywhere near a studio. By keeping to this, the chances of you swearing on air are greatly minimised. It is not just main studios that have microphones and the ability to ‘go live’ - many production booths where producers answer phones can also be put to air, so do not let down your guard. Live-read fluffs Sometimes, you simply get something wrong. It might be your fault because you mis-read the copy, or someone else’s because their mistake was not seen in time. If you know as you say it that something is wrong, an immediate correction is best: “... that should be forty-two thousand ...”; or “... I’m sorry, that should be Watford football club ...” If you trip up over a word , just carry on as though nothing has happened. Only in the most serious of stories, where a mispronunciation would render the story incomprehensible, should you apologise. On most occasions dismiss the fault immediately and move on with the same tone of voice as before. If you sound worried or thrown off your stride, the listener is likely to take it more seriously too. Many trip-ups come from speaking too fast, so if you’re not live the first step might just be to take a breath, reset and slow down. Breath, smile and concentrate. Recorded read fluffs No need to keep apologising profusely if you slip up over a word in a recording session. There’s no need to point it out or give a running commentary of what happened, everyone knows you’ve done it, just stop and take a breath and start over again at the beginning of the sentence or phrase in which you made it. Make sure when you do so that you keep the melody, pitch, pace and tone the same through, so there’s a flow in the edit. “ I’m sorry, let’s go again on that ” is fine. (Hear episode #618) Sometimes people will do a perfect record and then near the end of the session say “ I’m sorry that was rubbish, can I do that again?” There’s a balancing act between wanting to give your very best performance (and giving a few versions for the client to listen to and choose from or edit together), and coming across as lacking confidence. Try not to convince other people that you are not as good as deep-down you know you are. Do: smile. Don’t: whine “ is that OK? ”, or snivel “ this doesn’t usually happen… ”. Show you’re a pro, with no drama. (Well, yes , drama if you’re doing animation or gaming acting, but… you get it!) We all have good days and bad days, but the trick is not to let the studio staff know which is which! Try and identify why you’re having an off day and try and fix it. It may be that there’s underlying stress
S3 E933 · Fri, July 21, 2023
0933 – Confidence Vs. Cockiness
2023.07.22 – 0933 – Confidence Vs. Cockiness Confidence is being pleased that you have been hired for the gig, proud that someone wants you to be the voice of their product, and certain that you can perform well. It’s the difference between someone who sees the red light go on and thinks “ I know, if I concentrate, and with good direction, I’m prepared and communicate this message ”, and the VO who says “ yeah, baby! Wait til they hear what I can do! I’m going to prove that they were right to hire me! I am the best at this, doncha believe it! ” Cockiness is being over-confidence in studio work. When you feel you are so experienced you don’t need to read a script through first as you’re “ brilliant at sight-reading ”; you don’t need to get to the studio in good time as “ I know what I’m doing ”. It’s a little beyond the scope of this book about voice to talk too much about this kind of personality, just to say a trip in a script too many times could leave you out of luck and out of work. If you’re too bombastic, you may bomb. Beware of hubris: pride before a fall. We have seen already how the position in which you hold your body affects the sound you produce. A lot of that is because of the amount of air that can be inhaled and exhaled as well as the use of the body’s resonators. It’s also because of how tension in the body, when it is being held in an awkward or strained position also affects the processes of air and sound. But how you hold your body can also affect you psychologically. And belief is important: a lot of affective vocal communication is about having the knowledge to support your task, and the confidence that comes from completing it successfully. And that that confidence will feed your vocal performance which in turn will further boost your confidence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E932 · Thu, July 20, 2023
0932 – Beta Blockers To Help Studio Nerves
2023.07.21 – 0932 – Beta Blockers To Help Studio Nerves Beta-blockers Perhaps one of the last resorts to cope with mic fright is the use of drugs. [1] That could be drink, tobacco, (il)legal drugs such as cannabis, or some doctors prescribe beta blockers , which are usually for conditions like high blood pressure, arrhythmia and angina, but these, and tranquillizers, may help reduce your anxiety. You can see your GP to discuss if they are appropriate for you, how they work, the pros and cons including possible side-effects. These work mainly by blocking the action of hormones like adrenaline to slow down the heart. They are safe for most people and can be helpful in the treatment of the physical symptoms of anxiety such as shaking, trembling, blushing, sweaty armpits, dry mouth for several hours. In short, it stops the body from going into fight-or-flight mode when there really isn't anything to fight or run away from. In one survey [2] nearly three-quarters of musicians said they tried beta blockers, but so too do pop stars, and comedians, some athletes (those in archery, billiards, and sport shooting who need to have a steady hand), actors and public speakers. The trouble is, whether it be pills or Pils [3] , you’re not only likely dulling your inspiration and creativity (unlike drugs in sport, beta blockers relieve a problem rather than enhance a performance), but treating the symptoms rather than the cause. And beta blockers don’t help you with any of the worry leading up to, or following, a performance (self-doubt, anxiety about audience reaction and so on). [1] Some ‘self-medications’ like excessive alcohol or street drugs may be addictive or have bad side-effects. In fact, anything in excess: exercise, comfort eating or restrictive eating. Listen to the short series of episodes from 874 onwards for more on this. [2] https://composeddocumentary.com/2015-musicians-health-survey/ and http://www.oup.com.au/titles/academic/psychology/9780199586141 [3] Or ‘pilsner’ a pale alcoholic lager beer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva
S3 E931 · Wed, July 19, 2023
0931 – Look After Each Other
2023.07.20 – 0931 – Look After Each Other VOICE BOX Look after each other If you see a colleague going through an anxious moment, support them by being positive. Helpful phrases are ones such as: “ I want to help you... ” “ How can I support you?” Less helpful phrases are: “ Don’t worry…” “ You’ll be fine…” Worse are: “ Are you nervous? ” Pointless feedback includes: Empty suggestions: “ you don’t sound quite right ” Negativity: “that wasn’t very good” Nerves may stop you from getting on with getting behind the mic: perhaps putting off starting a podcast or asking your broadcasting boss if you can present. There’s fear of marketing yourself, fear of rejection. A good tip: don’t mistake ‘procrastination’ for ‘planning’. Nerves m ay be caused by your concerns about potential damage to your professional or personal reputation, what your colleagues, your peers or audience will feel about you. It’s all quite natural: even a break-up conversation can cause similar feelings, and that’s to an audience of one. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E930 · Tue, July 18, 2023
0930 – Earn Your ‘On Air’ Miles
2023.07.19 – 0930 – Earn Your ‘On Air’ Miles Earn your ‘on-air’ miles Of course, overcoming a fear of failure comes from experience: your miles at the mic. When I was still at university, I’d spend hours on hospital radio and then my local station, sometimes just sitting in a studio, seeing the layout, playing songs and jingles, seeing what happened and why. I became comfortable at the controls. Later I had tricks to help me sight-read such as reading the credits to a tv show out loud, talking over the start of songs to hit the ‘vocal post’, listening to the news and repeating the scripts parrot fashion a second after they were uttered by the professional. All these, as well as other exercises in this book are what I have practiced myself. I also made ‘radio programmes’ for family and friends, scripted and recorded a radio soap opera in which I played all the parts, and when I got my first professional job I presented Saturday afternoons 14:00-18:00 on the speech station, Sunday morning 01:00 – 06:00 on the chart music station, Sunday afternoons 14:00-18:00 on the oldies station, as well as being the networked news reader on two of those stations on weekday afternoons. I learnt my trade and built up both my experience and confidence in a variety of ways, on air and off, to help me achieve my role. All skills improve with practice. There is no mystery to mastery! ‘Experience’ is the body realising that if a situation produces nothing dangerous, then adrenaline has been wasted. So, the next time a similar situation happens, it’ll produce slightly less of it, because it has learnt that it is working for nothing. It’s a process of ‘involuntary learnt response’, similar to the way that you probably don’t feel nervous about driving any more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E929 · Mon, July 17, 2023
0929 – Gobble Up The Feedback
2023.07.18 – 0929 – Gobble Up The Feedback Feedback A constructive debrief is part of the ‘Plan and Prepare, Execute and Reflect and Evaluate’ feedback loop. (More on this in episode #629.) Such a ‘post performance review’ (never use the term ‘post-mortem’ as it has so many negative connotations) is most practically held just after the show or session, but be aware that it could therefore be emotionally-laden in which case postpone it til the next day. Discuss: · What went well and why o How you can recreate it another time · What could have gone better o How that can be avoided in the future It may be that such feedback is very informal, not so much a meeting but a passing comment by a colleague in the corridor. Step away from those who you know aren’t constructive but find instead someone who knows how to give honest but polite ideas on how to improve. Improve your strengths, reduce your weaknesses – and increase your confidence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E928 · Sun, July 16, 2023
0928 – Warming Down
2023.07.17 – 0928 – Warming Down After The Studio Session Warm Down Exercises Hear episodes from #804 for specific exercises but doing these are part of the process to build confidence for next time. After all, if you don’t warm down and then end up hurt, it won’t inspire you to speak on mic at the next opportunity. They’re really easy to do surreptitiously in the studio when the mic’s gone down, in the toilet, leaving the building after the session or in the car: deep breathing, skeletal relaxation, positive affirmations. Doing these will also help you bring the show or session to a close, to mark what was on-mic and what’s real-life, and help you transition from an adrenaline-powered performance mode to normal mode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E927 · Sat, July 15, 2023
0927 – What To Do In The Moment When The Nerves Feel Real
2023.07.16 – 0927 – What To Do In The Moment When The Nerves Feel Real VOICE BOX What to do in-the-moment when the nerves feel very real? STOPP: S – Slow down Pause and look and take it in. T – Take a breath And then in the event, calming breaths, relax your mouth with lip trills and blows, be grounded on your feet. Connect with the ground and wiggle your toes O – Observe how you feel now P – Pull back. Think what a reassuring friend would say to you right now P – Practice some mindfulness and visualization ((make these more studio based)) A quick and easy mindfulness exercise to help reign in racing thoughts is to sit quietly and think of: · 5 things you can see: your hands, the sky, a woman in a red dress · 4 things you can physically feel: your feet firmly on the floor, one hand holding another · 3 things you can hear: friendly chatter, the wind, your breath · 2 things you can smell: fresh coffee · 1 thing you can taste: a mint, the fresh air This exercise helps move your mind to the moment and interrupt unhealthy thought loops Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E926 · Fri, July 14, 2023
0926 – ‘Park’ Perfection
2023.07.15 – 0926 – ‘Park’ Perfection Think about: · Your single listener across the room: it will help you focus your attention on reassuring realities rather than lurking fears · The fact that the audience can’t harm you. They have turned on to hear what you have to say, to get your opinion and expertise. It’s your job to help them with that · How you are probably more aware of your nerves than they are. What seemed like a dreadful mistake to you probably went completely unnoticed by them. If you calmly correct yourself (if even that is necessary) they will hardly remember it at all in a few minutes. Pauses too are perceived differently: what may be an eternity to you is imperceptible to them. · And they won’t have heard your grumbling stomach or seen your sweaty palms. · Perfection in the performing arts is difficult if not impossible to define. So ‘park’ perfection and aim for sincerity and the best performance you can manage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E925 · Thu, July 13, 2023
0925 – Pause and Breathe, Focus and Relax
2023.07.14 – 0925 – Pause and Breathe, Focus and Relax Pause and Breathe High levels of adrenalin affect the body’s chemistry for violent action which it doesn’t get. Burning off energy by filling your blood with oxygen will help you replace this missing activity. A bout of steady breathing does this. Breathing is the key-thing, as I always say! Take a few minutes to centre yourself. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. It’s not big gulps of breath, it’s ‘mindful breathing’: calm and reassuring breaths, noticing your body and its surroundings. Calm with five deep breaths from stomach and other relaxation exercises we have looked at in-depth before Focus and relax! Take the focus off yourself, make it about the audience, to share and serve them. Don’t over analyse or overthink what you’re doing and saying. · Give it some time – once you are in the studio you will get over the initial nervousness after the first few links, takes or pages. Confidence will come! · It’s not just you – other people will be nervous as well: the producer, the client and others may also feel the same way. You’re in this together to make it work for all of you! VOICE BOX Inspiring confidence as a director: · Be welcoming and do introductions · Avoid being negative (timing, etc) · Talk through what you want to achieve and how it fits in, the context of the project · Check, water, pencil, a script · Ask for a first read · Tell them you love what they are doing and help them get what they haven’t got ‘yet’ · Best to have actor have their own understanding so they sound believable, clear feedback “ yes and… ” · Try not to interrupt mid flow, avoid stop/starts · Create an environment where people feel confident and comfortable to create creativity There’s more advice on this, in episodes #615, 627, 629 · Keep things light – stay professional, but don’t be overly serious. Keep the room at ease, crack an (appropriate) light comment if possible and get into the spirit of having a good time. Perhaps be a little self-deprecating if you have to do multiple takes. · Concentrate – sometimes you don’t have time or ‘headspace’ to be nervous because you’re concentrating on the task in hand. Slow down, take a breath and take your time. Don’t let what you can’t do, interfere with what you can do. In other words, don’t worry about what you can’t change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy</
S3 E924 · Wed, July 12, 2023
0924 – Pre-Performance Routines
2023.07.13 – 0924 – Pre-Performance Routines Pre-performance routines Having a routine reminds the mind of what’s coming next: a live show or a session recording. We’ve spoken about all of these before: A mental warm-up , perhaps on the bus or train on the way to the studio or sitting in the car outside. Release tension and let go. Imagine you are somewhere warm, maybe on a beach or park. Imagine the sun warming your toes. Focus on the image of loosening and softening and the sun shining and melting any tension away. Repeat while considering your feet, ankles, shins and calves, knees, thighs, pelvis, lower belly and back, ribs, chest and upper back, shoulders, uppers arms, lower arms, hands, neck, face, scalp. A physical warm up: walking to the studio or on a mid-way break through a recording, getting outside for some fresh air and sun. Try a wall lunge: stand a few feet away from a wall with one leg slightly forward, and push against the wall and then relax. This can also lower the amount of tension-inducing hormones in the body, such as cortisol. Shoulder rolls, shaking the hands, and arms and head turns Try clenching each group of muscles from your toes upwards. Tense each group in turn, holding for a count of five and then relax them. Soften the body : are you gripping a mouse or pen, which will give tension in the hand, arms and shoulder. A vocal warm up : Hums in your speaking range, ‘ng’ sweeps Yawn, stretching the tongue, lip trills. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E923 · Tue, July 11, 2023
0923 – Positive Self-Talk
2023.07.12 – 0923 – Positive Self-Talk During The Studio Session – or pre-performance routines immediately before Positive self-talk Remember that you were chosen for your talents ahead of everyone else. So really, the hardest bit is over! You have to have as much confidence in yourself as the client or producer does. Of course, you’ll be nervous but perhaps try and break any tension with some light conversation, get to know the studio staff, ask them questions and so on. The producers know they’ll get a better job from you if you are at ease. The more comfortable you are, the fewer mistakes you’ll make. Sometimes you’ll have to take a step away from the mic, have a drink, visit the toilet (and refocus). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E922 · Mon, July 10, 2023
0922 – Step By Step Positive Songs
2023.07.11 – 0922 – Step By Step Positive Songs Listen to a Positive Song Music is a great emotion-bringer, so when you get up on your ‘big day’ pick one that gives you positive energy and brings a smile to your face. This could be something from your childhood or a recent song that you can’t stop listening to. [Snooker player] Ali Carter suggested that Whitney Houston inspired him to a first ranking title in seven years as he won the German Masters… He revealed that listening to the late American singing great had played a part in ending his title wait. "The journey of getting through the day, all you can see is getting to 10 [frames] seeming like an absolute mile away… But… I heard Step by Step by Whitney Houston and it was quite a memorable song, and I just thought 'yeah, step by step, day by day' and I've got there." [1] Sing along and then smile. Smiling releases ‘feel good’ hormones: dopamine and serotonin, calming you down. Leave your troubles at the studio door How are you feeling right now? It may be that you have got out of bed the wrong side, or had a row with the kids, or just had an unexpected bill. You can’t take these emotions to your audience. [1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/64533013 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E921 · Sun, July 09, 2023
0921 – Nutrition and Hydration
2023.07.10 – 0921 – Nutrition and Hydration Nutrition and Hydration Eating gives you the fuel to stay focused and keep going under pressure. Healthy food of a single ingredient (so fruit, vegetables and so on), is preferable to processed additive-ridden ready-meals which can affect your gut and your brain. There’s a huge link between one and the other, and if you eat like a slob, you’re likely to get brain fog … as well as enjoy the knock-on effects of being overweight (and the issues that leads on from that, including problems breathing), and more directly for the voice a poorly-performing or poorly-coated vocal fold system. More long-term ways to cut anxiety: · Exercise, which leads to sleep · Social media detox · Your diet – less alcohol or sugar fluctuations Create some ‘performance routines’ of positive self-talk, mindfulness [1] and breathing exercises, a physical and vocal warm-up and a visualization of success. [1] http://mindfulnessforsingers.co.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E920 · Sat, July 08, 2023
0920 – Rest and Relax
2023.07.09 – 0920 – Rest and Relax Preparation – Your Voice We have covered plenty of exercises to help you have a strong, healthy and agile voice, both in how it sounds and also how it sounds with particular words, scripts, the intonations and emotions. Remember two of my philosophies on this topic: · Breathing is the key thing – belly-breathing will help calm you · Hydrate, mate o And linked with this, steaming, which we looked at before (ep 767). Rest and Relax Part of the reason we get tense and stressed is because we are on the go all the time. Make sure that you get time to rest and relax and when you do, fully commit. That may be a good night's sleep: · Rest will help your voice, at least 7 hours a night is good · Not only will it rest your folds, relax your frame, it also increases your ability to concentrate, and give your body chance to rest and repair itself – leading to long-term wellness · And of course, when you are sleeping you have your skeleton in a restful state (obviously) and not slumped in front of the TV, hunched over the laptop, or shouting in a bar… A few minutes of meditation: · Mindfulness meditation · Breathing techniques · Pilates · T’ai Chi · Yoga · Massage. Or, don’t calm down! Instead of keeping your energy pent-up and suppressed, turn it into something useful. Even walking alone or with a dog, you breath fresh air, stretch legs, and see the colour green; organised sports mean you are socialising with others, conversing and laughing – all of which are mood-boosters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E919 · Fri, July 07, 2023
0919 – Does Practice Make Perfect?
2023.07.08 – 0919 – Does Practice Make Perfect? Preparation - The content - Be familiar with the script, the format, the role, the studio tech … If you’re not prepared, you will know it, even deep down. Prepare, and prepare for the unexpected: what to do if there’s breaking news, you have to ‘fill for time’ for a minute, the guest is not who you were expecting, you’ve lost your notes. That script, have you read it through at least once (without over prepping)? Do you know how the link works to their studio from yours? More long-term prep is through investing in yourself: courses, training, one-to-ones, seminars and webinars, books and podcasts (we know a really good one!), chats with colleagues, studying others… and expose yourself to as many opportunities as possible. Only by doing that will you risk surprising and challenging your comfort zone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E918 · Thu, July 06, 2023
0918 – Counselling For Mic Fright
2023.07.07 – 0918 – Counselling For Mic Fright Psychological help and counselling If your jitters are more serious and long term, therapy or cognitive behavioural therapy [1] may help discover the reasons, put things into perspective and suggest long-term coping strategies. If your fears relate back to long-standing difficult psychological events, it will help to identify and work through these with a suitable psychotherapist. If your performance fears include panic attacks, social anxiety or phobias, or you have a wide-ranging tendency to perfectionism, work through these issues with a suitable psychotherapist. If your fears are based on shaky or inadequate technique, book yourself some time with a trusted teacher or expert in your field. [2] · Expect and accept it – understand what may happen and tell yourself that you are in control of you. Own it. Don’t challenge, ignore, try and hide, just face it. [1] In the UK, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) may be available on the NHS through your GP or by contacting the “Improving Access to Psychological Therapies” (IAPT) scheme. Private therapists can be found via the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy (BABCP) or through the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). [2] Source: https://www.bapam.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/BAPAM-Factsheet-Managing-Performance-Anxiety.pdf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E917 · Wed, July 05, 2023
0917 – Have a No-Stress Rehearsal
2023.07.06 – 0917 – Have a No-Stress Rehearsal Have a Mental Rehearsal Visualise success – Research shows that our brain reacts the same in a real situation as in an imagined one, so do what athletes do and start training your brain into thinking positively and practice seeing yourself performing well. Develop and practice pre- and during- ‘performance’ routines so you feel more familiarity with what’s going to happen, so you settle in more quickly when it starts for real. And as you do this, imagine it all going incredibly well. We have seen before how visualisation helps the voice-over artist when we are trying to persuade people to buy a product. Starting with small steps practice mimicking the studio day in as much detail as possible: · What will you wear and what time will you arrive? · Research the VO studio on Google so you can see what it looks like inside and out. If you are speaking at an actual event, try and see the room beforehand so you feel comfortable there and eliminate ‘situational stress’. · Can you find pictures of the producer or director, or the guest you’re going to interview remotely? · Ad-lib what you’ll say to them, how you’ll sit in the studio, your fluency and confidence How will you be feeling during all of this? (The answer is “ cool and quietly confident ”!) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E916 · Tue, July 04, 2023
0916 – Remind Yourself Why You Care
2023.07.05 – 0916 – Remind Yourself Why You Care Remind yourself why you care Why is this broadcast, podcast or voice-over opportunity important to you? Tell yourself, out loud, how excited you are about this what it is that you, the product, or your guest are about to share with listeners. From your perspective, you really know that this is what you want to do, and you’ve put yourself in this situation: · You’ve dreamt of having your own radio show · You’ve trained hard to be a VO · You’ve chosen to start a podcast · You’ve been flattered when asked to be a guest on a YouTube discussion. It’s precisely because we want to stretch ourselves (perhaps for self-satisfaction, public admiration or financial gain – and there’s nothing wrong with any of that), that we put ourselves into situations that we’ve not encountered before. And doing something new will inevitably show up our weaknesses. Write down the skills and strengths that’ve helped you get to where you are now. The courses and conferences, exercises and exams. Doing this will help give you comfort and confidence and a sense of positivity. If someone else thinks you’re good enough to do the job, why don’t you? The word ‘confidence’ comes from the Latin ‘confidere’ meaning to ‘have full trust’. Now you need to have full trust in yourself, that you can do this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E915 · Mon, July 03, 2023
0915 – Renaming and Reframing Mic Fright
2023.07.04 – 0915 – Renaming and Reframing Mic Fright Re-naming and re-framing: Positive self-talk Our physical reactions to different emotions are often similar. Think how you feel when you’re excited and when you’re frightened; both emotions may result in increased muscle tension, tremor and palpitations but we interpret them differently. Excitement is perceived as a positive ‘stress’ while genuine fear or anger is perceived as unpleasant ‘distress’. Here's another example: the situation may not be ‘wrong’ or ‘scary’, just ‘new’ and ‘unfamiliar’. It’s a bit like the old song: “ A stranger's just a friend you do not know ”. [1] One more: instead of thinking that the audience is the ‘enemy’, waiting to pounce on your every stutter and stumble, retrain your brain to accept that there will inevitably be a few mistakes, and the audience is on your side. Finally: Interpret the effects of adrenalin, as your body’s way of telling you you’re ready! So, get into the habit of reframing the situation in your ‘caveman’ mind: you’re not nervous at the situation, you’re excited for the opportunity. [1] https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/jimreeves/astrangersjustafriend.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E914 · Sun, July 02, 2023
0914 – Be “Channelin’ The Adrenaline”!
2023.07.03 – 0914 – Be “Channelin’ The Adrenaline”! “ Channelin’ the adrenaline ”! Remember, if you are nervous, it shows you care. You want to perform well, you want to be careful and professional, not slipshod and slapdash. Of course, the presence of some of these chemicals can give you the edge. Some arousal leads to better performance: you may feel sharper and wittier, have rapier-like questions, Seiko-like timing, a voice of a god and more presence than Santa. Too much adrenaline and you’re doing an impression of a jelly on a plate. Not so much a celebrated showstopper, as an actual showstopper. So we need to use this adrenaline to our advantage, not to have it take advantage. We need to be “ Channelin’ the adrenaline ”! How do we do that? By calling ‘nervousness’ something else… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E913 · Sat, July 01, 2023
0913 – Know Your Nervous Triggers
2023.07.02 – 0913 – Know Your Nervous Triggers OVERCOMING MIC FRIGHT BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER YOUR STUDIO SESSION BEFORE Pre-performance routines the weeks and days beforehand Those ‘butterflies’ in your stomach? They’re normal. But you have to teach them to fly in formation, like a squadron of drones, and harness their combined energies to give you wings and allow you to fly! Here’s how to do just that. Know Your Nervous Triggers First realise what it is that you are feeling. Go back to the previous episodes from 888 because it may not be nerves at all, but something quite different – something you need to approach from another more clinical or psychological direction. And of course, I can’t help you with that as I’m not your doctor (indeed, I’m not anyone’s doctor!). All I have here are some general tips and advice. It may be useful to have a think about what triggers your anxiety (there were lots of possible causes we listed previously from episode 898). What is the practical basis for your belief of potential failure? It may be the technical issues of a livestream or studio setting, it may be awkward words in a script or running out of things to say. Once you have an idea of what’s bringing you down, then you can unpack it, deal with it, set it aside and build yourself back up. Don’t ignore it, but deal with the underlying cause of the situation, not just your reaction to it. So, create a list, work your way through it and you’ll find that most of them are quite easily overcome. Then do what you need to, to complete each task to reduce the self-sabotaging behaviour. Become a task-master to become a past master. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E912 · Fri, June 30, 2023
0912 – Your Mindset At The Mic
2023.07.01 – 0912 – Your Mindset At The Mic INTRODUCTION Performance anxiety is rarely researched and so we understand very little about the specifics of this complex condition. We know some hacks… but we also know that long term mental health is very serious. Again, consult a medical professional for more long-term treatment for what may be underlying issues. Millenia ago our caveman ancestors would have sat around a camp fire, telling stories of spirits and sabre-toothed tigers. Their fellow cave-dwellers’ faces would be seen in the flickering flame of the fire, encouraging our ancestor on with his tale of mystery and heroism with a combination of grunts, gestures and wide-eyed wonderment. Skip forward and today’s story tellers sit in a windowless box, alone yet talking to millions. We are told to “ be natural ” when on the radio or in a TV studio, but there’s nothing natural about it – and we have to trick our Neanderthal instincts into pretending there is. In this chapter we’ll look at some of the more respected ways of dealing with ‘mic fright’. Some are straightforward (such as preparation and relaxation), others a little more in-depth (therapy) and others potentially dangerous (self-medication). However, I won’t be looking at some of the most obscure so-called cures (from drinking vast quantities of chamomile tea, asking your colleagues to spank you, or even pre-show masturbation). [1] Although everyone is different and those may work for you… But of course, the Catch 22 with learning how to deal with studio pressure is that such training can really only take place, in a studio. With a red light. And the knowledge that thousands or millions of people are listening… and the realisation that the only real cure for excessive nervousness, is experience. [1] https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/sep/21/stephen-fry-stage-fright Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E911 · Thu, June 29, 2023
0911 – Your Guests’ Nerves
2023.06.30 – 0911 – Your Guests’ Nerves Don’t forget the guests They get nervous too. The presence of a microphone can cause some people to panic. Perhaps that’s not surprising in some situations: pouncing on an unsuspecting member of the public in the street, shoving a microphone in their face and asking them intricate questions about the international monetary fund is sure to make someone clam up and run off! Studio or podcast guests may suffer similar anxiety, either a member of the public or an expert in their field. Those more used to a board room or lecture room are sometimes terrified of facing a microphone or a camera for the first time. It might be to do with their words being recorded electronically and for posterity, it might be that they don’t know where to focus their attention. Where is the lens on the camera, or if they should ignore it, and how to connect with someone (or lots of ‘someones’) who they can’t actually see. It is perhaps understandable that they may be a bit overwhelmed by a studio situation, the lights and the mics … and then ‘chew them up and spit them out’ way that some producers ‘process’ their guests on a live show. Add if they react like that, they won’t be giving their best answers in their best voice. · A relaxed environment will get the best out of them · Clearly and calmly explain what’s going to happen and what you’d like from them · Give a basic explanation of the recording process · Let them know the right sitting posture, and distance from the mic, not to touch the mic or the stand, turn away from it to cough and so on Offer them a glass of water so that they can take sips if they feel dryness in their mouth Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E910 · Wed, June 28, 2023
0910 – How The Audience Reacts To Your Nerves
2023.06.29 – 0910 – How The Audience Reacts To Your Nerves How does the audience react to your nerves? Nerves not only affect you; they also affect your listeners. They want to feel taken care of, that they are in safe hands. They’ll feel comfortable, if they think you are. If you sound nervous, they may: · Question your competence – “why is she nervous if she’s supposed to know what she’s talking about?” · Feel sympathy – “that poor woman, this must be so awful for them…” And you don’t want people to wonder about your credibility or to worry about you (yours should be the trusted voice of information or entertainment). Nervousness in a speaker will affect the benefit they will get from listening to you. I often use the analogy of the coach passenger who’s anxious if the driver uses the wrong gear, clips the curb and doesn’t know the route. They’ll want to get off! In the same way, listening to a radio or podcast presenter who can’t operate the studio gear, clips the start of songs or doesn’t know the way through an anecdote will want them to turn off! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E909 · Tue, June 27, 2023
0909 – How Video Meetings Can Cause Stress
2023.06.28 – 0909 – How Video Meetings Can Cause Stress VOICE BOX How video meetings can cause stress: More focus is needed to process non-verbal communication such as facial expressions, tonal variation, body language The self-awareness of being watched may make you feel that you are performing and lead to performance anxiety Delays or latency: even a 1.2 second delay can make you perceive the responder as unfriendly or unfocussed. In a real-life conversation silence is normal, but on a video call it can cause irritation We can place huge expectations on ourselves to maintain our optimum work performance due to concerns about job security and the economy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E908 · Mon, June 26, 2023
0908 – When You Simply Can’t Speak At All
2023.06.27 – 0908 – When You Simply Can’t Speak At All The clinical name for hoarseness is ‘dysphonia’ and complete (or almost complete) voice loss is ‘aphonia’. Often the symptoms are caused by infection, physical abnormality or disease, but emotional distress can also be at the root, when it is referred to as a ‘psychogenic’ voice disorder. Extreme performance anxiety may include paralysis: freezing, fainting or losing the ability to talk at all. [1] In the singing world (where of course, artists perform in front of a living, breathing audience, unlike the solo studio presentations of most broadcasters and podcasters) some of the biggest names from Maria Callas to Vladimir Horowitz – have struggled to deal with performing under intense expectation. Then there’s Ella Fitzgerald, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Barbra Streisand [2] , Adele [3] , Luciano Pavarotti, Arthur Rubinstein, actors Stephen Fry [4] and John Sim [5] , Sergei Rachmaninoff, Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Frederic Chopin who wrote: “ I am not fitted to give concerts. The audience intimidates me. I feel choked by its breath, paralysed by its curious glances ”. Note that a live performance is usually better than a pre-recorded one as performers are often at their best when there's a bit of tension. There’s a buzz an excitement, a scary thrill. Nerves can keep you alert and sharp at the mic, you need to harness that energy and heightened state of awareness to bring in your best personal performance. [1] More on this topic in Dianna Kenny’s book “ The Psychology of Music Performance Anxiety ” https://www.amazon.co.uk/Psychology-Music-Performance-Anxiety/dp/0199586144 and Sarah Solovitch “Playing Scared: A History and Memory of Stage Fright” https://www.amazon.co.uk/Playing-Scared-History-Memoir-Fright/dp/162040091X [2] Barbra Streisand, the most successful solo female singer of all time, gave up live performance for 27 years after she forgot the words to a song in a concert in Central Park in 1967. She later claimed to have spent 2,700 hours in psychotherapy, at a cost of $360,000. Hoste
S3 E907 · Sun, June 25, 2023
0907 – The Vocal Effect Of Mic Fright
2023.06.26 – 0907 – The Vocal Effect Of Mic Fright Vocally: · When stressed, the muscles that control the larynx can become tense. [1] (Periods of prolonged muscle tension in the larynx can lead to a lack of coordination of the vocal control system that can cause vocal fatigue and even vocal damage.) · Tension is likely to harden surfaces and make them smaller. So, holding your shoulders and throat in this state, and having a jaw that’s barely opening, will make any vocalisation higher and thinner and with less resonance · A lack of breath support will likely make the voice higher in tone; flatter in prosody, quieter in volume, shakier in authority · You run out of what little breath you have, so, you read faster to get to the end of a sentence before you need to take another breath, resulting in gabbling · Gabbling can lead to speed-induced speaking errors: you trip up over your words · A drier mouth may mean less-precise articulation of words, it’ll simply be more difficult to move your tongue to form the words · The mental ‘brain fog’ may cause slower speech, mispronounced words, script hesitations or slow adlib reaction times You will hear the results of stress in your voice, in your headphones … causing more stress both in the moment and longer term: · Anxiety causes more anxiety, which may lead to o A lack of sleep (either not being able to drop off, or waking up early or intermittently § Leading to reduced energy levels · The possible use of alcohol or drugs to get to sleep or stay awake o Difficulty exercising or eating properly o A dull, tired sounding voice [1] A tense throat is almost your body’s way of saying “ I don’t want you to say anything in case you embarrass yourself ”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E906 · Sat, June 24, 2023
0906 – The Respiratory Effect Of Mic Fright
2023.06.25 – 0906 – The Respiratory Effect Of Mic Fright Respiritorally: · Held tension will restrict your ability to drop your diaphragm and open up your lungs · ‘Fight-or-flight breathing’ into your upper thoracic chest cavity and the clavicular area of your throat, meaning your breaths will naturally be shorter and shallower · You won’t be able to take in a proper amount of oxygen, a natural calming chemical · You’ll be forced into mid-sentence snatched breaths, and end-sentence croaks as you eek out the last of the CO2 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E905 · Fri, June 23, 2023
0905 – The Physical Effect Of Mic Fright
2023.06.24 – 0905 – The Physical Effect Of Mic Fright Physically: · Sweating under the arms, down the back and clammy hands · A stomach somewhere between a butterfly house or churning like a cement mixer and in extreme cases, vomiting (or a feeling of it) and diarrhoea or a feeling to rush to the toilet · A racing heart, or sometimes a rapidly-dropping heart rate · Blurred vision · Trembling or in-chair fidgeting, shuffling from foot to foot as though wanting to run away Skeletally: · Your physique becomes defensive, small and tight · Tension is created across your body from your face to your frame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E904 · Thu, June 22, 2023
0904 – The Mental Effect Of Mic Fright
2023.06.23 – 0904 – The Mental Effect Of Mic Fright The effect of nerves and stress on the body psychosomatic /ˌsʌɪkə(ʊ)səˈmatɪk/ adjective 1. A physical illness or condition caused or aggravated by a mental factor such as internal conflict or stress 2. relating to the interaction of mind and body. Extra adrenaline upsets your natural hormonal equilibrium causing ‘microphone-itis’. It’s not a nice list of symptoms and side-effects to have one or more of these. Mentally: · Concentration evaporation - a ‘foggy’ brain, or feeling light-headed and losing an understanding of time (it either dragging or speeding [1] ) · Feelings of apprehension, fear, dread or panic · Feelings of failure, inadequacy or lack of skill · Negative and self-critical thoughts “ it’ll go badly ”, “ I won’t cope ”, “ I’m going to be found out ” … [1] Some presenters experience losing a ‘sense of self’ during a performance (not quite in the moment and viewing themselves from a third-party point of view), and a strange ‘sense of self’ afterwards (having lost a sense of time, the event either super-slow, tortoise-like and tortuous or a racing rollercoaster and over all too soon). It’s thought this is because our perception of time depends on rhythms which are regulated by adrenalin, which at moments of stress, we have too much of. Actor Arthur Darvill: " I've been so nervous during shows that I've walked off-stage at the end and immediately forgotten everything that I've just done .” ( https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/sep/21/stephen-fry-stage-fright ) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E903 · Wed, June 21, 2023
0903 – The Studio ‘Caveman’
2023.06.22 – 0903 – The Studio ‘Caveman’ This survival mechanism developed so humans could react quickly to life-threatening situations. But even though we don’t experience many saber-toothed tigers down the high street, our mind can still perceive some unusual situations as stressful, triggering the original reactions. Of course, very often we can neither fight or flee: our ‘caveman brain’ tells us to attack the interviewer or rip the mic off the stand – but our ‘modern brain’ tells us we can’t. Our ‘caveman brain’ tells us, OK, if we can’t fight, we have to run, but our ‘modern brain’ reminds us that if we want to keep our job we can’t! So, as well as fight and flight we have another ‘f’… we may freeze. And that possibility of ‘behavioural avoidance’, together with the adrenaline (and noradrenaline and acetyl-choline) now coursing through our veins, is what causes the problem. Whether it’s squaring up to start a fight, or preparing to ‘flight’, our body is getting us ready for quick response. · And that means holding everything. · And a holding pattern creates unnecessary tension · And unnecessary tension leads to inefficient vocal function · And that over a long period can cause vocal problems Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E902 · Tue, June 20, 2023
0902 – Mic ‘Flight and Fight’
2023.06.21 – 0902 – Mic ‘Flight and Fight’ Mic fight and flight [1] The ‘fight or flight’ response is well known: an automatic physiological reaction that’s perceived by the ‘caveman’ in us as stressful or frightening. The sympathetic nervous system is activated, triggering an acute stress response that prepares the body to confront it, or get away from it. A cascade of adrenaline, noradrenaline and acetylcholine make the heart pound, pupils dilate and breathing quicken. Muscles tense with the increased blood flow and beads of sweat appear. The stomach can feel nauseous or full of ‘butterflies’. “Adrenaline plays an important role in the fight-or-flight response by increasing blood flow to muscles, output of the heart, pupil dilation response and blood sugar level.” (Source: Wikipedia) “Noradrenaline production reaches its higher levels during situations of stress or danger, in the so-called fight-or-flight response. In the brain it increases arousal and alertness, promotes vigilance, enhances formation and retrieval of memory, and focuses attention; it also increases restlessness and anxiety. In the rest of the body, norepinephrine increases heart rate and blood pressure, triggers the release of glucose from energy stores, increases blood flow to skeletal muscle, reduces blood flow to the gastrointestinal system, and inhibits voiding of the bladder and gastrointestinal motility.” (Source: Wikipedia) “Acetylcholine is the chemical that motor neurons of the nervous system release in order to activate muscles.” (Source: Wikipedia) [1] A good write-up of the fight-or-flight response is here: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E901 · Tue, June 20, 2023
0901 – Lack of Prep Time
2023.06.20 – 0901 – Lack of Prep Time · Lack of time or effort to prepare mentally – perhaps you are tired, ‘under the weather’, in pain or returning after a break. There may be distracting ‘life events’ in your head: deaths and illnesses, relationship breakdowns or financial pressures. Even if you can’t step away from these physically, try and do so mentally, from the editorial process in the newsroom or studio: the talk and the technicals. Prepare for your performance: the message and the mood, the pace and pronunciation… and all of the other keys to communication Research [1] suggests that how much we experience mic-fright, can be down to factors such as: · Anxiety partly inherited through the mother’s hormone levels · Parental obsession with one’s practice, exams and career success · Parental criticism or demands to be quiet [1] https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/sep/08/how-classical-musicians-cope-with-performance-stress Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E900 · Sun, June 18, 2023
0900 – Confidence And Self-Esteem
2023.06.19 – 0900 – Confidence And Self-Esteem · Lack of confidence – most of us have a fear of failure, but we can only survive and thrive by putting ourselves in a situation in which we are tested, and you can’t easily replicate being on air without actually being on air. You’re also more likely to experience performance anxiety if by nature you’re a ‘worrier’ and tend to get anxious or upset in everyday situations · Lack of self-esteem – that we subconsciously seek immediate approval from the non-existent feedback loop, our perceived vulnerability – who we are, what we have to lose by making a mistake. Modesty is a virtue but self-effacement can be debilitating. Respect yourself, your subject and your audience to help you heighten the conviction in your communication of your unique perspective or experience. You may have an unhappy memory of a previous performance – which may itself have been because of some of the issues here, but maybe you didn’t cope (or weren’t helped to cope) in the best way, told it was “experience”, “a learning curve” or “these things happen”. None of which are terribly helpful. The incident may’ve led to comments by colleagues or threads on social which’ll be around ‘forever’, leading you to mull, muse and ruminate and giving yourself a metaphorical kicking. Not the greatest ingredients for confidence. We may be uncomfortable with how we sound or look. We hear ourselves differently from how others do, and evolutionarily, seeing ourselves in any way other than a reflection can still be disconcerting. [1] Additionally we don’t usually see ourselves close up and in HD, and the famous line that “ the camera adds ten pounds ” [2] . But remember, how you look and sound are only a surprise to you. Everyone else has known you like this for years, and they still accept you, know, like and trust you… [1] Seeing ourselves on a monitor is not like a reflection that we are ‘programmed’ to accept. For millions of years, we only saw how we looked in a reflection in still water, and then in mirrors. It was only comparatively recently in evolutionary terms that we saw ourselves from the perspective of how others see us, via still and then video cameras. [2] https://www.businessinsider.com/cameras-can-make-you-look-fat-2016-7?r=US&IR=T Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E899 · Sat, June 17, 2023
0899 – Underlying Reasons For Mic Fright
2023.06.18 – 0899 – Underlying Reasons For Mic Fright What the underlying reasons could be So, just why are some broadcaster-performers exhilarated and energized in front of the mic, while others feel a crushing sense of fear and dread, and sometimes see studio work as something that must be endured rather than enjoyed? These can be summed up by: [1] · Lack of experience – you simply need more ‘on-air miles’ especially if you’re working with new people, especially ‘difficult’ or ‘famous’ people · Lack of preparation - there hasn’t been much time to prepare, practise and rehearse. Maybe the live or recording is ‘high profile’ or ‘important’, perhaps technically or creatively challenging, (maybe a big audience, a major brand). And what of this prep? Perhaps you’ve set rigid and unrealistically high standards for yourself which you (or anyone else) would rarely be able to achieve. Even though you cannot rehearse for every specific sports match, news story or studio conversation, you can get prepared for them. For instance, watching previous matches and preparing notes on all the players will help, as will really listening to similar news commentaries and noting what is described and how, and swotting up on your adlibbing skills (check out episode 593 for more on this) [1] With reference to “Television and Radio Announcing” , SW Hyde, publ: Houghton Mifflin (1983) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E898 · Fri, June 16, 2023
0898 – Causes Of Mic Fright
2023.06.17 – 0898 – Causes Of Mic Fright So, what’s going on? Extreme nervousness is one of the most unpleasant experiences to go through: physical and mental suffering that, if you are a broadcaster, may be in public and recorded and be played back - not just in one’s mind but also on social media for years to come. glossophobia /ˌɡlɒs.əˈfəʊ.bi.ə/ noun The f ear of public speaking ( speaking to a group of people ) Deriv: Greek glosso- (tongue, language) + -phobia (fear). “ Year after year in the UK, glossophobia claims the top spot as Britain’s no. 1 phobia, repeatedly knocking ‘fear of death’ down into second position. ... At a funeral, the average Briton would rather be in the casket than deliver the eulogy .” Richard O. Smith; The Man with His Head in the Clouds; Signal Books; 2015. What situations may cause ‘mic fright’? Nerves are usually quite normal. Even so there are some situations that may cause anything from butterflies to freezing: · A radio or TV presenter, used to studio work, being asked to present ‘on the road’ or on stage in front of ‘real people’ · The ‘mic live’ red light coming on (sometimes it’s called, perhaps understandably, the ‘ dread light’), and the accompanying sweating armpits, and shallow breaths · Even working in a different studio, with a different format or with breaking news, perhaps with a new producer or co-host – all of these can cause usually languishing Lepidoptera to awaken… · The audience – its size (twelve people is perhaps less daunting than 200), its importance, and how familiar we are with the members [1] . Before you know it, there you are, face-to-face with paying clients from major corporations who are looking to you to bring their message to the masses · The difficulty of the subject · Your familiarity, or not with the script Feeling a need to impress, perhaps it’s an audition or your first day <a hr
S3 E897 · Thu, June 15, 2023
0897 – Studio Excitement
2023.06.16 – 0897 – Studio Excitement Excitement Yes, finally, nervousness might be excitement in disguise [1] . Physiologically, they certainly have some of the same symptoms: knees shaking, heart racing, hands sweating, gut misbehaving… Nervousness is often seen as a negative experience to do with fear and potential survival, shying away from risks and limiting success. Excitement is a positive experience, in which we can take advantage of potential possibilities and opportunities by showing competence, enthusiasm and personality. The difference is all in how you interpret the feelings. Swap nervousness in which you focus on what could go wrong, for excitement, and you’ll see what could go right and be advantageous. Again, some or all of these situations are potentially serious and may need to be addressed appropriately, but, like a mis-interpretation of ‘excited’ for ‘nervous’, it’s often best to take a moment and think of what is really going on, and the name for it, as a first step. Because they are broadly similar with common roots, for the purposes of this podcast/book, let’s look at them in the round, under the heading of ‘Mic Fright’. This in no way dismissive of the seriousness of these thoughts and feelings, for which a qualified medical professional should be consulted. [1] At the Royal Northern College of Music, Professor Jane Ginsborg asks students to write down what it feels like to fall in love, then, much later, write down what it feels like to stand backstage moments before a performance. Love and fear seem like contrasting emotions, but the descriptions most students will write for each are eerily similar. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/sep/08/how-classical-musicians-cope-with-performance-stress Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E896 · Wed, June 14, 2023
0896 – Studio Sensitivity
2023.06.15 – 0896 – Studio Sensitivity Sensitivity to snarkiness Like a physical issue any underlying emotion can also be ‘heard’ in your voice: angry or anxious, stressed or depressed, walking on eggshells or on cloud nine, your voice won’t be natural unless you are ‘centred’. All of these situations manipulate your mindset: how do I feel, how do others see me, am I letting them see the ‘real me’? and will affect your hormones, your physical tension and your body language. Your emotions might be affected by: A colleague’s clumsy comment: “ are you nervous? ” A stupid studio soundman: “ that’s not quite right, dunno why, can you do it again? ” The insensitive intern: “ can I just stand behind you and watch? ” The flaky friend on the phone: “ you care more about your stupid show than you do about me!” The messed-up manager who can’t manage to manage: who only feeds back when you f-up Try and give your ‘mind > body > voice’ connection a ‘reset’ to improve your performance and beat the invisible enemy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E895 · Tue, June 13, 2023
0895 – Studio Workaholism
2023.06.14 – 0895 – Studio Workaholism Workaholic-ism Stress may come from being too focused on your mic work, at the expense of your family and friends, hobbies and health. If you have too much on your plate or are continually hunting around for scraps, then anxiety may be caused by being too laser-focused on working hard: being a workaholic . A versatile voice belongs to someone who is experienced in the world, not world-weary, who brings life experiences to the recording, not exhaustion from life. Seek a better balance to ease yourself out of the rat race. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E894 · Mon, June 12, 2023
0894 – Studio Perfectionism
2023.06.13 – 0894 – Studio Perfectionism Perfectionism You may get stressed in the studio because everything has to be ‘just so’: asking for take-after-take because the next one will “ be the best one ”; continually cogitating about the cadence of every sentence; editing and re-editing so much that your saved files have names like ‘final’, ‘final version 2’, ‘final version 3’, ‘final final edit’ and ‘final edit, this one’. Those with perfectionism set themselves unreasonable goals. Constantly striving for the very highest standards is good and honourable, but when perfectionists achieve less than that, they can be excessively hard on themselves and a vicious circle of worry and self-doubt can follow: getting stressed and depressed, with panic attacks and social anxiety. Instead, set smaller goals in shorter, more realistic timeframes – achievable steps on the road to greatness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E893 · Sun, June 11, 2023
0893 – Studio Imposter Syndrome
2023.06.12 – 0893 – Studio Imposter Syndrome Imposter syndrome Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by self-doubt and nervousness before turning on your mic or camera? You feel as though you’re “ not good enough ” and that you “ may be found out ”, “ exposed as a fraud ” and “ don’t deserve success ”. That’s even though you know you’ve had ten tons of training and continuous career accolades. This may be imposter syndrome , a misplaced feeling of inadequacy that affects many successful people, (but not of course actual imposters, those who really aren’t any good!). These feelings are really common and are no respecter of age, status, experience or reputation. It might be narrow and only emerge around certain situations in specific locations and certain ‘important’ people, or broader and occur in the build-up and during every show or recording. Look back at your achievements, your body of work and your income and reflect on your success to realise that what you have done is really, for real! And don’t let imposter syndrome stop you from pushing yourself to do new things. Although it’s natural to feel wary of say, putting a new character voice out there, or putting yourself up for an audiobook recording, remember: the successes of your past are the foundations of your future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E892 · Sat, June 10, 2023
0892 – Studio ‘Voice Confrontation’
2023.06.11 – 0892 – Studio ‘Voice Confrontation’ Voice confrontation (or “ I Don’t Like My Voice! ”) You may be visibly uncomfortable hearing your voice live, in your headphones, or when your recorded-voice is played back. You may become stressed at what you think others may think about your pitch, accent or diction. As we have seen before, this is down to a mix of physiology and psychology . First, the sound of your voice that you normally hear ‘live’ is a mix: partly out of your mouth and in through your ears, but mainly through your skull bones which give you the impression your voice is deeper and richer than it is. But when you hear yourself through headphones, or on a recording, it’s how everyone else hears you, through air conduction alone, that is, only through the ears, and sounds, by comparison thinner and higher pitched. [1] But there’s another reason hearing yourself back can be disconcerting: it’s the auditory disconnect between your self-perception and reality. Because your voice is an important part of self-identity, realising that others have been hearing something different all along, can be jarring. [2] , [3] In psychology, the phenomenon of a person not liking the sound of their own voice is voice confrontation (related to self-confrontation ). So, if your ‘voice in your head’ hates your ‘voice out of the speaker’ (or headphones), then you’re probably judging yourself a little too harshly. [1] We looked at ‘why your voice sounds different to you’ in episodes 207 [2] https://www.npr.org/2019/07/15/741827437/finding-your-voice-how-the-way-we-sound-shapes-our-identities [3] In this 2005 study, patients and clinicians rated the patient’s ‘recorded’ voices. Patients tended to negatively rate the quality of their voice compared to the objective assessment of the professional. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2273.2005.01022.x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E891 · Fri, June 09, 2023
0891 – Studio Embarrassment
2023.06.10 – 0891 – Studio Embarrassment Embarrassment As a voice-over, you have perfected a cast of characters while alone in your home studio and then you get your big break: a director wants you for a big-budget part! You sit in the big-city studio, the microphone facing the control room and through the glass you see directors and producers, engineers and executives, script-writers and sales managers, assistants and interns… they’re talking but you can’t hear them… and you feel like a goldfish in a bowl. It’s understandable that embarrassment means you struggle to find the thunderous voice of Thor for an interactive game, ‘Silly Billy the Steam Train’ for the kids’ cartoon, or that of the wicked witch for the theme park animatronics, that you had produced at home… alone. He’s another example of embarrassment, rather than nerves. Terry (not his real name) had bad teeth, they were stained from years of drinking coffee on overnight radio shifts, (and red wine at weekends). He also had rather more fillings than he’d have liked, the result of too many sweets and chocolates to help him ‘power-through’ the night. Terry was self-conscious of his physical looks and so was careful about opening his mouth when he spoke so he didn’t show his yellowing teeth, flecked with silver amalgam. And that caused him to mumble, and trip over his words. An easily-solved physical issue (teeth whitening and tooth-coloured fillings), would mean he’d be more confident in opening his mouth when he spoke and develop a richer, clearer voice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E890 · Thu, June 08, 2023
0890 – Studio Disillusionment
2023.06.09 – 0890 – Studio Disillusionment Disillusionment On occasion, you may simply not feel up to presenting a podcast. Your voice may be fine but you’re not ‘feeling it’, not in ‘the zone’ and don’t know why. This may be boredom or negativity about the podcast topic , maybe disillusionment or resentment about its ‘return on investment’, the amount of work balanced with the number of downloads, feedback, reviews or sponsorship and it gets harder and harder to keep up the momentum. You may be able to ‘fake the feeling’ for a few episodes, but if you resent doing it while your friends and family are socialising, then the stress, frustration and tiredness will all affect your vocal performance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E889 · Wed, June 07, 2023
0889 – Studio Claustrophobia
2023.06.08 – 0889 – Studio Claustrophobia Claustrophobia Sitting alone in a home studio booth with several screens, a mic and a mixer, but no air conditioning, recording a voice-over session for an hour, or an audiobook for even longer, may be enough to make anyone feel odd. If you feel a need to break out and run away, it may not be down to nerves, but claustrophobia or loneliness. You may feel these emotions, and others may hear them in your voice which may become dull and drained, tense or nervous. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E888 · Tue, June 06, 2023
0888 – Studio Depression
2023.06.07 – 0888 – Studio Depression If it’s not nerves, stress or anxiety, it may be something else Let’s not just stick with ‘feeling nervous’, there are other feelings and emotions which may arise in and around a studio and affect your voice, sometimes these are temporary feelings, and sometimes they can last a long time. Here we look at other things that go on in your head, and how they affect what comes out of your mouth. I am not a health professional and I would always urge you to seek personalized advice from someone who is, whether you are experiencing these emotions yourself or see them in a colleague. Depression or PTSD If you work as a news broadcaster you will be exposed to so much more evidence of the world’s problems than most other people: not just “ man’s inhumanity to man ”, wars, violent crime and so on, but also political tussles, economic worries, worldwide pandemics, sudden celebrity deaths and more and more. Day after day. And with many of these issues, the journalist sees or reads much more detail in terms of violence or hate than is ever passed on to listeners and viewers. Such ongoing exposure may lead to severe anxiety , depression, or PTSD . You may feel these emotions, and others may hear them in your voice which may become flat and tired, or thin and strained, lacking resonance. You may lose confidence and concentration, tripping up over words. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E887 · Mon, June 05, 2023
0887 – Studio Anxiety
2023.06.06 – 0887 – Studio Anxiety Anxiety is persistent and may not be linked to a specific situation. The intensity may ebb and flow, but it never completely goes away, and with ongoing feelings of unease or dread, anxiety can prevent you from doing something you enjoy and make it difficult to focus and go about your day. Persistent anxiety has links to physical illness including gastrointestinal conditions and heart disease. [1] Again, all of these thoughts feelings and emotions may be heard in your voice, and that’s what we’ll be looking at over the next few days/pages. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5149447/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E886 · Sun, June 04, 2023
0886 – Studio Stress
2023.06.05 – 0886 – Studio Stress Stress may be seen as ‘extreme nervousness’. It too is triggered by a ‘presenting situation’ and is usually short-term. If controlled appropriately, a rush of chemicals in your blood can lead to a heightened state of awareness, and a more powerful performance: a stressful person may be loud and energetic, seemingly thriving on the pressure (‘nervous energy’ or ‘nervous tension’), with symptoms similar to nervousness: a raised heartbeat and faster breathing. But stress can also show itself as irritability or even anger, nausea and a feeling of being overwhelmed. Pressures in the news production process can be hourly, and largely unavoidable. Live ‘to time’ programmes, breaking news, altered running orders, no-show show guests, lost links to a reporter in the field, a frozen autocue, a producer in your earpiece as you present… and you’re the ‘name and the face’ of this output… . Some people seem to love these kinds of settings, at least in the short to medium term and with the knowledge that there will be an obvious end to the pressure, say when an election programme comes off the air, so some kinds of stress isn’t bad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E885 · Sat, June 03, 2023
0885 – Studio Nervousness
2023.06.04 – 0885 – Studio Nervousness Nerves, stress and anxiety Nervousness, stress and anxiety are part of the same bodily reaction of fight-flight-freeze which we’ll look at in a bit more detail later, and because they have similar symptoms it can be hard to tell them apart. Here is a rough, non-expert guide. Nervousness may be triggered by a specific situation but it doesn't usually prevent you from getting on and doing that thing. Think of a great opportunity to present your first professional news bulletin or being the voice of a character in new cartoon series: you have prepped for this, you’ve dreamed about it and yes, you’re nervous, possibly apprehensive or a bit worried, but there’s no way you’re going to turn this down. Sweaty palms, an increased heart rate, and fluttering in your stomach are typical signs, along with pacing, fidgeting or nail-biting … maybe a desire to go to the loo, ‘nervousness’ is sometimes misdiagnosed, instead of what it may be: ‘excitement’. And consider, a bit of nervous energy may be to your advantage. Some adrenalin may make you more alert, sharper, and maybe funnier, but it can also affect your performance and your voice as we will see in a bit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E884 · Fri, June 02, 2023
0884 – Mic Fright
2023.06.03 – 0884 – Mic Fright " The actor's nightmare ", “…what it must be like to give birth" Laurence Olivier, on stage fright INTRODUCTION Do you want to express yourself, but it feels like a boa constrictor gets hold of your throat? [1] In this section, we look at powerful mind shifts that can help you get a better broadcast, podcast and voice-over voice. Yes, because the mind does affect the voice. Indeed, you are your voice: what you say is shaped by your culture and experiences, dreams and nightmares; how you verbalise your thoughts are shaped by your mindset and vocabulary; what your words sound like are shaped by things you have little effect on, such as your body shape and length of your vocal folds, but also how, as we have seen, things like how you sit and how you breathe and how tense you are, and also what you are feeling (anger or anxiety, calmness or confusion, sadness or satisfaction are all heard in your voice). But central to all of this is the mind . It’s what drives the thoughts which we want to share, it’s what instructs other organs to breathe and articulate. You can’t separate yourself from your voice. It is a window into your thoughts. And if you think “ I’m nervous ”, others may think that of you too when they hear how you talk. So, in this section, we look at what kind of things may create that feeling in you and then, how we can avoid those situations, or how we can re-interpret them. Then we look at confidence, how we get it and build it, and then finally, ways of coping if things do go wrong. [1] In 2014, 25.3% of Americans said they feared speaking in front of a crowd. In 2018 that was 26.2%. https://www.chapman.edu/wilkinson/research-centers/babbie-center/survey-american-fears.aspx Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E883 · Thu, June 01, 2023
0883 – Self Massage
2023.06.02 – 0883 – Self Massage Self-massage · Put your first and forefinger together on each hand. Gently at first and then with stronger pressure stroke by stroke, draw your double-fingers in a diagonal line down the side of your neck from just behind your ear across to where your throat starts, just short of your ‘Adam’s apple’. This massages the large sterno-cleidomastoid muscles which support, turn and nod the head. · Now place one palm on top of the back of your other hand and rotate them slightly to form a diagonal and place them high up on your chest just under your throat. Press and pull down but not actually hard enough to move your hands – keep them in position. Tip your head back and face the ceiling for a second or two, and then open and close your mouth to stretch the muscles down the front of the neck. · This one may make you a bit squeamish, so do it gently. Take your two forefingers and your thumb as though about to pick something up from your desk. Instead, carefully hold your larynx and wobble it from side to side. You may feel a click or two which is quite normal. · Use your thumbs and a picture (from elsewhere in this book) to locate the root of your tongue under your chin and before your neck and ‘Adam’s apple’. Massage this area for 30 seconds. Use your fingertips on the side of your face just above your cheeks, in front of your ears, where your two jaws meet. Bite down and you will feel the bump of a muscle at this joint-point. Gently apply pressure here, massaging for about thirty seconds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E882 · Wed, May 31, 2023
0882 – Vocalisations of Different Voice Sounds
2023.06.01 – 0882 – Vocalisations of Different Voice Sounds These are sometimes described different, with different words and terms [1] . Ok let’s go for this: · Aphonic – a whisper · Biphonic – two pitches at the same time · Breathy – air in the voiced is heard · Creaky – the sound of friction between surfaces · Flutter or bleat – like the bleating of a lamb · Glottalized – another term for vocal fry, the low clicking sound · Pressed – loud and harsh · Wobbly – a variation in sound Yawny – sounds like a yawn in the voice [1] Adapted from the “ All Things Vocal ” podcast 3.5.22 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E881 · Tue, May 30, 2023
0881 – Surgery And The Voice
2023.05.31 – 0881 – Surgery And The Voice Surgery If you are given anaesthetic, it’s likely you will be intubated, that is have a tube put down your throat and past your vocal folds, to help you breathe. This process can cause: · Dislocation of your vocal folds - or more specifically the cartilage that attaches to them · Injury to your vocal folds – the hard tube is inserted somewhat blindly and can rub or scrape on its way down · Inflammation – where cartilage is exposed to any further damage, like acid reflux · Partial or total paralysis of your vocal folds – as the breathing tube puts pressure on the vocal nerves. Fully understand the risks of any surgery involving intubation, and ensure doctors know your area of work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E880 · Mon, May 29, 2023
0880 – Vomiting And The Voice
2023.05.30 – 0880 – Vomiting And The Voice Vomiting We’ve mentioned this a few times in terms of acid reflux and alcohol consumption. Let’s take a second to look at it a little more closely. (Ugh!) Vomiting is extremely damaging to the voice and it’s not surprising, as the stomach contents flows ‘the wrong way’ into the pharynx and larynx and potentially into and out of your mouth (‘reflux’ means ‘regurgitation’ or ‘backwards flow’). With Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (or GERD) the stomach contents stay in the oesophagus and produce symptoms like heartburn. With Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) the acid-and-food contents rise all the way back up to and coating the larynx. In bulimia-induced vomiting though, the valve in the stomach that keeps acid down is deliberately overpowered , causing irreversible damage to the valve so that reflux occurs constantly; the entire contents of the stomach come back up. Acid on your vocal folds is not too bad occasionally but say, daily, they won’t have time to heal and so become: · Swollen – leading to hoarseness, coughing, throat-clearing and a lower pitch · Heavier – leading to less range · More easily injured · More prone to polyps and nodules Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E879 · Sun, May 28, 2023
0879 – HPV And The Voice
2023.05.29 – 0879 – HPV And The Voice HPV The Human Papilloma Virus can be sexually transmitted but can also be shared in other ways not fully understood. It causes many different diseases, often in the cervix and also in the throat sometimes leading to head and neck cancer and sometimes ‘recurrent respiratory papillomatosis’ which causes warty growths in the throat, most commonly on the vocal folds themselves, resulting in: Hoarseness Vocal fatigue Loss of vocal range Difficulty breathing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E878 · Sat, May 27, 2023
0878 – Alcohol And The Voice
2023.05.28 – 0878 – Alcohol And The Voice Alcohol It’s unlikely you’ll be having a drink just before a broadcast show, podcast recording or studio session, but what might be the damage to your voice if you’ve had one (or several!) the night before, or for serval nights before? Alcohol can: · Contribute to dehydration of your whole body – and drier vocal folds don’t vibrate properly, contracting your range and making you sound strained. I mean, you know this already right, because after a ‘session’ you feel thirsty and crave water · Make you produce more mucus – reducing the flexibility of your folds and needing you to clear your throat · Make you lose your judgement about how much you’re using your voice (for example at a pub karaoke or singing on the way home), leading to damage · Be sold in places like bars and clubs which are noisy, causing you to raise your voice · Have an anaesthetic effect that causes you to push your vocal folds harder to get a normal sensation when talking · Promote acid reflux and vomiting especially if you have drunk too much · Interfere with your sleep – and a rested voice is a better voice · Make you more relaxed, decreasing your heartbeat and so reducing your breath support · Lead to a hangover and brain fog and lack of co-ordination and clear thinking – slurred words, unable to read a script or operate a studio desk · Cause cancer [1] o Mouth cancer – tumours can also develop in the tonsils and saliva glands, lips, tongue, cheeks and gums o Pharyngeal cancer – your throat o Laryngeal cancer – at your larynx or vocal folds The symptoms of all of these are wide-ranging and depend on where the cancer has developed. Between 22% and 38% of all mouth, throat and voice box cancers in the UK are caused by drinking alcohol. [2] Taking a look at some of the most common drinks: · Wine is packed with preservatives which may will dry out your throat · Beer is slightly acidic which can cause mucus Cocktails are a literal cocktail of phlegm-causing, sugar-rush syrups, acidic juices as well as dehydrating spirits [1] https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/head-and-neck-cancer/ [2] https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/ Hosted on Ac
S3 E877 · Fri, May 26, 2023
0877 – Steroids And The Voice
2023.05.27 – 0877 – Steroids And The Voice Steroids These might be used to reduce swelling in the body, in our case, the vocal folds, perhaps caused through misuse, which may then return to a more natural size and vibrate more efficiently and so make you sound like your real self. They should of course only be taken under professional medical supervision for a one-off reason. Habitual use can result in a worsening or permanent vocal injury, (as well as other issues such as mood changes, sleeplessness, weight gain and so on). Instead of masking a problem with steroids, search for the underlying issue: is the original swelling actually down to nodules or a cyst that is now going undiagnosed, and are all the while, still growing? Is ‘pushing through’ with the use of steroids, going to make things worse? Remember: there is no such thing as ‘working around’ injuries as the vocal folds are involved in every sound that is made. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E876 · Thu, May 25, 2023
0876 – Vaping And The Voice
2023.05.26 – 0876 – Vaping And The Voice Vaping This trend is too young for there to be hard and fast stats on how it may affect the larynx and voice, and that’s probably good enough reason in itself to be wary of taking up the habit. Personally, I’d not want a cocktail of vegetable glycerine, poly-ethylene glycol, nicotine, and flavourings, pyrazine additives, aldehydes (formaldehyde and acet-aldehyde), and trace metals (nickel, chromium, cadmium and tin), in my lungs… And of course, to get there, the hot vapourised chemical vapour pass over the delicate vocal fold tissues, irritating and inflaming them, leading to possible …hoarseness, loss of vocal range, voice fatigue and vocal injury. As we’ve seen before these factors cause a person to push harder for vocal production, increasing the possibility of further and more serious damage (think vocal fold nodules, polyps and cysts). And that’s before we even think of what the cocktail of chemicals is doing in the lungs, where the power behind your sound is produced. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E875 · Wed, May 24, 2023
0875 – Cocaine And The Voice
2023.05.25 – 0875 – Cocaine And The Voice Cocaine While smoked cocaine will have a similar effect to smoking marijuana, snorted cocaine will damage your nose and nasal septum (‘nasal deformity’) and so affect the nasal resonance of your voice. As well as that think of this (it’s a bit gross). You know when you have a cold and sniff and then are able to swallow the phlegm? Something similar happens with cocaine that’s not been absorbed in the nose: it drips down the back of the throat and down towards your vocal folds. This is called ‘post-nasal drip’ – a lovely term! We all know how mucous alone affects the voice, now combine it with a irritable, non-natural drug (especially if it’s been contaminated): your voice will become hoarse and raspy due to chronic laryngitis, as well as having a loss of vocal range and chronic vocal fatigue. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E874 · Tue, May 23, 2023
0874 – Marijuana And The Voice
2023.05.24 – 0874 – Marijuana And The Voice While soft and hard drugs use is quite common in society, it’s even more prevalent in the entertainment business. It could be because of the amount of money some of the stars earn, the relaxing effects of some of the drugs or the social aspects. So how do both these drugs affect your voice? Marijuana When it is inhaled the vapours of marijuana inevitably affect your mouth, throat and lungs. This commonly results in laryngitis: a tired, rough, raspy, or hoarse voice that could be the start of something more serious. The effort to produce a once-normal sound as swollen folds struggle to vibrate freely, puts extra strain on the folds which in turn causes more damage. Then comes the possibility of vocal nodules, polyps, scarring or a haemorrhage. Some of these injuries are irreversible. (There is no evidence that edible marijuana increased the risk of voice damage.) Not all marijuana is 100% natural of course, and there are concerns about the synthetic variation (“ spice ” or “ herbal incense ”) sold legally in some countries, but largely unregulated. Like anything you inhale there are risks, not only from psychosis, tremors, convulsions or high blood pressure, but for the voice: · Vomiting – which will damage the pharynx · Laryngitis – a swelling of the folds, making them easier to be injured Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E873 · Mon, May 22, 2023
0873 – More Cures For Summer Allergies
2023.05.23 – 0873 – More Cures For Summer Allergies · Antihistamine or steroid nasal spray or antihistamine pills – although they can have a drying effect · Something to suck on – lozenges and pastilles can promote the production of saliva which, when swallowed will help calm the urge to cough on a scratchy throat. Sweets with natural sweeteners and no artificial nonsense are obviously better than those crammed with chemicals and engorged with E-numbers. Beware natural flavours like menthol which can dry out the mouth and throat and have a mild anaesthetic which can mask pain, leading to you using your voice even more… · Beware the ‘cycle of coughing’: a small tickle is eased by a cough, which irritates even more, leading to a greater urge to cough and so on. Hard swallows are good, a sip of water is better. If you want to clear ‘up’ phlegm rather than swallow it down (nice!), then a gentle, growly “ huh huh ” might do the trick, rather than the usual throat-clearing · And of course, good natural eating and drinking (local honey is said to help some people), sleep and vocal rest. Summer can also see a decrease in air quality as pollutants stay in the hot, still atmosphere. Be aware that breathing in in such situations can affect your voice almost immediately due to the effects of a scratchy throat, blocked nose, shallow breathing, let alone any long-term damage that’s being done. Consider the use of air conditioning units or an indoor air filter machine, and a face mask. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E872 · Sun, May 21, 2023
0872 – Cures For Summer Allergies
2023.05.22 – 0872 – Cures For Summer Allergies Trouble is, you have to balance drying out the mucous and not over drying the folds [1] : · Hydration - the mucous will be less thick, and the drying from antihistamine meds, less pronounced, if you drink more! · Steaming – a plain-water steamer (no unnecessary synthetic oils or perfumes which can be an added irritant) can do wonders to hydrate the folds directly. · Nebulising – a nebulizer turns saline water into a finer mist, which you breath in, and is more easily absorbed directly (topically) on the folds than steam · Sinus rinse – a saline wash or spray to rinse away allergic particles before they can trigger that immune system response, but don’t use it too often or you will wash away the ‘good’ cells which are on patrol for the breathed-in nasties [1] Tell your medical professional that you are a ‘voice professional’ when you get advice form them, so they can be aware of any side effects of what they prescribe, on your folds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E871 · Sat, May 20, 2023
0871 – Your Pitch and Post Nasal Drips
2023.05.21 – 0871 – Your Pitch and Post Nasal Drips We already know about the ‘post-nasal drip’, a lovely term that refers to the secretions from your nose and sinuses which can drip into the back of your mouth and down your throat (think what you do when you have a cold…). With seasonal allergies such drip-drip sinus drainage (especially at night) leads to the vocal folds swelling, which can cause · A lower pitch - and so a change in your range · Less resonance – because some of your nasal resonance chambers (‘ turbinates ’ [1] ) are inflamed meaning less nasal airflow and so changed resonance in your sound · A hoarse voice – because of inflamed tissue, which can lead to a tickle, a cough and a risk of vocal fold haemorrhage · The need for an increased warm-up time [1] The turbinates are the tiny nasal tubes that do the job of warming, moisturizing and filtering the air that you breathe, and the body’s first line of defence against bad and seemingly-bad, bacteria or pollen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E870 · Fri, May 19, 2023
0870 – Pollens and Blossoms: Summer Allergies and Your Voice
2023.05.20 – 0870 – Pollens and Blossoms: Summer Allergies and Your Voice We all love the lazy, hazy crazy days of summer, right? Well not if you have a seasonal allergy, and by ‘seasonal’ I mean anything from early spring to late summer, with various pollens having an effect on breathing and sneezing, and therefore your voice as well. Allergies (pollen, as well as dog and cat hair, dust, synthetic chemical smells…) are really your reaction to your body almost working too well ! These foreign particles are not threats like a virus or bacteria, but your immune system thinks they are and so puts up a defence, an immuno-logical response, such as more nasal and eye secretions to wash them away, and a rush of chemicals (including ‘histamines’) to fight the threat. Common allergies from trees, grass and plants include: · General tiredness · Runny and itchy eyes and nose · A blocked nose · A scratchy throat leading to an irritating dry cough. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E869 · Thu, May 18, 2023
0869 – Your Voice in Winter - 4
2023.05.19 – 0869 – Your Voice in Winter - 4 8. Let Your Mic Do The Work If you’re on stage in a show, MCing an event, turning on Christmas lights, remember the difference between volume and energy (loads on this from episode 323). You have a mic for a reason, to make yourself louder, so there’s no need to shout into it and hurt your voice. If you do, you start a spiral effect: the sound team will simply turn down the level on your channel so your voice doesn’t distort over the loudspeakers, and you end up having to shout even more. And that of course will lead to you straining your voice and doing it harm. Remember ‘volume’ is not the same as ‘energy’ or ‘excitement’. Loudness can come from the levels on the mixing desk, energy comes from, all sorts of things we’ve looked at before: your resonance, pitch, prosody, some of which comes from your knowledge and confidence … and of course how you breathe… 9. Look After Yourself The basics as always, especially in the hurried and harried holiday season: · Hydrate, mate – balancing a festive tipple or pint with water, juice or cordial. Alcohol with a water-chaser if you like · A balanced diet · Skeletal and articulator warm ups and cool downs to dispel any tension · Whether you are a merry gentleman or lady, dear god, rest Pushing through because “ the show must go on ”, or taking lozenges, pastilles or sprays which numb your throat – and so mask any pain, and lead you to think you’re OK - may cause serious damage. And remember nothing you eat or drink, suck or munch, chomp or chew, swallow or scoff, ingest or ingurgitate, gobble up or bolt down, … goes anywhere near your vocal folds! Never skip your warm-up exercises and focus a lot on your good vocal technique, avoiding any strain or tension. Listen to your body and don’t perform if it hurts, so you don’t cause more harm and so you recover as quickly as possible. Also listen back to episode 776 – “ Help! I’m Getting A Cold! ” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E868 · Wed, May 17, 2023
0868 – Your Voice in Winter - 3
2023.05.18 – 0868 – Your Voice in Winter - 3 6. Prep and Pacing Packed public transportation as people rush to prep, humans hurrying from one side of the city/county/planet to the other for the holidays, re-cycled aeroplane air, closed windows on buses and trains, big parties in small rooms, plus throw in mixed age groups, holiday hugs and mistletoe kisses and plates of food being passed around … frankly it’s a surprise we are all still here! It could all be an assault on your general, physical and mental health, so make sure you eat and drink properly; sleep well; hand sanitiser is not just for pandemics; stay hydrated; boost your immune system before the season as over the counter remedies can be drying to your voice (see episode 764). If you get ill, your voice will suffer. 7. Concerts and Carols If you are appearing in a performance, panto or show, it’s not just your voice you need to take care of but your colleagues. You have a responsibility to the rest of the cast to be careful with things like hygiene, hugs, and bugs. Joy is lovely to spread at this time of year, colds and flu aren’t, so have time off if you feel a cough. If you’re performing outside, maybe as a narrator or ‘local celebrity’ turning on holiday lights, or carolling, arrive early and allow your body and larynx to acclimatise to the cold air after being in a warm car. (Musicians and those with cameras allow their equipment to adjust first and so should you with yours.) Take more frequent, smaller breaths through nose and mouth rather than normal. Big, gasping breaths through the mouth will tend to chill the larynx. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E867 · Tue, May 16, 2023
0867 – Your Voice in Winter - 2
2023.05.17 – 0867 – Your Voice in Winter - 2 4. Be Careful of Rich Food and Reflux Party and holiday food can be rich and creamy (think chocolates, fried or spicy finger food, plus carbonated soft or alcoholic drinks) which can lead to potential gastric or reflux issues (that we’ve looked at elsewhere, episode 755), so be careful how much you eat and when. And not too much and not too late! Have a range of food sure, but balance the chocolate orange with an actual one, you get the idea. Keep hydrated and not just with alcohol; hot drinks will keep you cosy and warm! 5. Party Warm Ups There are more social gatherings in the holiday season, and that can mean lots of people crammed inside (with the possibility of germ-sharing – see next tip), and trying to talk over the hub-bub and loud music. Throw in some raucous carols or karaoke (as well as the rich food we just mentioned) and you have a party-petri dish of problems for you voice. Before you go to the party, warm up your voice with the exercises we’ve looked at before. On arrival be careful about immediately shouting greetings across a room, but ease your voice into anything with volume. Keep your voice lubricated during the event, but go careful on the alcohol. Find a quieter corner if you can, so you can talk softer. A but niche perhaps but also consider what else you are breathing in: chemicals from someone’s vape, being spritzed with perfume in the department store, fake smells of pumpkin spice in a coffee shop’s air conditioning, the manufactured ‘Christmas pine’ scent in the bathroom, atmospheric dry-ice and smoke machines at showbiz events – all of these can be vocal fold irritants. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E866 · Mon, May 15, 2023
0866 – Your Voice in Winter - 1
2023.05.16 – 0866 – Your Voice in Winter - 1 Winter can be a challenging time for your voice. To quote the song, “ the weather outside is frightful ” with cold air, there’s warm dry heated air inside, and if the season coincides with Christmas and New Year (depending on your hemisphere [1] ) there’s bugs picked up from socialising and travelling, holiday performances such as concerts and carols. So here are some health tips to follow for the winter months – over and above the usual ones that we’ve looked at before. 1. Breathe Through Your Nose You knows that your nose is your friend in this season. OK on the outside it may get as red as Rudolph’s but on the inside, it’s doing what it does best: filtering and warming the cold air you breathe in, before sending it to the back of the throat. So as your larynx prefers warm and moist rather than cold and dry air, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth to help it do its best work. 2. Prepare Your Home Inside, the air is likely to be dry and dusty, another combination that’s not good for your cords. Dusty heaters, radiators and air conditioning unit may need a clean so you don’t breathe in the build-up from the months they weren’t used. Add some moisture to the air by using a no-heat humidifier or by simply putting a bowl water on top of the radiator. 3. Scarf up! Wearing a scarf, balaclava or snood will help cut the amount of cold, dry air you breathe in and adds another filter too. In fact, keeping your whole body warm outside will makes you more relaxed and less stressed. [1] Obviously, the cold weather does not coincide with Christmas in the southern hemisphere, so some of these tips are less directly applicable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E865 · Sun, May 14, 2023
0865 – Coping With Covid
2023.05.15 – 0865 – Coping With Covid Coping with long covid A small percentage of people who have had Covid-19 continue to have symptoms after 12 weeks, but because of the huge number of people who have had the disease, that’s a large actual number of people. This is known by health professionals in the UK and many other countries as ‘post covid syndrome’ or (by the WHO) ‘post covid condition’ (although some doctors still doubt the existence of this altogether). There is no specific treatment to what can be a cocktail of complaints (including but not limited to fatigue; shortness of breath; palpitations; stomach issues; brain fog; mental health; headaches and dizziness), which affects each person differently. For our purposes, shortness of breath is perhaps the most important symptom: ‘disordered breathing’, using the upper chest, shoulders and neck. Do not self-diagnose, as it may be caused by something other than covid, but go and see a health professional. Before the appointment, you could try some very gentle breathing exercises to train yourself how to breath properly again. Some people have subsequently been referred to respiratory physio therapists or attend rehabilitation groups. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E864 · Sat, May 13, 2023
0864 – Don’t Forget Your Ears
2023.05.14 – 0864 – Don’t Forget Your Ears Ears You need to know what you sound like so you can adjust your voice or your mic, and make some sometimes subtle changes in pitch or timbre. You may be asked to imitate a certain style of voice or personality, so attuned ears will help you hear, interpret and reproduce the subtleties. And of course, you need to clearly hear instructions from a director or producer, either through a talkback speaker or an earpiece. It is possible to act without full hearing [1] , but, as with your eyes, things will be much easier for you if you look after and possibly enhance what you have already got: · Avoid loud music in bars, sports events and concerts … and headphones · Avoid pushing things like cotton buds into your ear canal · Invest in some good headphones and speakers. The ability to hear yourself clearly and accurately will help reduce vocal strain. Ensure that the volume is not too high. · Adjusting your acoustic environment will avoid sound reflection and enhance your recording experience, help you hear more accurately and maintain your vocal health. We have looked before at how, how you hear yourself is different from how others hear you, and the reasons behind this (episode 595). Here’s a fun exercise: plug your ears when speaking. This will help you experience your own voice intensified through increased internal resonance as you won’t be able to hear your own voice with your ears at all. What do you do instinctively? Perhaps you lower the intensity of your voice, which will also have the effect of reducing the strain on your vocal folds. [1] The brilliant BBC actress and dancer Rose Ayling-Ellis is testament to that: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Ayling-Ellis#:~:text=Rose%20Lucinda%20Ayling%2DEllis%20(born,EastEnders%20(2020%E2%80%932022 ). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E863 · Fri, May 12, 2023
0863 – Eye Exercises
2023.05.13 – 0863 – Eye Exercises And a few exercises: Pencil Push-Ups Hold a pencil at arm’s length and focus on the tip. Move it closer and continue to focus. Repeat, moving it back and forth forcing your eyes to work-out. The Figure of Eight Pick an imaginary point on the floor or across the room, about 10 feet away. Focus on it and with your pupils moving, draw a figure of eight in the space there, for about 30 seconds before switching direction. 20/20 For every 20 minutes of near work, look at a target 20 feet away for 20 seconds before returning to your ‘near’ work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E862 · Thu, May 11, 2023
0862 – Don’t Forget Your Eyes
2023.05.12 – 0862 – Don’t Forget Your Eyes Your eyes and ears Most voice trainers overlook these critical body parts and the role they play in helping you get a better voice, but let’s spend a few moments doing just that here and now with a few considerations. Eyes Without stating the obvious, and with acknowledgement to the awesome voice actors who are blind and read their scripts with braille [1] , eyes help you do your job. Not just clearly reading the words that you have to say, but also the notes you have made alongside the text with added instructions, and following what others are saying so you know when to start. Sharp visual focus will reduce verbal slips and so increase your confidence, and so your voice. It’s not purely ‘seeing’. Your eyes need to track and dart across the page and glance ahead to see your next cue too. I won’t go into details about eye-health apart from mentioning: · Good diet · Good glasses · Rest from screens · Blinking to keep them moist (blinking stimulates the lubricating secretion of your tear ducts and spread them across your eyes) and the possible use of eye heat masks to relieve eye fatigue and soreness. · Refocusing at different distances Sleep - Six-and-a-half to eight-and-a-half hours is the healthy range for most adults and it not only benefits your eyes but also your whole body. A tired body, perhaps caused by a broadcaster’s shift work, is a tired voice! Weariness can drag down the muscles of the face, put a sigh in the voice and extinguish any sparkle. [1] Ryan Kelly is an actor in the BBC radio serial “ The Archers ” – and happens to be blind: https://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/interviews/13_questions_ryan_kelly.shtml#:~:text=Blind%20actor%20Ryan%20Kelly%20is,Radio%204%20soap%2C%20The%20Archers . “A lot of the other actors read their lines, lucky things! I have to get the script emailed to me so I can edit it down to my part and learn it by listening. It ends up being in computer speak though, like a robot, which can be quite funny. In the old days I had to have someone read it out to me, and once I learned completely the wrong part, which was very embarrassing.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E861 · Wed, May 10, 2023
0861 – Feeling Attractive vs. Sounding Unobstructed
2023.05.11 – 0861 – Feeling Attractive vs. Sounding Unobstructed Even though Connie was a radio presenter, she always came in immaculately dressed. Fitted suits, or tight jeans or blouses that left little to the imagination. The problem was that Connie couldn’t get to the end of even a moderately long sentence without having to take another breath. The problem seemed obvious: the clothes were making breath intake, support and control all difficult. But Connie knew that how she dressed made her look good, and feel good and that gave her confidence. A balance that only Connie could make was reached between feeling attractive and being unobstructed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E860 · Tue, May 09, 2023
0860 – Tight Clothes, Tight Voice
2023.05.10 – 0860 – Tight Clothes, Tight Voice What else will affect your vocal performance? Clothes What won’t help, anything that causes constriction or discomfort Tight dresses, trousers, blouses and shirts. Belts done up a notch or two more than absolutely necessary Tight shoes worn more for style than comfort. That could be footwear that pinches your toes or heel, the height or slope of a heel, or simply wearing a style that you are not used to (for example, the heeled shoes that are super-comfy yet you totter around because you rarely wear them). If you feel unstable literally, you may feel ‘unstable’ emotionally too Going without socks or tights to look smart or trendy, but having shoe-rub on your heel or sticky soles. What will help: Looser clothes ( A woman I once worked always turned up very smart and trim, but she struggled to read. It turned out that her blouse was so tight it restricted her diaphragm, and so created tension in her neck for her to produce sound. She was buttoned-up literally and metaphorically. She never wore that blouse to work again and was fine .) Clothes that make you feel confident about the way you look Clothes that won’t make you too hot or too cold so you are worried more about sweating or shivering than about communicating Shoes that you don’t give a second’s thought to. Lower heels that help you stand upright. Shoes that pinch, or heels that are too high, will cause problems either in the foot or elsewhere in the body as your posture tries to compensate. (High heels can affect your voice if you are standing up, because they cause you to change your posture, and so how your ribcage sits. Your body works really hard to support you: you contract various muscles, pitch forward and overcorrect in your back to keep yourself from falling forward.) Pain causes distraction and that will affect your performance. Many TV presenters who sit behind a desk will be smartly attired above the waist, but wear comfortable soft shoes that they know will never be seen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E859 · Mon, May 08, 2023
0859 – Myth 5: Dark-coloured Pee Means You Are Dehydrated
2023.05.09 – 0859 – Myth 5: Dark-coloured Pee Means You Are Dehydrated Myth #5: Dark-coloured pee means you're dehydrated Pee is dark because of the concentration of various elements in it, but that doesn’t of itself mean you need more water. It’s actually more accurate to look at the concentration of sodium in your blood, but as that’s not usually practical, some experts [1] say drinking enough water to keep your urine a light, straw-yellow colour is a simple and effective monitoring system. [1] https://www.hydrationforhealth.com/en/why-hydration/everyday-hydration/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E858 · Sun, May 07, 2023
0858 – Myth 4: Drinking Water Can Help You Lose Weight
2023.05.08 – 0858 – Myth 4: Drinking Water Can Help You Lose Weight Myth #4: Drinking water can help you lose weight OK, maybe if you drink a few glasses before a meal, you’ll eat less [1] but that’s not the case for everyone [2] , although obviously if water is replacing a sugar-rich fizzy drink then sure, you’ll be taking in fewer calories. [1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25893719/ [2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17228036/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E857 · Sat, May 06, 2023
0857 – Myth 3: We Need ‘Sports Drinks’
2023.05.07 – 0857 – Myth 3: We Need ‘Sports Drinks’ Myth #3: We need sports drinks to replace salt and other electrolytes There’s usually no need to reach for the expensive coloured water after a work-out as you can usually replace lost salt by consuming more basic and cheaper, although not as trendy, food and drink. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E856 · Fri, May 05, 2023
0856 – Myth 2: Caffeine Makes You Dehydrated
2023.05.06 – 0856 – Myth 2: Caffeine Makes You Dehydrated Myth #2: Caffeine makes you dehydrated The effect is almost miniscule and the 1928 research the claim is based on [1] doesn’t hold up to todays’ more rigorous research. NPR says “ Essentially, with the exception of higher alcohol-content beverages like hard liquor, all liquids count towards hydration. As does food. The experts we spoke to say about 20% of your fluid intake comes from the food you eat, from fruits and vegetables to pasta.” [1] https://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/33/2/167 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E855 · Thu, May 04, 2023
0855 – Myth 1: You Need To Drink at Least Eight Glasses of Water a Day
2023.05.05 – 0855 – Myth 1: You Need To Drink at Least Eight Glasses of Water a Day H2O No-Nos – Busting 5 Myths About Water and Hydration [1] Myth 1: You need to drink at least eight glasses of water a day Nope: After all, how big are the glasses, how big are you? Have you done any exercise or need more water, or eaten a ton of watermelon and need less? How hot are you? Like the porridge in Goldilocks that had to be not too hot and not too cold, we each need enough to avoid dehydration and not too much to cause hyponatremia. Water is hugely important and drinking it is cheap, easy and helps the voice systemically and topically, but like “ walk 10,000 steps a day ”, the basic eight-glasses claim has seemingly no basis in fact [2] . As a voice pro, you need to be intentional about your water intake especially if you have less water from other sources, or you are using up more of it, but the rigid ‘rule’ of eight-glasses seeing you right, is a myth. [1] Adapted from https://www.npr.org/2022/09/21/1124371309/busting-common-hydration-water-myths [2] https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpregu.00365.2002 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E854 · Wed, May 03, 2023
0854 – The Food And Drink Good List
2023.05.04 – 0854 – The Food And Drink Good List The ‘good’ list Have these in moderation; you don’t want to feel full and bloated during a four-hour radio show. Neither do you want to feel nauseous, or feel the need for a toilet break, or suffer from either form of gas in a small studio. Eat enough of the right foods to keep your energy levels up – preferring fresh over anything processed. Fruit – in general fruits are good as they contain lots of water – especially ones such as mangoes, melons and peaches - but they’re not all made equal! Citrus fruits can be packed with ‘straight-to-your-bloodstream’ sugar, though a banana will give you studio ‘staying power’, and a green apple will help freshen your mouth. Chicken and fish – lean protein fills you up and gives you energy without the fat and oils from other meats and the associated problems caused by them. Water – yeah “ hydrate, mate! ”, especially with room temperature water, both before, during and after your performance. Before? Yes, you need to up your water intake a good day before to build up a ‘foundation of hydration’ in your whole body, with top ups on the day to keep your folds moistened and to clean and lubricate your articulators. How much water?: “ If your pee’s white, you’ll sound all right …” Local honey – can help keep bugs at bay. Remember it may be soothing to drink and may calm a tickle at the back of your throat, but it won’t ever touch the folds themselves. Do eat and drink something. There’s no point starving yourself! You need vocal and mental energy to concentrate and perform. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E853 · Tue, May 02, 2023
0853 – The Food And Drink Naughty List
2023.05.03 – 0853 – The Food And Drink Naughty List The ‘bad’ list Dairy - Milk, yoghurt, cheese can all be difficult for the body to break down and so cause acid reflux which can ‘burn’ your vocal folds. It can also thicken mucus, causing you to clear your throat more often and reducing the manoeuvrability of your tongue. Processed sugar - Boiled and chewy sweets and juice drinks can be heavily processed causing phlegm in some people. And after an initial sugar rush, comes the sugar crash affecting you mentally too. Caffeine - Coffee is thought to cause dehydration in some people. It will certainly cause a post-caffeine crash which you want to avoid. Chocolate - Chocolate contains not only dairy and sugar, but also natural caffeine - so it’s a triple-threat snack attack. Fried food and butter - Oil and grease are both heartburn triggers. Butter is of course a dairy product too (see above). Iced water - Water’s good yeah? Well room temperature is best, to avoid throat-shock has you swallow it. Carbonated drinks and sodas - These are certainly not, top of the pops. Not only do they have belching-induced bubbles but also invariably they’re full of sugar. Alcohol - Leave ‘warming up lubrication’ to the announcers of yesteryear. Not only will the use of drink affect the perception others have of you, it could make you slur your words. On its own it may dry your throat, and with a mixer it may overly increase your sugar intake. Spicy food - Heartburn issues again I’m afraid. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E852 · Mon, May 01, 2023
0852 – The Food And Drink That Can Damage Your Voice
2023.05.02 – 0852 – The Food And Drink That Can Damage Your Voice EATING AND DRINKING It’s not so much what you should eat as what you should not , because, apart from foods which add to your water intake, there are few which actively help your voice. Most foods either hurt it, or make little or no difference either way. If these ‘bad’ items affect you at all, it will be likely be to a different extent to other people – we are all different. It may need a diary and detective work to find out what to reduce your intake of, by how much and how far before a performance. Professional dietary help may be useful in this regard. Note that some of these items are not only affecting your voice directly, but have other associated side effects on your performance. And the regular reminder that none of these foods or drinks will ever directly touch your vocal folds, unless it’s just before you choke! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E851 · Sun, April 30, 2023
0851 – Your ‘Goldilocks’ Vocal Folds
2023.05.01 – 0851 – Your ‘Goldilocks’ Vocal Folds ‘Breathy (or ‘aspirated’) onset’ – when they don’t close enough This happens when there is a lack of firm closure of the vocal folds, so excessive air escapes through them as you create sound and the resulting voice is ‘breathy’. ‘Glottal’ onset – the folds are brought together before air pressure is increased, and are ‘blown apart’ to start phonation The vocal folds are over compressed and brought together with force to initiate sound. The air pressure then builds up below the folds before sound is released in a mini explosion. Excessive air pressure, when released, is traumatic to the delicate tissues of the vocal folds. ‘Smooth’ onset – this is when the air flow and the folds come together at the same time, resulting in a balanced sound. The folds are correctly positioned, the subglottal air pressure (that’s the pressure of air from the lungs) is correct, the sound is efficiently created. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E850 · Sat, April 29, 2023
850 – Vocal Trauma
2023.04.30 – 0850 – Vocal Trauma A secondary problem comes when you release that breath through the previously tightened folds. Added together you have the very real possibility of ‘vocal trauma’, serious damage to your folds. Think through the vocalisations that often come with the gym-strains of ‘glottal attack’ – using that pressure behind the larynx to give added strength through added tension. You have seen it (perhaps with weightlifters or tennis players), if not done it yourself, perhaps when you lift a heavy box, say. The noise that often precedes the breath-holding (something like “ erghh! ”) then the lifting up of the box, and then as you set it down, a release (“ arghhh ”!). Avoid potential vocal trauma by not vocalising these strains, or if you have to make them (especially the release-sound), make it softer, a ‘sshhh’ sound, rather than a sudden vocal “ argh! ”. Lots of relaxing moves after the strain of weightlifting will also reduce any necessarily-held tension. So, as a voice professional, with any kind of exercise be careful of this kind of grunting as it tenses and can damage your vocal folds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E849 · Fri, April 28, 2023
849 – Sub-Glottal Pressure
2023.04.29 – 0849 – Sub-Glottal Pressure VOICE BOX Sub-glottal Pressure OK, so ‘sub’ is ‘below’, so this is the pressure below the glottis. A ‘glottal stop’ is the stop-start airflow from your throat in a word such as ‘uh-oh’ or when the word ‘butter’ is said without the middle t’s: ‘buh-er’. Indeed, ironically, the word ‘glottal’ also includes a glottal stop. Those sounds are made by closing and opening of the vocal folds. If you say ‘butter’ in the usual way and gently and slowly, and then without the t’s, you should be able to feel the slight and momentary resistance that your folds are under before air is allowed to flow again. We also use sub-glottal pressure as we hold your breath as you push or pull, say lift something heavy or more dramatically, give birth, or do resistance training. The pressure in the lungs helps tense surrounding muscles to give stability and strength to make exertion easier. That’s a lot of strain on the small glottal ‘valve’ and a lot of tension being held in the neck (and potentially if continued, a sore throat and headache). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E848 · Thu, April 27, 2023
848 – Help! The Gym Has Wrecked My Voice!
2023.04.28 – 0848 – Help! The Gym Has Wrecked My Voice! But beware: · Strong physical exertion soon before a presentation can cause physical exhaustion which will be heard in your voice · Weightlifting and working out your upper body and neck and shoulder area can cause stress and tension · Damage from exercise such as from weightlifting, pull ups, rowing or even bent over a cycling machine for a long time, can pull muscles in your neck and shoulders, limiting your movement and causing stress in your breathing. (In fact, any pain from menstrual to mini-migraine, will distract you from your best vocal performance.) · Pushing and pulling exertion can cause overuse of the glottal pressure, so be very careful. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E847 · Wed, April 26, 2023
847 – Fit Body Factors: intensity and balance
2023.04.27 – 0847 – Fit Body Factors: intensity and balance Factors to consider: · Exercise intensity – how hard you push yourself and for how long o Especially on days that you will be performing o Be careful of ‘red lining’ – there’s usually no need to push things to the max o Muscular damage or failure can be painful and long term, affecting you emotionally as well as physically · Exercise balance o The exercise selection – don’t overwork one particular group, so balance ‘pulling’ with running and swimming. o Be aware of overworking on the weights – straining neck and trapezius muscles (at the top of the back) can affect your throat area and so, your vocal performance. o A rigid rectus abdominus (a six-pack to you and me), is suboptimal for breathing o Cardio work is very important – choose LISS work over HIIT work [1] [1] LISS, or Low Intensity Steady State, involves consistent effort at a steady pace for an allotted amount of time. HIIT, or High Intensity Interval Training, involves short bursts with high effort, followed by lower effort rest intervals. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E846 · Tue, April 25, 2023
846 – Fit Body, Fit Voice
2023.04.26 – 0846 – Fit Body, Fit Voice Physical fitness and training Of course, your voice needs the rest of you to be in shape, your overall health, fitness, strength and posture, not just the actual vocal mechanics! And that means the right kind of exercise: · Core and aerobic exercises help you with strength and breath control · Aerobic exercise, such as swimming or running, help vocal stamina by increasing the speed the muscles are oxygenated · Swimming will also help your lung capacity · Activities that develop body alignment, muscle strength, dexterity and balance, such as Tai Chi and Yoga, also promote better mind/body connection and encourage greater vocal flexibility. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E845 · Mon, April 24, 2023
845 – Birthday Candles
2023.04.25 – 0845 – Birthday Candles Birthday candles Stand as previously described, with your feet firmly on the floor shoulder-width apart, knees very slightly bent rather than locked, with dropped and relaxed shoulders. · Put your hands on your diaphragm area to help you feel and picture the following process · Now blow out some imaginary candles on a cake, with short sharp, exaggerated panting bursts of air… you should see and feel a lot of movement in your diaphragm as you do this · Now do this again with some sound: “ huh huh huh ” to engage the vocal folds as well as the abdominal muscles. You should get 10-20 sounds out per breath before running out of air. If you aren’t, focus on deeper inhalation and controlling the amount of air you exhale with each sound. · Repeat with a series of staccato “ ch ” sounds Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E844 · Sun, April 23, 2023
844 – Sue-eeeeee
2023.04.24 – 0844 – Sue-eeeeee Sue-eeeeee Stand as previously described, with your feet firmly on the floor shoulder-width apart, knees very slightly bent rather than locked, with dropped and relaxed shoulders. · Put your hands on your diaphragm area to help you feel and picture the following process · Start relaxed breathing, and let air drop in to your lungs over a count of four · Then, as you release that air, again for a count of four, make the start of the Sue-ey sound: “ ssss ” through your teeth · Repeat, for a count of six, eight, 10 and 12 for each part · The repeat each stage, replacing “ ssss ” with “ oooo ” and then “ eeee ” sounds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E843 · Sat, April 22, 2023
843 – Let It All Out
2023.04.23 – 0843 – Let It All Out Let It All Out Focussing on full exhalations helps expand your diaphragm. · Lie on the floor in a semi-supine position (the ‘sit-up’ position described earlier). · Exhale all air through your mouth · Relax and let air drop back in (don’t gasp), and breathe naturally for a minute before repeating the exercise Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E842 · Fri, April 21, 2023
842 – It’s Hip to Breathe Square
2023.04.22 – 0842 – It’s Hip to Breathe Square It’s Hip to Breathe Square Square Breathing is used by US Navy Seals among others to create calmness and control. · Sit or lie down so you are relaxed and comfortable · Breathe in for a count of four as you draw one side of a ‘square’ in your mind · Pause and hold the breath for a count of four, as you mentally draw the second side · Exhale for another count of four, picturing the third side of the square · And then hold for the count of four as you complete the shape · Repeat the cycle for progressively longer counts until you feel calmer. The longer time periods will help you strengthen and control your diaphragm, the ‘pump’ which regulates the airflow from your lungs to your folds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E841 · Thu, April 20, 2023
841 – The Crunch and Stretch
2023.04.21 – 0841 – The Crunch and Stretch The Crunch and Stretch Rib stretches open up the intercostal muscles (the ones that run between the ribs, and help form and move the chest wall), and release tension. Breath in through the mouth – as that’s what we tend to use when we are actually speaking. · Lie on the floor and bring each knee in to your chest, and then flop them to one side and your head to the other side · Put your arms away from your body to form a T shape · Breath in and then swap over, with your knees and head on the other side · Then return your knees back to centre and notice any difference · Stand up and give yourself a hug · Drop the shoulders in a voiced sigh · Flop over at the waist at a voiced sigh … to crunch the entire front and ‘open up’ your back · Gently breathe and let your arms drop · Roll up, stand up gently, through the spine one vertebrae at a time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E840 · Wed, April 19, 2023
840 – How To Know Your Air Flow
2023.04.20 – 0840 – How To Know Your Air Flow How do you know, your air-flow? Watch the clock Take a standard breath (not a huge gulp) and then let it out as though gently releasing air from a balloon: ssssssssssss on your natural ‘home tone’ until the supply is exhausted. Then repeat the exercise with a touch of vocality to it, swapping the ‘sss’ for a long but gentle ‘zzzzz’ How long did the sound last for on each exercise? A ‘good’ flow will last for around 15 seconds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E839 · Tue, April 18, 2023
839 – Don’t Take Fish Gulps
2023.04.19 – 0839 – Don’t Take Fish Gulps But be aware of you use of air: do you tend to gulp? Or are you squeezing out the final words in a sentence with the last ounce of air you have spare? What about your other breathing habits? Be aware that in certain situations you may feel short of breath: if you are recovering from an illness, if you are nervous, if you’re tense… If you take in too much air than you need to use: You can take fish-like gulps You may get light-headed You may damage your folds… Take a deep breath now, and notice what you feel in your larynx area. Feel the strain of air trying to get out? That’s sub-glottal pressure again, leading your folds to have to work much harder to release just what you need, just when you need it. And that can lead to damage, vocal fatigue, and a limit to the range you can talk in. So, you need to be able to take in just enough air to power your voice for what you want to say, and then control the ‘flow of the fuel’ steadily. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E838 · Mon, April 17, 2023
838 – Excessive Oxygenation
2023.04.18 – 0838 – Excessive Oxygenation Excessive oxygenation You only really want to take in as much air as you will need to get to the end of your adlibbed phrase or sentence, or to read what’s been written. So how do you know how much that is? As for adlibs, it usually comes naturally; I mean, how many times do you see someone strain at the end of a sentence in a conversation as they run out of air, or take a huge gulp before they say something. Almost never. You instinctively have the breath to last the ‘thought’ (or maybe we adapt what we say, as we say it, depending on how much air we have left…) For script work, it’s good to pre-read and rehearse what it is that someone else wants you to say (or even what you wrote down to read out loud). What sounds good in someone’s head, or looks good on a screen, may not sound good when it is said. The sentences may be Amazonian in length and convolution. Looking specifically at sentence structure (you’re not just looking for commas and full stop/periods, you’re also looking for phrases and sentence sense), can help you work out where to take full or part-breaths. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E837 · Sun, April 16, 2023
837 – Efficient Air-Use Exercises
2023.04.17 – 0837 – Efficient Air-Use Exercises Now consider these exercises to help you create: · The most efficient way to get air in to your body · The most effective way to use it to power your voice (and that doesn’t necessarily mean to give you a powerful voice) · How to control your out-breath for a consistent, confident sound · And how to support your voice to the end of every sentence I mentioned earlier that a lot of the exercises combine across the three niches of vocal, physical and mental. That is some physical exercises involve making sound as you do them, and others exercise require some imagination, as picturing something a bit abstract (like breath) can help you understand what is happening, or rather what should be happening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E836 · Sat, April 15, 2023
836 – The Deep Breathing Double Whammy
2023.04.16 – 0836 – The Deep Breathing Double Whammy So short and shallow breathing from your upper chest results in a tightening and tensing of neck and throat muscles (as well as affecting the pecs which raise the ribs, and the shoulders) which leads to a reaching and squeezing voice. Such breathing can be as a result of, well, ‘life’: nervousness, bad posture, the ‘stress of the day’… Better breathing, deeper and diaphragmatic using the lower ribs and the lower back, not only gives you more air to fuel the voice, and gives you a more resonant, round sound, it also activates your parasympathetic nervous system , a network of nerves that relaxes your body after periods of stress or danger. So deep breathing is a double-whammy: a more relaxed voice and a more relaxed ‘you’. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E835 · Fri, April 14, 2023
835 – “Why Do I Run Out Of Breath?”
2023.04.15 – 0835 – “Why Do I Run Out Of Breath?” Running out of breath before the end of a sentence could be the effect of poor support (you did not take in enough to start with), or poor writing (the sentence was simply too long to be read in a single comfortable breath). Or it may be because of poor control (you leaked air as you spoke, wasting it in perhaps a breathy voice, caused by inefficient closure of your vocal folds), a breathy voice also dehydrating your vocal folds. Without enough air, your voice will sound weak and lack colour and you’ll have trouble getting attention. It won’t travel as far. You will sound strained at the end of sentences, leading to a drop in volume or resonance, or causing a vocal fry. Squeezing out sentences without enough air support can cause a tightness in your throat and neck from the effort. Remember: if your message is important, so are the end of your sentences. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E834 · Thu, April 13, 2023
834 – The Breath Control Process
2023.04.14 – 0834 – The Breath Control Process Breath control (or ‘ supportive breathing’ ) ensures that your vocal folds are getting just the amount of air based on what it is you want to say. [1] 1. Your brain has a thought and sends a message to your ribs and diaphragm muscles that you will need air to vocalise that thought. 2 . Your ribcage expands and that leads your diaphragm to drop, which in turn creates room in your chest cavity for your lungs to expand. Aristotle coined the phrase “ nature abhors a vacuum ”, and that’s what’s happening here: the lungs expand into the space by taking in oxygen. This process of breathing in is called ‘ inspiration ’. 3 . Then your stomach muscles are activated, moving in, which lets the diaphragm move slowly up, and the ribs slowly close. That process squeezes a variable amount of air out of your lungs as you talk, your brain calculating just the right amount of air that’s needed to fuel your thought. The muscles being used here are: the transversus abdominis – sometimes called the ‘ beach muscle ’, which wraps around your lower torso. It’s one of the core muscles, stabilising the ribcage and the pelvis when you do things like lift heavy objects. It’s the muscle that keeps your belly tucked in so you look good on the beach, hence its nickname. internal oblique muscles and the external oblique muscles (‘ the twisters ’) are diagonal, connecting the ribcage and the pelvis and help you to twist, turn and bend, hence their nickname. The process is called ‘breath support’ because these three muscles help compress the abdominal wall, pushing the belly in, and supporting the stability of the diaphragm by helping it stay low and move up slowly. In ‘normal’ breathing when we are silent, the airflow is still and silent. But we need some ‘ push’ behind the airflow when we talk, and we get that by regulating the contraction of the stomach muscles. Think about it: in repose watching the tv and not talking, we barely notice the belly moving in; when we talk, we can sense a slight tightness as we control its movement to supply just the right amount of air-power; now imagine yourself yelling a cry of support to your sports team and you’ll notice the swift and strong movement of the ‘belly’s breathing muscles’ to push more air out more quickly, to create that loud sound. 4 . The air moves up to the larynx where it is vibrated by the vocal folds to create the initial soundwaves. It’s by controlling these muscles (the transversus abdominis and internal and the external oblique muscles), that you can adjust the airstream leaving the lungs, the volume and velocity, to create the right amount of s
S3 E833 · Wed, April 12, 2023
833 – Breath Support and Breath Control
2023.04.13 – 0833 – Breath Support and Breath Control Breath Support and Breath Control These two terms are often used interchangeably (I do so myself), but there is a specific difference. Breath Support Is maximizing the air capacity available to you for speaking, through best posture and best use of the diaphragm, lung health and so on. Fitness of the diaphragm is key because when you speak the diaphragm is constantly relaxing and stretching. (A quick reminder: your diaphragm is the ‘elastic’ dome-shaped muscle that, when you breath in, drops down, tenses and flattens as the lungs inflate… and then, when you breathe out and the lungs empty, relaxes back into its dome shape.) Breath Control This is the regulation of the amount of air that you push past your folds, the amount and pace of the release depending on the need of the sentence or situation. This is the way we control the airflow from the lungs to the folds, to power the voice. How we use muscles and our mind to increase or decrease the intensity of the flow, depending on the vocal power that we need in that moment. To control your voice well you have to control the breath you power it with. Think of your lungs as a ‘bagpipe bladder of air’, or the boiler of a house. A small or un-serviced pump unit in a large house with lots of radiators on full, will struggle to cope to keep heat to them all. In a similar way, poorly performing lungs caused by an untrained diaphragm won’t be able to maintain the flow of air to deliver an effective message. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E832 · Tue, April 11, 2023
832 – Passive and Active Breathing
2023.04.12 – 0832 – Passive and Active Breathing A quick reminder that air is what fuels and carries your voice and that you invariably speak on the outbreath, when your stomach is coming in, a bit like an accordion. [1] Breathe through the nose where you can (but don’t sniff) to warm and filter the air, although when talking, short sound-less snatches are taken instead. Keep topping up your air supply as you talk, rather than speaking until you’ve used every last drop of air … like a waiter in a top restaurant keeps topping up your wine. Passive Breathing Passive breathing is what you do naturally when still, and about 24,000 times a day. An in-breath and an out-breath are about the same length, we don’t control them and literally do it in our sleep. Active Breathing This is controlled and we do it when we’re talking. The in-breath is shorter and the out-breath is longer as it needs to power the words with the vocal folds interrupting the airflow. You use a bit more air if you are highlighting or emphasising a word and some consonants use more air (like “ ssssh ” or “ aahhhhh ” and “ ffff ”). Other consonants like ‘b’ and ‘t’ interrupt the flow of air for a split second, so we have to be really adaptable in our breathing system. [1] Humans can speak while inhaling , but we don't do it naturally, very often in English. Having said that, ingressive sounds occur in many languages (often Scandinavian) and dialects ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingressive_sound ). The nearest we get to it in English is when we do rapid counting to maintain a steady airflow, when surprised (the gasping " huh! " sound) or when expressing empathy (the inward hiss " Sss ”). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E831 · Mon, April 10, 2023
831 – The Key Thing of Breathing
2023.04.11 – 0831 – The Key Thing of Breathing BREATHING We’ve looked before at the importance of proper breathing, not just to give you life (!) but to give your voice enough support so your words are heard and you have enough fuel to feed your voice to the end of a thought. Additionally, your voice will sound ‘fuller’ (not ‘louder’ or ‘deeper’ but with more ‘colour’ and ‘resonance’), with more range, and your articulation will be more agile. What you say will sound more inviting and compelling: “That gives you more ways to express yourself and gives the listener more variety, which keeps the sound of the story interesting and engaging.” Jessica Hansen, NPR Voice Coach [1] Respiratory issues can also affect how you sound – perhaps unsurprisingly as ‘breathing is the key thing’ when it comes to a better voice. That could be: · high-breath inhalations · poor tonal quality · vocal fatigue · dryness in the mouth and vocal folds · a loss of range · snatching or gasping for air · running out of breath and bulging neck veins. Your voice is breath. [1] https://training.npr.org/2017/06/19/aerobics-for-your-voice-3-tips-for-sounding-better-on-air/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E830 · Sun, April 09, 2023
830 – Lion Yawns
2023.04.10 – 0830 – Lion Yawns Have a large, lion-like yawn to focus on getting the blood flowing into your throat and face. · Then move all the muscles of the face individually · Screw up your face and make the smallest face you can: close your eyes, purse your lips, frown. · Now try and make it as large, wide, open and expressive as you can. Eyes and mouth wide open. · Repeat this a couple of times and allow the tension to melt away. Then roll your shoulders, slowly shake and nod your head (see the instructions, above) before shaking all over. Finally, you need to allow your vocal folds to relax out of their over-used speaking range that they have been in during the course of the day. Gently set a pitch a little higher than your talking-pitch and gently glide down in a hum, to and beyond the pitch you’ve been using. Now, give yourself t he ‘rag doll’ shake-down · Give yourself a shake all over including your arms, legs and hands. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E829 · Sat, April 08, 2023
829 – Cooling Down After Voice Work
2023.04.09 – 0829 – Cooling Down After Voice Work Cooling down after voice work Most people know the importance of warming up the voice, even if not sure exactly how. But cooling down the voice? Not so much. But the truth is that if you have a high vocal demand, cooling down with give you more stamina, reducing fatigue and enabling better functioning. As we saw earlier, a “ high vocal demand ” could be: · Lots of talking in general conversation · Lots of ‘presentation’ talking with a mic, perhaps as a talk-radio presenter or recording lots of podcasts · Lots of ‘presentation’ talking without a mic, maybe as a school teacher, where more volume might be thought necessary · Talking over background noise, perhaps as a sports commentator, in a noisy classroom, as a club DJ … · and so on, especially if it goes on for several hours or over several days. A cool-down helps get you ‘out of character’, trains your brain to come out of its ‘presentation state’ and the muscles to relax out of their ‘work ready’ holding tension. You’re resetting and relaxing your voice mechanism. Close your eyes and ‘scan’ your body from head to toe, deliberately thinking about any tension you are holding in any place, and turning it ‘off’. Are your shoulders being held high? How is your jaw and tongue? Loose or lifted? Consider your breathing: short and snatched or low and slow? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E828 · Fri, April 07, 2023
828 – Yoga For Your Voice
2023.04.08 – 0828 – Yoga For Your Voice Yoga for your voice Traditional yoga is an ancient form of physical, mental, and spiritual practices that focuses on strength, flexibility and breathing to boost physical and mental wellbeing. The main components of yoga are postures and breathing. As we saw earlier, one of the seven chakras, or energy centres, of the body, is the Throat Chakra. It is believed that a blocked throat chakra can impact your ability to communicate, and an open and balanced throat chakra enables you to express clearly, and honestly. The yoga poses which involve balance of the Throat Chakra: child’s, anahata, cat, cow, cobra, bow, fish, camel, reverse plank, camat-karasana, sarvanga-sana, sava-sana. ‘Mudras’ are hand gestures to help create the energy flow from the fingers to the rest of the body. The Throat Chakra Mudra is done with the interlocking of the fingers inside the palm, with the tips of the thumbs pressed against each other. When done for a minimum of 10 minutes a day, it is said to bring balance in the Throat Chakra. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E827 · Thu, April 06, 2023
827 – Stretching Cats and Wobbly Babies
2023.04.07 – 0827 – Stretching Cats and Wobbly Babies Tense and release · Actively applying tension to parts of the body and releasing and relaxing · (need more examples) The cat arch · Onto your hands and knees and stretch your spine like a cat arching and wriggling around. The wobbly baby · Onto you back · Lift your arms and legs up, keeping your elbows and knees slightly bent · Shake them quickly and strongly · Don’t hold your breath! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E826 · Wed, April 05, 2023
826 – The Forward Flop
2023.04.06 – 0826 – The Forward Flop Forward flop · Stand with your feet hip-width apart. · Inhale and as you do so, raise your arms to the sky · Then slowly bend at your waist on the exhale and take your hands toward the ground. It doesn’t matter how far you can drop · Stay here for a couple of breaths · Then on an inhale slowly go back up to a standing position · Now drop down again, and as you do so move through your vocal pitch range with an “ ahhhhh ” sound, so when you are standing tall your pitch is high in your range and as you bend your pitch lowers. · When you are bent over, reverse the process back to standing. · Repeat this with “ eeee ” and “ ooooh ” sounds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E825 · Tue, April 04, 2023
825 – Side Slides
2023.04.05 – 0825 – Side Slides The side slides · Stand with your feet slightly further apart than your hips, for added stability · Take a deep breath – properly and from your diaphragm, then as you slowly exhale… do some side bends · … tilting your body to the right with your right hand running down the side of your right leg · Take another breath in as you slowly return to the upright position where you will finish your exhalation. · Repeat on the left side – and then the complete sequence twice more · Side stretches are great for expanding your rib cage and making your lungs feel full of air. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E824 · Mon, April 03, 2023
824 – Yes and No
2023.04.04 – 0824 – Yes and No Yes and No · Move your head from side to side in a wide but slow ‘no’ gesture · Move your head up and down in a high, low and slow ‘yes’ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E823 · Sun, April 02, 2023
823 – Hands Down
2023.04.03 – 0823 – Hands Down Hands down · Slowly lift your hands over your head… · And as you do so breathe in. · Then exhale as you move your hands down again. · This will help you concentrate on your breath control Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E822 · Sat, April 01, 2023
822 – Hula Hoops
2023.04.02 – 0822 – Hula Hoops Hula hoops · Stand with your feet hip-width apart and with your knees slightly bent · Put your hands on your hips and do a ‘hula hoop’, big circle movement with your hips. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E821 · Fri, March 31, 2023
821 – Shoulder Shrugs and Rolls
2023.04.01 – 0821 – Shoulder Shrugs and Rolls Shoulder shrugs and rolls · Raise and lower your shoulders in a slow exaggerated shrug. Up to your ears and then hold for two seconds and then feel the muscles relax as you drop them · Put your hands on your shoulders and do some big forward shoulder rolls three or four times to unlock tension. The roll them backwards. · Repeat each exercise and become aware of the tension flowing away. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E820 · Thu, March 30, 2023
0820 – Windmill Arms
2023.03.31 – 0820 – Windmill Arms Windmill arms · Stretch your arms out from the side (not the front or back) of your body · Now draw a ‘figure of eight’ in the air alongside you, gradually increasing the size of the digit · This helps work out any shoulder and neck tension. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E819 · Wed, March 29, 2023
0819 – Be A Crawler
2023.03.30 – 0819 – Be A Crawler Be a crawler · Do some big ‘front crawl’ swimming movements with your arms, slowly and gently for 20 seconds in a full circle. This will loosen your back, chest and ribcage muscles to help better breathing · Now repeat the exercise with the arms rotating backwards · Watch out for the ceiling fan! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E818 · Tue, March 28, 2023
0818 – Hum and Drum
2023.03.29 – 0818 – Hum and Drum Hum and drum · Stand and breath in deeply – remember from your diaphragm! · Breathe out slowly and as you do so hummmmmmm a constant note · And as you hum, wake up your chest, sides and back by firmly patting them with a gently closed fist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E817 · Mon, March 27, 2023
0817– Make A Stand!
2023.03.28 – 0817– Make A Stand! First, make a stand! Many presenters and voice-over artists prefer to stand at the mic anyway. It enables alertness and better breath control: · Feet firmly on the ground shoulder-width apart and with three points of contact with the floor: underneath the big and little toe and the centre of your heel · Have your knees soft, the pelvis balanced, your stomach loose and free · Drop your arms loose and heavy, with your shoulder blades ‘dripping down the back’ with no muscle tension there at all, a ‘long’ spine · Have your jaw free, with your tongue resting on the bottom of your mouth behind the bottom teeth, with the head floating on top of the spine · Your chin should be level with the floor · Consider your head position: there’s a happy medium between a jutting ‘text neck’ and one that’s unnaturally forced back. Remember your spine supports the head quite far back, not in the middle · Imagine a string up your spine and through your head, gently pull it taught to straighten your back and neck like a balloon full of helium is attached to the string. Now pick and mix from these exercises to warm up your chest and lungs and relax-out any tension in your muscles and joints. Pump blood, and let your brain tell your body that you’re going to do some work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E816 · Sun, March 26, 2023
0816 – Whole Body Warm Up Exercises
2023.03.27 – 0816 – Whole Body Warm Up Exercises Whole Body Warm Up Exercises [1] (Some of these exercises incorporate ‘sound’ as well as ‘structure’, that is you may use your voice while you are physically moving, and in that way, there is naturally some cross over with the previous chapter. This again shows how all elements of the body are interlinked.) We have seen already how nerves and stress creates tension. In this ‘anti-tension section’ we’ll look at the three Rs of relaxation, release and re-alignment of your neck and head, your chest, ribs and shoulders, to allow better breathing and more rounded resonance. In the next chapter we’ll look at how to combat the fight/flight mechanism that closes your throat when you get nervous. [1] There are many more exercises from The National theatre in London no less, on this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFXqyl4C1J4&list=PL5E683693532693DE&index=1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E815 · Sun, March 26, 2023
0815 – Relaxation From Tension
2023.03.26 – 0815 – Relaxation From Tension The flip side of tension is relaxation. Hopefully you will have seen by now how so many parts of the body are involved in creating the sound we call voice: your spine, various ligaments and muscles – some as small as the vocal folds in your throat, some large and powerful such as your diaphragm. And ‘relaxation of the mechanism’ is the key to have these work to support your voice, its construction and projection. Better relaxation leads to better presentation – but that’s easier said than done, with deadlines to meet, stories breaking, talking to time, important clients watching you through the glass, and the occasional breakdown of the technical setup. Relaxation with concentration (you’ll be no good if you’re practically asleep!), will soften your voice, help it be more resonant, help you breathe better and reach the end of phrases and sentences, all of which will lead to more confidence and fewer verbal trips and slips. Proper posture helps you prepare. Health reminder These exercises can only be a general guide. You know your body the best. Well, you and a health professional. Consult them first and stop if anything hurts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E814 · Sat, March 25, 2023
0814 – Ten Tell-Tale Signs of Tension
2023.03.25 – 0814 – Ten Tell-Tale Signs of Tension Some physical tension creeps up on us. We don’t notice small changes to the body until it’s ‘too late’. So here are Ten Tell-Tale Signs of Tension : 1. Your voice sounds crackly and raspy 2. It sounds thin or strained 3. Your voice sounds weak 4. You find yourself short of breath while speaking 5. You sound irritated or bored 6. You have trouble projecting your voice 7. You sound an octave higher than you normally do 8. You have ‘dry-mouth’ syndrome 9. Your presentation is rushed 10. You often have headaches, back or neck pain The quickest way to damage your voice is to talk with tension. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E813 · Fri, March 24, 2023
0813 – Your Studio Desk Set Up
2023.03.24 – 0813 – Your Studio Desk Set Up Your Studio Desk Set Up Are the screens in your studio laid out so you can see them without twisting and turning, actions which will causes spinal stresses and strains? If you talk with a twisted neck, you are pulling the larynx out of alignment causing other muscles to compensate, which will affect your vocal sound, health and stamina. If you can, move the screen or the mic or your chair so everything is ‘square on’. If this is not possible, make sure you exercise your neck when you can, carefully moving it in the opposite direction. Consider a regular massage to release postural tension caused by the poor studio layout. (It’s not self-indulgence, it is taking care of yourself and may be tax deductible) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E812 · Thu, March 23, 2023
0812 – Nine Lines On the Spine (7-9)
2023.03.23 – 0812 – Nine Lines On the Spine (7-9) 7. Similarly wearing high heels can also throw your body out of alignment, you may have to stick your bum out to counterbalance your weight, causing other stresses on the ‘wrong’ part of the skeleton and muscle groups, and the resulting tension causing a less effective and free voice. 8. The ribs are joined to the spine and they need to be free to move as the lungs fill with air. 9. A good posture, one that is soft, and which we are not gripping or holding but free to move, will also help your breathing and therefore your breath control and resonance. Consider looking at yoga, Pilates or the Alexander Technique to learn more about strength, balance and flexibility. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E811 · Wed, March 22, 2023
0811 – Nine Lines On the Spine (4-6)
2023.03.22 – 0811 – Nine Lines On the Spine (4-6) 4. The larynx is at the top of the trachea which runs along the same line as your spine. What you do with your head and neck alignment has a knock-on effect on your larynx, and therefore your voice. 5. The average human head weighs around 5kg or 11lbs, that's more than most new-born babies, and is balanced on just seven vertebrae in your neck and supported by around 20 muscles that move your head and keep that weight in place. If you force your head back or your chin up, or slump or slouch then your alignment will be affected and so too your voice. 6. Bad posture can literally be a pain in the neck. If you’re using the correct muscles to keep your head in position (and remember your head is not naturally perched perfectly on your neck like a toffee apple on a stick, it is slightly forward of the rest of the body, although not jutting forward with a ‘laptop neck’), then that’s less tension that’s feeding through to your neck and larynx, which’ll affect your voice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E810 · Tue, March 21, 2023
0810 – Nine Lines On the Spine (1-3)
2023.03.21 – 0810 – Nine Lines On the Spine (1-3) Nine Lines On the Spine 1. Why is this important? Well, your voice is affected by your postural alignment, and you will have better breathing and resonance if your ‘spine is fine’. That means using minimal effort for maximum effect: an efficient, effective and effortlessly good voice without the work of holding and tensing muscles to create it. 2. That means when standing, lining up the heaviest parts of your body so the centre of gravity goes down the middle of your frame. Balance without tension. 3. That doesn’t mean, despite what you were told at school, you need to “ stand up straight ” because your spine isn’t actually straight, it has three curves in it. And if you stand as though you have a rake up your back you will be holding yourself in unhelpful tension as other muscles and bones over-work to compensate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E809 · Mon, March 20, 2023
0809 – Vocal Tension From Sitting and Standing
2023.03.20 – 0809 – Vocal Tension From Sitting and Standing Physical tension can come from sitting down and standing up It is very easy to stay still in a studio and only at the end of a programme realise that you have been in the same seat for three or four hours. Sitting still has your body relaxed into a sedentary position, your breathing slows into shallow breaths as the lungs struggle to fully open. You begin to sound dull and lifeless because of a lack of oxygen to power your voice, and your muscles and brain. Get re-invigorated by walking around the studio whenever you have a chance. It will get some air into your lungs and help you sound more alert the next time you open the mic. Standing for a long time may also cause problems: locked knees, a tight lower back, head jutted towards the mic. But in general standing is preferable. Standing up gives you better control of your breathing, helps you stay alert and means you can move around much more freely as you gesture. Radio stations which have presenters who ‘stand to deliver’, have studio desks which are raised slightly so they don’t have to slouch to operate the faders and some have microphone head-sets so their presenters can walk around the studio as they talk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E808 · Sun, March 19, 2023
0808 – The Causes of Vocal Tension
2023.03.19 – 0808 – The Causes of Vocal Tension What Causes Tension Nerves. Overwhelm. Anxiety. Excitement. The unknown. Panic. Being underprepared. Being worried about how you sound. Concerns about your message and the audience’s reception to it. Any physical niggle can affect your voice. That’s anything from a paper cut to menstrual cramps, discomfort anywhere will cause ‘compensatory muscular tension’ and so mental distraction. Even if just a small part of your brain is dealing with the pain, possibly even if you are trying to block it out, it will affect your voice performance. The solution is obvious: deal with the source of the pain. Physical tension can be a direct cause of you sounding different: text neck, baby carrying, shopping, pushing and driving can all cause muscular strains or stasis that will affect your breath – the very foundation of how you sound. Tension pain may be treated with medication, which itself can cause a change in your voice: overly relaxing you, causing drowsiness or a lack of mucus. And a lack of mucus in your throat and mouth can lead to hoarseness and possible polyps Tension can cause tiredness, both fatigue in your vocal instrumentation, but also in the rest of your ‘self’. Tiredness will affect your voice Pain can cause you to be irritable or depressed, itself leading to stress and the possible use of medication… and so the spiral continues. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E807 · Sat, March 18, 2023
0807 – Tension and Relaxation
2023.03.18 – 0807 – Tension and Relaxation We looked at releasing tension in the mouth, jaw, tongue and lips in the previous chapter, but as the Voice Box above shows, physical tension that can affect your voice can be in many other places. “ Tension murders vibration (and) vibrations thrive in relaxation ” Kristin Linklater, “Freeing the Natural Voice: Imagery and Art in the Practice of Language” And it’s important to remember that physical tension can come from mental tension: nerves or excitement about a presentation can manifest themselves in your muscles and so affect your performance. You see how everything is interconnected? (We look at mental stress and ‘mic fright’ in the next chapter.) Muscles in a state of undue tension can make your voice sound a little thin, strained, irritated or bored and put it up an octave. Your reading can also speed up and your mouth can dry up leading to articulation problems. Releasing tension opens the diaphragm, which gives deeper breathing which in turn helps the voice sound more open and confident. And in a ‘self-fulfilling spiral’, when you know you sound good, you relax, you slow down, your heart rate decreases and the natural fluids returns to your mouth. And during times of dramatic or significant news, it is important for radio and TV presenters to manage their personal tension. Feeling anxious, angry, sad or depressed can make it difficult to sound comforting or calm. But that is exactly what radio presenters need to sound if they are to communicate their message effectively. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E806 · Fri, March 17, 2023
0806 – Stretching and Strengthening Your Laryngeal Muscle
2023.03.17 – 0806 – Stretching and Strengthening Your Laryngeal Muscle There are around 27 muscles in and around the larynx, 15 of these are outside the larynx and hold it in position in the neck, 12 are essential, with a direct action on the vocal folds in their lengthening and shortening, tension and relaxation, thinning and thickening. These laryngeal muscles are intimately connected to the muscles of the neck, shoulders and upper chest and back. The tension of all these muscles is influenced by how we are feeling both physically and emotionally and they affect the function and sometimes the structure of the vocal folds. We need enough tension for a strong healthy voice, but not so much that the voice becomes strained and constricted. [1] So, the muscles around the larynx are intricate and need delicate movement to work, and you need to avoid the other muscles around it, like in the neck (and they’re huge – if you’ve ever been in a car accident and had whiplash, you’ll know how debilitating that is) getting tense. And that’s why exercises are so important in getting a better voice: moving and stretching to both relax and strengthen muscles. [1] https://www.wsh.nhs.uk/CMS-Documents/Patient-leaflets/SpeechandLanguageTherapyServices/6534-1-Practical-voice-care.pdf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E805 · Thu, March 16, 2023
0805 – Your Physical Health
2023.03.16 – 0805 – Your Physical Health In the previous chapter we looked at your vocal zones and how looking after them affects the way you sound. Earlier in the course we discussed the ‘art of breathing’ and how sitting and standing ‘properly’, affects how you sound. Now, we’ll take a look at the wider body and its effect on your voice, including the physical tensions you need – and the ones you don’t! Each of our voices sound different partly because of how we produce our own sound: our physique, the tension settings of the muscles, the pressure we put on the vocal folds and so on. All this has a huge effect on the sound, the stamina and the general health of our voices. For example, if we speak with too much throat constriction, a tightly pulled-back tongue, a clenched jaw or thick, stiff vocal folds, it is likely that these patterns will have an effect on the way our throat feels and how our voice works and on the health of our vocal folds themselves. And what’s the point getting a better voice, if you can’t guarantee it’ll be there when you want it? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E804 · Wed, March 15, 2023
0804 – The Cool-Down Low-Down
2023.03.15 – 0804 – The Cool-Down Low-Down % The cool down low-down There is a need to ease yourself back to normality after extensive vocalising, resetting to ‘neutral’ rather than just stopping suddenly. You have used your voice lots, perhaps been a bit stressed and had adrenaline, you might have projected a bit more, put on a character voice (perhaps been speaking to other delegates in a crowded conference hall, teaching and preaching), maybe your bright and happy or stern tone has been ‘false’. · Destress by having a stretch · Get back to the norm by having a yawn · Return to the day-to-day having a shake, shimmy and sway · Be more like the natural you … by gliding down on the notes of ‘ zoooo ’ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E803 · Tue, March 14, 2023
0803 – Green Kings Singing
2023.03.14 – 0803 – Green Kings Singing Green Kings Singing · Slowly and carefully say the phrase “ green kings sing-ging ” . Note how I’ve written the last word, split in two, that’s because I want you to say it that way, “ sing ” and then “ ging ” stressing the ‘ ng ’ and hard ‘ g ’ sounds, so you can be conscious of where the sounds are being made. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E802 · Mon, March 13, 2023
0802 – The ‘siNG soNG’ Vocal Warm Up
2023.03.13 – 0802 – The ‘siNG soNG’ Vocal Warm Up Nasal It’s important to be comfortable in diverting sounded air from your nasal cavity to the mouth and vice-versa. The Nasal Siren · Say the word “ song ” and take that ‘ ng ’ sound that is sent through your nasal cavity and keep it going. Then carefully glide up the register (sometimes called ‘tonal sweeping’), and down to your original starting point, and then down. Repeat this swooping glide several times. Keep it light and fun and don’t force your voice. · Listen for any cracks or slight breaks in the tone, which will show you the note you need to work on · Put a couple of fingers on your larynx to feel the vibrations as you siren. · Now repeat it with a long ‘ v ’ sound… · And then with a long ‘ zsh ’ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E801 · Sun, March 12, 2023
0801 – The ‘This & That’ Vocal Warm Up
2023.03.12 – 0801 – The ‘This & That’ Vocal Warm Up This & That Say the word “ this ” and “ that ” and you’ll notice that to make the “ th ” you put the tip of your tongue between your teeth. · Say ‘ th ’ again and make it a long, buzzing sound ‘ ththththththth ’, feel your larynx vibrate by resting a couple of fingers on it · Stick your tongue out a bit further, again while vibrating a ‘ ththththththth ’ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E800 · Sat, March 11, 2023
0800 – The ‘Puh-Tuh-Kuh Puh-Tuh-Kuh’ Vocal Warm Up
2023.03.11 – 0800 – The ‘Puh-Tuh-Kuh Puh-Tuh-Kuh’ Vocal Warm Up The Puh-Tuh-Kuh exercise · Without pushing or forcing, sound “ puh-tuh-kuh ” individually, slowly at first, noticing how the different words are created in different places in your mouth and with different tongue movements, over enunciate with exaggerated lip, jaw, and tongue movements · Repeat several times, gradually building up speed. · Then switch from “ puh-tuh-kuh” to the opposite “kuh-tuh-puh” and gradually speed up · Repeat the process with the ‘voiced plosive’ sounds of “ buh-duh-guh ” and then “ guh-duh-buh ”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E799 · Fri, March 10, 2023
0799 – A Trill-iantly Easy Lip Warm-Up
2023.03.10 – 0799 – A Trill-iantly Easy Lip Warm-Up Lip trills These encourage you to relax your mouth and lips, easing the muscles associated with enunciating, warming them up and encourage a consistent air flow · Close your mouth and teeth and relax your lips and cheeks · Exhale to vibrate your lips until you use up all your breath (if this is tricky, put an index finger on each cheek at the end of each lip, and press lightly) · Repeat with short bursts of ‘trills’, gliding from a low tone up to a higher one to make a sound similar to a child doing a car impression – or a braying horse on a rollercoaster · Repeat with more tense lips Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E798 · Thu, March 09, 2023
0798 – Giving Your Lips A Work-Pout
2023.03.09 – 0798 – Giving Your Lips A Work-Pout Lips Give your lips a work-pout with these great exercises. Lip pouts · Make an exaggerated extended lip-purse as though moving in for a big kiss. Open and close the lips while in this position, like a fish (a ‘trout pout’?!) · Then tuck them in, folding them against each other inside your mouth · Add a big wide grin into the mix · Work though these three movements (out, in, grin), but don’t clench your jaw or let your neck muscles become tight. · Silently move between the vowel sounds ‘ ooo ’ and ‘ eee ’ as fast as you can using strong lip movements; · Now, vocalise this exercise, sounding ‘ ooo ’ and ‘ eee ’ · Then silently and then vocally do the same exercise with ‘or’ and ‘ee’, then ‘oh’ and ‘ee’, all the while keeping clear, intentional articulation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E797 · Wed, March 08, 2023
0797 – The ‘Pucker Muscle’ and the ‘Smile Muscle’
2023.03.08 – 0797 – The ‘Pucker Muscle’ and the ‘Smile Muscle’ The ‘Pucker Muscle’ and the ‘Smile Muscle’ The ‘pucker muscle’ that controls lip movement to shape sounds is the ‘orbicularis oris’ muscle. The’ zygomaticus major’ runs from your cheekbone to the corners of your mouth to help create smiles and other facial expressions, as well as sounds such as ‘eee’. (Fun fact: This muscle can contract with a force of 200 g. [1] ) [1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0268003309001521 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E796 · Tue, March 07, 2023
0796 – Bits About Lips
2023.03.07 – 0796 – Bits About Lips Bits About Lips Lips are more than just the ‘lipstick bit’, their muscles extend into the cheeks and so affect (and are affected by) the whole of the face and expression. Holding tension in yur lips, or barely using them when speaking (some people rely on their tongue to do a lot of the hard articulatory work), can restrict your understandability, as how you hold your lips helps create word-sound groups. Stiff lips may be a result of the perceived danger of sharing: · The ‘stiff upper lip’ – being afraid to show and share emotion in your face and mouth, from a wince of pain or a smile of pleasure, because of how you were brought up, that you shouldn’t show your feelings · Mouth embarrassment – a worry of what others may think of stained or misaligned teeth, braces, gaps or fillings, a cold sore… · Content concern – the worry you may have about what others may think about what you say, that you may be through stupid. You are literally holding back your voice, your thoughts, feeling, emotions and contributions. · Articulation and accent worries – maybe there’s an idea that your accent is in some way not good enough or your articulation not clear, so even though you want the world to your words, they struggle to fly-free because of how others may judge the voice you use to explain them. All this can lead to mumbling, stiff lips, a stiff jaw and a muffled sound, instead of the lips being used to their full capability as part of intentional articulation. Articulation? Yes because as we saw many episodes ago (Number 89), the lips are an integral part of saying consonants ‘p’, ‘b’ and ‘m’. Say the phrase “ Peter’s many books ” slowly and consider the initial letters and how the sounds are formed. Now say the phrase “ very few westerns ” and you’ll notice that the lips are also used to form, to a lesser extent, the initial letters ‘f’, ‘v’ and ‘w’. But it’s not just consonants. The lips help shape the sounds ‘oo’, ‘oh’ and aw’, helping give more resonance and colour (“ Oh! Awesome oozings! ”) Along with articulation, animation also helps tell a story and draw in a listener. We have already seen how facial expressions help us express emotions vocally, and that includes the use of the lips and cheeks. So it’s important to keep them in working order! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E795 · Mon, March 06, 2023
0795 - The ‘Mouth’s Mystery Muscle’
2023.03.06 – 0795 - The ‘Mouth’s Mystery Muscle’ Tongue Root Tension and the ‘Mouth’s Mystery Muscle’ We all know about the tongue yeah? We can see it in our mouth, we know it is very sensitive to temperature, taste and texture (babies instinctively feel things with their tongue), and its complex fibres and nerves makes an extraordinary range of precise movements possible for speaking [1] (Episode 76 “ Your Multi-Function Mouth Muscle ” has the full list of the tongue’s eight great attributes). But hidden from view the less-sensitive part of the tongue connects into the larynx via the hyoid bone. A ‘tight tongue’ limits your range. If the underlying muscle is tight, the larynx can’t move as easily. The result of that is that then other muscles (the ‘wrong ones’) are used to move it instead, which means more effort to create the sound (and not the best sound either) which leads in turn to muscular and laryngeal strain and fatigue, and so causing more tightness. A tense-free tongue therefore has a hugely beneficial effect. [1] Or even tying a knot with a cherry stalk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFqv-QOSDfg and https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/23/magazine/how-to-knot-a-cherry-stem-with-your-tongue.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E794 · Sun, March 05, 2023
0794 – Blowing Raspberries
2023.03.05 – 0794 – Blowing Raspberries Blowing Raspberries · Relax your mouth, lips and cheeks and slightly stick out your tongue, resting it on your lower lip. · Slowly exhale as you blow a raspberry, vibrating your tongue, lips and cheeks. (Beware of spittle!) · Now gently vocalise that airflow creating a slow deep vibration · Next, keeping a consistent, controlled airflow, move up and down the tonal scale. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E793 · Sat, March 04, 2023
0793 – The Right Way To Use Tongue Twisters As An Articulation Exercise
2023.03.04 – 0793 – The Right Way To Use Tongue Twisters As An Articulation Exercise Tongue Twisters Once you have warmed up the tongue, you can try some tongue twisters to put it through its paces (if you try a tongue twister before you’ve warmed up the tongue and you’ll just end up tongue-tied and demoralised…) What do I like about a tongue-twister? It’s hard to say (!), but having said that, their name is a bit of misnomer because they not only help stretch and strengthen several of those tongue muscles, but also warm up your other ‘moveable articulators’, the lips and soft palate too. That aside, adding them to your routine can lead to better enunciation and expression which will help you master more complex reads. From scripts and everyday life, make a note of the words and phrases that trip you up most, then pick a twister that includes those sound combinations. Start slowly and make sure each phrase is clear and crisp, pronouncing each of the consonant and vowel sounds accurately. Then repeat the twister gradually increasing pace and exaggeration, starting again after any stumble. Aim for six twisters 60 minutes before a studio session, as well as more as part of your regular routine. An A-Z of Tongue Twisters can be found in episode 106… but these are made up word-forms that you’re unlikely to encounter in real life. That’s not to say they’re not useful tests, but don’t forget the more regular phrases that you may find yourself stumbling over (I remember “ international coronavirus restrictions ”). Oh, and after you have tried a twister a few times, try it with a pencil in your mouth (or a chopstick or something similar). Hold it horizontally between your teeth, across your mouth pushing back your cheeks to just short of where they start to hurt. Then do the twister again a few times to help you concentrate on the words. Finally try the same phrase without the pencil to see how your speed, and diction accuracy has improved. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E792 · Fri, March 03, 2023
0792 – The ‘Tongue Curl’ Vocal Exercise
2023.03.03 – 0792 – The ‘Tongue Curl’ Vocal Exercise Curled Tongue · Put the tip of your tongue behind your lower front teeth, and arch the middle of your tongue so it touches the roof of your mouth. Repeat five times, like press-ups for the tongue! · Now open your mouth and, with a relaxed jaw and the tip of your tongue still behind your lower front teeth, push the middle of your tongue forward towards your open mouth. Repeat five times, increasing speed each time. · Now with the tongue lying on the floor of your mouth, curl the tip up and back along the roof of the mouth. Then after that front-roll and back roll, make a ‘taco tongue’ making it into a tube shape [1] · Next stick your tongue out either side of your mouth, darting to the left and then in and then stretching out to the right · Then all the way forward towards your nose. [2] [1] Only about 80% of the population can make this shape: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180130-do-you-inherit-the-ability-to-roll-your-tongue [2] There are five specific tongue movements in a healthy population, including the ‘clover leaf’. This article lists them with pictures: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33040201/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E791 · Thu, March 02, 2023
0791 – A Drumroll For The Tongue
2023.03.02 – 0791 – A Drumroll For The Tongue Tongue Trills · Relax your mouth and tongue and have your lips slightly apart. Purr like a cat (or like a drumroll), relaxing your tongue and letting its tip vibrate on the roof of your mouth just behind the upper teeth, as you breathe out. · Try this gently at first before you make the vibration faster and stronger. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E790 · Wed, March 01, 2023
0790 – The ‘Toothpaste Tongue’ Vocal Exercise
2023.03.01 – 0790 – The ‘Toothpaste Tongue’ Vocal Exercise Toothpaste Tongue · Imagine there’s a blob of toothpaste on the tip of your tongue and give each tooth and individual clean with the tip of the tongue. · Keep the jaw as relaxed as possible as you run your tongue all around your mouth to ‘clean’ it: between lips and gums, behind teeth, along the roof and floor of your mouth, even counting your teeth with your tongue. · Keep going for 30 seconds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E789 · Tue, February 28, 2023
0789 – Getting a ‘Slug Tongue’
2023.02.28 – 0789 – Getting a ‘Slug Tongue’ Slug Tongue Relax the jaw, drop the tongue out of the mouth and count slowly out loud to 10. Then recite the ‘Happy Birthday’ song or something similar, keeping your tongue relaxed and floppy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E788 · Mon, February 27, 2023
0788 – Tongue Stretches
2023.02.27 – 0788 – Tongue Stretches Tongue Stretches · Open and relax your mouth with your lips apart, then stick out your tongue as far as it will stretch. Hold it there for 30 seconds while breathing. Check you are not tightening your neck muscles (use a mirror or put a hand on your neck to feel for tension) · Stick your tongue out and slowly draw a square with the tip of your tongue. Try different shapes and try ‘writing’ your name. Do this 5 times, with increased speed each time · Stretch the tip of your tongue to the tip of your nose and then relax it. Do this five times. Then stretch it down to touch your chin five times. · Put your tongue back in and move it slowly as far as it will stretch in all directions in your mouth to explore all ‘four corners’ and all points in between: across the front of your top teeth to the depths of the bottom of the mouth. · With your mouth closed, teeth and lips together, and a relaxed jaw, and the tongue inside the mouth (obviously!), rotate it to the right 8 times. Then to the left. Then repeat 7 times, 6 times, and so on until you’re down to one rotation right and one left. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E787 · Sun, February 26, 2023
0787 – Tongue Fun
2023.02.26 – 0787 – Tongue Fun The Tongue Your tongue is a major articulator helping form sounds into recognisable words (as well as being used in swallowing and eating). It moves courtesy of eight muscles: four intrinsic muscles run along its length and change and the shape of the tongue (lengthening and shortening it, curling and uncurling its tip and edges as in tongue rolling, and flattening and rounding its surface), and four extrinsic muscles change its position (for protrusion, retraction, and side-to-side movement). The main articulator bends and shapes sounds to create understandable words, from complex car-deal criteria to mouthfuls of medical manuscripts so it’s important to be dextrous and strong. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E786 · Sat, February 25, 2023
0786 – The Exaggeration Vocal Exercise
2023.02.25 – 0786 – The Exaggeration Vocal Exercise Over Enunciation Silently say a phrase (“ Get A Better Broadcast, Podcast and Voice Over Voice ”) with really exaggerated mouth, lip and jaw movements. Repeat it, with really big, animated and exaggerated articulation. Now put the sound in and keep the performance. Finally, relax and speak the phrase normally with your usual face and you should feel more freedom, and ease of movement. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E785 · Fri, February 24, 2023
0785 – Jaw Massage
2023.02.24 – 0785 – Jaw Massage Jaw Massage Let your jaw drop slightly and put the balls of your hands just under your cheekbones. Rub firmly into the hollows of your cheeks as you let the lower jaw drop into a more open position. Temple Massage With the tips of your fingers, massage your temples as you open and close the jaw, circular movements in both directions. As you close your mouth you will feel a bulge of the associated muscles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E784 · Thu, February 23, 2023
0784 – The Toffee and Chipmunk Jaw Exercises
2023.02.23 – 0784 – The Toffee and Chipmunk Jaw Exercises The Jaw If you experience a popping or clicking in their jaw, it’s a possible sign that you are tensing or clenching it too much. But of course, you need to be able to drop the jaw when you speak, to allow the tongue to move freely and the sound to come out. Some of the muscles that close the jaw fan out towards the temple and skull, the ones that open it are linked to the neck and larynx, so any tightness here can affect a large area. · Relax your jaw and keep your lips closed. Let it hang loose for one minute. · Then do each of these for a count of five: o With your lips still closed, stretch your jaw as far open as you can o Carefully move your lower jaw from left to right… o … and then up and down. Now, open and relax your mouth with your lips apart, a ‘gormless’ look, and repeat the exercise. · Chew big, slow and exaggerated, letting your mouth open as you do so, for 30 seconds [1] · Then quick and small, chipmunk-style [1] Some people chew actual gum for a few minutes before a studio session to relax their jaw, although doing it for too long will make it ache. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E783 · Wed, February 22, 2023
0783 – The ‘Silent Laugh’ Vocal Exercise
2023.02.22 – 0783 – The ‘Silent Laugh’ Vocal Exercise The Silent Laugh Imagine you’ve just been told a joke but you’re not allowed to laugh out loud, instead do so silently and gently inside your throat with no sound. If you find this tricky at first, laugh vocally, and sense what is happening inside your mouth and throat and replicate this, silently. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E782 · Tue, February 21, 2023
0782 – The ‘Yawn Sigh’ Vocal Exercise
2023.02.21 – 0782 – The ‘Yawn Sigh’ Vocal Exercise Throat The Yawn Sigh Yawning opens and stretches muscles at the back of your throat. · Stand up and inhale as you yawn, a full-bodied one, wide and deep. Get your whole body involved: open your mouth, keep your tongue relaxed and gently touching your lower teeth, soft palate raised, stretching and widening at the back of your throat, scrunch your face, stretch your arms over your face and really let it all go. Consciously feel your diaphragm as you breathe air into the very bottom of your lungs; a good stretch of your throat. Sigh your breath out as silently as you can. The Yawn Sigh – with sound This work-out exercise will help increase your pitch range so you do not sound quite so flat. · Repeat the Yawn-Sigh exercise, but this time make a gentle sound with your voice as you sigh, gliding down in pitch from high to low like a siren. Repeat 5 times. · Keep the yawning ‘ ahhh ’ sound, but stop short of it starting to ‘gravel out’ as you run out of breath. Repeat this five times, each time projecting slightly more with the sound coming from your chest, not from your throat. The Closed Yawn Close your lips and then yawn. Be conscious of the space and air contained in your mouth and throat. Repeat 5 times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E781 · Mon, February 20, 2023
0781 – The Ubiquitous Panting Exercise
2023.02.20 – 0781 – The Ubiquitous Panting Exercise Panting Your vocal folds make a tense and strained sound if they are closing too tightly over the airflow, but a pleasant and easy sound is made when the folds meet and vibrate, stimulated by air passing over them. In this exercise we’ll first work on ‘aspirant consonants’ which are produced with the vocal folds open and not vibrating at all. · You can let more air through, by making a breathier sound such as ‘ h ’: panting like a dog or ‘ her her her ’ with lots of air and no ‘ r ’ sound. (Monitor your feelings so you don’t feel dizzy during this exercise.) · Now, a breathy ‘ ahhh ’ up the scales as a glide (it doesn’t matter if you are in tune!). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E780 · Sun, February 19, 2023
0780 – Tarzan and The Wake-Up Hum
2023.02.19 – 0780 – Tarzan and The Wake-Up Hum Let’s start with the larynx. Larynx Your voice needs to start slow, so we’ll start by awakening the cords with humming, a great go-to for easing-in your instrument. The Wake-up Hum Be sure that your jaw is loose and your teeth are separated to create more room for resonance. Humm from your throat and chest in your usual register. That is, not from your lips. Sirening Now gradually move up a register. Don’t stop and reset, but glide up and then return to your ‘home’ tone. Then glide up further, and back down, and so on, through the pitch-range. Return to your usual register, and repeat the exercise going down in register. Do not force your voice to approach anything that starts to hurt. Tarzan Humming Take a breath and, as you breathe out, gently beat your chest with your fists while letting out a single, long ‘ ahhhh ’ sigh-sound . Repeat with an ‘ ooooh ’ sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E779 · Sat, February 18, 2023
0779 – Why Warm Up Your Voice?
2023.02.18 – 0779 – Why Warm Up Your Voice? Warming up The intensity, speed and duration of any voice-over work can cause vocal fatigue. Not warming up will lead to a longer recovery time and possible ongoing injury. These exercises will improve your vocal flexibility and eliminate unnecessary levels of tension in your body and voice. The Exercises These easy-to-learn exercises are ones that you can do at home, in the car, in the shower or in the toilet at work. Do them regularly to get the most out of them, not just on a ‘studio’ day. They are presented in the same order as ‘the voyage of your voice’, from larynx to lips, including the nasal cavity. Note that main breathing and skeletal exercises are later, although there may be elements of them combined with exercises here. We’ll do one or two exercises a day, that way you can go away and practice yourself for 24 hours before we move on to another one. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E778 · Fri, February 17, 2023
0778 – Vocal Exercise Advise
2023.02.17 – 0778 – Vocal Exercise Advise A quick health warning: · Like at the gym, always do a warm-up before you do a work-out · The first part of the warm-up (see below) should also include physical and mental work, which in this book you will find in separate chapters · Pace yourself. Vocal exercises should be challenging in a similar way to going to the gym is challenging and when you stop you should feel better than when you began. You should not end up feeling sore. · Before you try any new exercise, note how you feel and perform first. Then during the technique, monitor what’s happening, your feelings and your performance. And after (both immediately and after several days of this routine), gauge again what difference it is making to your sound and strength. · These exercises are generic. They were not designed for you specifically. If you can’t make a certain sound, don’t worry! · If you feel dizzy, something hurts or doesn’t feel right, stop and seek professional help Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E777 · Thu, February 16, 2023
0777 – Vocal Work-Outs, Warm-Ups and Winding Down
2023.02.16 – 0777 – Vocal Work-Outs, Warm-Ups and Winding Down %VOCAL WORK-OUTS, WARM-UPS AND WINDING DOWN A dance or sports person wouldn’t dream of performing without a warm-up, or suddenly stop at the end of a race without a cool-down regime. To do otherwise would risk temporary or permanent injury to their muscles and ligaments, and they would not be working to the best of their ability. You are a ‘vocal athlete’ and you too need training, warm-ups and proper rest to lead to greater vocal health, more stamina and less injury. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E776 · Wed, February 15, 2023
0776 – Help! I’m Getting A Cold!
2023.02.15 – 0776 – Help! I’m Getting A Cold! Help! I’m getting a cold! (Or blocked nose, sneezes and sniffles, itchy mouth, catarrh, sore throat, dry cough, headache, hoarseness and general feeling of being unwell… it’s all literally a pain in the neck.) During this period your voice will sound deeper, rougher and may almost disappear, because swollen vocal cords vibrate more slowly and unevenly. With a blocked nose, your sound will be nasally because of reduced resonance. And you will have less projection. Coughing will be slamming your vocal cords together at high speed. Prevention - Using anti-bac hand gel on hands and surfaces, and not sharing cups and cutlery and so on will help. As will being physically fit in the first place with a good diet and exercise regime. If you’re already infected: Keep your nose and throat warm and wet Drink plenty of water or hot drinks, and keep well hydrated to thin down mucus and wash away any inhaled irritants Use a water-only steamer to reduce swelling of the mucous membranes Turn off air-drying systems such as air con and air convection heating and keep the room humid Beware OTC meds: they are ok in an emergency but decongestants don’t last long; medicated lozenges literally don’t touch the problem (although can help produce helpful saliva) Some say gargling with salt water can help Cancel any immediate studio work and begin complete voice rest - Talking can delay recovery even longer, affecting vocal stamina and quality for several weeks or even months. Don’t whisper! Avoid irritants such as alcohol and smoking (including other people’s smoke) Sip water and inhale steam to rehydrate and flush out the bugs Instead of coughing (which irritates the throat even more) sip a drink or do a hard swallow Mental and physical rest – to give your body a chance to recover Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables In ‘recovery mode’, short periods of talking but stop if your voice feels hurt or tired and build in plenty of vocal rest. Do some gentle voice exercises with lots of air such as ‘woos’ and ‘yawns’ (see below for more warm-up exercises). Taking a couple of days to develop, it may be two weeks before you properly sound and feel yourself again. And for a pro, if your voice is unreliable, work may be significantly affected or simply impossible, which knocks on to your earning-power. If your voice isn’t back to normal within 3 weeks, seek professional help. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E775 · Tue, February 14, 2023
0775 – Vocal Fold Haemorrhage
2023.02.14 – 0775 – Vocal Fold Haemorrhage Continued talking may lead to ‘vocal nodules’ on your folds, which are common with loud, tense, constant talkers. (Polyps are similar but usually occur after a single cough or shout, rather than long-term abuse, and happen when the folds haemorrhage.) Know your body. If your body is hurting (even a sore throat), stop. It’s a sign that something is not ‘quite right’. Speaking when hoarse, or worse still, shouting to deliberately make yourself hoarse (yes, some people do this to achieve a lower voice), can be very dangerous in itself and can permanently damage your vocal folds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E774 · Mon, February 13, 2023
0774 – Voice Advice From Justin Timberlake and Larry Hagman
2023.02.13 – 0774 – Voice Advice From Justin Timberlake and Larry Hagman ‘Resting’ actors Larry Hagman was best known for playing ruthless oil baron J. R. Ewing in the 1978–1991 primetime television soap opera ‘ Dallas ’ and the befuddled astronaut Major Anthony Nelson in the 1965–1970 sitcom ‘ I Dream of Jeannie ’. For 20 years he undertook “ silent Sundays ” after a doctor suggested that he did not talk for a few days after he strained his vocal cords. For one day a week he said not a word to anyone. [1] Ultimately though it is reported that he had to give it up when he realised that the benefits were outweighed by missed opportunities. More recently bruised vocal cords left Justin Timberlake on vocal rest, so in 2018 he ‘talked’ about his book, ‘Hindsight: And All the Things I Can’t See in Front of Me’, with Jimmy Fallon using pen and paper, plus charades-like hand gestures. [2] [1] Source: https://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/360655/How-Larry-Hagman-couldn-t-have-been-further-from-his-fiendish-alter-ego-JR-Ewing [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGMx9zuB_3M Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E773 · Sun, February 12, 2023
0773 – Polyps, Nodules and Phonal Trauma
2023.02.12 – 0773 – Polyps, Nodules and Phonal Trauma Treating your voice badly, shouting [1] , smoking or straining it, is not showing it the respect it deserves. These actions can lead to ‘phonal trauma’ such as nodules or polyps (small growths) on your vocal folds. These can be painful and if they heal at all can take a long time. At an extreme, they may need to be removed in an operation. (Wince…) “Once, a year or two back, I’d lost my voice during the evening… really lost it and I had to do all the evening, the late news etc etc and then I had to do the Shipping Forecast [at 00:48 hrs]. I had a gallon of water beside me which wasn’t very helpful to be honest, but I just had to keep on closing the fader, having a sip of water, trying to get some sort of voice back. The listeners could just hear it disappearing, during the whole eleven minutes. It was torture! And in the end you have to say ‘and that’s the Shipping Forecast, have a peaceful evening’ … and I said that and then I just said, ‘ I have been Lee Marvin, goodnight.’ ” [2] Susan Rae, BBC radio 4 newsreader/announcer, “You’re On The Air” podcast December 2020 [1] Some voice professionals ‘fake cheer’ at sporting events and concerts, opening their mouths but staying silent. [2] Actor Lee Marvin had a voice once described as “ like rain gurgling down a rusty pipe ”. He used his gravelly singing voice on a number of occasions, duetting with John Wayne in ‘ The Comancheros ’, and most notably performing ‘ Wand'rin' Star ’ in the movie musical ‘ Paint Your Wagon ’, which earned him a hit single. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E772 · Sat, February 11, 2023
0772 – The Greatest Vocal Athletes
2023.02.11 – 0772 – The Greatest Vocal Athletes The voice-overs with perhaps the most vocal stamina have to be the audiobook narrators. Recording day after day for a total of 70 hours is not unheard of, and on top of that (for fiction books at least) creating and remembering different voices and accents for different characters, and reading with different sets of emotions and volumes. Another skill is keeping up the enthusiasm, perhaps for page after page of content that you are not particularly interested in, and not letting your mind wander. And painting the picture with your words… well, OK the words of someone else but you are the conduit between the page they wrote and the ears of the listener. Think of what you are doing as a heightened state of performance. Most people listen to audiobooks while doing something else, and your presentation has to cut through. Having said all that, for fiction book narrators, it’s not necessarily having a ‘good voice’ (whatever that is!), but the ability to use it properly in telling a good story; a clear voice. These narrators are truly actors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E771 · Fri, February 10, 2023
0771 – Vocal Conditioning Through Proper Pacing
2023.02.10 – 0771 – Vocal Conditioning Through Proper Pacing If your body is tired, your voice sounds tired: it’s one of the first areas where your lack of zeds shows itself. Before a recording session, get plenty of sleep so your voice doesn’t sound too husky or in a lower register than the producer was expecting when they booked you from your demo reel. Voice overuse and misuse Total voice rest This is an important part of recovering from a voice injury, but not something that is advisable long-term. Your vocal folds need to be exercised if they are not to decondition through lack of use. Therefore, more than a day or so without speaking is not advisable. Better is to stop a problem from developing in the first place, with better vocal conditioning through the use of proper pacing. If you know you are going to have to do some strenuous voice work then try and leave it to the end of the day. By then your voice will have warmed up, and you will have taken plenty of rest between readings, but the ‘necessary’ strain will not have an immediate adverse effect on the rest of your work. Pianists insure their fingers for huge sums, ballet dancers their legs, violinists their actual violins. Your voice is your instrument, it’s your asset, it’s you! So, you need to look after and nurture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E770 · Thu, February 09, 2023
0770 – Why Having A Secret May Be Hurting Your Voice
2023.02.09 – 0770 – Why Having A Secret May Be Hurting Your Voice Whispering – Normal speaking is with a regular airflow and closure. With whispering you get no closure and you need more effort to make a lesser sound. Try it right now and feel the strain your vocal cords are under. What you are doing is pushing them into an unusual shape and then passing extra air over them that only adds to their dryness. Instead, if you are going hoarse or are speaking secretly, don’t be careless with your whisper but just speak really softly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E769 · Wed, February 08, 2023
0769 – Why African Elephants In Underpants May Be Hurting Your Voice
2023.02.08 – 0769 – Why African Elephants In Underpants May Be Hurting Your Voice Vowels Say the following phrase aloud, word by word: “ African. Elephants. In. Our. Underpants ”. Each word begins with a vowel, A, E, I, O and U. And as we saw before, it’s these sounds that are made with a lot of potential pressure on the larynx. Say “ African ” again and you will feel that the initial sound is quite harsh (unlike, say “ European ” which is more of a gliding first sound), as the air that has for a split second been held back, now blasts past the vocal folds (‘pressed phonation’ or ‘hard onset’). The sense of holding back the air before these sounds is because of ‘sub-glottal pressure’, that is the pressure that is under (‘sub’) your vocal folds and it’s a small version of the extreme pressure that you use when you consciously close your vocal cords before you lift something heavy. Try it! ‘Aspirate phonation’ (or ‘balanced onset’) sends more air through the vocal folds and is kinder to them such as making a ‘sigh’ sound, a breathy, throaty ‘hum’. Now, try putting a ‘silent-h’ sound at the start of each word in our phrase above, so that you glide into each initial vowel rather than ‘attacking’ it. Give it breath rather than pressure: “(h) african. (h) elephants. (h)i n. (h) our. (h) underpants ”. Hear and feel how this is stopping your vocal folds slamming together. Now obviously we have looked at the extremes of the spectrum from hard, stabbing attack to an airy, breathy and light sound. You will need to find and practice a happy balance between air and muscle, to help reduce the pressure and potential damage to your folds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E768 · Tue, February 07, 2023
0768 – What To Say To An Anaesthetist
2023.02.07 – 0768 – What To Say To An Anaesthetist Surgery – Intubation is when a tube is fed into your mouth (‘endotracheal intubation’) or nose (‘nasogastric intubation’) and then into the airway to help you with breathing, deliver anaesthesia or medications, and bypass a blockage. Be aware of the potential damage to your vocal folds during intubation anaesthetics, and prior to planned surgery make sure that an anaesthetist is aware of your profession. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E767 · Mon, February 06, 2023
0767 – How A Kettle Can Help Your Voice
2023.02.06 – 0767 – How A Kettle Can Help Your Voice Steam inhaling - can help the health of the vocal folds and the mucous membranes that line the nasal and mouth cavities. Steaming once or twice a day for 10-15 minutes will: · allow the water vapour to get into places that no lozenge, gargle or linctus can ever reach, soothing and moisturising and helping to thin the mucus, so it’s more slippery · help relieve a tired sore or hoarse voice · calm an irritating persistent cough · improve your ‘voice recovery rate’ after a cold · be useful as a ‘night-time moisturiser’ after you have used your voice heavily in a noisy or smoky environment So, what’s going on here? Well, dryness adds to vocal strain and can cause a cough and heavy voice-use creates tension. But the steam puts moisture into the whole throat area, thinning thick mucus, increasing flexibility and encouraging relaxation and so, healing. [1] Similar to a steamer, a nebuliser is a machine that turns liquid medicine into a fine mist. You then breathe in the mist through a mask or mouthpiece. Ask a medical professional whether a .9% isotonic saline solution, which matches the make-up of solutions in the body and so gets to larynx, might be useful for any vocal problem you have. [1] Inexpensive steam-inhaling mugs are much easier to use than the hot, claustrophobic and boring “ head over a basin with a towel ” method. You use just boiled water, add a decongestant if you have a cold (real lemon juice is OK but not artificial fragrances), and then breathe normally, through the nose or mouth for 10-15 minutes replacing the water once the steam has gone. (Electrical steam inhalers such as https://www.amazon.co.uk/LIVIVO-Facial-Steamer-Aromatherapy-Diffuser/dp/B01LZSVNB2/ref=asc_df_B01LZSVNB2/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309816017895&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2838250047919569824&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007135&hvtargid=pla-563356315330&psc=1 pump out a steady stream of steam.) Impractical? Inhale while taking a hot shower, like in the scene in ‘ Terms of Endearment ’ (Debra Winger is in the bathroom next to the hot shower, as her child has a bad cough and she’s trying to use the steam to help them breathe more easily). Hosted on Acast. See <a styl
S3 E766 · Sun, February 05, 2023
0766 –Voice Problems Caused By Shouting and Smoking
2023.02.05 – 0766 –Voice Problems Caused By Shouting and Smoking Shouting – causes the folds are slammed together harshly. Consider why you are shouting – perhaps it’s because of a loud and busy newsroom, or maybe you are going slightly deaf…? If you are tempted to pick up some part time work say behind a bar where you have to raise your voice to be heard, you may want to think of another job that will put less strain on your folds. Try and speak less, and less harshly and to take regular mini-breaks. Smoking - In the past some people took up smoking to achieve a deeper, arguably sexier pitch. It seemed to work for many of them… but also made them less able to breathe deeply, created a wheezing exhalation, and promoted lung and laryngeal cancer. A shortness of breath led to a short career… and there’s nothing alluring about cancerous cords. The tar in cigarettes affects the vocal folds and lungs, causes irritation and inflammation and makes them less efficient. Vaping causes hot steam to be drawn in. That alone could be harmful to your folds, but add in the additional artificial flavourings and something else that’s best avoided. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E765 · Sat, February 04, 2023
0765 – How Snoring May Be Causing Voice Problems
2023.02.04 – 0765 – How Snoring May Be Causing Voice Problems Mouth breathing and snoring - can dry your vocal folds (as we saw previously, part of the job the nostrils have is to humidify the air as it enters your body). Although it’s OK to take gasps of air through your mouth as you speak, try to otherwise inhale through your nose. That’s especially true at night otherwise for many hours you will have dry, unfiltered air passing your larynx. If you sleep on your back, you’re especially prone to such ‘bad breathing’; try to consciously sleep with a closed mouth and consider having a humidifier in your room. It’s almost obvious to say that if you have a problem, either short or long-term, with breathing through your nose you should consult a specialist. Not only is it a case that ‘the nose knows best’ when it comes to inhalation, but it also is one of the resonators of the voice which helps create a nicer, warmer, fuller sound. Oh, and it’s always good not to just rely on your mouth for your breathing needs, and to have a fully working backup! Rest – a good night’s sleep will help your entire body as well as your voice. If you are well rested then your brain will be sharp and you will make fewer mistakes and so will be more confident and will sound better. Your session will take less long and so will have less time to get tired! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E764 · Fri, February 03, 2023
0764 – How Meds Can Hurt Not Help Your Voice
2023.02.03 – 0764 – How Meds Can Hurt Not Help Your Voice Medications – Again, sticky-sweet, tongue colour-changing over-the-counter lozenges do not touch your vocal cords. Although they might have a placebo effect (you feel as though they are helping, and so your confidence returns), the ones with anaesthetic or numbing properties may actually be causing further damage, giving you a false sense that everything’s OK. Instead, focus on the root cause of your vocal fatigue by practising with a vocal routine. Other medications can affect your voice too: · Inhalers and steroid sprays · Antihistamines (such as hay fever remedies) can also dehydrate · Antibiotics · Antidepressants · Oral contraceptives · The menthol in some cold remedies may be an irritant · Decongestant meds for nose and throat problems often work by drying out the local tissues. That’s obviously not good news. If you have a cold and a subsequently blocked nose, you may have a dried-out nose caused by your meds and a dried-out mouth caused by having to use it for breathing. Therefore, it’s essential that you take plenty of fluids. Alternative medication may include: · water, gargling and sleep are free · steam – is cheap · mindfulness – takes just minutes · warm pineapple juice – some find that this can help soothe a throat Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E763 · Thu, February 02, 2023
0763 – How Your Voice Is Affected By Oestrogen, Progesterone and Androgens
2023.02.02 – 0763 – How Your Voice Is Affected By Oestrogen, Progesterone and Androgens Menopause can also affect the voice. [1] Vocally speaking, oestrogen: · affects how supple the vocal folds’ upper surface (the mucosal layer) is · supports the folds’ mucus-making glands · affects the deepest layer of the vocal folds, which produce lower and higher pitches blocks the effects of androgens, and so prevents the lowering of the voice Progesterone balances the effects of oestrogen as well as: · causing decreased and thickened secretions of the outer layer of the vocal folds, resulting in drier vocal folds Androgens, including testosterone, which are naturally secreted in women’s bodies, can: · cause the vocal folds to thicken, which lowers your pitch · increase dryness of the vocal folds due to changes in the glands that secrete fluids near the vocal folds. During menopause hormones may fluctuate day to day, making the voice sound unpredictable, unreliable and unstable: · vocal cord swelling, resulting in less range and a general lower voice · a drier mouth which may lead to more throat clearing · reflux · a ‘lump in the throat’ sensation · excess or thicker mucus · vocal fatigue from vocal cord muscle weakness impacting agility, power and projection in your voice · pain in the throat or neck Don’t force your voice but try more warming up techniques (see later) to make your voice feel easier. [1] Lots more information in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5KhEgedozo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E762 · Wed, February 01, 2023
0762 – How Hormones Affect Your Voice
2023.02.01 – 0762 – How Hormones Affect Your Voice Hormones - We know how boys’ voices change as they go through puberty, but so do girls’. Testosterone and oestrogen not only affect the voice directly in the vocal folds, changing their shape and so the sounds they make, but also indirectly as the overall body shape changes. Muscles and ligaments develop which can lead to increased lung capacity and other alterations affecting breathing and resonance. For women this is not a one-off hormone flow: menstrual cycles will affect the voice directly in the larynx. During Days 24-28, a woman’s vocal folds may increase in size by around 30%. This can lead to a change in the sound of their voice (a lower range), and also to vocal fatigue and a loss of power. Menopause can cause a drop in a female voice (while older age can make a male voice rise in pitch). Pregnancy can also affect the voice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E761 · Tue, January 31, 2023
0761 – The Voice Enemies Of Air Con, Carphones and Coughing
2023.01.31 – 0761 – The Voice Enemies Of Air Con, Carphones and Coughing Air conditioning – a dry throat can be caused by heating or air conditioning in homes, offices, trains, planes and cars. Try getting more natural air into your life, or invest in a humidifier. Carphones – you tend to talk louder on them as the mic is further from your mouth, because the signal may not be good, you are talking to someone else who is also on a mobile, and to counteract the ambient traffic noise. Coughing – coughing is a complicated reflex action to clear the airway: inhalation, forceful exhalation against closed vocal cords and then a violent release. A large inhale almost fills the lungs, the glottis at the back of the throat closes and the stomach walls contract. The glottis opens suddenly, with an upward heave of the diaphragm, and air forced out by three different stomach muscles, at the rate of up to 50mph (80km) [1] across your cords. Not nice. So, if you have a tickle, don’t ‘hack’ as that will inflame your vocal cords even more. Simply swallow hard, preferably with some warm water. Excessive throat-clearing can be down to a dry throat, possibly because of an unrecognised allergy or because you’ve developed a habit of clearing your throat. Banging your very vulnerable vocal cords together is ‘violence against your voice’ causing damage to your delicate throat tissue, and possible development of nodules or polyps. [2] Instead, retrain your brain to either swallow, lick your lips, or pause for a sip of room-temperature water in place of clearing your throat [3] which has the dual advantage of calming the tickle and keeping you hydrated. Hoarseness – A rough, husky, croaky voice could be caused by the common cold, a laryngitis infection, chronic laryngitis (repetitive bouts of laryngitis, usually with a fever, and caused by regular voice misuse). It could be cancer, so go to a doctor if you’re still hoarse after two weeks. Continual ‘hoarse talk’ could lead to a swelling of the vocal folds. Again, a reminder that, although I know that fear is a big delayer, if something hurts, seek advice. You need to fix the underlying problems: not the cough itself but what’s causing the cough. [1] The American Lung Association: https://www.lung.org/blog/sneeze-versus-cough [2] A good explanatory leaf
S3 E760 · Mon, January 30, 2023
0760 – Signs Your Voice Isn’t As It Should Be
2023.01.30 – 0760 – Signs Your Voice Isn’t As It Should Be (How To Use Your Voice For A Four Hour Show And Not Damage Or Lose It)?? Signs that your voice isn’t as it should be Of course, only you really know how your voice usually sounds and how you usually feel, but there are some tell-tale red flags that may indicate a current or looming problem: Effort - it all needs more conscious energy to speak, not just after a one-off long day, but regularly Projection – you have to work hard to push or vary the volume of the voice Throat issues - not necessary pain per se, but sore or tickly. You may want to keep coughing either a dry cough or one with mucus. Voice loss – suddenly losing your sound on a regular basis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E759 · Sun, January 29, 2023
0759 – Potentially Unhelpful Vocal Rest
2023.01.29 – 0759 – Potentially Unhelpful Vocal Rest Potentially ‘unhelpful’ vocal rest This might include: Not speaking for two days before a studio session to “ prepare my voice ” – as an athlete might do gentle warm-ups before a big race rather than lie in bed all day, so you should give your voice gentle exercises A voice actor or presenter who feels exhausted after a 4-hour studio session, and decides to skip ‘warming down’ exercises to “ save my voice ”. Think about the ‘back-to-work work-flow’ of an athlete: they rest > exercise gently > train to return to full shape > race > warm-down and so on. Similarly, you too have to ease yourself back into any pro voice work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E758 · Sat, January 28, 2023
0758 – The Importance Of Voice Naps
2023.01.28 – 0758 – The Importance Of Voice Naps If you are using your voice a lot, try and schedule some specific ‘voice naps’ into your day, where you don’t talk for 5-15 minutes at a time on several occasions throughout the day. By taking ‘voice naps’ you can top up your ‘voice battery’. This may mean: · Planning your schedule – spread out your vocal tasks, so for example taking a break from bulk-recording several podcasts in a row · Planning your pauses - scheduling your ‘vocal naps’ so you don’t miss them. In a studio, ask for a break yourself, or take any break that’s offered to you; don’t be a hero by ‘powering through’. Most sessions will last 45 minutes or so before a break is taken, with a studio director determining that ‘right now’ is the best time. That may be because they are sensing tension, they need a quiet word with a colleague, they know that there’s a long page of dialogue coming up … all sorts of reasons. A break will rest you mentally, physically and vocally. Don’t use it as a chance to hunch over a mobile screen or make some calls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E757 · Fri, January 27, 2023
0757 – Outside Elements Damaging Your Voice
2023.01.27 – 0757 – Outside Elements Damaging Your Voice As well as external environmental issues such as: · Air humidity - dry air is thought to increase the stress on the vocal folds, so beware of studio air conditioning. Anything that cools it down or warms it up can dry out the air. · Hydration - dehydration may increase the effects of stress on the folds Keeping an eye on how your ‘vocal battery’ is can be difficult for a working radio or tv presenter who will spend much of their day on the phone setting up guests, discussing stories in editorial meetings and talking with office colleagues, before rushing into a studio and going on-air. For home podcasters and YouTubers some of these issues are obviously less of a problem, but you may have other considerations which also put a strain on your voice such as talking with the family or raising your voice to the children. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E756 · Thu, January 26, 2023
0756 – Your Vocal Battery
2023.01.26 – 0756 – Your Vocal Battery PROFESSIONAL VOCAL STRAIN It is of course better to ‘defend not mend’ – and prevention is easier than a remedy. So, look after your folds and everything else that helps your body create a great sound. Be aware of how much you are using your voice during the day, and how much rest you are giving it. The ‘Vocal Battery’ Think of your voice-use as a battery: you start the day with it fully-charged but during the course of the day with the amount and kind of use, the battery starts to drain. What will discharge the battery the most: · The amount you use it - how long you speak for · The type of speaking that you do – close-mic work will have less strain than excitable live sports commentary outside in winter · Your vocal quality - using a voice different from your usual one, for example, putting on a character voice for a book narration or video game character, or even lots of whispering, can increase laryngeal stress · The intensity of your pitch - using a higher or lower pitch than normal will also increase laryngeal stress · How loud you are – we tend to speak louder when background noise is loud, and this increases stress on the vocal folds, so reduce your time speaking at a loud party, gig or sports event · How fast you speak – the folds move faster So, for a voice professional, try to plan your day of voice-use if you can: ease it in with slower scripts in your normal range at the start of the day, and more demanding ones towards the end. That way around and your voice will be prepped for the strenuous work. The reverse way and it could be tired and scratchy for the ‘straight reads’. Funny, isn’t it? It’s almost socially acceptable to have a hoarse voice after a loud, late night, but if you woke up the next day and your vision was blurry, we might take that a bit more seriously. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E755 · Wed, January 25, 2023
0755 – Why Your Evening Meal Could Be Killing Your Voice
2023.01.25 – 0755 – Why Your Evening Meal Could Be Killing Your Voice Acid reflux [1] This is when digestive juices (made up of strong acids and enzymes) find their way from the stomach into the oesophagus. Known by doctors as GERD (‘gastro-esophageal reflux disease) or GOR (‘gastro-oesophageal reflux), symptoms include heartburn, indigestion, coughing, belching, general discomfort and a sour taste in the mouth. For some people, these juices may even get into the trachea causing irritation to the larynx and vocal folds, and even into the mouth. This is known as LPR, laryngo-pharyngeal reflux, or ‘silent reflux’ as many people don’t have classic heartburn symptoms. This back-flow of fluids can affect your voice by causing: A feeling of a lump in your throat (‘globus’) and so, throat clearing and coughing spasms An unpleasant ‘acid’ or ‘bilious’ taste at the back of your mouth A feeling of a build-up of mucus in your throat Excessive burping, particularly during the day A sore, dry or sensitive throat Croakiness or hoarseness Chronic coughing Reflux can be affected by what you eat and drink: Fatty food Spicy food Sugar Acidic drinks such as fruit juices Alcohol Coffee And your lifestyle: Obesity or poor posture which can affect the valve that should stop this from happening Eating heavy meals or late meals Pregnancy Smoking How to make things better: Avoiding those foods and drinks and changing your lifestyle Losing weight and stopping smoking Eating regular and smaller meals, eating more slowly, chewing each mouthful well and then chewing on gum afterwards to increase the flow of saliva which’ll cancel out the acid Drinking more water Reducing pressure on the valve by bending at the knees when you pick things up and wearing looser clothing around your waist Some say sleeping on their left side and with the head elevated (raise the head of your bed a couple of inches) can help Taking OTC remedies (‘over the counter’) for indigestion or heartburn before getting professional advice to find out exactly what is causing the symptoms, and to get the right treatment. [1] Sources: https://www.healthline.com/health/gerd/diet-nutrition ; https://www.britishvoiceassociation.org.uk/voicecare_reflux-and-voice.htm ; <a href="https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg184" rel="noopener nor
S3 E754 · Tue, January 24, 2023
0754 – Why ‘Thirst’ Is Unreliable
2023.01.24 – 0754 – Why ‘Thirst’ Is Unreliable Your unreliable dehydration warning system When you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated. That’s because whereas the body treats food with a ‘store now - use later policy’, excess fluid will simply be excreted. You’ll just pee. So, the ‘thirst mechanism’ is unreliable. To stop feeling thirsty (and so, dehydrated), and because your thirst is satiated before complete hydration is achieved, regular sipping is the common-sense approach. Set a daily fluid-intake goal, either by using a marked-up water bottle [1] , or a hydration-tracking app. A good maxim is “ If your pee’s all white, you’ll sound all right” , but bear in mind that some food and drinks can change the colour of your urine (such as fizzy vitamin drinks). On the day of a studio session Get hydrated and stay hydrated. Make sure that the day before a lengthy session you have drunk plenty of water so your whole system is hydrated. Then keep sipping plenty of it during the recording, to keep yourself hydrated. This this will also give you a cause to pause and rest your voice for a moment. If you are taking water into a studio with you, put it in a pop-close type sports bottle and put it on the floor. Then if it is knocked it won’t spill on the equipment. [1] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Time-Marked-Water-Bottle/s?k=Time+Marked+Water+Bottle Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E753 · Mon, January 23, 2023
0753 – Hydration Oughta Be Water, But…
2023.01.23 – 0753 – Hydration Oughta Be Water, But… Where hydration comes from Hydration oughta be water, plain, pure and at room temperature. But if you’re struggling to drink enough try: · Try flavouring your water with fruit · Drink caffeine-free tea like chamomile, ginger, or peppermint tea · Eat foods that contain more water, such as cucumbers or melons o Cruciferous vegetables, leafy greens and high fibre fruits contain good nutrients and vitamins, which help keep the voice healthy and lubricated · Keep a humidifier running in the place that you sleep, and also in the place where you work or are most often using your voice. Essentially all fluids count, but it may be an idea to try and avoid: · Some people say dairy and chocolate affect their mucus levels, so you may want to monitor your intake and avoid them if you agree · Drinks from the machine: cold and fizzy or hot and caffeinated o Carbonated drinks will have the obvious result of causing burps and may affect breath support o Drinking caffeine (say in coffee) may increase your heart rate and make you more nervous you may have difficulty concentrating on the script or speak too fast. Caffeine can also speed up the production of extra-thick phlegm and that will mean you spend more time swallowing hard or coughing. A widely-held view that coffee will dehydrate you, is now thought not to be accurate, although it may affect some people in that way. · Alcohol can make you drowsy, slurred and contains sugar Some medications may also cause issues: · anti-histamines, decongestants and anti-depressants tend to cause dryness · over-the-counter local anaesthetic medication for the throat create numbness reducing our ability to know if we are damaging our voice further Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E752 · Sun, January 22, 2023
0752 – Hydrate to Sound Great. Here’s Why…
2023.01.22 – 0752 – Hydrate to Sound Great. Here’s Why… The more dehydrated you are: · The drier the cords · The poorer the quality of your voice · The less you will get from each breath · The shorter the time you can talk or sing · The more likely it is that you will get a hoarse voice · The more likely it will be that you have weird mouth noises, clicks and sucks · The more difficult it will be to clearly articulate, resulting in more verbal trips, increased mental anxiety and skeletal tension. So, hydrate to sound great! [1] [1] A dry mouth could be an early warning sign for serious illnesses including diabetes, stroke and even HIV. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/dry-mouth-could-sign-five-23901383 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E751 · Sat, January 21, 2023
0751 – A Moment On Mucus
2023.01.21 – 0751 – A Moment On Mucus So, hydration affects the folds specifically in two ways: · ‘Systemic hydration’ is the term for hydrating your whole body, the cells and the tissues from inside out · ‘Topical (or ‘surface’) hydration’ affects the moisture levels of the surface of the vocal folds, keeping them slippery enough to vibrate. The vocal folds are covered in a thin protective coating of slippery, stringy and slimy mucus [1] made up of water, antibodies, enzymes, proteins and salt. This film allows for optimum vibration with minimal effort, protects the folds from heat and friction, and also helps your tongue form word-sounds more easily. If air is the fuel for the voice, the lubricants of mucus and saliva are its oil. When you get dehydrated the mucus becomes thicker and offers less protection and it’s more difficult to talk and damage can be caused to your cords. So, let’s hear it for a moist voice and a lubricated larynx! The health of vocal cords is measured in part by their PTP, the ‘Phonation Threshold Pressure’: the minimum pressure needed to get the cords vibrating and making a sound. The higher the viscosity of the cords (that is the thicker the mucous, because of dehydration), the higher the PTP, and therefore the more pressure needed from your lungs to produce a sound. [2] [1] What’s the difference between ‘mucus’ and ‘mucous’? ‘Mucus’ is the noun and ‘mucous’ is the adjective, so mucous membranes secrete mucus. It’s not only snotty (!) biologists who insist on distinguishing between these two words. [2] https://www.drinkhydrant.com/blogs/news/hydrate-your-voice Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E750 · Fri, January 20, 2023
0750 – The Hydration Situation
2023.01.20 – 0750 – The Hydration Situation The Hydration Situation (or How to ‘Get A Wetter Broadcast, Podcast and Voiceover Voice’) Up to 60% of the human adult body is water [1] : the brain and heart are composed of 73% water; the lungs are about 83% water; skin contains 64% water; muscles and kidneys are 79%; bones 31% water. Each day we have to consume a certain amount of water to survive, depending on things like age, size and climate [2] . Generally, an adult male need about 3 litres (5 pints, 3.2 quarts) per day while an adult female needs about 2.2 litres (nearly 4 pints or 2.3 quarts) per day. All the water you need doesn’t have to come from drinking liquids, as some of this water is contained in the food we eat. [1] https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/water-you-water-and-human-body [2] You will need more water if there’s a dry atmosphere – for example a chilled air conditioner in a studio and after long periods of talking when you have been breathing through your mouth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E749 · Thu, January 19, 2023
0749 – Why Cough Sweets Are A Con
2023.01.19 – 0749 – Why Cough Sweets Are A Con First up, it’s important to realise that nothing you swallow touches your vocal folds. Yep, those soothing cough sweets you take for example, go nowhere near them and any help they might give is either somewhere else in the vocal tract, or simply psychosomatic. (Indeed, as we’ll see later, such lozenges may actually be causing other problems!). I mean it stands to reason doesn’t it?: your voice comes from air from your lungs passing over your vocal cords, so logically (and physio-logically) anything you swallow can’t also pass over the cords, or it’d end up in your lungs! No, breathed air goes down one pipe, and swallowed food goes down another. Your neck has ‘two tubes’. The trachea moves air to and from the lungs. (It is of course breath that powers your voice and part-way down the trachea are your vocal folds.) The other is the oesophagus down which food and liquids go to your stomach. If food and liquid go down the wrong one, you choke or drown. Fortunately, when you swallow, a flap called the epiglottis moves to block the entrance to trachea. So, any fancy throat teas you drink, lozenges you suck, won’t actually soothe your throat as they won’t go anywhere near where the problem may lie. Having said that, what you eat and drink can still affect your voice. And the most important element is H2O, water. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E748 · Wed, January 18, 2023
0748 – Vocal Health as Asset Protection
2023.01.18 – 0748 – Vocal Health as Asset Protection As we have seen, the vocal cords are super thin muscular folds the length of your thumb nail. Air exhaled from the lungs passes over the taut cords and they vibrate [1] , producing sound waves. High-pitched sounds are made when the cords are short and taut [2] . They work best when they are really well hydrated and it’s really hard for them to work, and they are more-easily damaged, when they’re dry or have too much phlegm on them. Looking after your voice is ‘asset protection’: you’ll get more work done in less time, and earn more! But f ew of us have been taught how to properly operate the machinery of our voice. And when we want to add more volume, projection or emotion it’s like driving a Ferrari with the handbrake on … and we wonder why we’re too vocally exhausted to make it through the broadcast, podcast or voice-over session. Truth is most people don’t know any different, having been ‘driving’ that way for years, having got used to it, working on poor advice they were given years ago (such as “ if you have a sore throat, just whisper… ”). Even speaking in normal conversation our voice will tire, but that’s more likely more quickly in a professional setting of presenting and acting, with heightened voicing techniques for hours at a time. If your livelihood depends on your voice, it’s crucial you have strategies to strengthen your voice and minimise vocal injury. [1] See this video: https://youtu.be/kfkFTw3sBXQ [2] See this video: https://youtu.be/-XGds2GAvGQ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E747 · Tue, January 17, 2023
0747 – You Are A Vocal Athlete
2023.01.17 – 0747 – You Are A Vocal Athlete We are vocal athletes! Those of us who speak for a living are trained and skilled, we have physical strength, agility and stamina. We can get highly stressed and suffer from fatigue that affects our performance. And we use our body in an unusual way. So, be aware of what kind of foods, situations or symptoms are the precursor to poor vocal health. And then avoid them. We all vary how much we speak during a day because of everything from studio work to social life changes. But an NHS report [1] imagined someone who spoke for around 5 hours (18,000 seconds) per day would: For a woman with a middle-range average spoken pitch, have her vocal folds vibrating at a rate of around 220 times each second, or opening and closing at least 4,140,000 times in one day, 1511,100,000 vibrations a year. For a man with a reasonably low average spoken pitch, the vocal folds may be vibrating at a rate of around 100 times each second, that’s 1,800,000 opening and closings a day and 657,000,000 times in a year! Now imagine the amount of work say an audiobook reader gives their voice, reading for 5 or more hours a day. [1] https://www.wsh.nhs.uk/CMS-Documents/Patient-leaflets/SpeechandLanguageTherapyServices/6534-1-Practical-voice-care.pdf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E746 · Mon, January 16, 2023
0746 – Exercise Advisories
2023.01.16 – 0746 – Exercise Advisories Over the years in the many training sessions I have led, I have just known that the advice I have given to my clients in this area is going to be ignored: lip trills have been considered childish, to mindfully meditate was seen as ‘hippy’ hokum, stopping smoking as an unnecessary infringement. I am happy to say that in recent years those views have largely changed as people have become more aware of the value of looking after themselves vocally, physically and especially mentally. Self-care is not selfish. I am not a doctor. Neither is Google. I don’t know your diet, your meds or your medical history. I don’t know your sleeping, smoking or drinking habits. I don’t know your physiological or psychological health, Your exercise or work regime, or your climate. What follows is, although professionally-researched, still generic advice. Listen carefully to your voice. With any negative change (loss in quality, range, stamina or control) lasting longer than two weeks always seek the advice of a qualified medical professional. [1] [1] What does your voice reveal about your health? Scientists say the way you talk could help diagnose a range of conditions from heart disease to Parkinson’s. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-10729393/Scientists-say-way-talk-help-diagnose-range-conditions.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E745 · Sun, January 15, 2023
0745 – Your Vocal, Physical and Emotional Health: an introduction
2023.01.15 – 0745 – Your Vocal, Physical and Emotional Health: an introduction ‘The first thing to be considered is what sort of voice we have and next, how we use it. The natural power of the voice is judged by its quantity and quality. The good qualities of the voice are improved by attention and deteriorated by neglect.’ Quintilian, first century AD, a leading instructor in eloquence at the school of oratory in Rome Let’s take a look at some changes that can affect your voice almost overnight (which include, ironically, a good night’s sleep!). They are almost ‘quick fix techniques’ to help your voice become more resonant, resilient and relaxed and, along with breathing (the ‘key thing’!) at the very core of getting good vocally, and on which we can build those other ‘reading’ skills. This Part is divided into three sections, looking at the broad areas of Vocal, Physical, Emotional & Mental health to help you get a better broadcast, podcast and voice-over voice. However, despite this division, it’s important to realise that these three topics are intrinsically interwoven: emotional stress can lead to physical tension which can affect how you sound; taking medication to treat a physical ailment can dry out your vocal cords; a long studio session may not only tire you vocally, but also mentally. Is someone who speaks in a monotone, subconsciously hiding their emotions? Perhaps a ‘mumbler’ lacks the clarity that comes from opening their mouth wider because they’re embarrassed (or have been embarrassed) about their teeth or braces… If you have a vocal injury, could it affect you psychologically and have you wondering, “ will it happen again? ”, “ will I be able to recover? ”, “ how will I pay the bills? ”, and so make you more nervous. Vocal, physiological and psychological changes all contribute to how we sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E744 · Sat, January 14, 2023
0744 – Telephony Voiceovers
2023.01.14 – 0744 – Telephony Voiceovers Telephony voice over – (‘voicemail’, ‘Message On-Hold’, ‘MOH’, ‘Integrated Voice Response’ or ‘IVR’ “ for sales press 1, for help press 3… ”) These voices have to represent the brand and what they stand for and might sound like and who they’re speaking to. The voice is the representative of the company and so a more mature, experienced voice might be most appropriate. Doctors’ and dentists’ callers probably don’t want to hear a teenager, they want someone who perhaps sounds more like ‘mum’ or the dentist themselves. Very often it’s just the staffer who’s available who gets to record these messages, especially a few months after the original professional recording has been done and there’s a change to some of the details that need to be included. With these recordings, it is usual to keep the tone polite and conversational, natural, friendly, welcoming, real and connected. Confident but not too earnest. And you might need to speak slightly slower because of the information and instructions. There might be opening hours, a website address or instructions on what buttons to press. (Integrated Voice Response refers to the automated phone system which routes calls or gives information depending on the caller’s interaction by voice or keypad selection, such as those used by cinemas for screenings and bookings and large companies.) The read has to be appropriate for the business, so you wouldn’t read a commercial (or therefore an on-hold message) the same way for a cancer hospital as for a car dealership or a cattery. Remember the end user, the person calling in. If you become the voice of the brand, it could mean lots of repeat work as well as updates when parts of the company change – such as a restructuring or renaming of departments - which will mean the ‘telephone tree’ layout will change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E743 · Fri, January 13, 2023
0743 – Voiceover Cut-Throughs
2023.01.13 – 0743 – Voiceover Cut-Throughs A voice-over might hope that with a commercial read they may be asked to record another ad for the same brand, but it’s not a given. That job may be a one-off. But with trails and promo voices, once chosen you are likely to be on contract for months, seasons or years. You may be on a retainer, and have to voice any number of items with a quick turnaround every single week. (Oh, and you may be paid a premium for ‘market exclusivity’ to stop your voice from being heard on any other station, or on commercials on that station, and so on.) For a lot of voice-over work such as promos and commercials (less so for audiobooks, e-learning of narration work – where people have already chosen to listen to you and your content, and so an engaging voice is important), your voice has really got to cut through. People are doing other things while they listen, concentrating while driving, being distracted while cooking a meal in a busy family kitchen and so on. They have their attention divided and you need to reach out and grab it. Just because what you say is coming out of a speaker, they won’t automatically hang on every syllable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E742 · Thu, January 12, 2023
0742 – Station Imaging Voiceovers
2023.01.12 – 0742 – Station Imaging Voiceovers Station imaging These are the branded voices that are used on promotional trailers for radio and TV stations. So not on the commercials advertising other brands (such as a car showroom or a breakfast cereal), but introduce or promote an individual show (or shows) on that station (“ The News At Ten – with Kylie Johnson … Joe Smithson on sports and meteorologist, Troy Masters ”, “ Tuesday night is DIY night … on K-DIY Channel 9 ”), or on radio stations announcing specific features (“ The Sunday Roast, with Chicken Man and Devlin ”, “ BBC England … weather ”) and so on. Your voice will be chosen to fit with the style, format and demographic of the station, perhaps its attitude and the music that’s played. For example, a classic rock radio station may be targeted to an older, mainly male audience so a young female voice on its trails may sound incongruous (having said that, it may be the ‘alternative’ juxtaposition the station is after). Other stations’ target demographics (the kind of people they are targeting with their programmes, so they have a well-defined audience that they can sell to advertisers) will change with their output niche: country, news, ‘family’ or ‘listen at work’ stations and so on. It’s the same for TV channels: a food, sport or DIY network for example. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E741 · Wed, January 11, 2023
0741 – Voicing Public Service Announcements.
2023.01.11 – 0741 – Voicing Public Service Announcements PSAs In times of disaster, be it natural or human, a Public Service (or Safety) Message may be the best way to get information out fast and elicit help. An appropriate tone might be: · Calm and reassuring, clear and uncompromising, with a touch of urgency – for an informational read to those caught up in events · Inspiring, caring and authentically empathetic and optimistic - to engage hearts and minds and encourage help, money or donations During the Covid 19 pandemic, adverts ran on broadcast and digital media explaining, educating and updating, introducing new policies and procedures such as handwashing, mask-wearing and isolation. The delivery was direct but friendly and calm rather than aggressive. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E740 · Tue, January 10, 2023
0740 – The Tonal Scale on Political Voiceovers
2023.01.10 – 0740 – The Tonal Scale on Political Voiceovers With negative ads, you are unlikely to be shouting and screaming in fury, instead, your style will be more measured and composed although still somewhere on the scale of: · Bewilderment · Disappointment · Concern · Incredulity · Sarcasm and snark · Dark sincerity · Righteous contempt · Quiet aggression · Disgust · Anger Negativity is not necessarily ‘shouting’. You don’t need projection and volume, you need to have mood and feeling. An attitude. And although unlikely on every line, if mentioning the candidate from ‘the other side’ you may want a tone of disgust or disbelief, when you mention ‘your guy’ you say their name with a lightness, a sense of hope and aspiration. So instead of projection, you can use elongation to highlight words and phrases: stretch out key words to mark your ‘disgust’, making them longer rather than louder. It’s what Maria Pendolino (of https://www.bluewavevoiceover.com/ ) calls “like pulling mozzarella”: · “… spent millions on failed personal projects …” · “… his entire career ” And you’ll find it easier to get the appropriate attitude or ‘strength of snark’ if you use body language along with the scripted language: a shake of the head, a squint of the eye, pupil-rolling, eyebrow-lifting, and lip-snarling: “ really?!” . Positive ads are a little softer, to heighten sympathy and bring reassurance to engage the voter. Again, there will be a range within this tone: from positive, to more positive, to hopeful and heartbreaking. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E739 · Mon, January 09, 2023
0739 – Political Ad Voiceover Styles
2023.01.09 – 0739 – Political Ad Voiceover Styles Like most advertising where the style of such campaigns was once very ‘announcery’, both of these content styles are now much more conversational, contemporary and authentic, inspiring and upbeat or authoritative and direct. And your accent is likely to be from the community (say Maine or rural Mississippi) and the demographic (Floridian Spanish, 18–24-year-olds, stay-home mums, over 75s), to whom the ad is targeted. In some ads, such as introducing the candidate to the electorate, the voice should usually reflect the tone and attitude of that candidate: smooth and experienced for an older and more knowledgeable nominee, a more youthful sound to reflect the youth of someone else standing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E738 · Sun, January 08, 2023
0738 – Finding The Key Points in Political Voiceover Scripts
2023.01.08 – 0738 – Finding The Key Points in Political Voiceover Scripts As a voice-over you have to immediately identify: · Is this ad actively promoting the candidate, or doing so by knocking their opposition? · Who is it targeting? Undecideds, grass root supporters, soccer moms, small business owners… · What is the key message? · What and where is the story arc? (Often, it’s along the lines of ‘this person is bad because of a, b and c … and our candidate is good because of x, y and z’) · The music and visuals alongside the script. Understanding these, as well as having an ongoing knowledge of the main issues, will help you get the right tone, intonation and overall cadence of reads such as these. I said “ immediately identify”, that’s because although at the start of a campaign some scripts and visuals may be ‘in the can’, as it progresses there is a fast production turnaround on them as campaign managers react to the news, events, focus groups and reacting to what ‘the other side’ is saying and claiming. TV ad slots may be booked weeks or months in advance, and if you are ‘the voice’ of the campaign, usually for both positive and negative ads for a candidate, you need to be available asap. [1] [1] Of course, although you could in theory voice ads for say the Republicans and the Democrats, it will be reassuring for both parties and agencies (and arguably ethical for you) that your voice is only heard supporting one side or the other, especially in each geographical area. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E737 · Sat, January 07, 2023
0737 – Political Voiceovers: Lead Ins and Pay Offs
2023.01.07 – 0737 – Political Voiceovers: Lead Ins and Pay Offs Ads of either style often start with a question, another rhetorical device that gets the listener to ‘fill the vacuum’ with an answer: · “ Would you trust Tracey Garcia with your money? ” · “ We gave this man the keys to the Governor’s House … do you know what he gave us in return? ” · “ Just why should you trust Camila Haufman…? ” As we saw before, using a lead-in sentence may help you get into the right ‘tone zone’. That’s a short phrase that you say to yourself or aloud, before you start recording the script, that the first line can ‘react to’: · You think: “ You want to know how truthful I think they are? Well, let me ask you…” o Then you record: “ Would you trust Tracey Garcia wi th your money? ” · You think: “Some people are going to give him a second term…” o Then you record: ““ We gave this man the keys to the Governor’s House … do you know what he gave us in return? ” · You think: “People say all politicians are the same, and that’s a very good point…” o Then you record: ““ Just why should you trust Camila Haufman…? ” And the style of these ads often dictates that they end with a pay-off tag-line: · “Vote for Zippy Verlezza” · “The man you can trust” · “The strong voice for our state ” You really need to land these strong statements to give the ad a sense of finality, with a downward intonation to give certainty, rather than doubtful questioning. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E736 · Fri, January 06, 2023
0736 – Key Words to Highlight in Political Ads
2023.01.06 – 0736 – Key Words to Highlight in Political Ads All styles usually have a script that is clean, clear and sharp, one which has a point of view to catch the attention and emotion of its target audience. Common rhetorical devices will be used such as comparative balances (“ the wealthy profited, and we paid ”, “ while they only care about their family, we care about yours ”, “ keep your tax dollars in Delaware, not in DC ”), alliteration or rhyme (“ problem solver, job creator ”, “ honesty and integrity ”) and groups of three: “ it’s the backbone of our community, our state and our economy ”, “ irresponsible, reckless, corrupt ”, “ our future depends on jobs, jobs and more jobs ”). So, look out for these and highlight them as directed. Key words crop up regularly too, such as “ business ”, “ jobs ”, “ truth ”, and other references to money and accountability, which you will also need to draw attention to. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E735 · Thu, January 05, 2023
0735 – Voiceovers For Political Ads
2023.01.05 – 0735 – Voiceovers For Political Ads Political ads These are most common in the US and can be divided into these categories: [1] , [2] · Positive – promoting the attributes of the candidate with an uplifting, aspirational and honest message and tone · Negative (or ‘comparative’ or ‘attack’ ads) – promoting a candidate by highlighting the perceived mistakes of their opponent , in a voice that can cut through in a critical or concerned, fed-up or bewildered tone. At their most tough and plain speaking, they are called ‘attack ads’. · The ‘Introduction to the Candidate’ Ad – explains the basic background and ‘qualifications’ of the candidate (businesswoman, ex-cop, headteacher family man, youthful renegade and so on). · PAC and ‘single issue’ ads - Political ads don’t just represent candidates of political parties. Political Action Committee ads are from special interest groups, lobbyists and concerned residents who highlight concerns – say, pollution, education, gun or birth rights - to support or defeat certain candidates. [1] An archive of US political commercials: http://politicaladarchive.org/ [2] Adapted from https://www.bluewavevoiceover.com/types-of-political-ads/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E734 · Wed, January 04, 2023
0734 – Movie Trailers Voiceovers
2023.01.04 – 0734 – Movie Trailers Voiceovers Movie trailers The ‘god’ of these was the iconic voice of Don LaFontaine who recorded more than 5,000 film trailers and hundreds of thousands of television advertisements, network promotions, and video game trailers. At the height of his career, he was voicing 60 trailers a week. He became identified with the phrase " In a world. ..", used in so many movie trailers that it became a cliché. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGNqI6RYBrQ But since his death, styles in this area as in many others have changed to one which is more informal. Podcasts and Radio The key skills for an announcer are: “…the ability to communicate with one person and the ability to grasp the technical side so you can forget it all and concentrate on the primary focus which is the listener. When I started announcing I was told to imagine I was talking to a little old lady in Fulham, south London. The reason was to bear in mind that I was talking to a person that may not necessarily be an avid listener to Radio 4 so I have to tempt them in to get them to listen more carefully. I’ve got to be clear in my delivery as she may be a little hard of hearing and I’ve got to grab her attention. Two of the prerequisites of an announcer’s equipment are your two ears. It’s easy to get beguiled by the equipment around you, but this is what your listeners are using and what you should be using: your perception of how the sound is, properly balanced, to check monitoring …” Chris Aldridge, presenter BBC Radio 4, “ Radio: Getting Your Voice on Ai r” podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E733 · Tue, January 03, 2023
0733 – Medical Narration Skills
2023.01.03 – 0733 – Medical Narration Skills Medical VOs These can be quite content-rich and may be for professional medical education or maybe for drug or equipment reps, and will likely have pharmaceutical and physiological terminology. Some of the information may be ‘patient facing’, for example explaining a situation for someone undergoing treatment. That will be made clear in your direction. Your voice needs to have clear, intelligent warmth to transform what could be dense and dry scripts into inviting and reassuring explanations. Your presentation needs to be clear and precise with the correct pronunciation of complex and multi-syllabic words and terms. Invest in a respected pharmaceutical dictionary or an online service and tell your client which one you are using. If two pronunciations are given, use the first (most common) one, and have the client agree to this or suggest any other preference. This will give you fewer pickups or retakes. For drug names contact the company directly or see if they have a pronunciation on their website or on a trusted YouTube video. What you say will be of high interest and value to the highly educated and time-poor target audience which will be very familiar with what you’re talking about. You have to get the content, pitch and tone right too, with a sense of trust and understanding. You don’t need to be slow in your speaking speed (which could be considered patronising), but you have to be highly accurate: poor diction can give the impression that you lack confidence or knowledge about what you are reading. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E732 · Mon, January 02, 2023
0732 – The 4 P’s of Speaking Outdoors
2023.01.02 – 0732 – The 4 P’s of Speaking Outdoors VOICE BOX Speaking outdoors ‘Public speaking’ at out-door events, garden parties, open-air weddings, theatres and so on can put an added strain on your voice, but some tips are the same as indoor work: warming up (even though the weather may be warm, you need to prepare your voice for what is to come), and hydration (again, the warmer weather may cause you to need more fluid both before and during your open-air speaking engagement [1] ). The Four Ps Posture – As you will be outside, you will likely be standing and giving your presentation. Relax, don’t lock your knees but have a bit of ‘give’ in them, stand on the balls of your feet rather than the heels and have them shoulder-width apart. Relax and drop your shoulders. You may be tempted to help your voice ‘reach’ the audience by jutting your chin forward, but this not only looks odd but it can cause a strain on your neck. Power – As we saw before when we spoke about resonance, you don’t always need to shout to make yourself heard. Power can be the combination of breath control and the use of your resonance chambers (the chest, throat, mouth and so on) to give the illusion of a greater sound, but without causing the strain that comes from sheer volume. Put simply, resonance provides the most output for the least vocal effort. Plosives – Your enunciation will also help you cut through outside sounds: the buzz of the audience, the breeze in the trees, traffic, and birds…. So, speak clearly and put energy into plosives and the hard consonants. PAs – using a public address system needs careful use too: don’t be too close to the mic; don’t drop your voice too much at the end of sentences; don’t speak too fast as there may be a delay in the relay of your voice from outlying speakers and some of what you say may be repeated in an echo-effect or taken by the wind. [1] Indeed, as we will see in our section on vocal health, some medication such as for hay fever can dry out your vocal folds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S3 E731 · Sun, January 01, 2023
0731 – Sport Stadium Announcing
2023.01.01 – 0731 – Sport Stadium Announcing In this category could also come ‘announcers’ such as those as sports events. Bob Sheppard was the long-time public address announcer for more than 4,500 Yankees baseball games over 56 years. He was also the in-house voice for New York Giants football games for more than a half-century. Wikipedia says “Sheppard's smooth, distinctive baritone and precise, consistent elocution became iconic aural symbols of both the old Yankee Stadium and Giants Stadium”. Player Carl Yastrzemski once said, " You're not in the big leagues until Bob Sheppard announces your name ". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n2zN9H4mb0 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E730 · Sat, December 31, 2022
0730 – Skilling Up To Be Godlike
2022.12.31 – 0730 – Skilling Up To Be Godlike Additional skills · You need to be able to ask questions, use initiative and take direction when presenting in this situation. You need to be diplomatic: who are you taking direction from? The sound engineer, the stage manager, the MD of the company, the hotel manager…? · You need to work well under pressure, being script-accurate, possibly while hearing in-ear directions from a stage director. · You must be able to recover after a stumble and able to adlib, perhaps when a ‘golden envelope’ goes missing or when you are asked to make an announcement and there’s no time to write it down and you have to compose it in your head and say it fluently. Maybe someone has pulled out from attending. You can rehearse a few ‘skeleton scripts’ (the kind of thing you would say, obviously not every single scenario) in your mind for emergencies such as an evacuation, a sudden death of a guest and so on. · Concentration is a key skill: being ‘in the moment’ and ‘on page’, not just watching what is happening on stage and off, but taking it in and being ready in case you are ‘thrown to’. · You need to have the patience to read a script for several hours and maintain energy. You may be live at the event or you may be asked to pre-record the announcements. With ‘live’ you can be more involved, play to the energy of the audience and react to anything that happens. With recorded there’s the reassurance of correct pronunciations, fewer nerves and an edited and so faultless presentation, and the sound engineer at the event can press ‘play’ exactly when the next announcement is required. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E729 · Fri, December 30, 2022
0729 – Your Godlike Presentation
2022.12.30 – 0729 – Your Godlike Presentation Your presentation · Don’t talk too fast or information may be missed. There may be a busy room with hubbub and people mid-way through a conversation. In a large warehouse-like conference centre your voice may echo slightly and so a slower read-rate may be best. Think about how the audience is receiving the message. · Be aware that you may need a gear change in your presentation: there may be a tribute to a colleague who’s died or a family member who can’t be there and so a change of tone is required after which you may need to be able to thoughtfully move on and raise the room again. · You may be able to see the large audience, hear them, or at least know how many people are there [1] . Learn how to control your adrenaline and use it to your advantage, not for your nerves to throw off your performance. It comes down to some big steady deep breaths to control your voice, so it stays measured and supported. You need to appear calm and in control. · Sips of water or apple juice will keep your mouth lubricated. But remember ‘what goes in must come out’ and you won’t be able to leave the podium to dash to the toilet. Don’t even think of having alcohol. [1] For many big televised events such as The Oscars, the voice-over, although live, is not actually in the venue at all, least of all just off the stage. They are more likely watching a feed in a room far-off backstage, in a broadcast truck or back at a studio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E728 · Thu, December 29, 2022
0728 – Your Bow Tie And Ball Gown Prep
2022.12.29 – 0728 – Your Bow Tie And Ball Gown Prep · Seeing a script in advance will let you prep any unusual terminology. Perhaps it’s a sports event and you may need to give a score or a result. You may be expected to lead some kind of audience participation and explain a voting procedure or how to use a piece of tech. Even explaining where the buffet or toilets are will sound more authoritative if you know the route to the room yourself. If it’s a regular gig, be across the industry, so you are already aware and familiar with the names. · At an awards event you will need to rehearse to get a flow of when you announce the winner for example, which can be different at every event (when the video stops, when the music starts, when an envelope is opened…). You need to have good timing and judge the length of a script to hit a beat in the walk-up music at a ceremony. You may want to ‘dress the part’ to feel part of the performance: even if you are not seen, wearing a ‘posh frock or dicky bow’ may put you in the zone for the event. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E727 · Wed, December 28, 2022
0727 – Prepping For ‘Voice of God’ Announcements
2022.12.28 – 0727 – Prepping For ‘Voice of God’ Announcements Preparation · Ensure you get the script well in advance so you can read and rehearse. There may be words, places, people’s names and technical terms (a trade show for medical equipment, a conference for engineers…) that you are not familiar with. At awards ceremonies, some of the categories-and-sponsor-credit names can be quite a mouthful. They may also have been written by someone who doesn’t ‘write for the ear’, with long sentences, awkward phraseology, repetitions “and the next award is for…”, “and the next award is for…”, “and the next award is for…” Take the pronunciation of names very seriously. At an awards ceremony, it is a winner’s special moment, being celebrated and honoured. They may be in front of friends, family and business associates, and their walk to the stage may be videoed for posterity, so really care to get their name correct. Don’t assume how a name might be pronounced. Speak to the organiser or the winner’s department head (or, if the winner knows they have won, to them themselves) well in advance to check out tricky names, which you can then write out phonetically and practice. Consider recording that other person giving you the pronunciation so there’s no doubt about how to say it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E726 · Tue, December 27, 2022
0726 – Your ‘Voice of God’ Voice
2022.12.27 – 0726 – Your ‘Voice of God’ Voice Your voice · In this position you are often the face, or rather the voice of the event: the conductor. Assess the brand of the events and the type of content you are reading. Is it a corporate gig or a relaxed and younger audience? Your voice needs to be representative of the client, and fit with the brand and vibe of the event. For example, if you are announcing winners at the “ Scaffolder of the Year ” award on a weekday lunchtime, it may be a different tone, age and style than that of the “ Young Hairdresser of the Year ” Award on a Friday night. If it’s a black-tie business event for lawyers, the tone may be different again. If it’s a trade show event for women’s fashion, then a female voice may be the best fit for the announcements. · Your voice needs to be friendly but authoritative, a style that will make people listen and act. Your voice needs to be likeable, and perhaps ‘vanilla’: it’s good to cut through but not jar. You need the attendees to understand and act on what you are saying but not notice its qualities. Don’t worry about sounding towards the ‘announcer’ side of the scale. You usually need clean enunciation, clarity of voice, and a measured voice that cuts through, but is still warm and inviting – usually said with a smile and not with a shout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E725 · Mon, December 26, 2022
0725 – Live Event Announcement Skills
2022.12.26 – 0725 – Live Event Announcement Skills Live Events Announcements (‘Voice of God’ aka VOG) These are the announcements made at an event (maybe a conference, ball or theatre), signposting what the delegates, guests or audience need to know or need to do. The voice-over is often not on the main stage, but disembodied, that is, never seen and ‘behind the scenes’ and from a loudspeaker in the ceiling, hence the name ‘Voice of God’. Announcements may be along the lines of: “ Welcome to this year’s International Award Ceremony. Please take your seats for the event starting in five minutes”, then “here are the nominees for Voice Of The Year…” and “And here is tonight’s entertainment, star of everybody’s favourite comedy show Dewayne Devatto”. You may also give out information such as safety announcements, when the next workshop or conference session is starting, where the fire escapes are… you get the idea. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E724 · Sun, December 25, 2022
0724 – Reading Cast Lists
2022.12.25 – 0724 – Reading Cast Lists This is the part of the cast list for an episode of the world’s longest-running continuing drama, BBC Radio 4’s “ The Archers ”: Pat Archer ….. Patricia Gallimore Susan Carter ….. Charlotte Martin Justin Elliott ….. Simon Williams Toby Fairbrother ….. Rhys Bevan Brad Horrobin ….. Taylor Uttley Stella Pryor ….. Lucy Speed Writer, Nick Warburton Director, Julie Beckett Editor, Jeremy Howe In this situation, with agreement from a studio director, you may be able to adlib slightly with the list to make it an easier and more understandable listen: Pat Archer was played by Patricia Gallimore Susan Carter, Charlotte Martin and Justin Elliott by Simon Williams. Rhys Bevan played Toby Fairbrother Taylor Uttley was Brad Horrobin and the part of Stella Pryor was Lucy Speed The writer was Nick Warburton, i t was directed by Julie Beckett and the editor was Jeremy Howe. That, of course, also with the change in tone for each character and actor name, and with a final downward inflection at the end of the list to show completeness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E723 · Sat, December 24, 2022
0723 – Reading Lists
2022.12.24 – 0723 – Reading Lists Lists (or ‘strings’) and credits Lists are boring so it is your job to make them sound less so. We’re talking about maybe a news story on the selling points of a showbiz star’s home that’s up for sale or a roll-call of credits at the end of an audio drama. You have to read the uninspiring script in an interesting way, rather than simply rattling it off. “It has eight bedrooms, six bathrooms, a heated garage and stables, a gym and home cinema, and an underground walkway to another separate home on the property.” In this situation you need to add variety and interest by using some of the various elements that we have looked at already: · alter the pitch slightly on each item. That’s not simply going up and then down a range but finding an almost random variety. “ Almost random ”? Yes, it would be daft to go from a high pitch to a low one for example. · vary the rate and even a pause or two to help highlight some of the more unusual features. So, it could go “ eight bedrooms ” and the inflection upward on “ six ” and stay up in pitch on “ bathrooms ”. You’d want to lift “ heated ” as that is the unusual part about the garage and so too “ and stables ” expressing some surprise, then perhaps speed up through “ a gym and home cinema ” as these are perhaps to be expected in such a property, and then draw out the next “ and ”, followed by a slow and low reading of the final phrase because it is unusual. This subtle ‘mix-up of movement’ will help engage the listener’s interest, changing the copy enough to make it more dynamic and easier for the listener to understand. Many lists are short, often three items because of the accompanying satisfying rhythm (“ Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”, “ Friends, Romans, Countrymen ”, “ Faith, Hope, and Charity ”… itself a ‘list of three’!), so when you have such a string, the first item could be read in a ‘standard’ way, the second with an upward inflection (offering difference and a suggestion that there is more to come), followed by a slight pause and the third item with a downward inflection to show that the list has ended. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E722 · Fri, December 23, 2022
0722 – Possible Hazards in e-Learning Narration
2022.12.23 – 0722 – Possible Hazards in e-Learning Narration Possible trip-ups Watch out for: · Jargon and unfamiliar terms and phrases – check each pronunciation as well as acronyms, dates and so on as well as any equations that you may need to read and then say it simply and confidently. Bear in mind that if the copy is heavy on technical terminology or with complex sentence structure (such as a read for a legal, technical or pharmaceutical company) then it will take you longer to reach fluency with those tricky, unusual and multi-syllable words. · Long sentences and poor punctuation – look for the phrasing and moving from one idea to another to help you with your intonation and breathing · Repetition of words – look again at the section on intonation and when you lift or subdue words Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E721 · Thu, December 22, 2022
0721 – Explainer and Training Video Narration
2022.12.22 – 0721 – Explainer and Training Video Narration Explainer videos by their definition are structured in the classic problem > solution style, often featuring the owner of the business or a member of staff (or an actor appearing to be a member of staff!) and 30-120 seconds. Like all of these e-learning formats, you have to sound as though you understand and care about the problem and the product, but you don’t need to ‘sell’ anything as you might have to in a commercial as the audience is already interested in what you’re telling them – they have usually sought out the information. Your voice style will be one of a trusted guide, friendly and knowledgeable and talking one-to-one, as most of these videos will be watched alone. Training videos are more content rich with information and instructions for colleagues or clients, who may be paying to watch a tutorial. You will need to sound knowledgeable (who’s going to take advice from someone who sounds unsure?), so that means making sure that intonation and pronunciation are spot on. Projection is minimal, again people will likely be watching this by themselves with headphones on so won’t want to be shouted at. And take your time: by sheer definition, this is new information so tread a careful line between giving people time to take it all in, and not being patronising. That will be affected of course by the content and the context. Brand new information on school exam courses may have to be at a slower pace than new drug protocols for senior anaesthetists. Having said that, as we saw earlier, you can afford to slow down on the new and important phrases and speed up on the old and ‘already known’ content. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E720 · Wed, December 21, 2022
0720 – Sight-Reading Skills For Your e-Learning Narration
2022.12.21 – 0720 – Sight-Reading Skills For Your e-Learning Narration Sight reading - As the scripts are likely to be quite long, you need to be able to scan once (to check for potential stumble-ridden words and acronyms), and then read pretty much by sight. Why so little rehearsal? Because the scripts can be so long, and dry it simply may not be viable to either rehearse it all or to make too many stumbles in the actual recording as editing time could make the whole project unviable. That also means you need to be fluent, proficient, and able to self-direct and spot any slips and trips (potential and actual). If you have more than five or so ‘pick-ups’ on a page then it’s probably not a good fit for you. Intellect - you need to understand what it is that you are reading so you can say it with a sense of authority and significance and so help engage your listening audience. If you don’t know university-level words and how they are pronounced then you really may struggle. After all, you need to know when you don’t know how a word is said, not just present with presumption. And you need to know the intention of the lines and the sense of the sentence in an industry or trade that you are not hugely familiar with. You don’t need to know the exact workings of the machine or the process that you are describing, but you need to understand the intention of the writer. So, a general education (reading and consuming media so you know a bit about a lot and so are perhaps more comfortable talking about a topic) is also an advantage. Some internal training might not just have long words, but long sentences which means being able to navigate them with the correct intonation, pace, pauses and pitch to make them understandable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E719 · Tue, December 20, 2022
0719 – Stamina and Timing For Your e-Learning Narration
2022.12.20 – 0719 – Stamina and Timing For Your e-Learning Narration Other skills Stamina - Such reads may be quite demanding: explaining a new procedure to an oncologist or orthodontist may involve complex language; leading people through new regulatory procedures may need careful intonation as your voice will help explain the changes; a series of modules may need lots of preparation, patience and studio time with a read that is consistent and seamless. So you will need to sound not just good but consistently good. The scripts can be long and dense, with detailed, sub-claused sentences and multi-syllable words. So, you need to have the mental focus and vocal health to keep your concentration, ensure that you don’t start to sound ‘flat’, and the last hour sounds much like the first in terms of interest and intonation. Oh, and also to be able not to get frustrated and flustered when you make a fluff. You can correct it, re-focus and move on. The nature of these reads is that there are likely to be different sections, chapters or sub-topics within the script, so you can get a natural pause in proceedings, but they all have to sound similar as they may be heard together rather than unit-by-unit. On this: No annoying lilt or mouth clicks – people will be listening to you for several minutes or maybe even hours, so even though they may not have to love your voice, it certainly shouldn’t grate. Timing – you may well have to speak to visuals, matching your delivery to changing on-screen graphics. Indeed, you won’t always see a video, and just be working from still images and a time-code. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E718 · Mon, December 19, 2022
0718 – Intonation and Projection For Your e-Learning Narration
2022.12.19 – 0718 – Intonation and Projection For Your e-Learning Narration Intonation - people need to trust that you know what you are explaining to them, so correct intonation is paramount. A mis-stress can give the impression you are a ‘hired voice’ rather than a knowledgeable mentor. The script is very likely to be a training or explanation. By sheer definition, the point of the script may be to tell the staff about what has changed in a process, and so you will need to be able to identify within the copy what was the situation, and what it is now, to be able to place the correct lift or drop on the significant words or terms. Projection - consider that you’re just talking to one person, right in front of you, possibly wearing headphones in an office environment, or at home on a tablet or phone. So be careful of projecting too much and instead make the read personal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E717 · Sun, December 18, 2022
0717 – Pace and Tone For Your e-Learning Narration
2022.12.18 – 0717 – Pace and Tone For Your e-Learning Narration Your e-learning voice You will be the ‘brand voice’ of the product or service, so you will reflect those values as well as those of the target demographic. Pace - Almost by definition, the information being presented is new and may also be complex. Viewers may also have English as their second language. Having said that, be guided by the content and the visuals. Explaining new procedures over a fast-paced soundtrack over quick cuts of F1 drivers may well need a pacier delivery than that featuring new techniques to protect sea turtles. The most important technique to apply is that you allow each different piece of information appropriate time to be absorbed or understood by your audience. Tone – although the information is new, you must be careful not to sound patronising. Channel the emotion of a trusted guide who understands the content and wants to pass on knowledge and useful information, rather than that of a teacher who is ‘telling’ facts to an audience: you are less standing over someone’s shoulder wagging a finger as they learn, and more sitting beside them and holding their hand. The relationship you have with the listener is hugely important and as people often watch these modules by themselves your tone needs to be more personal than that of a commercial read. Consider for example the tone of a read about ‘history’ or ‘the future’, and whether the content is training or inspiring – all will have different tones. A good style is one that is conversational and energetic, engaging but with an element of authority. You need to be able to present what could be dry material, for people who need to know and others who (perhaps in a ‘captive’ workplace) are disinterested but compelled to watch, so avoid the robotic ‘mono-tone drone zone’. It’s not just about having a nice voice but being able to explain content well, with a sense of context and understanding. With some more formal, corporate reads, you may have to present every single word as it is written: that words such as “ to ” are pronounced “ to ” rather than “ ter ” (“ you have got to ensure that… ” rather than “ gotta ”) and similarly with “ for ”, and not “ fer ” (“ for more information… ”) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E716 · Sat, December 17, 2022
0716 – e-Learning Narration
2022.12.17 – 0716 – e-Learning Narration e-Learning Narration For every industry there is something to learn and the aim is to make it engaging and interesting, understandable and memorable. E-learning and explainer videos may be used in a formal education setting, ‘internal use’ to staff or ‘external’ and online, on YouTube or websites as a video, animation or podcast. They’re things like various courses; online webinars; in-house employee updates on health and safety, medical, diversity and inclusion; new product ranges; explaining to customers how to use a new item and so on. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E715 · Fri, December 16, 2022
0715 – Voiceover Dubbing Multi-Skills
2022.12.16 – 0715 – Voiceover Dubbing Multi-Skills You don’t need to be able to understand the original language, in fact knowing it may be a distraction as you’ll be able to understand what you’re replacing. The work is invariably done in a studio as you will have to speak to time, not just for the specific lip-syncs but also for the ‘looser’ dubs, getting a duration correct for the scene is still important. So, it can be quite complex: reading the script, watching the screen for the lip-sync, listening for the rhythm of the piece (the breaths and sighs, spot effects such as the door slamming or a gunshot), playing off other voice-dub actors (who also have to hit their ‘mark’ and start on time), keeping an eye on the timings, and acting the part (with appropriate emotions, panting after a running scene, shouting in an on-screen row…). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E714 · Thu, December 15, 2022
0714 – Lip-Sync, Phrase-Sync, Non-Sync, Bilingual and Narration Dubbing
2022.12.15 – 0714 – Lip-Sync, Phrase-Sync, Non-Sync, Bilingual and Narration Dubbing Dubbing can also be used to describe the voice given to animated characters or computer-generated characters in video games. Lip-sync dubbing – is when the new voice closely matches the lip movements of the original actor/presenter on the video so the difference is barely noticed which of course increases the audience’s emotional engagement. This is obviously difficult as not only are words different, but some languages are more complicated and require more or fewer words to convey the same meaning. Such work is usually recorded by specialist lip-sync professionals. [1] Phrase-sync dubbing – this is similar to the above, but there is less exactness in the lip-syncs, with dialogue matched phrase-by-phrase rather than word-for-word. This is faster and cheaper to produce. Non-synced dubbing – this is less accurate again, and so easier and cheaper to create and used when there is less need for the viewer to believe that the on-screen presenter/actor is actually speaking the lines. Bilingual delay dubbing – is often seen on news and documentaries, when the original language is heard for a second or two before that dialogue volume is reduced and the translation heard over the top. Voice-over narration dubbing – when a new speaker replaces original dialogue which was not delivered by an on-screen speaker , so in corporate videos, adverts and so on. For some of these roles as you can tell, you have to be able to act, not just be ‘a voice’, and have to convey the emotions that are required for the scene and text. [1] Here’s a scene from the Robert de Niro movie “ Analyse This ” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcEB5RUHlNw and more about foreign language dubs of English-speaking movies here: https://www.alphacrc.com/insight/how-do-you-dub-a-hollywood-star/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E713 · Wed, December 14, 2022
0713 – Full-Dubbing Skills
2022.12.14 – 0713 – Full-Dubbing Skills Full dubbing (or ‘revoicing’) is when a whole new audio version of the dialogue is created, for example re-recording all of the characters in a Canadian English-speaking film, for the Spanish market. Again, the new words have to sync with the mouth movements of the on-screen actor. It may also be, not just actors, but presenters or interviewees or guests. In both cases, you are not so much a voice-over as a voice actor – acting out the part with your voice. This isn’t a podcast/book about acting, but in short, you will need to master the script, understand your role, the character’s motivation in each scene and the overall story arc. “(Netflix) research has shown that dubbed versions of hit shows are more popular than their subtitled equivalents. Netflix’s investment in dubbing has been growing, on average, between 25 per cent and 35per cent per year for the past few years, and the consumption of dubbed content on the platform is scaling even faster, up on average more than 120per cent annually, say company sources.” Hollywood Reporter [1] Over the next few pages/episodes, we will look at some of the different attributes necessary for some of those different voice-over situations. (Although remember that much of the background information on these styles will have been covered under different headings previously.) [1] https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/netflix-s-global-reach-sparks-dubbing-revolution-public-demands-it-1229761/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E712 · Tue, December 13, 2022
0712 – Dialogue Replacement Skills
2022.12.13 – 0712 – Dialogue Replacement Skills Dubbing Automated Dialogue Replacement (ADR) This is when a line or more of a movie or TV dialogue that was recorded on location, is re-recorded in a studio. It may be because of sound problems on the original (a plane, a misplaced microphone), or a change in the script (perhaps because of a plot inconsistency, a mistake that hadn’t been spotted, for a different overseas market with different regulations (for example on swearing) or to have a different vocal sound (for example, the character is required to sing, which the actor cannot do to a suitable proficiency). The original actor may not be available or cost too much to go to the studio to record just a small part of a script and so a replacement actor who sounds like the celebrity is used instead, their words being lip-synced to the video. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E711 · Mon, December 12, 2022
0711 – Brand Voices
2022.12.12 – 0711 – Brand Voices Brand voices Go back and read ep 258 You need to be: · Adaptable and be able to voice different kinds of content – ads, phone system, podcasts, saving the client time and money · On a retainer so you can do quick-turnaround records. Negotiate extra costs · Longevity – you will only get better at understanding what’s wanted with your vocal attitude and the ethos of the business, and may even start developing your style or suggesting to · Have their own studio to assist in this – reactive · Easy to work with – you will become part of your team, attention to detail Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E710 · Sun, December 11, 2022
0710 – Audio Guide Narration Skills
2022.12.11 – 0710 – Audio Guide Narration Skills Some of these parts may be played by actors, but often it may just be a narrator – the ‘glue’ that links all of the information together. They will do the ‘housekeeping’: the welcomes, how to operate the audio player, what’s in the exhibition, where the toilets and emergency exits are and so on: “now go through the door on your left…”, “you’ll be able to buy a copy of this painting in the gift shop later”, “the toilets are just here if you need them”, “please follow the arrows on the wall to the next gallery…” and “please return this guide to the desk at the exit ” and so on. Then they will take dry facts and bring them to life, tell stories, and give something a sense of context in an engaging way. Yours will be the ‘brand voice’ of the event, in synergy with the content, the demographic of the audience and perhaps too the sponsor in their tone, pace, and pitch. You may need to have a measured pace to reflect the slow movement around a gallery and that some people may have another first language. And your pronunciation needs to be spot on: imagine an exhibition of Italian paintings with an audio guide which mispronounces the artists’ names. [1] [1] See more about this sub-genre of voice-over work, here: http://www.imagineear.com/ . Listen to the audio guide (various languages) to the 2021> Titanic exhibition that toured several countries: https://tourbuilderplus.imagineear.com/webapp/GndejL74ZiSzveQwCoqf/0 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E709 · Sat, December 10, 2022
0709 – Voicing and Producing Audio Guides
2022.12.10 – 0709 – Voicing and Producing Audio Guides Audio Guides These are pre-recorded guides for places such as museums, galleries and historic houses or street walks and are often on players you pick up at the entrance, on a loop system, downloadable apps or mp3s. They may also be on playout systems at fixed points either playing continuously or on push-to-play buttons, on pick-up headphones, on video walls and so on. They have some of the following attributes: · They give audio directions for where to go and what to do · Help make the information more engaging, connecting better with the audience and bringing the information to life · They are less stuffy and more interactive than text-based information panels and signs · They allow easy dissemination of information in different languages or for various age groups, think faster and more family-friendly perhaps in the style of the ‘Horrible Histories’ series · Guides may include dramatisations and sound effects to make the information more character-led and immersive, to bring information to life with a more friendly, accessible, conversational tone. So rather than a lecturer, a character (say a queen, or a relatable person such as a pauper, solider or artist), may read from a diary or newspaper, or give a first-person account (either real or imagined) to bring ‘history to life’ · Some may give the user a choice of what to hear (more or less information), some auto-play depending on their exact location, and others have to be manually selected to play, either from a number guide on the exhibit or simply un-pausing the continuous audio stream. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E708 · Fri, December 09, 2022
0708 – Voicing Audio Descriptions
2022.12.09 – 0708 – Voicing Audio Descriptions Audio description – AD This is a voice-over describing what is happening in the scene of a movie to benefit those who are visually impaired, who can hear the dialogue but otherwise may find the plot difficult to follow. The script will be provided for you, in which elements such as the action, setting and costumes will be described, but also along with other visual elements that help tell the story: a facial expression of an actor, a character who overhears a conversation, and what is going on when there is no dialogue to follow. You do not act per se, but narrate what is going on – not so immersed that you become part of the show, but not remote and robot-like either. But AD is not just used for films and TV. It’s also required for educational videos, art and museum exhibitions, conferences, plays and so on too. [1] For more on AD, listen to this BBC documentary: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b05ssqpl : “ the practice of using evocative and poetic language to bring moving pictures to life has a much longer tradition. In early 20th-century Japan, Benshi narrators would interpret – and often elaborate on - Western and home-grown films for Tokyo audiences. The art form continues today. In Edwardian Britain, film explainers would bring an aural addition, often with musical accompaniment, to silent films .” [1] More information: “A Comprehensive Training Manual and Guide to the History and Applications of Audio Description” https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B08KH2PWXN/audiodescriin-20 and “An Introduction to Audio Description” https://www.routledge.com/An-Introduction-to-Audio-Description-A-practical-guide-1st-Edition/Fryer/p/book/9781138848177 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E707 · Thu, December 08, 2022
0707 – Growls and Grunts, Snorts and Squeaks
2022.12.08 – 0707 – Growls and Grunts, Snorts and Squeaks Animal noises This is not giving a human voice to an animal, but literally making growls and grunts, snorts and squeaks. (Yep, we’re talking voices and noises here!) Very often these noises are incorporated into an anthropomorphic script that we looked at just now to better introduce the character, so a ‘dog’ may bark before a line (read in English). Specific ‘actor-made’ barks and clucks, meows and moos may also be used in animation, where the sound has to fit the mouth movement in the picture (and the duration) so you can’t just use a generic sound effect of that animal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E706 · Wed, December 07, 2022
0706 – Staccato Chickens and Hissing Snakes
2022.12.07 – 0706 – Staccato Chickens and Hissing Snakes Then read your lines with these attributes, threading the ‘animal sounds’ into human speech: words are perhaps growled (as a ferocious dog might) or in a bright and happy ‘puppy-dog’ style. Similarly, you can probably imagine how a cat may say ‘hello’ (with a ‘miaow’ in the voice), or how a chicken may talk (perhaps thinking of their head-bobbing, pecking style, so their voice may be quite staccato). A snake character may talk slowly with accentuated and sibilant s-sounds. A bear may sound deep and loud. You may have a problem making sounds for animals that make no sounds, or whose sounds are not really known: how would you imitate a badger, a terrapin, or a specific bird such as a magpie, say? Don’t forget that your character, say the monkey, may also go through other emotions during a story or script, so think how your usually excitable monkey may also sound, say, sad or thoughtful. Your personal characteristics will include being able to work well with other members of the cast, who will be voicing other animals. You may also be asked to provide voices for more than one of the characters, say Enid the Elephant and Maurice the Mouse, to save time and money. Remember the crew of the Simpsons voice more than one of the characters in that show. [1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Castellaneta Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E705 · Tue, December 06, 2022
0705 – Animal Characterisations
2022.12.06 – 0705 – Animal Characterisations Animal characterisations Anthropomorphism is giving animals human-like characteristics and emotions – it’s the basis of many children’s books such as the famous Mickey Mouse or Winnie The Pooh as well as widely used in commercials (think of Martin the Geico Gecko the mascot of the insurance brand). [1] Of course, giving a voice to an animal is really voice acting , so many of the skills are similar to creating a voice for another human character, but there are specific skills involved. The same research needs to be done to help with your tone and vocal range. · Character attributes · How they are drawn (literally) – are they hunched over and eyes half shut or standing tall with eyes wide open? You can see how each of these looks would suggest another kind of voice · The ‘generic’ character of that particular creature: snakes are seen as slow-moving and sly, monkeys as excitable, so how can you bring those attributes into the way your character talks? · When considering how an animal sounds, think where their voice comes from: for a growly bear you will need a lot of chest resonance and maybe a throaty sound, a hound dog may be more jowly and with a sound from the mouth cavity. Smaller animals (including say a terrier) are naturally higher-pitched in tone, a cat’s miaow is quite a nasal sound. A bird sound may be more of a whistle… · Think of how the animal moves – and move in a similar way: to help with your ‘monkey-voice’ perhaps be wide-eyed and expressive in your face, maybe talk in short and fast bursts of speech as though jumping from one idea to another as you might jump from one branch to another. Owls are often considered wise, so a slower, more-thoughtful delivery, with a relaxed and confident stance, maybe glasses on the end of your nose and stroking your chin… · The situation they are in · The context - who are they interacting with and why, as well as their back story (what led them to behave this way?) [1] https://www.geico.com/living/commercials/gecko-journey-across-america/ and https://www.voices.com/blog/who-is-the-voice-of-the-geico-gecko/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E704 · Mon, December 05, 2022
0704 – Advertisements / Commercials
2022.12.05 – 0704 – Advertisements / Commercials Advertisements / Commercials Perhaps one of the main attributes of a radio, tv or movie commercial read is a voice with charismatic qualities. That is one that is trustworthy, interesting and ‘listenable’. Even though the person behind the voice is rarely if ever seen, with a radio advert you have a lot of heavy lifting to do, whereas with the other, more visual mediums, your voice is in addition and often takes more of a back seat to what is being seen on the screen. And that also often affects the style of the script too: whereas radio has to use the voice to communicate almost all of the information (there may be music and sound effects too) and is therefore quite natural, a script for a TV or movie theatre spot fits around the other elements and so the vocal presentation is more staccato – words and phrases rather than full sentences. Understand the old rhetorical devices to help you work out how to read advertising copy. After all, a commercial is trying to persuade you to do something – buy a product, click on a website, visit a location – in a way that politicians going back to the ancient Romans were also trying to persuade you to act or think a certain way. Devices such as: · The rule of three – when three items are listed as attributes of the product or service. · Opposites – Such as “So, what would you rather? Keep paying for your car month after month, or buy it outright?” Also, up and down, left and right, this or that · Repetition – “We’re number one!” sung three times in the Lays potato chip commercial [1] or “So does Kraft” [2] · Climax – “He was a boy, then a man, then a father….” · The basic story arc – The introduction, action, climax, conclusion, and call to action. So, understand the structure of the copy. It’s all on the page, so be a self-direction detective. And think about this, a lot of these devices are used in children’s books and fairy tales so they are almost hard-wired into our brains. [1] The first commercial in this montage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1qDZ6aGQOg [2] In the same montage from 6m 29s Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E703 · Sun, December 04, 2022
0703 – Animal Noises, Political Ads, IVRs and VOGs: Other voiceover roles
2022.12.04 – 0703 – Animal Noises, Political Ads, IVRs and VOGs: Other voiceover roles Advertisements / Commercials Animal characterisation and animal noises Audio descriptions Audio guides Brand voices Dubbing eLearning how to read lists and casts Live Events Announcements (‘Voice of God’ aka VOG) Speaking outdoors Medical Movies trailers Political ads PSA Station imaging Telephony voice over Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E702 · Sat, December 03, 2022
0702 – At The End Of An Audiobook Recording
2022.12.03 – 0702 – At The End Of An Audiobook Recording When recording Finish each session at an appropriate point in the plot – that’s usually at the end of a section, chapter or scene. It’s here that you can resolve the piece with an appropriate tone. At the start of the next session, listen to some of the previous audio before you start recording to get into a likely same style, pace and rhythm and keep consistency, albeit with a new ‘narrational tone’ to reset the storyline at the start of the new chapter or Part. A new chapter is always likely to be where the author has started a new part of the story arc, a new day, a new viewpoint and so on, so always note what shift has taken place and create a fresh tone to reflect this. Be aware that your performance will naturally be likely to change each day and during the day (morning, afternoon, after lunch and so on) depending on your vocal health, vocal stamina, diet, hydration and so on. Try and keep a high consistency for fluency and easy editing and listening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E701 · Fri, December 02, 2022
0701 – Character Relationships In Audiobook Narration
2022.12.02 – 0701 – Character Relationships In Audiobook Narration A further step may be to note the relationships between characters. As we have seen before we adapt our vocal style depending on who we are talking to: 30-year-old Sam will speak to their mother in a different way to their spouse, friends or child, so consider who is in each scene and who each person interacts with. Also, relationships change over time: part of the arc of the book may be that two friends fall out and make up, and in doing so how they speak to one another will reflect this. Notate anywhere where a reading ‘style shift’ is required: “ Samah hung her legs into the cool water, leant back and raised her face to the sun… ” suggests a slower pace for example. More intense scenes might require a faster narration. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E700 · Thu, December 01, 2022
0700 – Post-Dialogue Attributions In Audiobook Narration
2022.12.01 – 0700 – Post-Dialogue Attributions In Audiobook Narration Mark any ‘post-dialogue attributions’, where the name of the person who just spoke is written after their statement, (“ Merlin said ”, “ Trayvon interjected ”, “ Marsha replied ”, “ Neville whispered ”, “ she said with a tremor in her voice ”), so you know which voice to use for the preceding comment, and how to read it. You may also need to be aware that on occasion there may be a discrepancy between what someone says and how they say it: “ I’m completely overwhelmed ”, followed by “ she said sarcastically ”, so you know to say that in a sarcastic way (in this instance), before you get to the direction. Think of what the character is doing when they are speaking in the text: “Robin pulled the bow back as far as he could, struggling as the string cut into his inexperienced fingers. “He has to die” he muttered under his breath, and then with more resolve as the arrow flew from the bow “Die! DIE!”. So, you have to show that the character is experiencing several emotions (exhaustion, focus and then fury), all in a couple of lines. Your in-character breathing will also add to the visual for the listener: a sharp intake of breath in surprise or shock, an exhale of relief, in an action scene when someone is out of breath or tired, sounds natural. As a narrator, some editors may remove or reduce the volume of many of yours, especially those at the start of paragraphs, so they don’t distract the listener. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E699 · Wed, November 30, 2022
0699 – Preparing a Text For Audiobook Narration
2022.11.30 – 0699 – Preparing a Text For Audiobook Narration Preparing the text Since you’re reading a long piece, it’s essential to skim the book beforehand. Mark unfamiliar words and check their pronunciation (imagine a character called Romè, but because of how your screen is set up, you have recorded the whole book calling them Rome, like the city…). Fantasy and science fiction books will inevitably have invented words and even languages within them. Work out how you will say these, consistently (you may be able to contact the author for a steer?) “Do you ever hear a ‘typo’ in an audiobook? I’m listening to a chapter on John Cage, and the reader just read 4’33” as “four feet, thirty-three inches”. In a different book, in a passage about a 19th haberdashery, est. 1887, the person read it as “estimated 1887”. Cheryl Graham ( https://twitter.com/FreeTransform ) Clearly mark every chapter – so you can see where there is a natural pause in the story arc, and where you may want to take a physical break. Mark every new character’s first appearance – that way you know whether or not to use their ‘previous voice’ or if they need a new vocal sound. Highlight character descriptions – especially those which give clues as to how they will speak. This could be specific (“ Tom was South African… ”, “… she whined in her nasal voice …”), but also indirect: their social-economic background, class, or job, their physical characteristics such as their size or age and so on. Beware of new information that emerges during the course of the book: “… which reflected her upbringing in Berlin… ” “ From smoking 40 a day for 40 years …” Oh! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E698 · Tue, November 29, 2022
0698 – Story-telling For A Young Audience
2022.11.29 – 0698 – Story-telling For A Young Audience Story-telling for a young audience For younger pairs of ears, think particularly about the storytelling journey. Children’s books are often very much about emotion and change: the lonely girl who finds friends with seven dwarves; the poor boy who climbs a beanstalk and escapes from a new land with a pot of gold and so on. So play with those feelings and colour the changes which help the story arc: make the princess sound lonely, make Jack sound frightened and then relieved as he escapes the giant. Look carefully at the rhymes, rhythms and repetitions in the sentences, how the author plays with the words in an almost musical way and bring that out in your telling of the tale. (Some say that having a musical background helps with reading aloud, giving you a greater sense of timing, tempo, tone and rhythm.) Add a bit of playfulness to the words (say words like “ surprise ”, “ discovered ”, “ lonely ”, “ strange ” or “ sighed ” in the appropriate tone of surprise, discovery and so on), and to the phrases (“he drank the potion and started to shrink ”, elongating “ started to shrink ” with a sense of wonder, and maybe with “ shrink ” said in an appropriately higher pitched voice to indicate the small size). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E697 · Mon, November 28, 2022
0697 – Potential Problems When Voicing Audiobook Characters
2022.11.28 – 0697 – Potential Problems When Voicing Audiobook Characters A potential problem - When you create a very distinctive voice for a minor character, who then has a greater role than you’d anticipated! Maybe you’ve developed a deep, gravelly, heavily-accented voice for a few lines, and then in book two of the series, that character is the lead… your vocal health is in trouble! Male and female voices - Don’t worry too much about reading a male role if you’re female and vice versa. Nothing will sound worse than putting on a ‘fake’ falsetto or forcing your voice into a deep growl. After all, you will be reading the lines of ‘real’ people, not some cartoon characters. Instead, make their voice more about an aspect of their attitude. We’ve looked at this before: a sassy character may talk faster and with a lighter pitch and a slightly arrogant tone for example. A character whose trait is mild-mannered may speak slower, more quietly and with a softer tone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E696 · Sun, November 27, 2022
0696 – Voicing ‘Minor Characters’ in Audiobook Narration
2022.11.27 – 0696 – Voicing ‘Minor Characters’ in Audiobook Narration Minor characters - You don’t need a totally unique voice for each character. Listeners know you are telling a story, not pretending to be different characters or that the production has a cast of hundreds. Have changes in your voice, but don’t worry about creating 30 or 40 different characters, some of whom will only have a line or two. Similar characters - When the book calls for several similarly-sounding characters talking with each other (“ The four friends, Bob, Dave, James and Pete, each cracked open a beer and started talking about what had just happened…”), h ow will you make each voice distinctive from the other? Consider elements such as pitch, nasality, rhythm and speed… all of which we have spoken about before. If they are minor characters appearing only once, then differentiation is less important. Acting - On the whole, you’re not ‘acting’ each character: you just have to give a flavour of the personalities, not a full exposition. You are illustrating a character … not putting on ‘a voice’. The voice comes from the characteristics of the person, so you act the character rather than purely giving them a voice. Just enough is enough. If you are too OTT then the listener will hear you , and not the story. So: You don’t need to shout or scream as the actual character might do; use some mic technique, and pull back from the mic to make it immersive without blasting the listener. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E695 · Sat, November 26, 2022
0695 – Audiobook Character Voices
2022.11.26 – 0695 – Audiobook Character Voices Character voices (This is in addition to the in-depth look at character voices in the ‘animation’ section previously.) The main character – Create a voice that you can use in various emotions and one not so strong that it exhausts or hurts you. Individuality – having said that, each main character’s voice must be somewhat distinct from each other (and from you as ’narrator’), and consistent from page to page, matching any ‘character clues’ in the text (their attitude, age, background, looks and so on – we have looked at all this in some detail already). Consider how that character sounds in different situations and with different emotions: · Arrogant · Patronising · Smarmy · Sexy · Embarrassed · Secretive · And so on… What are their gestures? How do they move when they speak, are they hunched, where is their breathing coming from (the stomach or the chest?), is it quick and snatched or low and slow and deep? How do they walk, how would they run? See the image of the character: where they have got their hands, you have them too. How they have their eyes, you try too: small, beady, shifty, wide-eyed? Your voice will find the appropriate sound almost naturally. Be careful of stereotyped accents of characters which may cause offence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E694 · Fri, November 25, 2022
0694 – Projection And Pace For The Audiobook Narrator
2022.11.25 – 0694 – Projection And Pace For The Audiobook Narrator Projection – we have looked at loudness before, but as a quick reminder that with audiobooks especially, people will be listening alone perhaps through headphones, so talk to them with a one-to-one volume. A ‘big’ narration will be exhausting for everyone. Pace – don’t read too fast. Allow the listener to ‘see’ the scene you are painting with the words. Obviously, the speed goes hand-in-hand with the content (you will read the description of a romantic landscape more slowly than that of a sports event that’s about to erupt into violence), but it’s a good rule of thumb to allow visual language to sink in. Also, make sure you vary your pace. We saw before how we vary our delivery speed, depending on the information we are giving (new or complex detail is slower, familiar or unimportant asides are more ‘thrown away’). So, if there’s a fight scene, your narration and dialogue need to be snappy and moving, maybe the tone is heavier too. And if it’s a sad or suspenseful scene take your time over the words and the pauses, to reflect the sense of the action. If the characters are creeping into a forest at night, then reflect that in your narration, speaking quietly too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E693 · Thu, November 24, 2022
0693 – Impartiality For The Audiobook Narrator
2022.11.24 – 0693 – Impartiality For The Audiobook Narrator Be interested, invested and informed …– only read the genres you enjoy to be more emotionally connected to the text and to draw the listener in. You are the knowledgeable guide on the journey through these characters’ lives; don’t mislead the listeners and even though you may surprise them, you should not be surprised yourself at what happens in the text. … and impartial – you are watching the scene from the sidelines, have a full view and are telling the listener what you can see from your vantage point. Because of your narrator’s role, you may know more than the characters, indeed, in your role as ‘narrator’ (rather than ‘voice actor’), you will know how the story ends. You should keep this information free of emotion and simply allow the listener to react when you tell them. Just tell them like it is, without favour or bias, as an objective storyteller. You are a trusted guide and know the terrain, and the ups and downs of the story, and do not lead the listener onto the wrong route with misleading intonation. You are never surprised by what a character does. That’s not to say a narrator never shares secrets: almost inevitably you will have access to the character’s thoughts and emotions and may, through the author, share those with the listener but without taking sides, in an unbiased-balancing act. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E692 · Wed, November 23, 2022
0692 – Analysis and Agility For The Audiobook Narrator
2022.11.23 – 0692 – Analysis and Agility For The Audiobook Narrator Analysis – be somewhat of a student of literature. Understand what makes a story, a story and how one moves through a sequence (the characters, the setting, the plot, the conflict and tension, and the resolution) and the six common themes in literature (good vs. evil, love, redemption, courage and perseverance, coming of age, revenge) and how a story arc can develop. Having basic knowledge will help you with your delivery in terms of pace and pitch and tone in different situations (surprise, irony and so on) and help explain to the listener what is going on via your voice. Agility – be careful not to merge the role of ‘me, the narrator’ with ‘me, the characters’. “ He said ”, “ she replied ” and so on are said in your voice to avoid listener confusion. After you, usually, as the narrator you know what’s going to happen next or are privy to the thoughts of the characters and you can’t let this knowledge ‘bleed through’ to the characters themselves. You also need agility to swap between different characters having a conversation, and you the narrator with interjections “ she said ”, “ he explained ”, “ as they clambered aboard the carriage ” … Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E691 · Tue, November 22, 2022
0691 – The Audiobook Narrator’s *Own* Character
2022.11.22 – 0691 – The Audiobook Narrator’s *Own* Character The narrator’s own character Depending on which POV you are reading the story from, your ‘character voice’ will be different. If you are one of the characters (First Person POV), be careful not to have such a strong accent characterisation that it becomes annoying to the listener and awkward for you to perform for any length of time. If you are the ‘author’ (Second Person or Third Person Omniscient or Limited), then you need to have a voice that is ‘neutral’, and different from any character whose dialogue you will speak. Delivery – This needs to be consistent according to the text, story arc and author’s intention: possibly slower at times of tension, fast in action scenes. Be aware of any repetitive speech pattern or cadence that will mean that although listeners may not know what you are going to say, they can predict how you’ll say it. Keep the energy up, and by that, I don’t mean a ‘power’ but don’t allow your presentation professionalism to drop on day three, hour three of a five-day recording session: a tired voice, sloppy articulation, a rushed delivery, running out of breath, character voices merging into one another. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E690 · Mon, November 21, 2022
0690 – The Narrator’s Various Points of Views
2022.11.21 – 0690 – The Narrator’s Various Points of Views Narration - First understand who you, the narrator, are in the story. That is, whose point of view (POV) is the story told from? [1] · First Person POV – when you as narrator say “ I ” and “ we ” (it’s how we all speak in real life). It is a more personal viewpoint (and so used in memoirs, romance and young adult fiction), but can suffer from feeling a bit too introspective. “ I was furious as I tore at the thick undergrowth with my cane. How dare she speak to me that way!” · Second Person POV – when you use “ you ”, the ‘unspoken ‘me’ talking to ‘you’. It’s rarely used in novels but is in games (“ you come across a panel with hieroglyphics scrawled on it and a lever on either side. Which one will you pull?” ) and non-fiction. · Third Person POV – using “ she ” “ he ” “ they ” and “ it ”. o Third Person Omniscient is when the narrator knows everything, the thoughts and feelings of all the characters (think “ War and Peace ” and epic fantasy books) and is less common today: “ Neither Marsha nor Mohammed knew what was going to happen next, that the gunman was already watching them, determined to stop their plan. And that he would be successful.” o Third Person Limited is when the narrator only knows the thoughts of one person. Think of the ‘Harry Potter’ series, told from Harry’s perspective and with knowledge of his motivations, but not those of say, Ron and Hermione. “ Natalie knew that she wanted to feel this way forever ”. It’s also a common perspective in romance, thriller, epic fantasy and young adult fiction. o Third Person Multiple is like the ‘Limited’ but when the author switches the perspective between scenes or chapters. So, the story may be told from the POV of the murderer in one chapter, the victim in another and the detective in the third. Note that the narrator is still ‘impartial’ (the chapter is not in the ‘First Person POV’), it’s just that information is being given from another vantage point, but it can be awkward for the listener to follow such regular changes through the story. George RR Martin uses this technique in the ‘Game of Thrones’ series. Usually, the narrator tells a story from (in order of popularity), the view of one of the Third Person perspectives, then First and Second POV. It’s important to have a passing knowledge of this because it tells you how much insight you will have about what is going on in the story. For example, in ‘First Person’ you as the narrator, won’t know what someone else is thinking or their motivations. In ‘Third Person Limited’ you may only be able to offer the listener insight into one character’s thoughts and feelings. </str
S2 E689 · Sun, November 20, 2022
0689 – Fiction Audiobook Narration Skills
2022.11.20 – 0689 – Fiction Audiobook Narration Skills Fiction skills for an audiobook narrator First a few definitions: Solo narration – when a reader either differentiates between each character with their voice (different pitch, race, gender, accent and so on), or, when they do not, and presents a ‘straight’ narrated read with no variation between the different people in the text. Narrator – the person telling the story as written by the author, and also the word used for you, the person who is recording the story – perhaps giving a voice to the ‘written narrator’ the person whose viewpoint the story is written from (more on this below). Dialogue - a scene in which the different characters verbally interact with each other Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E688 · Sat, November 19, 2022
0688 – Non-Fiction Audiobook Narration Skills
2022.11.19 – 0688 – Non-Fiction Audiobook Narration Skills Non-fiction for an audiobook narrator Recording a non-fiction text is considered by some to be more straightforward than recording fiction. That’s because you’re delivering information, instruction, or facts, rather than navigating a narrative of characters and conflicts. Others say that’s just why non-fiction is difficult: the text can be flat and featureless and was usually not written to be read aloud. Indeed, the ‘read’ may include foreign phrases, maths equations, sidebars, footnotes, charts, illustrations, abbreviations, explanations and appendixes, all of which (depending on the director’s instructions) may have to be read and recorded. Non-fiction texts can be detail-rich, with long dense paragraphs littered with parenthesis and sub-clauses which can be difficult to vocalise with intonation. It may help to break the sentence up with some / marks so you can more easily see the different phrases which link together, which ones balance or oppose each other, or add extra information. Try and see such convoluted sentences, at first glance complex and unwieldy, more like a tree: the main trunk from which there are branches, and then twigs, to help you use a different tone for each section of the structure. But that doesn’t mean there’s no ‘acting’. Help communicate the message of the book by imagining taking to several people in the audience, possibly with a sense of (almost ‘ad-libbed’) fluency to make you appear to be the expert author: conversationally authoritative. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E687 · Fri, November 18, 2022
0687 – Vocal, Physical and Mental Health For Narration
2022.11.18 – 0687 – Vocal, Physical and Mental Health For Narration Good vocal, physical and mental health – you will be spending a lot of time by yourself in a booth, concentrating, so you need to be mentally strong. A lot of reading will require a lot of vocal strength: warm-up exercises, hydration and built-in rest breaks. In the booth itself, you need to have everything set up ergonomically so you are not under too much stress physically as you read. You need to build in breaks at natural pauses in the text, so you can eat, stretch, connect with others and see sunlight. Seeing the sense in the script – Although you will need to read the text exactly, word for word, bear in mind that writers write but we are the audio storytellers. So read for understanding by paying attention more to phrasing, rather than strict script punctuation. For example, in a chase scene, you may run sentences on from one another to give pace and urgency. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E686 · Thu, November 17, 2022
0686 – Clarity, Consistency and Concentration in Voice Acting
2022.11.17 – 0686 – Clarity, Consistency and Concentration in Voice Acting A clear voice – people will be spending a lot of time with you, so you need to have a voice that will not jar or grate on their ears. Consistency – consistency in the style and energy of your read, and for fiction books, each character’s voice and accent. Concentration - In non-fiction especially, this could be content-rich and technical texts with long and unwieldy sentence structures, and with fiction books you may need to be able to switch effortlessly from one character to another, remember accents and ‘the story so far’ (more on each of these skills later). Audiobooks are often recorded at home so you need to be a self-starter and be able to manage all the different aspects of the job: the reading, recording and self-directing and critiquing. And keep your mind, and your eye, on the text so neither wanders to the shopping list, what the time is and whether you need a toilet break. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E685 · Wed, November 16, 2022
0685 – ‘Punch And Roll’ Voice Recording
2022.11.16 – 0685 – ‘Punch And Roll’ Voice Recording VOICE BOX Learn the ‘punch and roll’ technique to save recording time This is when you mark (‘punch in’) the point in your recorded audio where you made a mistake. The DAW (Digital Audio Workstation recorder), then plays back a few seconds of you speaking before that point (the ‘pre roll’), at which moment it starts recording again. This enables you to make your correction and continue recording. Doing this will speed up your editing and because you are picking up by hearing what came before, you are more likely to match your original read (tone, intonation, speed, accent and so on) and your re-record will be better. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E684 · Tue, November 15, 2022
0684 – Voice Over Eye>Brain>Mouth Control
2022.11.15 – 0684 – Voice Over Eye>Brain>Mouth Control Eye-Brain-Mouth Control – you have to be good at reading accurately, just sticking to the text. You will probably have skim-read the text before you start [1] , and in the studio, you need to be able to scan ahead as you read: more mistakes mean more editing time, leading to a disjointed read and less money-per-minute for your work. [1] You’re unlikely to have time to go through the book in advance, marking it up sentence -by-sentence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E683 · Mon, November 14, 2022
0683 – Narration Stamina
2022.11.14 – 0683 – Narration Stamina Stamina – you will need to read a lot of words in a short period of time: 4-6 hours in front of a mic each day is not unheard of for an audiobook narrator. So, you need committed energy and the ability to sound the same at the end of the day as you did at the start. Performing a 30-second spot is like running a 50-yard dash; a 60-second spot is like a running 100-yard dash; an audiobook is like running a marathon. Marc Cashman, backstage.com [1] [1] https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/10-skills-you-need-for-audiobook-narration-voice-work-67133/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E682 · Sun, November 13, 2022
0682 – Natural Narration Foundations
2022.11.13 – 0682 – Natural Narration Foundations Natural Narration Foundations In the main, we have been looking at short reads, commercials and news stories and the like, but sometimes you may have a longer read to perform, such as an audiobook. Longer reads need to be approached in a slightly different way than shorter ones. Instead of a series of short sentences about the attributes of a car for a commercial, or the misdemeanours of a politician in a broadcast news story, there are several sentences in each paragraph, and each paragraph is linked as an explanation or story arc develops for several or hundreds of pages. You have to be familiar with the longer script so you know, and can express in your voice, how the different paragraphs are connected, give the listener confidence that you know where you are going, and make it easier for them to follow. Notice too in a longer piece that the writer may show how they want it to be read aloud, in the way they wrote it down. Look at the sense of the sentence, its length and the kind of words used. [1] [1] A look at different narration styles in podcasts, with audio examples, here: https://theaudiostoryteller.substack.com/p/mic-drop- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E681 · Sat, November 12, 2022
0681 – Audiobook Narration
2022.11.12 – 0681 – Audiobook Narration Audiobook narration Audiobooks have become increasingly popular [1] as people consume books while commuting, exercising or doing chores and with the ease of listening via smartphones and Bluetooth. There are broadly two different types of books: non-fiction and fiction, each with different skills required of the voice actor and also some cross-over themes. Narrating your memoirs Memoirs are not quite fiction or non-fiction, and it makes perfect sense for you to narrate your own ‘story of your life’. After all, you’re the expert on what happened! Use your text more as a prompt than a script: live your words as you say them as though the memories are just occurring to you, and imagine you are telling someone what happened, someone who is sitting right there in front of you. [1] 2019 figures suggested that 50% of Americans had listened to an audiobook (Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamrowe1/2019/04/27/for-the-first-time-50-of-americans-have-listened-to-an-audiobook/#46157dc97d52 ) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E680 · Fri, November 11, 2022
0680 – Voice Acting In Gaming
2022.11.11 – 0680 – Voice Acting In Gaming Games Voice acting in the video game business is similar to doing animation work, although the portrayals have to be more ‘realistic’ than say, those ‘cartoon-caricatures’ of people or animals. In fact, gaming actors are more like those in movies – they just can’t be seen on screen. Your skills Adaptability - Although you may read as a cast ensemble together (so each actor ‘works off’ one another, because it may be easier to direct everyone ‘live’ and to get the same studio quality), it is also likely that you may read individual lines, alone, out of order and out of context (‘non-linear’). Indeed, as you may never see a full script, but just your part, you will need to take specific direction on the motivation and interaction of your character for that particular scene, as you jump around different timelines and emotional states minute by minute. That will affect your whole read: tone, projection, pace and intonation and so on. [1] Being able to do lots of accents and characters is very helpful in both video games and animation recordings. Just don’t audition with a character voice that you won’t be able to keep up for an entire recording session. Sight reading – reading a new script on the fly, on the spot is imperative in this fast-turnaround world. Practicing this will help you learn different tenses, moods and emotions and move effortlessly between them. [1] How producers create different voice effects in gaming: https://www.voquent.com/how-to-recreate-gaming-audios-top-5-vocal-effects/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E679 · Thu, November 10, 2022
0679 – Concatenation Concerns
2022.11.10 – 0679 – Concatenation Concerns Character creep can cause particular problems when combined with concatenation . This is where a voice-over has to read a short list of incomplete sentences, and then a long list of places, numbers, or other ‘options’. You will have heard examples on transport services, telephone booking systems and sat navs: the original sentences are completed by the computer selecting the appropriate word or phrase from the second list (“ The train now standing on platform 2 is the 15.36 service to London Waterloo … ”). It takes a special skill, and a lot of patience to not only keep in ‘character’ while recording the different elements for such a service, but also to have the correct (and repetitive) intonation for every word or phrase – even though you are recording them in isolation from the rest of the sentence which would normally provide the sense! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E678 · Wed, November 09, 2022
0678 – Character Creep
2022.11.09 – 0678 – Character Creep Character creep If you try and be someone who you’re not [1] , then there is a chance that over the course of a contract or studio session, your ‘persona’ might change. It may mean that you cannot keep up the voice that you created for the role, perhaps because it is too demanding vocally, or you forget how to create it. Maybe it’s not a specific decision, but the voice may lose its edge, vitality or accent, which is why it is called ‘character creep’. This can cause a problem if you are recording say, an audiobook or lines for a video game as the voice will noticeably change during the reading, or worse if the lines have been recorded ‘out of order’, it will come and go … So, check back and listen to what you recorded previously, especially after a break to ensure your character voice and vocal quality remain constant. [1] Unless you are being paid to act, for example in a voiceover! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E677 · Tue, November 08, 2022
0677 – Keeping In Character
2022.11.08 – 0677 – Keeping In Character When you have developed a voice from scratch and you’re comfortable with it and do it well, keep it and add it to your cast of characters, and then build another character that builds from that one. Merge the ‘evil witch’ with the ‘young woman’ say, to have another voice. Aim for quality not quantity of these voices. Write a few notes describing their voice, their personality and how they hold themselves (because the voice changes depending on the shape of the body it comes from) … and over time you will build a portfolio of about half a dozen character voices that you can dip in to, adapt or merge. Keep recordings of them, together with notes of how you felt as you recreate them, who you model the character on, and think of a key catchphrase that sums up your character and their voice, their attitude, so in the future, you can use these notes as a reference to get back into character. When you come up with a character voice, own it. And use it every day. Speak to family in that voice. Take on the characteristics. Hone the character… own it and make it your own. Then test yourself by coming up with a voice for each of these animations: · A monster · Dragon · Witch · Cartoon pig · Villain · Surfer · ‘Valley girl’ · A chicken · A robot… a villainous pig, a surfing chicken, a ‘valley-girl’ monster Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E676 · Mon, November 07, 2022
0676 – Vocal Exaggeration In Animation
2022.11.07 – 0676 – Vocal Exaggeration In Animation Vocal exaggeration in animation [1] You must have the muscular strength to host the vocal gymnasium that is required in animation. Work on the instrument daily to achieve vocal strength. The voice you use will, for much of the time, be more, well, animated in animation. More ‘over the top’, energetic, projected and with greater variety and intensity. So you need to be physically fit – it’s virtually a sport as you ‘inhabit’ the part. Because you can’t be seen and the portrayal of the characters visually is OTT, your voice has to match that representation. But you are not just over the top in animation; there still has to be a reality in the exaggeration. That is, your characterisation has to be an authentic exaggeration of emotion from the storyline, and how your character interacts with others. The emotion and energy are big, but it’s still from a believable point. Know how your character feels and thinks, and embody them. As we have seen before, gesticulation is even more important when people can’t see you. If your character is concerned, then frown, squint, purse your lips and hold your chin or whatever, so the emotion is heard in your line. And if you are not voicing an animation that’s already been drawn, but laying down the soundtrack first, then acting and reacting like this will help give the illustrators something to draw on when they’re drawing. [1] The story of the Canadian behind the voice of Bugs Bunny: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaNO4KykWMY&t=39s Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E675 · Sun, November 06, 2022
0675 – Using Props To Get Into A Character Properly
2022.11.06 – 0675 – Using Props To Get Into A Character Properly Using props As well as holding yourself in a certain way to get into your character’s voice, some voice actors also hold an appropriate prop. Your voice may sound more authentic if, when playing an elderly person, you not only stoop but also hold a walking stick. A better ‘bossy voice’ may come from you standing on a box in the studio, the more dominant position making you sound more authoritative. Wearing a certain hat or coat may help you get into the part, even if recording as an animal or inanimate object. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E674 · Sat, November 05, 2022
0674 – Be A ‘Moody’ Voice Actor
2022.11.05 – 0674 – Be A ‘Moody’ Voice Actor So, develop various attitudes in your voice: the tone, volume, speed, and energy. And remember that a character is more than one ‘mood’ and will go through various situations that you need to show in your voice. They may usually be fun, but then on occasion, frustrated, confused, or concerned … confident or shy, determined, silly, serious or self-important … and a million other attitudes. So you have to be able to think how your character will vocalise these kinds of emotions: a usually-fun character who’s upset will sound different from a character who’s always upset! As we saw earlier, if you see a ‘!’ at the end of the sentence, think to yourself: what has happened for that to be there? What am I reacting to and how will that affect my read of that line? Did a thought just occur to ‘you’? Are ‘you’ humorously reacting to something another character has said? Is it a sudden outburst, and if so, why? You need to think as the character: think “ why am I saying this, how am I feeling about it? ” The listener’s ears are lie detectors: if you’re not feeling the doubt, fear, or sadness then it won’t come out in your voice and you won’t connect with the audience. Don’t just read the words. You need to be acting and reacting, in character. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E673 · Fri, November 04, 2022
0673 – Animation Attitudes
2022.11.04 – 0673 – Animation Attitudes Animation ‘attitudes’ You should be good at reacting as well as acting, be able to read a situation and know what your character would do in that situation. This is not slow-turnaround theatre, TV or movies with lots of rehearsals and retakes and time to find your motivation. The characters may be drawn already, and you have to not only read the words that they will appear to be saying, but also react to what it has already been decided they do … and do with each other. You won’t get line-by-line directions, you need to watch what is happening on the screen and immerse yourself in the character’s storyline as you play your part, not simply read the script. So that could be sighs and coughs and laughs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E672 · Thu, November 03, 2022
0672 – More Non-Verbal Sounds in Voice Acting
2022.11.03 – 0672 – More Non-Verbal Sounds in Voice Acting · The performance may also require you to bring more physicality to your voice: your character may be out of breath, or I dunno, calling to someone in a tunnel. Obviously one of those will require more breath, the other more projection, perhaps with a tone of concern, so consider how your character may react with different moods and emotions as a story develops or in subsequent episodes. · Linked with this, when recording a fight scene [1] for a gaming animation, for example, consider jumping up and down in the studio before you read your lines, to give a more authentic appearance of energetic exertion. If your character is on a boat in stormy seas, swaying side to side or moving up and down from the knees (while staying on-mic!), will realistically affect your voice. · And as we saw previously, sometimes meaning comes from when you don’t speak: silence, pauses, as your character searches for a word, is embarrassed or surprised. You’re thinking of the character’s different sounds and emotions in different situations for their characterisations. All of these character considerations are important and are unlikely to be written into the script, but you will make your animation appear more ‘3D’ if, with agreement from the director, you consider building some of these into your vocal persona It all helps specify the character and make it believable. Sound like the character, not sound like you doing the character. [1] We look at the skills involved in screaming safely, in another part of the book. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E671 · Wed, November 02, 2022
0671 – Non-Verbal Sounds in Voice Acting
2022.11.02 – 0671 – Non-Verbal Sounds in Voice Acting · What is the rest of your body doing? The face obviously, but also your back and arms… Physically become your character, how they stand, how they use their hands: hands in pockets, upright, chin out, hunched over, shaky hands… · Personality and colour will come from your addition of ‘non-verbal sounds’, all of them in your character’s voice of course: an “ eek ” and an “ ahh ”, a “ huh?! ” and a “ hmmm ”, a “ pffft ” and a “ tssk ”, gasps, giggles and groans, all of which naturally reveal a bit more about your character’s err, character. (At the end of an ‘animation session’ you may be asked to record elements for your character’s ‘vocal library’, such as laughs and giggles, sounds of disappointment, agreement and surprise, cries and coughs, emotions of exertion and so on. These are useful for the producer to have to drop into the production as part of the overall mix.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E670 · Tue, November 01, 2022
0670 – Voice Acting Mannerisms
2022.11.01 – 0670 – Voice Acting Mannerisms Other voice mannerisms Now consider ‘fleshing out’ your character. Don’t add to the words on the page, but don’t only read the words on the page. · What are the voice qualities? More breathy, raspy, growly? · Is the pitch higher or lower than your usual voice? (a lot of boys’ voices are done by women as it avoids the problems of puberty when the actor outgrows the sound of his character). · What is the accent? Your accent and voice accent will have an effect on the viewer and their subconscious bias. Are animated scientists always German? Are baddies always eastern European or English? What about a character who’s portrayed as stupid, what accent are they usually given? What is the message that gives to viewers? If the character is intelligent or high status what is their accent? Instead of English accents, what about a Welsh one? [1] · Does their background, image and storyline suggest that they may (on occasion or throughout the script) talk with hesitation, or a slight stutter? Do they swallow heavily, do lots of throat clearing or have a nervous laugh? · The tempo: is it faster or slower? · And the rhythm? Is it flowing, or ratta-tat-ta, or repetitive…? · How do they laugh? Both in reaction to humour and apprehension. [1] In the 90s British TV station Channel 4 had a series called Eurotrash, a late-night comical review of unusual topics mainly from Western and Central Europe. It was unusual in that the dubbed translations for the foreign interviewees, were revoiced in various British dialects, rather than the more traditional RP accents. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E669 · Mon, October 31, 2022
0669 – How Visuals Help Your Animation VoiceOver
2022.10.31 – 0669 – How Visuals Help Your Animation VoiceOver Of course, attributes of animated characters are usually extreme and will have been drawn in conjunction with the story editor. Everything you see is a clue to your character’s voice: · a larger person might have a bigger and lower voice. One with a larger, fatter face may sound more ‘jowly’ · a tall and thin person might have a thinner and higher voice · or, go against type and create an ‘opposite’ voice (with the director’s permission): perhaps a warm and friendly voice from a monster, a mouse who sounds far from ‘mousey’ [1] · a big mouth, a small nose, buck teeth … all of those, as we have seen already, will affect the resonance of that character’s voice. Additionally, large teeth may suggest a person who finds clear diction difficult so perhaps that is a humorous or engaging sound characteristic that you can play on. · the phrase “ the eyes are the window to the soul ” suggests that you can understand a person's emotions and thoughts by looking into their eyes. So how are they portrayed in the image? Wide open in innocence? Slitty and sneaky? What is the emotion and attitude in those eyes? How can you portray that in the voice you create for them? If it’s wickedness for example, how can you display that attitude not only in your voice but also in how you bend and shape the words, the projection, pace and pause? · also take in the eyebrows and forehead: do they show frustration, amusement, curiosity or concern? When you move your face, your voice changes – squash it up and you’ll hear what I mean. Drop your chin and let your lower lip fall and there’s another sound. Have a play with your face, your body … and your voice. [1] Where in your mouth is the sound placed? Towards the back of your mouth or towards your nose? Where is your tongue? Use your jaw mouth and throat to develop these different voices. Play around at moving your sound back further to make you sound different, and then moving the sound to your nose to make you sound more nasally, adding more air for a breathier sound and so on – all to add a unique character trait to the voice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E668 · Sat, October 29, 2022
0668 – Getting An Animation Voice That Fits The Visuals
2022.10.30 – 0668 – Getting An Animation Voice That Fits The Visuals Getting a voice that fits the visuals When auditioning for an animation role you will be sent a ‘vocal reference’, a few lines of the script, as well as a character brief: a description and personality profile of the person or object you are reading for, their role and ‘journey’: “ Barnard is a British steam engine. Played by a man in his 40s/50s, Bernard likes routine and safety, is dull, grumpy and easily annoyed. In this episode, other engines want to cut corners, but when he insists that they stick to the rules, he averts disaster and mellows when he is praised for saving the day ”. And crucially you should be sent a picture of the character itself so you can see the physical characteristics from which your voice will come. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E667 · Fri, October 28, 2022
0667 – Your Character’s ‘Voicernality’
2022.10.29 – 0667 – Your Character’s ‘Voicernality’ It’s more than the ‘voice’ Remember that a character’s voice (including your very own!) is partly based on one’s physicality: how they talk is affected by how they walk, how they hold themselves as they speak, how they stand and sit, their physicality, their energy and more. All of these elements help create their ‘voice personality’, what voice actor Katie Leigh calls ‘ voicernalities ’. Some of these factors affect the voice indirectly (someone holding tension in their fists or frame will have a tense voice and attitude) and others will affect the voice much more directly (as Katie says [1] “If you do kids’ voices, you’ve got to remember their lungs are smaller than ours so they’re gonna breathe differently…” ). Many of these attributes will tell you not only about the character’s voice , but also their attitude : their mental and emotional state, their physicality. And you will create a more believable voice for your character if you try and physically embody who it is you are playing. Now that’s quite easy if you are playing an army officer (standing up straight with steely eyes, barking orders), or a grandparent (maybe bent over, short breaths leading to a higher-pitched voice), and it’s admittedly less easy if you are playing a cartoon cat or an animated aeroplane. Then, you need to look deeper into the character that you are playing: their age, background and storyline and it’s from that kind of detail that the voice will emerge. You need to know the subtleties within the character, not just ‘do the voice’. Voiceover expert Marc Graue says on The Voice Over Experts podcast (15/10/2008) “A great example is doing the voice of a big fat pig. … now we need to make him a bit more effeminate. Now he needs to be a 7700-lb pig and make him sound stupid. These are all the kinds of things that come into play and you need to be able to do this on the spot”. [1] “ The VO Meter Podcast ”, 25/08/2021 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E666 · Thu, October 27, 2022
0666 – The Value of Creating Character Catchphrases
2022.10.28 – 0666 – The Value of Creating Character Catchphrases For example, perhaps you have created a character voice you call ‘Perfect Pat’. Pat is, as their name implies, bright and positive and speaks at pace with a smile in their voice. That ‘attitude’ is helped by imagining their neatly brushed hair, business wear, and wide-open eyes and arms. Imagine a puppy dog in human form, maybe an eager and positive religious minister, whose ‘character catchphrase’ that you say aloud to ‘find them’ is, say, “ How are you this tippety top morning, in a world full of rainbows and unicorns? ”. OK, now change one or two elements, perhaps the pace and the tone. Now ‘Perfect Pat’ sounds more menacing: the phrase is the same, the look is the same but now they’re passive-aggressive – and you have another character. So, you can see and hear how it’s good to play around with your voice and alter some of the attributes or merge one with another, or see how you can move from one to another. It will make you feel more comfortable in developing a brand-new voice from your original core cast whether that be a human character (such as a cartoon professor), an animal (a talking pig [1] ), or a usually inanimate object (maybe a train [2] ). Or a hybrid of those: a cartoon dog that’s a professor, or an animated robot-chicken… having a repertoire of voices and having an understanding of each of their vocal attributes and how you created them, will make it easier to create new ones. [1] Such as Peppa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLJDEBmKvwY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yu2Zl6T7F8 [2] Thomas the Tank engine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnYOpTo6rmA Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E665 · Wed, October 26, 2022
0665 – Creating a Character Catalogue
2022.10.27 – 0665 – Creating a Character Catalogue Play around with it and practice and then when you think you have the character, give each a name (‘ Smoking Susan ’, ‘ Sharp-suited Shaun ’…) and a bit of a back-story to help you remember them, and then log each one in your ‘voice bank’ of voices that you can use for characterisations in the future. Your ‘catalogue of characters’ may include: · their vocal and physical attributes · a key catchphrase of theirs that, when you say it, instantly gets you into character · what you do physically to ‘find’ the character: maybe a snarled lip, a particular throat swallow, placement of your tongue and so on · a recording of you reading as this character, so you can find them again really easily. [1] · Voiceover artist Elley Ray www.elleyray.com says “Always know the character laugh. This is key… If you don't have the character laugh, you do not know the character. For joy is the basis of all animation characters, even if they are villains and evil”. You never know what complete voice or personality you can choose to use in the future, or even what small element you can steal or develop. [1] In animation you may only voice two or three characters, but in audiobook narration (see the next section), you may have to voice five or ten. The ‘ Harry Potter ’ series is said to have 772 characters in it, more than 300 of them with speaking roles. Imagine keeping track of all those different voices! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E664 · Tue, October 25, 2022
0664 – How To Steal A Character Voice
2022.10.26 – 0664 – How To Steal A Character Voice Concentrate on listening , not just hearing but truly paying attention to voices: · their accent · their pitch, projection, pace and so on (all the elements we have looked at before and with which you will by now be familiar) · where they speak from – their chest, their nose and so on · how they convey emotion in their voice. How do they (or might they) speak when they are frustrated, sneaky or passive-aggressive, inspired or indecisive? · their mannerisms or vocal quirks (do they sniff every few words, or have a slight lisp, a stop-start delivery or whatever?). And then mimic them. You’re not trying to do an imitation, but taking some of the elements or essence of that voice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E663 · Mon, October 24, 2022
0663 – Creating a Cast of Core Character Voices
2022.10.25 – 0663 – Creating a Cast of Core Character Voices Creating a cast of core character voices (This section is also of use for the following part on ‘audiobook narration’ when you may be required to speak in the voices of different characters.) When you’re given an audition animation script, is not the time to start creating a voice for the character you’re about to play. That process has to start way earlier with you developing your very own ‘cast of characters’ which you ‘know and own’, which you can either use ‘off the shelf’ or whose vocal attributes you can mix and merge to create a new voice ‘in the moment’. So how do you develop a repertoire of core voices? Use your ears! Vocal imitation is the basis for learning a language: we simply listen and try to make the same sound. It’s how we develop language, speak like our peers and parents and assimilate into communities. So, pay attention to how people talk when you meet them or overhear them. All around you, there are people who sound amazing: a husky woman dragging on a cigarette as she talks with friends outside the convenience store; the eager and slick young man who’ll be your friend just long enough to sell you a used car; the plumber sucking on their teeth and shaking their head as they look at a dripping tap in the kitchen; the clichéd student, ‘upper class’ twit or Valley Girl and so on. [1] Concentrate on listening , not just hearing but truly paying attention to voices: as we’ll talk about tomorrow … [1] Some people come up with a new character by taking parts of the voice persona of a famous person. They are not trying to imitate that celebrity, but they can use the attributes of say Winston Churchill (jowly and low), or Donald Trump’s cadence, as an ingredient in creating another voice. And of course, the internet is a great source to find a million clips of celebrities, which makes research really easy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E662 · Sun, October 23, 2022
0662 – Characters in Cartoons, Animations and Gaming Acting
2022.10.24 – 0662 – Characters in Cartoons, Animations and Gaming Acting Characters in Cartoons, Animations and Gaming Acting This is when the character you develop a voice for is heard but not seen in, for example: · Cartoons · Animations · Anime · Feature films · Games · Toys · Robotics · Puppetry · Websites · eLearning … In this section, we won’t be looking at actors in drama (such as BBC radio’s ‘continuing drama’ “ The Archers ” – the world’s longest-running soap [1] ) or the increasing number of stories dramatized in podcasts, but instead, concentrate on the more ‘extreme’ characters in formats such as those listed above. There’s an increasing number of outlets for character voices in animation and games, but it takes more than ‘putting on’ a funny voice or mimicking someone you know to be successful in this genre. That’s because you have to work with other elements which are often pre-decided before you’re even cast, let alone have your voice recorded; there’s little room for improvisation, you have to fit your voice with the script, the character of the role you’re playing and their interaction with the other roles. But first and foremost, you need to find the right sound that embodies the character you’ve been asked to play, and then act out their story with your disembodied voice. [1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qpgr Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E661 · Sat, October 22, 2022
0661 – The Variety of Voiceover Opportunities 2
2022.10.23 – 0661 – The Variety of Voiceover Opportunities 2 · Gaming – Acting in character for online games · Live events (aka ‘Voice of God’) – from large sporting arenas to smaller concerts, theatres, balls and awards events. These may be live or recorded · Narration – Not necessarily audiobooks, but TV, radio or movie documentaries, and news articles. It may also include the voice-over in a film or TV show to move the storyline along, explain a backstory or add depth to the character as you can hear their thoughts, for example, in “ How I Met Your Mother” or “ The Girl On The Train ” (?) · Podcasts – scripted podcast (which is more like conversational narration), fiction (akin to audiobooks) and dramatization (‘voice acting’ or ‘audio acting’) . Also, voice tracking for radio stations (providing recorded links for music shows which are automatically played in between songs to give the impression it’s a live show) · IVR (Interactive Voice Response systems), phone system recordings (‘telephone trees’ and on-hold messages) – phone greetings for any size of company (“ Welcome to … press 1 for accounts, 2 for sales… ”) · Promos and trails – usually for TV (“ The Heat Is On”: Friday night at 10 on channel 10 ”) and movies (such as the cliched “In a world…” ) · Radio imaging - (“ You’re listening to 97.7 The Frog” ) · Toys and Theme Park animatronics - · Virtual Assistants – on games and information apps on services such as Siri or Alexa Most voiceovers specialise in a niche before branching out, and of course, the goal of every voice actor is to become the vocal brand of a product, service or production for a higher rate, higher exposure and longevity of contract. Let’s take a look at some of the voice skills required for some of these genres. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E660 · Fri, October 21, 2022
0660 – The Variety of Voiceover Opportunities 1
2022.10.22 – 0660 – The Variety of Voiceover Opportunities 1 Voiceover Categories These could be as wide-ranging as – but not limited to – the following: · Animation – which may include character voices in TV cartoon shows and movies such as Tom Hanks playing Woody in “ Toy Story” or Kristen Bell as Anna in “ Frozen” · Announcements – recorded messages in places such as elevators, doctors’ waiting rooms, large stores and airports · Audiobooks - a narrator reading word for word from a novel (including character-acting) or non-fiction book. These books are not usually written to be read aloud and doing so can be a long and demanding business · Audio guides - for museums and galleries, describing displays and giving information such as restrooms and shop facilities · Commercials (or ‘advertisements’) – for products and services and heard on platforms such as TV, radio, cinema/movies, websites and digital streaming platforms like Spotify · Continuity – recorded or live announcements for TV channels, linking or promoting upcoming shows · Dialogue replacement – speaking an actor’s lines in another language or replacing just one single line where there’s been a slight script change. · E-learning – training or educational material either for staff (such as a new health and safety protocol) or for the general public (how to apply for a passport). The right voice needs to be engaging and sound knowledgeable · Explainer videos (or ‘promotional videos’, and ‘corporate videos’) – these short videos literally ‘explain’ what your business does or what your product is. They can often be found on product or shop websites explaining features of an item, or used to explain say a Kickstarter campaign. Corporate videos usually explain the ethos or future direction of a company Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E659 · Thu, October 20, 2022
0659 – Specialised Scriptreading Skills
2022.10.21 – 0659 – Specialised Scriptreading Skills This chapter is looking at the variety of scripts you may be asked to read as a voice actor and the specialised skills that are called for in those various styles. They may be commercial or non-commercial and will be written and laid out differently because of the message, duration and intended audience. And what attracts you to, or will help you be good at one style or another, maybe the sound and quality of your voice and how you like to use it. For example, if you are naturally expressive then creating character voices may be of interest, in which case think of animation and video games work, as well as audiobooks. If you prefer a more natural or conversational style then maybe consider narration or e-learning. You can work across genres, but it’s best to start in an area that you’re most comfortable in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E658 · Wed, October 19, 2022
0658 – Re-takes and Re-records
2022.10.20 – 0658 – Re-takes and Re-records Re-takes and Re-records If at all possible, try to avoid having to re-do lines. Whether in a pro-studio or a home-studio, the re-take may stand out: · It’s very difficult to recreate exactly the same setup - Make notes of mic and desk settings from your original studio session, to more easily replicate the original setup if you have to re-do lines later … or use pre-sets on the recording software so that as far as tech goes you are doing your best to sound the same · And consider the time and conditions of your voice of the two recordings – what time of day did you record the first version? What had you eaten? How did you feel? Were you relaxed and properly prepared, or were you recording tired, after a difficult week of work and not enough sleep, or taking some medication? All of these issues will affect your voice and will be difficult to replicate exactly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E657 · Tue, October 18, 2022
0657 – Avoiding Studio Hiccups Caused By Hiccups
2022.10.19 – 0657 – Avoiding Studio Hiccups Caused By Hiccups Sneezing and hiccups This is another situation which will come sooner or later, and may either be a sneeze you feel approaching or one that suddenly attacks. There’s not much you can do about the latter unless you are quick enough to turn off your mic or turn your head. Hearing a sneeze on air is rare, and not particularly pleasant. If you feel a sneeze on the way, and if you can’t go to another item or stop recording, try and head it off before it strikes [1] . There are various means which work because they force you to focus on a physical sensation other than your sneeze. It works in a similar fashion as when you pinch yourself to make yourself forget that your stubbed toe is hurting. Hay fever sufferers have some confidence in the fact that studios are invariably air conditioned and pollen is filtered out of the air before it reaches you After a sneeze, consider your colleagues. Is there an antiseptic wipe you can use on the mic or studio desk? If you’ve used your hands to catch it, try and wash them as soon as possible. No one really understand why they happen (even babies in the womb get them), but hiccups and on-air work do not go well together. As you know, there’s no guaranteed way to get rid of them, and even though they may be funny or interesting for a while, they quickly lose their charm. Having hiccups is tiring and will take your mind off your work. Do what you can to limit the likelihood of an attack by not consuming food or fizzy drinks on air. If they do strike, reduce your ‘talking time’ and alert your producer who may be able to delay your mic-work or bring someone else in. [1] Here are some ways: http://tinyurl.com/2rkayt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E656 · Mon, October 17, 2022
0656 – On-Mic Panting
2022.10.18 – 0656 – On-Mic Panting Being out of breath This usually happens because you’ve run in the studio late or in the nick of time. You’ve probably not done a sprint, but the tense situation, panic and knowledge of what’s expected add to make a slight breathiness increase dramatically. With a newsreader the problem is much worse than for music presenters: they only have short (or possibly no) audio to play during which they can catch their breath, and a tone of formality is expected of them. There’s almost no way around breathlessness once it’s started, but to play a song, calm down, take deep breaths and refocus. If you have co-presenters they can take over for a minute or two while you regain your composure, or you may want to simply explain what the problem is and move on the best you can. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E655 · Sun, October 16, 2022
0655 – Why We Get Studio Giggles
2022.10.17 – 0655 – Why We Get Studio Giggles These are signs of nervousness and panic. Such laughter is seldom sparked off by genuine humour; it is the psyche’s safety valve blowing to release a build up of tension. Anything incongruous or slightly amusing can trigger it [1] . The audience doesn’t always see the joke, especially when the laughter erupts through a serious or tragic news item. Self-inflicted pain is a reasonable second line defence. Some presenters bring their mirth under control by resorting to personal torture, such as digging their nails into the palms of their hands or grinding the toes of one foot with the heel of the other. A less painful way to prevent corpsing is to not permit yourself to be panicked and pressurised in the first place. Finally, the weather forecast. Many areas will be dry and warm with some sunshine … It actually says ‘shoeshine’ on my script, so with any luck, you might get a nice light tan. BBC radio Don't worry about fluffing your lines when performing a voice over. Everyone does it at some time or other. In this clip Richard Burton is recording his narration for “ War Of The Worlds ”. https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxcfBx_Xh1Yx6Ga0u-wk9nChtvdEnstxv3 [1] https://twitter.com/LashleyNicola/status/1536727759757922304 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E654 · Sat, October 15, 2022
0654 – Dead Good Advice On Studio Corpsing
2022.10.16 – 0654 – Dead Good Advice On Studio Corpsing Corpsing (that is, laughing uncontrollably) ‘There’s one hazard that no amount of preparation can avoid: the collapse into inappropriate laughter. The Today programme website still treasures the moment when Charlotte Green kept a cool head while reading a news item about a Mr Twatt. And she would have sailed through it too, if it wasn’t for the next story — about a plucky sperm whale’ [1] The smallest reference to something odd may start you laughing, or it may just be because you’re in ‘one of those moods’. Obviously, there’s room for humour on air, and many listeners can forgive the occasional mistake. That’s as long as it is not too often and they can understand what’s happened. Otherwise, they’ll be more bemused than amused and feel excluded. If you get a fit of the giggles, look away from their cause, think sad thoughts (“ I could lose my job because of this ”) and dig your fingernails into your arm to give your mind something else to concentrate on. It’s often best not to try to contain the laughter, but instead go to another pre-recorded item (preferably a song) and literally laugh-off the moment. Have a good guffaw, walk into another room, have a drink of water and try to re-establish yourself in time for the next link. There are few threats greater to a newsreader’s credibility than that of corpsing on air. It means to dry up, grind to a halt or, worse, burst out laughing. [1] Roland White, The Sunday Times , 30 October 2005. Here that clip here: http://tinyurl.com/mw5hyu and another similar one here: http://tinyurl.com/cst9sv Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E653 · Fri, October 14, 2022
0653 – When your Insert Goes Down
2022.10.15 – 0653 – When your Insert Goes Down In a radio or podcast studio, confusing the audience with technical jargon can compound the problem, like: “ I’m sorry, but that insert seems to have gone down ”. Or, “ We don’t seem to have that package ”.’ A package to most people is what they get from Amazon. Practise what you are going to say when something goes wrong until it becomes almost a reflex action. [1] When that report does eventually arrive, the audience will have forgotten what it is about and the presenter should re-introduce it by re-reading or paraphrasing the cue. Where you stumble over a word or phrase, you should judge quickly whether to repeat it. If the sense of the item has been lost, by saying, for instance, “ Beecham pleaded guilty to the murder ”, when he pleaded not guilty, then the sentence should be said again, correctly. Avoid the cliché, “ I’m sorry, I’ll read that again ”– “ I’m sorry ” will do. If the mistake is a minor one, let it go. Chances are the audience will quickly forget it, whereas drawing attention to it with an apology might only make it worse. Think what you can do so you not get in the situation again: · Preparation and double-checking scripts and tech · Rehearse the words · Be comfortable with the read and the room, the script and the studio · Relaxation and breathing exercises to calm you down so you can think clearly in a live studio situation. [1] In 2017 a technical fault temporarily halted the BBC News at Ten, leaving presenter Huw Edwards sitting in silence in the studio but live on air for four minutes: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40350006 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E652 · Thu, October 13, 2022
0652 – Classic Voice-Over Cock Ups
2022.10.14 – 0652 – Classic Voice-Over Cock Ups “ Police are finding it difficult to come up with a solution to the murders … the commissioner says the victims are unwilling to co-operate .” (US Radio) “ Well, the blaze is still fierce in many places, and as a result of this fire, two factories have been gutted and one homily left famless.” (Australian Radio ) “Following the warning by the Basque Separatist organisation ETA that it’s preparing a bombing campaign in Spanish holiday resorts, British terrorists have been warned to keep on their guard … I’m sorry (chuckle) that should be British tourists …” ( UK Radio) “ The … company is recalling a total of 14,000 cans of suspect salmon and fish cutlets. It’s believed they’re contaminated by poisonous orgasms.” (Australian Radio) “ The President is alive and well and kicking tonight, one day after the assassination attempt, just two and a half months into his pregnancy …” ( US TV) “ And now here’s the latest on the Middle East crisis … crisis … Lesbian forces today attacked Israel. I beg your pardon, that should be Lesbanese … Lebanese.” (Laughter) (Anon.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E651 · Wed, October 12, 2022
0651 – When To Expect Verbal Trips and Slips
2022.10.13 – 0651 – When To Expect Verbal Trips and Slips Many fluffs occur when you are expecting trouble, like a difficult foreign name, or when you have already fluffed and their mind is side-tracked. The irony is that the difficult name is usually pronounced flawlessly, but actually stumbles over the simple words before and behind it in the sentence. The art of the accomplished recovery is to prepare for every contingency. The worst mistake any presenter can make is to swear on air – don’t even think it ; otherwise you will probably say it. The commonest problem is the recorded report that fails to appear. The introduction has been read, the presenter is waiting, and – nothing. Next to swearing, the broadcaster’s second deadliest sin is dead air. Silent airspace is worst on radio. On TV, viewers can watch the embarrassed expression on the presenter’s face. If an item fails to appear the radio presenter should apologise and move smartly on to the next. In TV, presenters will usually be directed what to do by the control room. Up to three seconds of silence is the most that should pass before the newsreader cuts in. Be honest with the audience and try not to cover up obvious mistakes. Today’s audience is quite sophisticated about how video works, and that technical aspects can go awry, and will be understanding if they are not misled about hitches and glitched… in fact they often rather enjoy them! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E650 · Tue, October 11, 2022
0650 – Verbal Trips and Slips
2022.10.12 – 0650 – Verbal Trips and Slips Trips and slips ‘Things’ happen. Verbal and technical slips and trips. Mouths and machines can stop working. The wrong bit of audio can come out of either of them! [1] At the same time, it is also the case that given how well equipped and familiar news people are with the demands of the job, there really should not be flaws in most news programmes. A high level of professionalism is really the expectation of everyone no matter if they are in front of the camera or behind the scenes. But when things do go wrong, the anchor or newsreader is expected to stay cool and professional. Whatever the ferment beneath the surface, no cracks must appear in the calm exterior. (The coolest recovery on record was probably that of a wartime BBC announcer who pressed on with his script after a bomb fell on Broadcasting House: https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/100-voices/ww2/bh-bombs ) The answer is to immediately and completely dismiss the mistake from your mind and focus your total concentration on the rest of the bulletin. [1] In this video montage – *viewer discretion advised* - a collection of presenters have verbal trip-ups resulting in them saying ‘the c-word’: https://twitter.com/jondharvey/status/1534171104629121026 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E649 · Mon, October 10, 2022
0649 – Practicing Talking To Time
2022.10.11 – 0649 – Practicing Talking To Time Practice Talking To Time As we saw in episode 427 Take some copy which has a required duration indicated on it, and read it aloud like you might in a demo, and with a stopwatch to hand. How many words did you read in 30 seconds? Or how many seconds were you over? Keep practicing until you can sensibly get the copy in the seconds required, several times in a row. Then take another script and repeat the exercise before return to the first script and seeing if the rate and the rhythm are still there. Then go back to the second script. Then take a third one, of a different style and duration and word-count, and try it all again. A further exercise would be to take your 30 second script and elongate it so it when you read it, it lasts 40 seconds, or shorten it to 25: all of these are skills that will come in useful in the recording studio. You are often presented with a script that is just too ‘word-rich’ and yes, every single one is vital. It is up to you to ‘fit the words into the seconds’ in a clear and interesting way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E648 · Sun, October 09, 2022
0648 – Talking To Time
2022.10.10 – 0648 – Talking To Time Talking to time Developing a sense of time is hugely important for most people speaking ‘on mic’. As a voice artist you may need to record a script to the half-second accuracy. For example, a director may ask you to record a three-word tag-line “ just very slightly faster ”, or dub an actor’s voice or deliver a commentary over pictures in just the time the corresponding video sequence has available. Music presenters often need to have a sense of time to get to the end of a sentence, just as the vocals starts on a piece of music A radio or tv show that has opted away from a network, will have presenters who can similarly talk to time until control of their transmitters is taken back by HQ. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E647 · Sat, October 08, 2022
0647 – Why We Hit Script-Reading Speed Bumps
2022.10.09 – 0647 – Why We Hit Script-Reading Speed Bumps Why We Hit Speed Bumps · Not being prepped-up, to rev-up – if your engine of articulation is not properly warmed up then it could seize up! On TV dance shows, neither the pros or the celebs go straight onto the floor and perform. Athletes don’t just put on shorts and sprint. You have to gear your speaking gear, into gear. See our section on exercises to go through, various humms and glides and your equivalent of a practice lap. Oh, and did I mention to top up with oil? Oh, sorry, water… · Being unfamiliar with the road ahead – do you think racing car drivers’ first knowledge of the circuit is the first lap? They study it before they arrive, watch performance of other drivers on that course, and take the car for a few spins around so they can feel the bends, chicanes and cambers. Similarly, you need to know the script: take it for a drive through a few times so you know the route it’s taking and the mouth manoeuvres you will have to make at speed. Know the tricky pronunciatory turns, and where the pit stops are where you can take a breath. · Being sleepy at the wheel – like any good driver, especially one against the clock, you need to concentrate on what you’re doing. Get in the race zone and focus on the job at hand. · Punctuation potholes – watch out for these; they could be littered throughout the route ahead. It may be that, even though you are the main driver of the message, you will have to fill them in yourself, so you know where to lift and subdue words, where to pause, alter your tone or even change gear. · Not ‘reading the road’ – you need to be scanning ahead so you can drive to the conditions, seeing the upcoming words and phrases that may cause trouble, the ones that may leap out and force you to slow down. If you see them in advance, you can mentally muster your mouth movements, preparing for your pronunciatory prosody. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E646 · Fri, October 07, 2022
0646 – Speed-Reading
2022.10.08 – 0646 – Speed-Reading Speed reading With commercial reads especially, you have to be able to talk to time, and that may mean talking faster than you may usually do. But this can often lead to getting tongue-tied, and the almost inevitable slips and trips, and the subsequent loss of confidence … and increased time in the studio as you record take after take. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E645 · Thu, October 06, 2022
0645 – Rehearsing Cold Reading
2022.10.07 – 0645 – Rehearsing Cold Reading Rehearsing Cold Reading It is easy to practice this at home or at work – sight-read stories from the newspaper, or print off the national summary and make yourself sight read it, changing the tone for each story as appropriate. Read loads of material aloud, sight unseen so you can get into the habit of adapting your vocal will build up your vocabulary, not just the meaning of the words, but also their pronunciation and also the context in which they are used. That way you can better predict where a sentence or explanation is headed for, which helps every part of your read: the tone, intonations, speed, and so on, all elements that we have looked at during this podcast/book. As well as the words themselves, the more you read the more you will understand the structure of sentences, story arcs in fiction books and, in non-fiction, debates which may be discussed or positions being posited. A note on audio-books which we will look at in more detail later, by their very nature they are books which have been written to be read ‘by the eye’ and not ‘by the mouth’, that is not to be read aloud, conversationally. That means that the grammar is not necessarily ‘speaker-friendly’, making such books sometimes tricky to navigate sight-unseen. So, the best advice for rehearsing cold-reading? Lots of reading aloud and lots of different formats and styles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E644 · Wed, October 05, 2022
0644 – Script-Reading and Peripheral Vision
2022.10.06 – 0644 – Script-Reading and Peripheral Vision Peripheral vision It also helps to be able to read in your head more than a few words ahead of what you are actually saying out loud. If a story has just flashed on your screen and there is no opportunity to read it through fully off-air before you go to it on air (perhaps there is no audio left to play), then you can allow yourself a second’s pause to scan the script for key words to give yourself a sense of what is to come. Then as you read the item word for word, let your eyes dart through to the end of that sentence and the start of the next (a kind of ‘peripheral vision’), so you are more fully aware of what is coming. That peripheral vision is a bit like a ‘buffer’: your eyes dart through the sentence, the words going into your memory and uttered slower than they are seen. That gives your eyes more time to look further ahead and store more words in your mind, and these are gradually said… and all the while your eyes look to the next phrase or sentence and stores them in your memory buffer too. And sometimes your eyes may dart back at part of the script you’ve already read, perhaps when you want to check that what you said was what was written, or scanning the page much further ahead to check for any potential pronunciation hazards up-coming. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E643 · Tue, October 04, 2022
0643 – Warming Up To Cold Reads
2022.10.05– 0643 – Warming Up To Cold Reads Warming up to cold reads Sight-reading is what many rolling news presenters have to do: pick up a news script and read it straight off, with the correct pacing and intonation so it makes sense to the listener. One trick is to be able to sense from the first few words of the story what tone you should deliver it in. This can sometimes be tricky: a story which starts “ a police officer who saved a woman from a burning house …” could continue, “… has been praised for his heroism ” or “… has himself died in hospital ”. So, if in doubt, start the story in a ‘standard’ tone, neither light or heavy, so you can move into the correct one when you realise the exact content of the story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E642 · Mon, October 03, 2022
0642 – Sight-Reading Scripts Tips
2022.10.04– 0642 – Sight-Reading Scripts Tips Cold-Reading (or ‘sight-reading’ or ‘off-the-page’) This is when you read a script aloud previously sight-unseen. You’ve not had a chance to proof read it, spot any awkward words or phrases and may not even know what it’s about. You won’t have read it aloud before, for example, breaking news, a fast-turn around commercial session or if you are a ‘Voice of God’ at an event. If you are reading an audio-book, you’ll have to read pretty cold too: it simply isn’t time/cost-effective to read an entire book through once, marking it up and rehearsing. The same goes for some longer e-learning reads. You need to be able to read such scripts ‘off the page’ and be able to understand pretty fast what the text is saying, the key message and overall tone. For commercial reads it may be that the director sees a benefit in recording your very first ‘cold raw, relatable and real about it, rather than Take 27 that is likely to be more polished… or stale! Such a read may not be perfect (and it won’t be expected to be), but there may be an “ I see! ” moment of authentic awareness that you bring to the script. It’s unlikely that a director will use your first take (but they may do!) and will be likely to record more, but it’s often good to get your genuine emotion on Take One – perhaps as a touch point - before your understanding is possibly cluttered with additional ‘advice’ from a control room of, err control freaks. After all, you will never be able to give a cold read to that script ever again, so let’s get it on tape… just in case there’s a valuable vocal nugget. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E641 · Sun, October 02, 2022
0641 – Extracting Distracting Fillers 2
2022.10.03– 0641 – Extracting Distracting Fillers 2 · Increase your confidence and reduce your nerves – again, we have looked at this topic together in the past, but this will include factors such as knowing the material, the audience, the studio, the kit, the colleagues; vocal and muscular exercises; vocal health and so on · Slow down – It may be that your mouth is working faster than your brain and you are running out of words to say and so filling in the gaps with meaningless ones. Slowing down will relax you and get your mind and mouth back in sync. And speaking more slowly help you clear out the filler words, as instead of racing, you have time to think through your thoughts and give yourself time to think of a phrase or an answer to a question. · The power of the pause - The best medicine for a vocal virus is, nothing. Yes, simply replace the offending word with a pause. VOICE BOX The Power Of The Pause · Gives you time to breathe · Can create drama before a reveal at the end of the … sentence · To give your listeners time to process the information you’ve just delivered them. · To startle or surprise the listener – and wake them up! In fact, creating silence is a double-whammy result: you stop the annoying utterance and replace it with a technique to engage the listener instead. You turn from appearing to be hesitant and ill-prepared, to being cool, confident and in-control. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E640 · Sat, October 01, 2022
0640 – Extracting Distracting Fillers 1
2022.10.02 – 0640 – Extracting Distracting Fillers 1 Overcoming Fillers Not all filler words need to be cut out, especially if you’re aiming to sound conversational (although it would be odd in a news bulletin, or if you’re sticking to a timed and signed-off script, to insert umms and errs!). And anyway, removing them all from your authentic speech pattern may get in the way of you genuinely connecting with you audience. Eliminate most of your filler words though and you will instantly sound more intelligent and professional and will be less distracting to your audience. If you want to reduce or eliminate fillers, then: · Become more aware of what you say and when - The first way to eliminate these disfluencies is to look or listen back to your recordings, or recordings of your lives (this is often called an ‘air-check’ or ‘ROT’: ‘recording of/off transmission’). Note the filler words, where they are and when you tend to use them. It may be in a particular situation or certain part of a sentence – or between them. Only you will know what was happening at the time, both in the studio and in your head, and whatever it was may be the cause of your distraction: possibly a technical hitch that distracted you, or a lost page of notes that you were looking for · Commit to eliminating them - When you know the word, or words, that you fall back on too often, make a conscious effort to take them out. Better still ask family or friends to pick you up whenever you say it. A bit like Pavlov’s dog experiment, you could have your producer click the ‘talkback’ studio intercom every time you say the word on air. It may be annoying but it’s a good way to get you to notice yourself repeating the old habit that you want to break. · Increase your prep and knowledge of your topic - Being better prepared is also an answer: know more about the topic you’re talking about; making better notes and using them; not being distracted in the studio and so on. I have given lots of tips about all of these issues so far. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E639 · Fri, September 30, 2022
0639 – Why “Umm” May Make You Sound Dumb
2022.10.01 – 0639 – Why “Umm” May Make You Sound Dumb You may not realise you’re using these words, but they could be really distracting to your listeners and the impression they give is that you’re poorly prepared and lacking confidence. “ Umm ” can make you sound dumb. You can of course, edit out these words and phrases from a pre-recorded show, but it’s a very time-consuming process and it’s very difficult to then have an impression of natural flow, eloquence, and confidence in the recording you end up with. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E638 · Thu, September 29, 2022
0638 – Do You Like “like”?
2022.09.30 – 0638 – Do You Like “like”? Do you like “like”? Many people find the developing use of this word infuriating. Critics say that it makes speakers sound stupid (“ It’s like, when you’re, like… ”) , and there’s even an app, LikeSo [1] , which listens to your speech and promises it can stop you using the word. “ Like ” tends not to, in comparison to “ umm ” and “ err ”, have an audible silence either side of it and it is used in many different ways, not just as a ‘filler’ [2] , [3] : It is used as a verb: “ I like the smell of what’s cooking ” As a preposition: “ This tastes like (“ as though ”) it was made in a restaurant ”. As a quote: “ I said, like, that’s delicious ” As a discourse marker, to start and to end conversations, or to start new topics or change topics. “ What did I do last night? Like, had dinner, hung out ” and the related use in the Geordie tradition of finishing sentences with a “ like ”: “ He cooked dinner for me, like ” As an adverb to mean approximately, “ It was super quick to cook, like 30 minutes ” As a noun in reference to social media “ I gave it a like on Facebook ” “If you say, “ He was like, seething about the pasta sauce ”, you are quoting someone’s reaction, but at the same time highlighting you are approximating their response, while pausing to highlight that you are thinking meaningfully about this reaction in real time. That one word is doing all those jobs. Sam Wolfson, The Observer, May 2022 [4] The number of ways the word is used is actually quite skilfully included in a conversation. After all, the English language is an evolving one and there’s no one ‘right way’ to use it to convey your thoughts and feelings, so the person you are talking with understands you. [1] https://apps.apple.com/us/app/likeso/id1074943747 [2] In 2017, contestants on the UK dating series ‘Love Island’ used the word “ like ” 76 times in a five-minute conversation – that’s once every four seconds. Hear the exchange here: https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/4060212/love-island-2017-girls-sa
S2 E637 · Wed, September 28, 2022
0637 – Umm, Err, Well, Kinda
2022.09.29 – 0637 – Umm, Err, Well, Kinda Filler words It’s easy for your ad-libs, conversations and questions to be littered with verbal crutches (properly called ‘disfluencies’): · Sounds - such as “ err ”, “ OK ”, “ umm ” · Words and phrases - “ y’know ”, “ I mean ”, “ you know what I mean ”, “ kind of thing ”, “ actually ”, “ basically ”, “ literally ”, “ right ”, “ sort of ”, “ so ” [1] and the like. And indeed, “ like ”. [2] When Do We Use Filler Words? We use fillers in different situations: · “ I’m looking for the right word or phrase ” – you’re thinking as you are speaking and so searching for just the right word to use. · “ I’m being careful to explain this thought so I don’t offend” – and have several words to choose from and are weighing up the best one to use · “I’m still holding this conversation; I’m not finished yet” [3] - a nervous speaker giving the impression of fluency, wanting to fill every silence with sound, any sound, perhaps when they are poorly prepared and trying desperately to think of what to say. [4] [1] To hear more about the use of the word “so”, especially in starting a sentence, listen to this podcast: Spectacular Vernacular - Lexicon Valley #7: https://recastthis.com/source/335/ [2] Closely related to the ‘fillers’ are the ‘safe standby phrases’ which on the radio may be the same way you come out of an ad-sequence or the news, or the same way the travel news is introduced or a guest is thanked. Brainstorm a way to creatively re-work those verbal crutches and have them as part of your repertoire, even if they are on a written list that you work down day by day to always sound fresh and authentic. [3] It’s also been suggested by some linguists that what comes after an “ umm ” is a more complex thought or sentence-structure than what comes after an “ err ”. [4] https://twitter.com/LBC/status/1519023928425037828 <p st
S2 E636 · Tue, September 27, 2022
0636 – Giving Good ‘Libbing’
2022.09.28 – 0636 – Giving Good ‘Libbing’ Giving Good ‘Libbing’ Be aware of adlibbing minefields. You may find yourself travelling down a conversational cul-de-sac unless you are very sure of your territory. So always engage your brain before putting your mouth into gear – think before you speak . Mostly then our adlibs come from preparation, and what we say just gives the impression of spontaneity. You may look or sound like you are making it up on the fly – but if you really are doing that then you may not so much fly, as fail. On-scene Ad-libs Working without an autocue without rambling Mentally ‘bullet-point’ your key facts Identify three or four items you can see that you can ‘attach’ a fact to that will help explain the story Focus in from the general view to the macro view when describing a scene Being outside on an OB say, can attract a lot of attention, and may make you feel nervous, with people watching you and what they may do or say. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E635 · Mon, September 26, 2022
0635 – Killing Your Presentation With Bullets
2022.09.27 – 0635 – Killing Your Presentation With Bullets Killing It With Bullets Usually what appears to be a spontaneous adlib has actually been prepared to a certain extent, either a moment before we speak or after several hours of research. But the usual and best way to prepare is with a few notes (what some call ‘an invisible script’) – that may be a key word or two of something you just thought of, or a series of thought-out back-up bullet points. Benefits of using bullets: It gives structure to your podcast or broadcast Have bullets and sub bullets if necessary Include things like the welcome, the topic introduction (why they should listen, what will be the benefit, the sponsor credit, the guest intro, the ‘show close’ (thanks, review request, where to find you, call to action) It makes sure you have covered everything you want to … and everything flows in the right order. – don’t force the listener to rewind or remember. It shows you are cool and confident. It cuts down on editing! Notes may be trigger words, or a list of phrases (‘topic-starters’ and key points), or as I often do, a tree-diagram of conversational branches. I find these diagrams useful as they are easier for me to hold in my mind: I can picture what topics and sub-topics feed off each other, and at a glance can move from one area to another rather than look down a list of notes to see a new question-area to probe. Making such lists clear, maybe with key words in bold, will help you keep engagement with your co-host or guest, and to react more flexibly and naturally as you’ll take a glance at your notes rather than read them word-for-word. And that’ll mean you listen more, and react more rather than simply ask them ‘the next question on the list’… and so make for a more authentic listen. And a more confident presentation, and remember what confidence does to your voice? Yeah it makes you sound better, shows people your personality rather than your ability to read words off a page and reinforces that you are speaking from the heart. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E634 · Sun, September 25, 2022
0634 – When To Ditch The Studio Script
2022.09.26 – 0634 – When To Ditch The Studio Script The role of the script A script is great when you need to fit in the accepted role as a broadcaster, maybe on the news bulletins or news programmes. It is expected that you will be confident and assured, fluent and natural. As we have seen, to read a script conversationally is an artificial construct and I’ve shown you how to do it. (What would you prefer to hear – a newsreader stumbling through an unrehearsed bulletin bursting with up-to-the-minute stories and failing to make sense of it, or a smoothly polished delivery of material that may be as much as 10 minutes old but makes complete sense?) When to ditch the script! So why can’t broadcasters/podcasters usually work from a script? Well, news people tend to of course as what they say has to be fluent, accurate legally and informationally, explanatory and fit to a set time. But for everyone else, a script: · Is really time-consuming to prepare · Not everyone can pass off a script as sounding off-the-cuff. Writing to be read and writing to be heard are different things. So, what’s on your blog and what’s on your pod really need to be different. · That means that although you may feel ‘safer’ with a script, you are putting a distance between you and the listener. You reading words prepared in advance rather than feeling them in the moment. But when you are presenting livestreams or YouTube videos or recording a podcast, you can sound more natural by not reading. In these situations, you’ll be more likely to be talking to one person at a time, (whereas live broadcasters are literally broad-casting, speaking to an entire nation at once). Presenters recording for social media video and audio will have their content consumed separately by individuals, and not from across the room, but from a foot or two away on a smartphone, or directly into their ears via headphones. So going ‘scriptless’, and not reading word for word, you will benefit from having a much more personal and authentic, even less-polished delivery, and therefore a better connection with your listener or viewer. · If you present with a co-host both of you may end up, heads down and reading words on a page rather than interacting with each other naturally, and so losing the authenticity that comes from looking into one another’s eyes. And you’ll always be waiting to read your next line, rather than having a genuine conversation. · The ‘better connection’ will also come from your knowledge of the material. It stands to reason doesn’t it, that if you’re doing a social video or audio post you are probably super-interested about your topic (in a way that you won’t know everything about the news story you are reading for a radio station). What you are doing is a ‘passion project’ and you may even be working from a book or blog post y
S2 E633 · Sat, September 24, 2022
0633 – Other Voice Skills: Adlibs, Cold Reading and Talking To Time
2022.09.25 – 0633 – Other Voice Skills: Adlibs, Cold Reading and Talking To Time OTHER SPEAKING SKILLS An alphabetical list of other conversational considerations, from ad-libs to coping with verbal slips, filler words and fluffs… and a few hot takes on cold-reading. Ad-libbing This is what you say off the top of your head without a script, and is another good skill for any broadcaster or podcaster to have – although voice-over actors will of course have little use for it as they are mainly working from a script. Ad-libbing doesn’t mean that you record ‘naked’, just riffing and adlibbing until a coherent thought happens to leave your lips (as I once described as “ talking until you’ve something interesting to say ”!), you prepare first so you know you have something to say and know the best way to say it. Obviously, you can only ad-lib around a topic if you know a bit about it in the first place. Not the detail necessarily but the context, for example why are you covering it in the show or podcast to start with? What is its relevance? Who will it effect and why and how? If you understand its significance, you’ll be able to communicate the story more easily and be able to ad lib around it should you need to. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E632 · Fri, September 23, 2022
0632 – Giving Yourself Voice Direction
2022.09.24 - 0632 – Giving Yourself Voice Direction Self-directing If you are a voice actor working from home, an ‘amateur’ podcaster [1] , or broadcaster without an active producer or manager, then you will need to direct yourself and be able to notice what you need to do to improve. The problem you may have to overcome is that, if you don’t have a director, part of you is critically listening to yourself and your performance all of the time, and so you’re not fully immersing yourself in your role: you are always partly ‘the voice-actor’. Therefore, it may be down to you alone to decide elements of what the recording needs: the style and tone, what the message really is, the pace and projection, the purpose, the key message, the intonation… and all the other factors that we have looked at in depth already. At the very least, ask yourself those questions, look at the product’s website and see the style and personality of the brand and then get back to the producer of the item and clarify what they want. Try not to second-guess too much. It will be additional time if you have mis-interpreted a line and the agency asks for a ‘pick-up’, a line or two recorded in isolation that they will edit in. A day or more later it will be difficult for you to have exactly the same room and voice sound, or to have that single line or paragraph read with the same personality as you used before. So even if you are recording at home, it’s often easier, as I have done, to have a director listening in live to your session. This is easily done via Zoom-type calls or professional down-the-line services such as Riverside https://riverside.fm/ or Source Connect ( https://www.source-elements.com/products/source-connect/ ) – or even just down the phone. Then they can clarify and confirm that what you’re doing is what they had in mind. And ear. Having said that, some clients will want no part of the process, possibly because they don’t really understand it. They have sent you a script, they want you to record it and send it back “ how difficult can that be?! ” Well, as we know, it can be very difficult! [1] ‘Amateur’ podcaster: I am not using this word offensively. It is a fact that most podcasters are experts and enthusiasts producing brilliantly professional content from home in their own time. Therefore, they are unlikely to have the advantage of ‘another pair of ears’ or direction from a producer, to give them anything from coaching or a gentle reminder in some techniques in, as far as this podcast/boo
S2 E631 · Thu, September 22, 2022
0631 – Your Role As A Voice Script ‘Meaning Miner’
2022.09.23 - 0631 – Your Role As A Voice Script ‘Meaning Miner’ Your Role As A ‘Meaning Miner’ Sometimes when direction or a Brief is unclear, you need to do the hard work yourself. Well, you should always do much of this, but occasionally you need to get your hands dirty and unearth the hidden meaning in a script. Mine the text to find the seam of the story arc, pick away to discover the hidden message of what the advertiser wants the listener to do. Find the golden words that will help you to convince them to do just that… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E630 · Wed, September 21, 2022
0630 – Voice-Over Studio Direction
2022.09.22 - 0630 – Voice-Over Studio Direction Taking direction Pay attention, listen, ask questions, take advice and understand the process. Some directors don’t know how to explain things very well and it can be a challenge to interpret what they mean. Some directions may be straightforward. “ A bit brighter ” will suggest a lightness in tone and a slightly quicker read. But try and remember, or make notes, of what you did on different takes of the recording, so you can better interpret directions like “ we want some of the energy of Take 5, but with the sensitivity from Take 9 ” You may be told to sound “ taller ” for example (!) and it will be down to you to work out what is meant by that. Perhaps it means to read with more authority or more power in the voice for example. Or maybe “ sound more ‘purple’ ”, which may mean speak with more warmth, compassion, softer or deeper. But go with it: “ oh yeah, ok that might work !” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E629 · Tue, September 20, 2022
0629 – Getting Feedback On Your Voice
2022.09.21 - 0629 – Getting Feedback On Your Voice VOICE BOX Giving and Receiving Notes Directors: · Only have you give the feedback not everyone in the control room. · Realise that everyone has different expectations about feedback or Notes: o For some it’s “tell me what to do” o “Share with me what you think I should do” o “This is what I’m doing, is it OK or not?” · Don’t give too much information back to them in the first couple of reads. · Then, don’t give feedback all in one go, but ‘layer up’ your notes. · And be specific · At first, gently remind the reader who they are talking to and their role · Subsequent suggestions might be around the speed and pauses · Then, say, tweaks to tone and intonation · And make the notes clear and specific so they are easily understood, so your actor knows why they are doing the read again · Keep everything upbeat and low-pressure. There’s no point keep referring to the time left on the studio session or getting exasperated that the actor “ doesn’t get it ”. · If it’s still not going right, then ‘re-wire’ your approach. Consider de-pressuring the situation: o Move on and coming back to that part later o Take a break – for a ‘tea and wee’ and a chat about something completely unrelated to the script o Make a joke out of the situation o Re-calibrate the read - read the part in an over-the-top giant style, then as a mouse, before returning to the actual read. Play around to break inhibitions and maybe find gold by happy accident. · Be careful about your use of language, especially around someone’s accent or dialect which are particularly personal. Voice-artists: · Politely check early on who of several people in the control room, is directing you: “ so just so’s I know who I’m taking direction from, is that you, Maggie? ”. This saves studio duration, contradictory information and general confusion. · Actively listen to what the director says. That is, don’t just ‘hear’ their suggestions but concentrate and understand them · Consider repeating what they have said back to them, so you both know that you have understood (or not): “ so a little bit slower on that tag line, and to slightly lift the brand name, yeah? No problem… ” · Write down the direction, marking your script up as required to help you remember and act on what you have been asked to do Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E628 · Mon, September 19, 2022
0628 – Voice Over Guide Tracks
2022.09.20 - 0628 – Voice-Over Guide Tracks G uide Track In some circumstances, a ‘dummy track’ of someone else reading the voice-over script may already have been recorded before you go into a studio. This is usually done on fast and tightly-edited video productions (think movie trails or promo videos) but may also be on audio creatives, again where there are lots of elements. It’s done so the editors can help shape the item in pre-production, sequencing the different clips together, with a clear idea of the overall pace, flow and timings after the final voice-over has been added. It’s also an audio guide for you alongside the visuals, so you can understand the intention behind the edit, and better know what you say and when: · Where you start reading… · and where you stop · The time you have for each phrase… [1] · before you need to hit a ‘post’ [2] · What is happening on the screen at that moment so you can match the energy · What your voice is reacting to or leading to · The overall pace and tone of the production… all of which will inform your read. As with talking over music, which we looked at before, your presentation style will be affected by the script, the visuals and the music or other audio elements. [1] Often with such productions, the script is simply a single sentence, or a collection of phrases, that’s broken up with the audio: “ Alone / in the middle of the ocean / where even the sharks are afraid / a row boat, with a man / a tiger / and trouble on the horizon ”. If you have, say, 4 seconds in which to deliver 2 seconds of script, the director will advise whether they want you a) slow down and fill that entire duration b) speak in the middle 2 seconds c) start immediately and leave 2 seconds’ gap at the end d) start after 2 seconds and talk to the start of the audio clip. [2] Post: a stab of music, a change in musical tone, possibly even a drum beat or the start of vocals; any other audio punctuation such as a cry, gunshot, statement, exclamation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E627 · Sun, September 18, 2022
0627 – How Voice Directors Can Help You Feel Part Of The Production Team
2022.09.19 - 0627 – How Voice Directors Can Help You Feel Part Of The Production Team VOICE BOX Directors – make your talent feel part of the team: · Introduce them to those in the gallery · Include them in conversations from inside their booth · Explain what’s happening · Try not to turn your back on them when discussing the recording with the client Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E626 · Sat, September 17, 2022
0626 – The Limits Of Line-Reading
2022.09.18 - 0626 – The Limits Of Line-Reading Second, in asking you to “ sound like this ” it’s likely they will be putting other elements into their read that they may not realise. And you as a professional will be copying not just their tone, but their speed, pauses, intonation, phrasing and so on. Which they may not have intended. And, think about it: you’ll end up doing an impression of them, doing an impression of you reading the script! That way no-one knows what’s going on and what’s actually you, and what’s them, and what’s them trying to be you or you trying to copy them being you, being them… At best line-reads are a quick fix. Instead of having the director say what you are doing ‘wrong’ and what they want you to do ‘right’, it may be better to have them explain the concept of what they want to achieve, have them build the voice characterisation from the ground up, with proper structure. Penny was a well-known national newspaper journalist who’d been following a long-running story over several years. One of the BBC’s flagship TV news programmes commissioned Penny to help them make a documentary on the same subject. She was great at the interviews as you might expect, and in helping the editors piece together the filmed clips for the final show. But inevitably, the schedule slipped and the day before transmission I got a panicked phone call from the producers: they were in the studio where Penny was recording the voiceover links and she was simply not up to the job. It just wasn’t her forte. So, could I go down and help them meet their fast-approaching deadline? I would have loved to have spent time with Penny training and explaining coaching and coaxing, guiding and advising on the nuances of intonation, but there simply wasn’t time. Instead there was a crash course, and then a series of ‘line reads’: I read a line and she repeated it back parrot-fashion. For hours. We finished at about 2am on the day of the transmission… Penny sounded great but parroting a script is not the same as having an understanding of it. And it won’t help you the next time you are in a studio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E625 · Fri, September 16, 2022
0625 – Line-Reading For Voice Training
2022.09.17 - 0625 – Line-Reading For Voice Training VOICE BOX Line reading A director may read your script to you, in the style they want you to emulate: a line-reading. This is slightly different from a line-by-line read mentioned above, as it’s when a director speaks a phrase or sentence exactly how they want it (regarding intonation, accent, pace and so on) and they record you repeating it back them exactly. Professional voice-over artists (or VT- voice talent) should rarely need this direction, certainly not for an entire script, but very often ‘celebrities’ who’ve been booked to lend their name and voice to a project, often do. [1] Don’t take it personally as an affront to your skills. It may be that they are not explaining very well the style or tone that they want – they may not have the terminology or you may not understand the nuance that they need - and it’s easier to show you ‘with their voice’. So why may it be that you don’t understand what they want? Well, because we are all different. The subtlety of a word they are using, may be different from your understanding of that word, perhaps because of each of your ages, backgrounds, cultures and so on. But a good director should have more in their exclamational arsenal before they resort to a lazy line-reading: they can use images to explain the sound and feel that they want “ OK, imagine you’re alone in your house and you hear a weird noise outside…” ), synonyms (“ let’s try a read with a voice that sounds easy, simple, effortless, straightforward “), similes (“ I want you to sound as cool as a cucumber …”, “ like you are oozing sweet and sticky honey…” ), adjectives (“ imagine biting into a crisp, sweet, juicy, red apple…” ) , adverbs (“ it’d be great if you can attack that line a little more greedily… ”) But if a line reading is suggested, just go with it: you need to be malleable and affable. Oh and directors: if you’re doing this, tread carefully around a voice-actor’s ego, and apologise for using this last-ditch technique! And it certainly is a last resort. The actor is a professional, not a parrot. And a professional voice-reader, not a robot. That’s because first, someone telling you the actor how to read a line (just to copy them), doesn’t help you connect with the character and the reason or the thinking behind the line. It can make you sound false, as it affects the fluency, the storytelling and the conversationality. [1] Sometimes it may be that the reader may ask for a line read, if for example, they have trouble following perhaps not very clear help from the director. <p style='color:grey; font-siz
S2 E624 · Thu, September 15, 2022
0624 – What’s Really Happening in a 1-by-1 Voice Over Read
2022.09.16 - 0624 – What’s Really Happening in a 1-by-1 Voice Over Read · “I must be rubbish. They’re asking me to record every line one-by-one!” – this isn’t that unusual. It may be down to the timing or the exact intonation that’s needed. Perhaps your sentence, or just a phrase, has to fit with those of other people as part of a poem or montage. Maybe it’s got to fit with the beat of music or pictures. Or it may be that the director is not just thinking of the overall Takes they like, but the lines they like from each Take, and get you to do individual lines, phrases or sentences separately to give them options when they are editing together. For example: “ I’ll take line 1 from Take 4, and line 2 from Take 2… and even though they nearly hit each of the last two lines in Take 4 and 8, those two lines really gelled together in Take 11… ” Instead: don’t worry that you’re not doing it all right. Politely ask why this is happening, do as you are asked and learn. Maybe ask to hear back the whole script when it’s been edited together so you can hear the overall effect and why this way of recording was necessary. Or if they say that the line is not quite right, ask to hear it in a rough mix with the other lines so you can hear for yourself what the problem is. Recording individual lines in isolation isn’t always easy as you have nothing lead in from. You have to ‘start cold’ on the context of that line and also with your pace and projection, and everything else. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E623 · Wed, September 14, 2022
0623 – Don’t Nix The Mix
2022.09.15 - 0623 – Don’t Nix The Mix · “Is this going to be mixed with music?” – as we saw before, when you talk with music underneath you, it affects your read. Music elevates a voice and having it behind makes it more impactful, doing a lot of the ‘emotional lifting’ of the recording. You adapt your style (notably usually the pace and rhythm) to work in harmony with the track. If you can hear now, the bed that will be mixed with your vocals later, then you will be better able to match its style so the two together will sound more in sync in tone and mood. Help the music work with the words. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E622 · Tue, September 13, 2022
0622 – Take Your Time and Sound (More Than) Fine
2022.09.14 - 0622 – Take Your Time and Sound (More Than) Fine · “ This is taking ages…” Every job will have its challenges and it’ll all take as long as it takes. Work with the director/producer/sound engineer as they try and get the best out of you. Instead: understand that they may be trying out various styles of read to see what you can do with your ‘voice personality’ in case between you all, you discover something new that they hadn’t thought of. Sometimes this ‘off-the-wall’ approach may be done to fill time at the end of a session, just to test everyone’s creativity and see what happens with a bit of flexibility, spontaneity and creativity. Magic may come from the mayhem … or they may end up going with Take 3 after all! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E621 · Mon, September 12, 2022
0621 – What To Do If Your Script Has Alarming Timings
2022.09.13 - 0621 – What To Do If Your Script Has Alarming Timings · “There’s no way I can fit all of this script into just 30 seconds” – there are too many words for the time allowed and you’re tempted to gabble to fit it all in. Instead : maybe the script has just been ‘over-written’ and there are a few words that can be lost or phrases that can be re-written. Obviously, this is down to the producer, not you – although you may perhaps make a polite suggestion if asked. If you have to talk fast, dropping your projection will, by default, also drop your energy and you’ll sound less rushed. Weird, but it works. You may also have to take a longer pause between sentences, so you can take a bigger breath which’ll allow you to take fewer of them and so save time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E620 · Sun, September 11, 2022
0620 – Don’t Introduce An Excuse For Your Poor Voice Performance
2022.09.12 - 0620 – Don’t Introduce An Excuse For Your Poor Voice Performance · “ Yeah, I’m rubbish today because the cat was sick, I had a row with my daughter and I the bus was late ” – Everyone has a similar story, and they don’t need to hear about yours. Winding yourself up will only make you nervous. Instead: Breathe, relax, de-stress with the exercises we’ve already gone through. Listen to the direction, and to how you follow it in your read. Be positive and collaborative. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E619 · Sat, September 10, 2022
0619 – When It Hits That the Script Is Sh*t
2022.09.11 - 0619 – When It Hits That the Script Is Sh*t · “ This script is really bad. It’s so poorly written, it makes no sense and ungrammatical ” – don’t complain about the copy, it may’ve been written by the studio producer or the client themselves. Instead: The grammar may not look right, but it will probably sound right, and it’s your job to make it work. If you still think the words works better on the page than in your mouth (maybe too formal, awkward, or with a difficult rhythm), then consider politely asking “ does this sound right to you? ” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E618 · Fri, September 09, 2022
0618 – How To Return After A Verbal Slip
2022.09.10 - 0618 – How To Return After A Verbal Slip Turning Voice-Over Worries Into ‘Wonderful’ · “ Sorry, I slipped on that. Sorry. I gotta concentrate. That was stupid…” – trips, slips and stumbled are natural with a new script. Instead: Slow down, take a breath and concentrate and remember it’ll take a few reads to get the rhythm and the writer’s intended meaning. Ask a producer if they’d prefer you to carry on after any slip, or go back and do that sentence again, or the whole paragraph. Remember: You’re not booked because you’re perfect at doing the greatest read straight off the page. You’re booked because your voice is right for the brand and the message. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E617 · Thu, September 08, 2022
0617 – How To Make A Sound Engineer Your Friend
2022.09.09 - 0617 – How To Make A Sound Engineer Your Friend How To Make A Sound Engineer Your Friend · Turning up on time and being ready microphone-ready · Be confident and competent in sight-reading. OK the odd slip or trip, but be able to see it and say it pretty quickly. · Be able to interpret what the message is and who it’s for · Be comfortable not only in reading to time, but being able to shave off or add a few seconds to the duration of the read · The ability to polish a fast-turnaround dull piece of copy into a diamond – just don’t say it’s dull! Make it work, whatever. · Being able to listen to, understand and follow direction · Offering help “I can stay on for a few more minutes to nail this”, and “let me know if you want any more quick turn-around retakes, no problem ”… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E616 · Wed, September 07, 2022
0616 – The Voice-Over Studio Workflow
2022.09.08 - 0616 – The Voice-Over Studio Workflow Let’s just take a quick look at what happens when you go into a voiceover studio. · Read the Brief and the script · Assist the studio engineer in setting the mic position and levels, the level of your headphones and talkback and the position of any script stand · Have a first run-through of the script and get any questions answered about style or speed, timing and tone, projection, pronunciation and contractions (can you say “ they’ll ” rather than “ they will ”, for example?), and so on. Work out [1] : o who you are ‘talking to’ in the script o how old they are o where they are listening o what your role is o the name of the product, brand or service o the overall message and the key words and phrases that help communicate that message. Have you understood the script correctly? “ Also, at the food and drink fair, more famous wines…” Is that additional wines that are also famous (“ more, famous wines ”), or wines that are much more well-known (“ more-famous wines ”)? o the mood and tone of the script and how your voice personality can convey it. In a commercial read, your director should be able to tell you exactly who the script is aimed at, and the ‘part’ that you are playing. This vital information will help you choose an ‘emotional state’ for the read, and an appropriate style and tone. For example, advertising a car, the copy and the placement of the production (the script and where the commercial will be seen, or alongside which TV programmes), may be directed at a general consumer, parents (perhaps the copy highlights safety features and accessibility), corporate users (mentioning the miles per gallon or comfort), or the ‘petrol heads’ (with technical specifications being highlighted). You can see that each of these scripts would place the production in a different place. And what part are you playing? Are you the caring mum? Are you the reassuring expert, or maybe the ‘boffin’? Are you an educator, a neighbour? What kind of neighbour: the annoying one from two-doors down who everyone avoids, the one that’s always organising cakes sales and car shares, or the one-next-door who you share babysitting with? Having the director give you the role and the audience will mean you have something to creatively respond to, to help you find your character voice and then the style of the read as well as other elements such as the pace and projection, tone and pitch. · Mark up your script with any changes, · Go for a ‘take’ (sometimes called a ‘ first pass’ take) and get more notes. · More takes and minor adjustments. Possible feedback regarding doing one phrase “ like in Take 3 ” and another
S2 E615 · Tue, September 06, 2022
0615 – Voice Director Skills
2022.09.07 - 0615 – Voice Director Skills The skills of a director [1] · They are a bridge between the actor and client. They are likely to work with voice artists more often than the script writer or the sharp-suited client, so they can explain what’s going on, know what language to use, how to get the best out of you and how to get the written word to be an effective spoken word. They understand that voice work is an art and not a science. Oh, and that sharp-suited client? They may also be sharp-tongued as well, giving brash and unhelpful criticism of your performance. A director will be a mediator, interpreting and communicating that a bit more helpfully. · A director or producer is a ‘second pair of ears’, giving objectivity and suggestions: “ try it this way ”, “ why not alter your pitch ”, “ perhaps if you slowed down a bit …”. After all a script is not necessarily black and white but fifty shades of grey (no, not like that), there are interpretations and someone else may help you see them. They coax and explain, to bring out your best performance, giving collaboratory ‘notes’ rather than ‘feedback’. · They may be your ‘point of contact’ in the session, introducing you to others who may be in the production area, the client, writer, editor, runner and so on; show you into the studio and adjust your mic stand and headphone level, ask if you want to stand or sit, provide water and possibly even give you time and ‘permission’ to prepare with warm-up exercises such as shoulder rolls, neck stretches and lip trills. · They have the creative overview of the whole piece, how your character fits in and interacts with other ones, the brand voice, and the overall marketing strategy. They know the character you are playing, the purpose of the project, the tone that’s needed, the target audience, the visuals your voice is part of and so on. Especially in animation and gaming, where the lines are often recorded separately, the director gives you the context for your part so there’s a better overall listen and experience for the player or viewer: what you’re reacting to, what’s happening around you, your part in a conversation or story arc. They may provide lead-in lines for you to bounce off from, and so give a more authentic response. · They know about sound, so will press buttons and fade-up, err, faders, to make the very best of your unique voice. Although you are being given direction and of course the people who are paying you have the final decision, what happens in the studio should be a collaborative process. Get to know, like and trust studio directors: · They may support you and your interpretation of the script if there’s a disagreement in the control room · You may get to m
S2 E614 · Mon, September 05, 2022
0614 – Talking About Studio Talkbacks
2022.09.06 - 0614 – Talking About Studio Talkbacks Talk-back mics The gallery production area will have mics which are used to ‘talk back’ to you in the studio. Sometimes these may be left on (or ‘open’) as you record, either by mistake or deliberately, which means you will hear the coughs, comments, conversations and script suggestions from the producers, directors and clients, live, in your headphones as you read. This can be quite off-putting, so request that their mics can be muted so you can focus on your performance. After each or a few takes, those in the production area will discuss what they’ve just heard and this will likely happen with the talkback mic off so you won’t hear their conversation. It can be a bit disconcerting to know that they’re talking about you, there may be glances in your direction, and you may also see their facial expressions. Try not to look. You don’t know what they’re saying and the only feedback that’s important is that distilled from the discussion and given to you by the director. Having said that, it may not come from the ‘director’, it may be from a ‘producer’, ‘sound engineer’ or someone with a quite different title from the agency or the company being advertised, the thing is that any thoughts on what you are doing and changes that have to be made should be discussed and distilled before they are given to you as direction. (For the purposes of brevity, I will call the person who directs you, the director. Cos that kinda makes sense!) And don’t forget this person is essentially giving you free feedback, which is virtually training. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E613 · Sun, September 04, 2022
0613 – How ‘Control Room Characters’ May Shape Your Voice
2022.09.05 - 0613 – How ‘Control Room Characters’ May Shape Your Voice The Control Room (AKA: ‘gallery’, ‘production area’, ‘ops’ [operations area], or simply ‘studio’!) While you are alone in the studio, other people will be in the area just outside, where the recording actually happens. There could be several people in here, even eight or ten people in an agency studio situation. Maybe a creative director, a creative writer or two, clients, an account manager, a rep from the marketing department, an engineer or two, maybe the scriptwriter. Someone else because “ it sounds like fun ”, a trainee perhaps. There should be someone who is in control of the recording and co-ordinates feedback to give you, so you are not party to lots of different ‘direction suggestions’ from everyone. Imagine the mayhem if they all pitch in with their thoughts: too many people telling you too many things. Keep a note of who you are introduced to, their name and position. Then you can talk to them by name, and is more friendly and builds a relationship (“ So, Brian, is that the kind of tone you had in mind…? ”) Lots of suggestions from several stakeholders can be quite a challenge to cope with. To be clear, it shouldn’t be a problem with the requests changing over the course of the recording (“Can you try it a bit slower now, please?” or “I know we said we wanted that line ‘thrown away’ but can we just try it, with more of a punch?”) as they explore options and you become a sounding board for their ideas. But what you don’t want is constant disagreement between various people… of what they want right now. Set some polite parameters at the start “ So I think we’ve put aside an hour for this haven’t we? Do you think that’s OK…?” . I wouldn’t refuse to utter a single word when the 60 minutes is up, but be careful your goodwill (“ just one more take…”) or voice are not taken advantage of. If there’s going to be another 20- or 30-minutes work and you can fit it in, that’s probably fine (on the same or higher rate), but you should be able to take a 15minute voice-break first. Think that might come over as a bit ‘precious’? Then “ So I think we’ve put aside an hour for this haven’t we? Do you think that’s OK…? I can stay for a bit longer if you need me to, but with all this water, I’ll probably need a bathroom break at about X o’clock…” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E612 · Sat, September 03, 2022
0612 – Taking Voice Production Notes
2022.09.04 - 0612 – Taking Voice Production Notes Always keep a record of the takes that you do in a session, the number and the direction requested of you for it. That’s because in some recordings you may have upwards of 50 takes, with notes on each one. If you keep a written track of ‘what you did when’ then it will be easier to not only go back and reproduce a read in a certain way (“ yeah, I think Take 23 was the kind of brighter sound we wanted…” ), but also gives you a ‘roadmap’ of where you have been and where you are going with the performance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E611 · Fri, September 02, 2022
0611 – What To Take Into A Voice Recording Session
2022.09.03 - 0611 – What To Take Into A Voice Recording Session Performance Ok here we go. All that training and preparing comes to the moment the red light goes on! But we’re not there yet. Not quite. What to take into a recording session: Headphones – closed-back or in-ear types Comfort and confidence Health Water – in a spill-proof bottle To top up your hydration To give you something to do as the director and colleagues discuss the next take To give something to do when you need a break – to fill it up The script – either on paper or maybe on a tablet Paper won’t run out of a battery but it can rustle A pad might break if dropped, and it’s less easy to mark up a script Pencil with an eraser on the end – so you can mark up the script, and alter changes as necessary A pad of paper - for your ‘take notes’ or a ‘take slate’ Tea bag – yes maybe this if you know that your particular brand of, say, honey and lemon infusion is calming and soothing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E610 · Thu, September 01, 2022
0610 – Top ‘Studio Day’ Tips
2022.09.02 - 0610 – Top ‘Studio Day’ Tips On the day of a recording or live ‘mic moment’ · Eat early - Don’t take a growling bear into the studio with you: the mic will hear it as it will gurgles. Fizzy drinks will make you burp. Spicy food may cause acid reflux. · Lots of water – to top-up your systemic hydration · Exercise and fresh air – to be mentally and physically alert in the often small, windowless studio where you may be for hours at a time · Morning shower and exercises – to freshen up your body and warm up your voice for the studio session ahead. · Arrive in good time - to reduce stress. Again, stress will be heard in your voice and overall performance Toilet exercises – eh? Not how to go to the loo! But exercises you can do in a cubicle: lip trills, tongue twisters and stretching exercises that you can do immediately before, or in a break from, a session. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E609 · Wed, August 31, 2022
0609 – What Is Not In Your Briefs
2022.09.01 - 0609 – What Is Not In Your Briefs · Context is important for the style of the read. Words on a page describing a family of tigers, their lifestyle and diet could be read one way if the visuals are of them all playing on the savannah, but another way if the shot is of the dominant male stalking prey. Context may also refer to whether the recording is part of a series, either under the same title, or by the same producer or the same production house. It may be that what’s wanted is a commentary that fits with their ‘sound style’ or ‘audio branding’, and if so this should be made clear to you, probably with edits of previous shows where such a sound is evident. Guide tracks (or ‘scratch track’) may also be provided. This is when a non-professional voice artist has provided a recording of the script so that the visual edits could be created and pronunciations given. In this situation, your job is to replace their dialogue with yours. · And the Brief may also say what is not wanted! o The style is “ conversational and informative but not preachy and stuffy ” – you can see how ‘conversational’ could be ‘preachy’ but that’s not what’s wanted, and ‘informative’ could otherwise be interpreted as reading in a bit of ‘stuffy’ style o “ Thrilling and suspenseful and not casual and conversational ” – this balance is a bit different as what is wanted and what is not are quite different. Here the director is making quite sure you understand exactly the requirements, not by pointing out the nuances of the words (as above) but by deliberately pointing out their virtual opposites. Adjectives useful when writing a Brief: Warm, friendly, concerned, emotionless, comic, serious, quirky, hip, sassy, trustworthy, calm, slapstick, cool, booming, sassy, movie-trailer, compassionate, soothing, confident, light-hearted, concerned, dry, emotionless, authoritative, straight-forward, sultry, not sultry, quirky, believable, engaging, clear, bright, mature, young, classy, excited. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E608 · Tue, August 30, 2022
0608 – Your Voice Mixed With Music
2022.08.31 - 0608 – Your Voice Mixed With Music Music and rough cuts – commercials, commentaries, documentaries and so on, often have the voiceover second-tracked together to play over the top of a music score. The choice of music for a documentary, commercial or whatever sets the ‘emotional attitude’ of the whole piece: hope, fear, confidence, desire or optimism for example. So as a reader, it’s useful to know what that music is. That way you can adapt your style, attitude and pace to fit with its tone, and help the editor by hitting certain musical posts if that is needed. · Talking of which, the script may be written to hit specific points depending on what is happening on screen at that time, or to fit between on-tape sounds or dialogue. Therefore, even though a required duration for your link is good, having the actual video to ‘record to’ is better: it means you are likely to ‘feel’ the recording more, you will be more accurate, and you will save editing in the final mix. Failing that, a storyboard (a chronological series of images, with accompanying notes, of how a 'story' will play out, scene by scene, communicating the creative's vision), so you can better visualise what the concept is. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E607 · Mon, August 29, 2022
0607 – Your Voice Over Role
2022.08.30– 0607 – Your Voice Over Role What is your role? – You are never ‘the voiceover’. Depending on the script, the situation, the story, the audience and so on, you may be a frazzled dad coping with the kids, a corporate CEO, a first-time DIYer, a reassuring uncle. And that relationship is important: your attitude will change if you are giving advice to that frazzled dad as a friend, or interfering neighbour, or parenting expert… in the same way as, for say a corporate e-learning project (say, a training on a new computer program) you are part of the company talking to a colleague, or as a rep from the computer program company, or maybe neither and are an ‘outside trainer’ character. What is your sound? – Just a few words should be provided, say “ calm and trustworthy ” or “ upbeat and quirky ”, “ big and boomy, like the voice on the XXX ad ”. Seek clarity if the Brief describes attributes which don’t sit well together: “ authoritative and sultry ” or “ concerned and light-hearted ” may be tricky to pull off. The duration – see elsewhere for the speed of a read, but ‘less’ is often more effective than ‘more’. A script will often have better impact if there’s room for it to develop at the correct pace, rather than for you to be reciting it like an auctioneer at a cattle market. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E606 · Sun, August 28, 2022
0606 – Who Will Hear Your Voice?
2022.08.29– 0606 – Who Will Hear Your Voice? Where will this recording be played? – Again, it can change your tone as a voice actor if you know that it’s for TV or radio or cinema, or to be played in an airport lounge. It could be a corporate script for a video that every staff member will see, alone at their desk and through headphones… or played on the big screen at the annual staff announcement event. For example: a voiceover for the ‘blood donation service’ may at first sound quite serious, but it may be targeted at first timers, say those in their teens or twenties, and so as an introduction the tone might be quite light. But it may be a script to be heard over animated characters with a cartoon Dracula… or maybe a graphic real-life scene of a car crash. It could be purely informational, or to have a shock factor, or to instil pride and patriotism amongst potential volunteers. It may be shown early evening on TV between soaps, or before an 18-certificate film in the cinema. All of these factors would cause a slight change in the voice: its tone, pace, projection, formality, indeed everything we have seen over the course of this podcast and book. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E605 · Sat, August 27, 2022
0605 – What’s In Your Briefs
2022.08.28– 0605 – What’s In Your Briefs What’s in your briefs Who is this for? - In other words, who is your target audience, the listener you want to hear this message and act upon it. That should usually be much narrower than “ everyone ”, so it could be a grandmother in her 70s, or a young businesswoman in her twenties, or new parents. Every different audience will lead you to have a different tone, or attitude, when you read the script. You can usually have a guess by looking at the script and what it’s about and how it’s written, but only the Brief will explain exactly who that ‘ideal listener’ is. What do you want them to do or feel? – Or “ why am I talking to them about this, now? ” What is the script aiming to make them do or feel?: buy a certain item, donate money, change their behaviour (perhaps by learning new ‘health and safety rules’), be better informed (say, in eLearning), or to feel something. This last one can be a very strong communication tool: causing someone to feel nostalgic, patriotic, angry, inspired, or happy can create a strong bond with the target listener. And if this direction is on a brief, it can cause you to change your whole presentation style from a lighter tone, to a more serious and slower one, or a quirky twist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E604 · Fri, August 26, 2022
0604 – The Brief For A Voice-Over Recording
2022.08.27– 0604 – The Brief For A Voice-Over Recording The brief for a script recording A written brief, a short but clear sheet of directions, will help everyone involved in a recording session in several ways: You, the ‘voice’, will have set targets for issues such as the tone and pace, the target audience, the characterisation, giving you time to prepare. Similarly, the director, producer and client all know the same information, so they are all approaching the recording with the same idea and expectation, avoiding mixed messages and hold ups for things like re-bookings, edits and rewrites. The wrong voice, or the right voice wrongly briefed or directed, can make or break a project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E603 · Thu, August 25, 2022
0603 – Pre-Prep To Keep In Step
2022.08.26– 0603 – Pre-Prep To Keep In Step For radio and podcast presenters specifically, your preparation may include: · Planned spontaneity - Have a rough idea of what to say, maybe not every single word, but blocks of topics and bullet points within them of the points you want to make and how to transition from one block to another. A road map if you will, and one that you can veer off if you want to improvise and extemporise in the moment. Pre-read and rewrite if allowed, to suit your reading style. As a commercial voice actor, you should read what you are given. OK you may suggest a slight change if there’s a mouthful of a phrase that’s not been spotted before, and then only alter it with full signed-off permission. But you are not employed to be a scriptwriter, proof reader, editor or advisor. Don’t ‘over-read’, that is don’t interrogate the script for intonational nuances, marking up the script with a slew of symbols, or you run the possibility of getting into a ‘reading rut’ reducing the possibility of some in-studio creativity, or just being able to easily respond to the director’s requests. · How to recover if you’re thrown - For live radio presenters especially, think what you will say if something goes wrong, an item doesn’t play or if there’s breaking news. What will do if you need to fill for thirty seconds? Do you have material to hand? How will you deal with a mistake made by you? (On the day of writing this, my computer screen froze, midway through a news bulletin, and so I had to hand back to the main presentation studio unexpectedly…) · A consideration of your listener’s time - Less is more. As well as talking in a clear voice, your content has to be compelling too: the world is awash in information so be memorably brief, with fewer, more powerful words. Eliminate the unnecessary and focus on substance. If you are clear in what you want to say, then your mind will be less muddled and you will appear less nervous. As I’ve said before, confidence has a domino-effect, reducing tension in your skeleton and your sound, making you sound more authentic and trustworthy. For voice-over presenters there is some specific advice on their voice prep work because of how they work with others, and to a tight, pre-approved script. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E602 · Wed, August 24, 2022
0602 – On The Day Prep To Get A Better Voice
2022.08.25– 0602 – On The Day Prep To Get A Better Voice Prepping promotes polished performances. ‘With-the-script’ and ‘on-the-day’ Preparation . For anyone talking on mic, your preparation will include: · Hydration – yep, that again! Hydration preparation! It will take 24 hours for water you have drunk to properly benefit you systemically. Sipping water on the day is great, but that’s only a ‘top up’, to ease a tickle, to clean your mouth or to use a few seconds while you look at the next line or item. Exercises - yep, that again! It’s good to do some warm-up exercises on the day, and you will have seen many of them outlined here, but some need to be done regularly in advance to best benefit your breathing, relaxation, range, volume, diction … well, everything really! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E601 · Tue, August 23, 2022
0601 – How The Way We Sound Shapes Our Identities
2022.08.24– 0601 – How The Way We Sound Shapes Our Identities How The Way We Sound Shapes Our Identities Our voices convey so much more than just information. They can tell other people something essential about who we are: our age and gender and personality (our feelings, our temperament, our identity). On this episode of the Hidden Brain podcast (link below), the presenters look at the relationship between our voices and our identities, how advances in technology might help people with vocal impairments, and the ethical issues around creating personalized, customized voices. https://www.npr.org/2019/07/15/741827437/finding-your-voice-how-the-way-we-sound-shapes-our-identities Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E600 · Mon, August 22, 2022
0600 – Vocal Confidence Through Familiarisation With The Script And Situation
2022.08.23– 0600 – Vocal Confidence Through Familiarisation With The Script And Situation · Familiarisation with the subject – the knowledge of the script, not just the words, but the meaning and the significance and intention of it, and the role your ‘character’ plays in conveying the message. Plus, who that message is targeted at, and what you want that recipient to do with the information… Nerves are what you are feeling – but think of the audience, not yourself. If you have to present a script that you are not comfortable with (perhaps you don’t understand or are unfamiliar with it, or don’t agree with the content), then it’s natural that you will feel nervous about presenting it. · Familiarisation with the situation – so, the studio, the staff, the workflow. Of course, when presenting a podcast, a lot of this comes naturally. You are likely to be familiar with your topic as it’s one you’re passionate about. And you’re likely to be recording at home, a location that you are comfortable in … You started your podcast because you have something to say… Your message and voice is too valued by your listeners and potential followers for you to be rendered tongue tied by a lack of confidence. David Hutchinson, weeditpodcasts.com [1] Confidence comes from experience in all of these areas. Also playing a part, possible other elements such as: · Your health - To sound better and feel better, have plenty of rest and water. There’s more health advice a little bit later. · Your microphone – We looked at this before: how you hear yourself may add or detract from your confidence. Is your sound real and relatable, or thin and trebly? · What you wear - What is your ‘superhero outfit’ to wear to get into zone for confidence? Certain clothes or a wristband or pendant... to help you get into the ‘zone’. Do you dress up or dress down? Lucky socks, or a special pen, or headphones that fit ‘just right’ and make you sound really good. One often has more confidence during a podcast because you are ‘in the moment’ but without the pressure of ‘immediately perfect’ performance, because of the ‘record-it’, ‘edit-it’ workflow. [1] https://www.weeditpodcasts.com/how-can-i-increase-my-confidence-on-the-mic/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E599 · Sun, August 21, 2022
0599 – Vocal Confidence Through Familiarisation With Yourself
2022.08.22– 0599 – Vocal Confidence Through Familiarisation With Yourself · Familiarisation with yourself – we have to turn nervous self- consciousness to self- confidence . That is, moving from being aware of every element of who you are and where you are and what you are doing to a more overall approach: that you have put in the time and the training, the prep and the practice towards your performance. The work on your skillset, helping create your mindset. And part of that mindset comes from what you tell yourself about your voice and your performance: o Do you say “ My voice is horrid ” OR “ I have a great, unique and distinct voice ” o “ That was a stupid thing I said ” OR “ That was great, personal insight only I could give ” o “ Who’s going to listen to my nonsense ramblings?” OR “ I’m so grateful that my audience trusts my take on this” Also consider how you think of your feelings at moments like this, and turn them from nervousness to confidence: o That pounding heart is not terror … it’s your body’s very own drum roll before you perform! o The butterflies aren’t nerves … their wings are little rounds of applause for what you’re about to say. o The sensation of tightness on your throat is only there because your fantastic message is impatient to get out and be heard. Don’t knock yourself down, but build yourself up! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E598 · Sat, August 20, 2022
0598 – Vocal Confidence Through Relaxed Breathing
2022.08.21– 0598 – Vocal Confidence Through Relaxed Breathing · Relaxed breathing – we have looked at this a few times. If you breathe properly your whole body relaxes, your mind calms. You are less tense, so your voice strengthens. You have breath control to get to the end of a sentence without panicking. Your heartrate steadies. You are less likely to commit verbal slips and trips. Every element is interconnected and starts with your breath. Remember what I said at the start: breathing is the key-thing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E597 · Fri, August 19, 2022
0597 – The Vocal Confidence Quotient
2022.08.20– 0597 – The Vocal Confidence Quotient The Confidence Quotient Effortless attention is when the challenge and the skill, are in balance. That balance is called ‘confidence’. To put it another way: (Relaxed breathing + familiarisation with self, subject and situation = confidence) = you sound credible and authoritative Let’s look at those elements briefly over the next few days Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E596 · Thu, August 18, 2022
0596 – Work Variety To Increase Your Vocal Experience
2022.08.19– 0596 – Work Variety To Increase Your Vocal Experience Work variety Some of that practice may come from lots of work in which you’ll be experiencing different kinds of reads and learning new styles, and keeping your eye-to-mouth co-ordination and staying in the ‘zone’. But if you have less work, then practice is good to make sure you are ready when the phone rings or the email pings And of course, the more auditions you do for say voice-over work, the more practice you’re getting. Just remember though, if you’re not getting work from all of those auditions, maybe you are not so much practicing but repeating the same mistakes, and consider getting a voice-coach to help you ‘re-set your reading’. They say “ practice makes perfect ”, but actually “ perfect practice makes perfect ” and there’s no point repeating mistakes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E595 · Wed, August 17, 2022
0595 – Why We Sound Different In Our Headphones
2022.08.18– 0595 – Why We Sound Different In Our Headphones Self-feedback Your voice is very personal to you – get used to hearing it, learn to like it – but be aware of what you need to do to improve it. And then practice! Why do we sound different when we listen to a recording of ourselves? It’s to do with the way we usually hear ourselves. When we speak, we hear our own voice two different ways at the same time, one slightly behind the other (out of phase). Convectively (through the air) – as the sound energy from your mouth, bounces around the room and then in to your ears where it vibrates the ear drum and small ear bones, which in turn transmit the sound vibrations to the cochlea, which stimulates nerve axons that send the auditory signal to the brain. And Conductively - through your bones and muscles of your head, neck and ear – which travels slower and is has much more bass. If you cover your ears and talk, all you hear is this version. So, when you combine both of these sounds, it’s the voice you are used to hearing, what you consider to be how you sound. But when we play back a recording, we only hear yourselves one way, through our ears, the convective version of your voice, which sounds much more trebly and mid-range. To put it another way people generally think their voice is deeper and richer than it actually is to others. And that’s why you dislike your own voice the first time you hear it back – it’s not like you usually hear yourself or consider how you sound to others. And yet this is the only way everyone else has ever heard you. This ‘new voice’ exposes a difference between your self-perception and reality and can be jarring because you suddenly realize other people have been hearing something else all along: you are not how you thought you were. It’s not necessarily a worse version, but it’s certainly a different one. A study published in 2005 [1] had patients record and then listen back to their voices and rate them. Clinicians also rated the voices. Researchers found that patients tended to more-negatively rate the quality of their recorded voice, compared with the objective assessments of clinicians. So, if you don’t like the sound of your own recorded voice, don’t be too harsh on yourself. Others most likely think it’s fine. It’s all they’ve ever heard you sound like. It is very difficult to know how you sound without listening to a recording. It is not ego-tripping; it is a sensible and professional monitoring of your performance. [1] <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2273.2005.01022.x" rel="noopener norefe
S2 E594 · Tue, August 16, 2022
0594 – Wrapping Up Presenting Unboxing Videos
2022.08.17– 0594 – Wrapping Up Presenting Unboxing Videos On screen presenters, whether that is for livestreams, or video conferencing or pre-recorded videos for YouTube or webinars, often find it difficult to talk and do something else at the same time. It sounds odd as we do it all the time in real life, but whether it’s an unboxing of a new product or simply holding and describing a book, fluency often suffers. Be aware of this and plan for the possibility, make some notes and practice. However, remember that you don’t need to talk all of the time : as it’s a visual medium, people can see what you are doing or showing so simultaneous commentary (saying what you can all see), and one that is hesitant and repetitive may be entirely unnecessary. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E593 · Mon, August 15, 2022
0593 – How To Practice Ad Libbing Skills
2022.08.16– 0593 – How To Practice Ad Libbing Skills Looking lots Really looking at the world around you. On your walk or commute to work (be careful if you are driving!), take an effort to notice what you pass by. Perhaps take a different route occasionally to force yourself to see what’s different. And then sharpen your awareness and increase your confidence by giving an out-loud running commentary (a bit of a problem on public transport, I grant!) of what you notice. Not just “a woman putting out the bins, and a siren in the distance” but specifics. Paint word pictures: “a middle-aged woman, I’d put her at about 45, is coming down her garden path with a small brown food-waste bin in her left hand. She’s used her other hand on her right knee to support herself as she bends down and leaves the plastic bin on the grass verge underneath a blossoming apple tree. Some of the blossom blows off the branches in the light breeze and lands on the woman, and as she stands up she brushes it off her shoulder as she makes her way back up her path to her front door. In the distance, the sound of an approaching siren, most likely from the ambulance station that’s based about 2 miles away…” The colours, what’s happening what someone looks like, what they’re doing … and don’t forget the sounds you hear as well as the sights you see. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E592 · Sun, August 14, 2022
0592 – How To Practice Talking To Time
2022.08.15– 0592 – How To Practice Talking To Time Practice Talking To Time You will also benefit from being able to ‘talk to time’, that is to fill exactly 10 seconds - or 7 or 12 or whatever - and to make sense and be a complete sentence. This is useful if you ever have to present a programme or bulletin that has a ‘clock end’, as well as knowing how to shave off a second or two (or half!) from a commercial voice-over script. As we saw in episode 427 Take some copy which has a required duration indicated on it, and read it aloud like you might in a demo, and with a stopwatch to hand. How many words did you read in 30 seconds? Or how many seconds were you over? Keep practicing until you can sensibly get the copy in the seconds required, several times in a row. Then take another script and repeat the exercise before return to the first script and seeing if the rate and the rhythm are still there. Then go back to the second script. Then take a third one, of a different style and duration and word-count, and try it all again. A further exercise would be to take your 30 second script and elongate it so it when you read it, it lasts 40 seconds, or shorten it to 25: all of these are skills that will come in useful in the recording studio. You are often presented with a script that is just too ‘word-rich’ and yes, every single one is vital. It is up to you to ‘fit the words into the seconds’ in a clear and interesting way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E591 · Sat, August 13, 2022
0591 – The ‘Two Brains’ Skill You Need To Master
2022.08.14– 0591 – The ‘Two Brains’ Skill You Need To Master Practice Having Two Brains A way to practice receiving information and delivering it at the same time is to ‘parrot’ someone else’s news bulletin, or links on the radio. At home (and probably when you are alone!), listen to a station and repeat the script as it is being said . Or repeat ads a split second after the voice-over does so on the TV or radio. You will have to listen, process and repeat all at the same time, like having two brains: a handy skill to have for using talkback. It’s a skill not necessarily for voice-over actors, but essential for radio and TV presenters in a live presentation or commentary situation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E590 · Fri, August 12, 2022
0590 – How To Practice Sight-Reading
2022.08.13– 0590 – How To Practice Sight-Reading Practice Sight-Reading Another way to help you sight-read is to read aloud and ad-lib around the credits at the end of a TV show as they scroll up. Doing this will help your muscle memory of sight-reading: being able to take almost any script and anticipate where it is going to get a good inflection and tone from the get-go. And if you have recorded it, play it back to yourself while looking back at the text. That way you can check your accuracy (it’s easy to misread or skip words) and your tone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E589 · Thu, August 11, 2022
0589 – How To Practice Script-Reading Accuracy
2022.08.12– 0589 – How To Practice Script-Reading Accuracy Practice Accuracy Keep up your eye-to-mouth accuracy by reading lots of every style, and out loud . It could be bedtime stories to the kids, newspaper or online articles, billboard ads as you are stuck in a traffic queue… some couples even read novels aloud to each other, taking turns at each chapter. Anything. To yourself, to someone else or even into a recording app on your phone. There are plenty of sites [1] with actual or mocked-up commercial scripts, use them to practice your technique. Volunteer to read for the local school, or at an old people’s home or for the Wireless For The Blind [2] groups. You’ll be helping other people and sharpening your own skills at sightreading (and maybe character voices) at the same time, if you read new material out loud on a regular basis. [1] https://www.voices.com/blog/voice-over-sample-scripts/ , https://bunnystudio.com/blog/entertainment-commercial-scripts-for-voice-over-practice/ [2] https://blind.org.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E588 · Wed, August 10, 2022
0588 – The Cheeky Hack To Sound Like Other Voice Artists
2022.08.11– 0588 – The Cheeky Hack To Sound Like Other Voice Artists Listen to Other Voice Demos Go onto voice agent websites and listen to the demos of other voice artists. After all, they have got an agent so must be doing something right! Work out what it is: · How are different voice used for different messages and scripts? · How are they working to communicate the message and the meaning? The more you listen (really listener) and analyse what’s is already being produced, the better you will be at working out what works, what is wanted and why with script styles and voice trends. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E587 · Tue, August 09, 2022
0587 – Life’s Free Voice Training Opportunities
2022.08.10– 0587 – Life’s Free Voice Training Opportunities Listening lots Don’t skip through the commercials on radio or TV, the internet or cinema! Watch and listen to every ad that comes on. [1] · Listen mindfully – that is, really listen · Think: o What is the service or product being advertised? o Why is this ad being played at this time, on this station, on this show? o Who are they targeting and therefore, what style is the ad written in? What is this script really saying and trying to ‘make’ the audience do (is it to buy something, inform them, persuade them…?) What are the key words and phrases? o What about the voice? Its age, sex, tone, speed and so on? Is the style ‘announcery’ or ‘conversational;? Why? What technique is the voice using to engage and communicate with the audience? ( Who is the audience?) How does the voice reflect the pictures and music in the ad? o Part of this ‘reveal’ will come from the time of day and the style of the station or type of programme the commercial is in. As we said before, who the audience is will ‘inform your read’, that is, will give you a clue as to how to communicate with them o How are the product, the message, the target audience and the voice, all married together? · Copy the style a moment after you hear the ad · Or transcribe the ad and record yourself reading it. You may notice similar products being advertised in a different way, and ask yourself why. Typically, car commercials can vary in their production values, usually reflecting their cost! A quality production for an expensive sedan, a faster, announcer-type read for a run-around. Listen for and identify the variety you come across. [1] Visit https://www.ispot.tv/ for a database of television commercials on demand. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E586 · Mon, August 08, 2022
0586 – 10,000 Kicks To A Better Voice
2022.08.09– 0586 – 10,000 Kicks To A Better Voice Continual Practice I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times. Bruce Lee You have to be continually ready for your next live or recorded voice session, much like an athlete must always be ‘match fit’. If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. Practice won’t make you perfect (what is ‘perfection’?), but it will make you better. Only amateurs believe that rehearsal inhibits spontaneity. Professionals respect their audience and rehearse their script and links off-mic so that their performance on-mic will be brief, bright, smooth, natural, and personable. But as ‘practice makes permanent’, make sure you do it right once you have read and understood the tips here, and maybe got some professional one-to-one advice as well to get skill-acquisition and skill-retention, one at a time. Practice is not just repetition, because doing that may reinforce a bad pattern. It’s like once you have got to your desired weight, or got your 6-pack, you don’t stop … you continue training… So, let’s start with what amounts to free training! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E585 · Sun, August 07, 2022
0585 – The 3-P Formula For A Better Voice
2022.08.08– 0585 – The 3-P Formula For A Better Voice THE THREE P’s FORMULA If you want to claim you have a professional presentation (albeit sounding adlibbed), then you need to work at your craft. In the same way the starter guitarist doesn’t launch instantly into riffs and jams, you need to do the work to underpin your future career of having ‘your mouth on the mic’. Get the fundamental foundations, the mouth and mental muscle memory, before your creative communication excellence can begin. And you do that through: continual Practice, and then on-the-day and with-the-script Preparation and finally, your actual Performance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E584 · Sat, August 06, 2022
0584 – How To Be An Auto-Cutie 3
2022.08.07– 0584 – How To Be An Auto-Cutie 3 Look at the lens · Keep looking the camera lens ‘in the eye’ in the same way as you’d look at someone if they were in the room with you. That doesn’t mean a stare or a glare, but with a natural ease (one of interested, informed involvement) alongside occasional glances at your paper-notes or maybe a colleague or monitor. Not only will this make you look conversational, because you will be emulating the style of face-to-face interaction, it will also help you sound conversational too. Relax · Keep your head, neck, and shoulders relaxed. Let your head move naturally, with small movements up and down left and right so you don’t appear to be staring. Some people look down at a desk script occasionally to keep up the ‘pretence’ of having committed the story to memory. As well as helping you look and feel more natural, it’ll help reduce stress around your neck and shoulders. · Smile and gesticulate (within reason!). Obviously, this depends on the context and content of what you’re saying, but don’t be a statue. · Consider (with permissions) putting in ‘natural’ pauses or hesitations to make the presentation sound more authentic. The prompter may be just that, a prompt · If you just ‘read the words’ you may come across as inauthentic and disengaged from the actual content. Try and avoid the ‘glazed-over glare’ look. · The key is to use the prompter to sound conversational. Again, where allowed by a director, use natural habits we do as we talk to each other face-to-face: look up or down to ‘gather your thoughts’, use those natural instinctive gestures. · Don’t necessarily feel as though you have to read every single word. To be clear, on a TV news bulletin you will have to because of timings, fluency and accuracy, but if you have a prompter for a livestream show then you can afford to adlib around the bullet points that are on screen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E583 · Fri, August 05, 2022
0583 – How To Be An Auto-Cutie 2
2022.08.06– 0583 – How To Be An Auto-Cutie 2 Rehearse · Have the font set to suit your sight. Although, the larger the font, the fewer words will appear at a time, it will save you squinting or slipping up and getting panicked. You can often switch the text from white on black to black on white if that makes it easier for you to read. You may also need to adjust your glasses as you’ll be focussing on the mid distance rather than close distance as you would be with a script. · You can’t see many words at once on a prompter, so it’s tricky to read ahead and get the sense of the sentence before you read it out loud. So, you have to know the script in advance to get the correct delivery and intonation and not be caught out by any unusual words. You may be able to have some key words underlined or in CAPITALS to help guide you through. Having said that, some studios write the whole script in capitals which can make it tricky to spot a name or title. · Write out words how you will read them and in the correct order: “AU $0.7m ” does not necessarily belong on a teleprompter, instead a presenter may prefer “ 700-million Australian dollars ”. · Beware of any ‘stage directions’ that might be included in the script [usually in square brackets] such as [CAMERA ONE] or [AD LIB TO FILL TO 29:30] which you should not read out. · Have a hard copy of the script to hand in case the prompter malfunctions, turning the pages as you proceed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E582 · Thu, August 04, 2022
0582 – How To Be An Auto-Cutie 1
2022.08.05– 0582 – How To Be An Auto-Cutie 1 How to be an auto-cutie The speed of the read · The prompter operator should follow your pace. That is, you don't need to speed up or slow down to follow the words appearing, but trust that the words will be there when you need them. Don’t play ‘cat-and-mouse’: if you go quickly the scroll of the script will pick up pace too. · Develop rapport with the operator so you find a balance on your likely speed of the read together with the speed they need you to go to fit with the duration of the programme, so you can focus on your delivery. They will also get to know your idiosyncrasies, such as when you might pause or throw in an adlib. · Sometimes the speed the words appear is controlled by you with a foot-pedal or joystick. Be careful not to get itchy foot-syndrome and press the pedal as though it’s a car accelerator as the words will shoot ahead to another point entirely. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E581 · Wed, August 03, 2022
0581 – Prompts On Using Your Voice With A Teleprompt
2022.08.04– 0581 – Prompts On Using Your Voice With A Teleprompt Teleprompters While we are talking about reading from a screen, a few words on systems [1] which project the words you have to read, onto the lens of a TV camera, or alongside the lens of a mobile phone. Teleprompter positives · In using a teleprompter, presenters naturally look into the lens (or the text is so close to the lens that their eye-line doesn’t look askew), giving the impression of eye contact which helps ‘connect’ with the viewer · The intention is to make the presenter appear to know their material off by heart and are simply talking naturally and fluently to the audience · Looking at a screen at eye level means that you will have your head up and be sitting with a ‘long spine’ both postures to help with your breath control and resonance. Teleprompter Negatives · What frequently spoils the illusion is the way some presenters stare woodenly into the camera · Using a teleprompter can make you look shifty if you don’t know how to use it properly, with your unblinking eyes going from left to right. Then people watch you rather than listen to you · Reliance on a prompter can make some presenters feel as though they can’t look away from the screen at all, let alone ad-lib. [1] Autocue is a trademarked name of a teleprompter system. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E580 · Tue, August 02, 2022
0580 – Video Call Voice Confidence Tricks
2022.08.03– 0580 – Video Call Voice Confidence Tricks Video confidence tricks: So once you have set the lights and background how you want them, find the button on your video-platform that allows you to turn off your ‘self-view’, which may help you feel more confident … because you wont have the dysmorphia we spoke about a few days ago. Then: · notes to one side of the screen · picture of someone friendly beyond the mic · look at the lens so you don’t look a dick · have a separate mic and headphone which’ll make you sound better and have a better emotional connection. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E579 · Mon, August 01, 2022
0579 – Why Video Calls Lead To Vocal Loading
2022.08.02– 0579 – Why Video Calls Lead To Vocal Loading But then neither is the whole tech and protocol of video-conferencing: Talking to people we can see and hear but are not physically with and so can’t see their full body language The now-disrupted turn-taking rhythm we are used to in a conversation and working out the protocol if several people talk at once and how to give way How we can do work, school, church, a quiz with friends, talk with grandparents or the doctor … all while sitting in the same chair at the same desk, sometimes switching from one to another without even getting out of the chair. And so, as everything is in the same format, a meeting with friends can feel like work. Yes, you're talking about fun things, but you've set it up just like a meeting. Coping with audio delays, buffering, automatic mic cut-outs, extra noises for children and pets, unmuted mics and broken feeds Friends and colleagues who don’t join on time, don’t know how to mute and unmute, or turn video on and off, or send messages on the current video-chat platform of choice. All of which adds to mental tension, skeletal stress and vocal loading - meaning you are less ‘communicatively confident’. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E578 · Sun, July 31, 2022
0578 – How ‘Zoom Dysmorphia’ Affects Your Video-Call Voice
2022.08.01– 0578 – How ‘Zoom Dysmorphia’ Affects Your Video-Call Voice How ‘Zoom Dysmorphia’ Affects Your Video-Call Voice [1] Seeing ourselves (and others) on screen can cause micro-stresses, and so, tension in our frame, shallower breathing and a potentially lighter voice. · What we think of our face, hair, clothes and voice, room background (and so on) · What we think others may think of our face, hair, clothes and voice, room background (!) · And what we think of their face, hair, clothes and voice, room background People see us in our own space: our room, how we dress, whether are shaved and so on. The confidence-sapping tension can be compounded by our old friend, the broken feedback loop. In ‘real life’ we can clearly see our colleagues’ nods, eye contact and so on which constantly tell us that what we are saying is being understood, or not. Such feedback gives us confidence or tells us to adjust our style – gestures, volume, tone, pace, duration – to regain their engagement them. But with video appearances the feedback is disrupted or broken completely and the incongruity of being seen and seeing yourself on a monitor; of talking to hundreds or thousands of people at once – and only seeing some of them, and but using a quieter voice than if they were actually with you; of trying to be business-like but sitting in your home… and dealing with the tech, you’re not in a meeting room with a notepad (“ Will I be able to bring up the right caption, can I get the PowerPoint on screen, will a child scream or a dog bark or another call come in…?”) It’s just not natural! The incongruity causes stress, affecting our voice. But then neither is the whole tech and protocol of video-conferencing as we will hear tomorrow: [1] Spending increased time in video meetings during the pandemic has created a new phenomenon being called ‘Zoom dysmorphia’, insecurity about how we see ourselves. Doctors have reportedly noticed a rise in cosmetic surgery requests as people are forced to spend more time on camera. (NBC, January, 2021) https://www.today.com/video/what-is-zoom-dysmorphia-insecurity-rises-due-to-video-calls-99327045790 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E577 · Sat, July 30, 2022
0577 – How To Prepare Your voice For Video-Calls
2022.07.31– 0577 – How To Prepare Your voice For Video-Calls How Your Schedule Affects Your Video-Call Voice Video-calls are perhaps more likely for those working from home, but try not to roll out of bed and go straight to your laptop and sit down and talk! Think what you used to do before our lazy lockdowns: busily getting ready, moving around, up and down the stairs, twisting into the car seat or running for the bus… and we’d be chatting along with all of that, to the kids, the person on the bus, talking back at the radio shock-jock, thanking someone in a shop, greeting a colleague… Yep, we generally had movement in our body and breath. And when at the laptop, it doesn’t necessarily feel like work: you’re just sitting there and people just appear in front of you. But don’t be misled. You can still be doing a lot of talking and getting stressed. So, start your WFH day with some ‘muscle and vocal’ exercises, and take a 10-minute break every hour (or have meetings of 45 minutes with a break in between). At the start of the day: · Maybe a brisk walk, dancing to your favourite playlist or simply marching on the spot · Warming up your voice with hums and trills, swoops and glides. · Stretch your tongue. Between calls: · Say nothing! Rest and relax your throat muscles to reduce vocal cord swelling. · Reduce neck pain, muscle tension in your back and shoulders after sitting still for so long. Move around, and carefully try a few head rolls, shoulder scrunches, turns and bends. · Take the opportunity to top up with water: your body and your bottle. After all you should always be sipping to keep your folds slippery, hydrated and healthy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E576 · Fri, July 29, 2022
0576 – Why Video Calls Are Exhausting
2022.07.30 – 0576 – Why Video Calls Are Exhausting And don’t forget video-calls are really quite exhausting [1] And dullness saps your energy – mentally, physically and vocally. Webchats: · Need more concentration on the conversation – as there’s little change of scenery. Dull backgrounds, green screens or even people wandering around in the office, but nothing much happens. · Are very repetitive – in the format of the beginning and ending conversations. “We’ll give it a few minutes for latecomers”, “Please mute your mics”, “please put any questions in the chat box”, “Please mute your mics” … · Are abrupt – in how they start and end. There’s no chance to mingle with people after the meeting as you would be able to in an office situation. You may feel abandoned and back alone in your back bedroom. [1] https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200421-why-zoom-video-chats-are-so-exhausting Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E575 · Thu, July 28, 2022
0575 – Why Voices Are Raised On Video Calls
2022.07.29 – 0575 – Why Voices Are Raised On Video Calls Why voices are raised on video calls Research has shown that when we cannot hear someone well because of noise, we speak louder, and make their gestures more noticeable. Dr James Trujillo and colleagues at Radboud University Nijmegen, in the Netherlands, analysed video calls between 20 pairs of people [1] . For each pair, participants sat in separate rooms and chatted to each other in casual, unscripted conversation over a Zoom-like video call for 40 minutes. Over the course of the call, the quality of the video was changed in 10 steps between excellent and completely blurred, and as the quality deteriorated further, participants moved their arms and bodies more and their volume increased by up to 5 decibels. Trujillo said that to compensate for poorer video quality, people ‘exaggerate’ the form of their gestures in order to help their partner and although speaking louder probably doesn’t help, people still did it, saying “They know that the gestures being produced are vital to their communication, but their partner is going to have a harder time seeing them. So they increase the strength of the other signal – speech.” So we in crease our volume and our gestures, to compensate for the crackle and buzz, the pixelation of the picture, the delay and copouts on the video and audio feed. [1] https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/apr/13/voices-raised-video-calls-study-can-you-hear-me-now Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E574 · Wed, July 27, 2022
0574 – The Zoom Settings To Make You Sound Better
2022.07.28 – 0574 – The Zoom Settings To Make You Sound Better How to sound better on Zoom There are a few tweaks that you can make in the settings that will make a huge difference to your voice. Zoom automatically adds processing to the audio through the mic. This is turned on and works best if you are in a noisy environment, if your mic is far from you or you are using the built-in mic in your webcam or computer, or using EarPods or a Bluetooth mic. But if you are using a more pro mic and have better acoustic treatment in your room, this setting may actually be damaging the audio feed and changing your voice detrimentally. Go to ‘Start Video’ at the bottom of the screen and then choose ‘Video Settings’ and then ‘Audio Settings’. If you are routing an external microphone through a mixer, then make sure that that is selected in the drop down. A USB microphone will also show up here, perhaps indicated by its make and model. Untick ‘Automatically adjust microphone volume’, and then set the ‘Input Volume’ at its highest level. That way you can adjust the level of the sound manually on your mixer. Click through to ‘Advanced’ and at the top, select the option ‘Show in-meeting option to Enable Original Sound from microphone’. Then: · ‘Supress Persistent Background Noise’ > Disable · ‘Supress Intermittent Background Noise’ > Disable · ‘Echo Cancellation’ > Auto Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E573 · Tue, July 26, 2022
0573 - … And What You Can Do About It.
2022.07.27 – 0573 - … And What You Can Do About It. It stands to reason that the higher quality the input, the better you'll sound to your listeners, and it’s important to sound your best if you hope to leave a strong impression. So upgrade your work-station to reduce such problems: · If you can hear other people better as well as yourself, there’s less need to shout and strain. it sounds as if everyone is physically closer · So, invest in a better mic and headphone kit to better control your speaking voice, minimise voice strain and overcome the urge to raise your voice and instead ‘invite’ people to listen to what it is you have to say. Better headphones or speakers? It’s because it’s odd that we almost always increase our speaking volume when we don’t hear ourselves or others well · Have a clear background to your video, so you don’t distract form the message in your voice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E572 · Mon, July 25, 2022
0572 - How You Hear Affects Your Video-Call Voice…
2022.07.26 – 0572 - How You Hear Affects Your Video-Call Voice… How You Hear Affects Your Video-Call Voice Video-chat software compresses audio in a conversation, so it ends up not as clear as being face-to-face. This means that: · People tend to talk louder to make sure that their voice carries. But often they’re not projecting like stage actors do, but more ‘squeezing’ their voice, creating vocal pain. (See our tips elsewhere for talking more loudly without straining.) · This means that when it is your turn to speak you need to be able to cut through and hold their attention with what you say and how you say it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E571 · Sun, July 24, 2022
0571 - How You Sit Affects Your Video-Call Voice
2022.07.25 – 0571 - How You Sit Affects Your Video-Call Voice How You Sit Affects Your Video-Call Voice Bad posture can affect how you sound: · We are likely to be sitting down · We tend to then look down at the laptop camera, affecting the neck position and then the range of motion and flexibility that your larynx and voice box have, as well as putting a kink in the airflow to the larynx. · All puts a strain on your muscular skeletal system and on the vocal folds as the air passes over them, reducing the breath support for your voice and lowering your resonance. Upgrade your work-station to reduce such problems: · Simply raising your laptop so the camera is in your eye-line will help you keep your head up and spine straight, reducing tension and increasing breath support. · Have an ergonomic chair to reduce the temptation to slouch and slump. And as you are likely to be on a Zoom call while working from home, and therefore likely not to have spoken as much before you start the conversation (perhaps not as much were you to have been in the office), don’t forget some warm-up exercises such as resonate humming or lip trills. (See the tips elsewhere in this book / podcast.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E570 · Sat, July 23, 2022
0570 – How Appearing On Video Calls Affect Your Voice
2022.07.24 – 0570 – How Appearing On Video Calls Affect Your Voice Let’s briefly spend a few days looking at your voice on video such as home-studio webinars or YouTubes and Zoom-type classes or meetings. There is a very real possibility of vocal strain on video-calls because it’s a very different vocal demand: · You sit differently · You strain to be heard over poor quality links · You’re talking to people who appear to be close, but are not actually present VOICE BOX Symptoms of vocal strain include: · Vocal fatigue · Change in vocal quality · Soreness or pain with speaking · Extra coughing or throat clearing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E569 · Fri, July 22, 2022
0569 – A Piece On Earpieces
2022.07.23 – 0569 – A Piece On Earpieces Earpieces Because TV presenters don’t usually wear headphones on screen (although social media video presenters often do), they have small earpieces which perform the same role as headphones, being able to monitor themselves and to hear any directions from the producer in the ‘gallery’ or ‘ops (operations) room’. Alongside those directions, injected directly into the ear through the earpiece, comes not only a countdown but everything said to the camera crews, videotape operators, graphics operators, caption operators, etc. Putting it mildly, it can be a distraction. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E568 · Thu, July 21, 2022
0568 – What To Think Of When Buying Studio Headphones
2022.07.22 – 0568 – What To Think Of When Buying Studio Headphones Headphone considerations A pretty good pair of headphones are worth it: · Not all headphones will make your voice sound the same. You want a pair that reproduces your voice with a sound that you are comfortable with and doesn’t make you wince every time you hear yourself – that will only make you anxious and affect how you sound in the first place · You will be wearing them a lot, so they need to be comfortable, tight enough so they don’t slip, with cushioned ears and a foam headband · A consideration of on- ear or over -ear may be necessary: some people find the over-ear design (in which the whole ear is surrounded) a bit claustrophobic, but they do ensure that you just hear what the mic is hearing, and limits the possibility of ‘bleeding’ and ‘feedback’. · Ones that produce a good stereo sound, especially important if recording a documentary or audio drama, with a mix of speech with music, ambience, and sound effects. These shows are will usually be produced in stereo, so there’ll be a usually subtle difference between what you hear in each ear. · A cable that is long enough and won’t end up as a birds-nest tangle Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E567 · Wed, July 20, 2022
0567 – Headphones: The ‘One Ear On, One Ear Off’ Style
2022.07.21 – 0567 – Headphones: The ‘One Ear On, One Ear Off’ Style The case for only partly wearing headphones Some presenters wear headphones so that one ear is covered and the other is not, as it helps them hear a ‘natural self’ in the studio as well as what they sound like on air: to hear themselves as they actually sound and how the mic and processing is making them sound like. There is a chance in doing this of feedback and that any direction via the talkback is heard through the mic and on air, or on the recording. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E566 · Tue, July 19, 2022
0566 – Why Some Presenters Go ‘Headless’
2022.07.20 – 0566 – Why Some Presenters Go ‘Headless’ The case for not wearing headphones Some voice-overs don’t wear headphones when they record their spot, so they can be more ‘in the moment of the copy’ rather than feel as though they are ‘performing’, and monitoring their melody, pitch and breaths. The thinking goes, and I totally understand this, is that if you are giving yourself feedback and tweaking your performance every moment, maybe convincing yourself you sound great or poor, then you are not ‘connecting’ with the copy and helping it sound believable. It’s also easy to have the ‘I’m in a recording booth’ attitude, rather than the one-to-one engagement of ‘I’m having a conversation with just one person who’s really interested in what I’m saying’. If you do this, record a few takes, then listen back on studio speakers, work out what you can do differently and then record a few more. And it’s certainly true: in the studio you should be concentrating on communicating, that is, what you are saying not what you are sounding like. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E565 · Mon, July 18, 2022
0565 – SQUEAEAEAL!! Headphone Volume And Feedback
2022.07.19 – 0565 – SQUEAEAEAL!! Headphone Volume And Feedback Headphone volume and feedback In a studio you will be able to control the volume of the headphones to a certain extent. This is though, usually limited to stop accidental damage to your ears. It also stops the volume being turned up high so noise does not leak (or ‘bleed’) from them, causing feedback (that high-pitched squeak, which we looked at just now). But remember the volume you hear yourself through your headphones is not the volume in which you are speaking and the level of your voice that is being broadcast or recorded. So be careful not to think, say, “ hey I’m loud, so I can soften my voice ”. What you can hear in your headphones is an artificial reality. If they are too loud you may instinctively speak softer, if they are too low you may speak louder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E564 · Sun, July 17, 2022
0564 – How Wearing Headphones Improves Your Voice
2022.07.18 – 0564 – How Wearing Headphones Improves Your Voice Wearing headphones improves your voice and presentation Wearing headphones gives you immediate feedback on how you sound, and so you can make immediate adjustments to your voice and presentation style. Everything we have talked about so far to do with your voice can be tweaked or turned up, dialled down or downplayed: your pitch and pace, projection and diction. When it comes to delivering quality audio, headphones are your best friend. You want to hear yourself as your mic hears you, not as your ears hear you. That’s what the client will hear, too! The more experience you have with the immediate feedback courtesy of your ‘cans’, the better your voice, presentation and mic technique will become. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E563 · Sat, July 16, 2022
0563 – The Weird Things About Hearing Yourself Through Headphones
2022.07.17 – 0563 – The Weird Things About Hearing Yourself Through Headphones Hearing yourself through headphones “Headphones take your ears from the side of your head and put them right in front of your mouth so you can hear exactly what you sound like to others.” Rachel Corbett, Podcast Trainer [1] Think about it, no-one else on earth hears our voice as we ourselves do. While an audience hears only the sound as vibrations through the air (either in person or via an electronic medium such as loudspeaker or headphones), we hear not only those vibrations through the air (at close range of course, through our ears just a few inches from our mouth), but also ‘internally’ as a result of the vibrations and reflections of sound in our body’s resonators (our chest, mouth and nasal cavities) and also through our skull bone. Only we hear that unique combination of sounds, and so we imagine that others hear us the same way as we hear ourselves. Until we hear a recording. And so, the sound of hearing your voice heard through speakers, headphones or on video for the first time can be unnerving: because we are hearing ourselves as others hear us. You should therefore be careful not to dismiss your voice as ‘funny’, ‘not good enough’ or ‘weird-sounding’: that is your own perception and unlikely to be one shared by others who have always heard you that way. It’s not that we don’t like our voice, it’s just the disconnect between not recognising it – and yet knowing that it is actually us. [1] https://rachelcorbett.com.au/blog/why-headphones-are-important/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E562 · Fri, July 15, 2022
0562 – Three *More* Reasons You Need Studio Headphones
2022.07.16 – 0562 – Three *More* Reasons You Need Studio Headphones · To hear a ‘split feed’, when the sound in one ear of the headphones is different from that of the other. For example, in a radio studio one channel may have the station output (what you would normally expect to hear) and the other maybe output from another source. It can be tricky to cope with hearing two different things at the same time, but as a presenter or newsreader it may be used when you are talking into, say, a sports report, and are waiting for a certain cue (phrase) from the location reporter before you can introduce them on air. To hear the playback of a recorded item To allow a presenter to easily cue-up an item to be played next, without that audio going on air. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E561 · Thu, July 14, 2022
0561 – Three Reasons You Need Studio Headphones
2022.07.15 – 0561 – Three Reasons You Need Studio Headphones Monitors (or loudspeakers / speakers): So we can hear the final mix of recorded audio in a room-situation (that is, without headphones), so several people can hear the same audio at the same time and be able to hear each other’s comments. In a live studio, to enable us to hear the output when a microphone is closed [1] Headphones Why you need headphones To better hear the sound of our own voice or that of a contributor, and monitor the quality of both and fix in the moment rather than in the edits, such as Background noise Speaking levels – avoiding any high or low levels, plosives and so on Editing problems later is time consuming, and may even be impossible to fix. It may be easier to re-record the entire piece again, using more time and removing the spontaneity. To hear any audio that we mix in with our voice, in our live or recorded session, that could be music, a sound effect, or someone else’s voice. To allow a presenter or voice actor to hear instructions from a producer (via a ‘talkback’ intercom system), while they have the microphone open, without it being heard on air or by a guest [2] [1] In a radio studio, songs played on air can be heard by the presenter through loudspeakers. But when they open the microphone, the audio feed to the speakers is cut off. That’s to avoid ‘feedback’, a howl-round loop of sound caused by sound from the speakers being picked up by the microphone and then fed out through the speakers… and so on. As the presenter needs to hear the music and other elements that are going out on air (interviews, commercials and so on), they wear headphones which of course do much the same job as loudspeakers but because they are close to the ears, there is no feedback disruption. [2] You should be able to control the volume of the talkback from the engineer or producer, so it is not too loud or intrusive in your headphones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E560 · Wed, July 13, 2022
0560 – From Microphones To Headphones
2022.07.14 – 0560 – From Microphones To Headphones MONITORS AND HEADPHONES These are all ways to hear audio while in the studio, either the audio that we are creating inside it or audio from another source or from outside the studio. So why are we talking about them hear? Well, a great part of getting a better broadcast, podcast and voice-over voice is not only creating that sound, but also being able to hear it, monitor it, knowing what you are listening for, working out what you are perhaps doing wrong and changing it. This constant listening and feedback is imperative – both second-by-second of your own voice in a live studio, and listening back to the recordings of you and others – if you are to develop your own style. Simply, the mic for the mouth and the headphones for the ears, go, well, hand-in-hand. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E559 · Tue, July 12, 2022
0559 – Using A Mic, Right
2022.07.13 – 0559 – Using A Mic, Right Final mic thoughts The mic is your friend so look after it. Treat it with respect and don’t shout at it. It is there to help you, but it is sensitive. Having said that it simply wants to get on with the job in hand, to make you sound great. So, once it’s set up, leave it alone. Don’t talk to it . By ignoring the microphone and talking to your listener, you will sound more natural and relatable, conversational and real. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E558 · Mon, July 11, 2022
0558 – Studio Bacteria
2022.07.12 – 0558 – Studio Bacteria Pop shields, filters, headphones and desk controls in radio stations are a breeding ground for bacteria and Valhalla for viruses, with all the spit, sweat and skin deposits. They are all spoken into, worn or touched by many people and rarely if ever cleaned. If you value your voice, do what I do (even before Covid-19 struck) and invest in your own pop shield and headphones and wipe down the panel before you use it (only do this in someone else’s studio with permission and use approved wipes as the chemicals in them may affect a panel or screen). Taking in your own headphones, is easily done and causes next to no disruption, although wiping down a studio may be awkward if you are not on a studio shift and are just going in briefly to record a short item, but take precautions. [1] [1] More here: https://technorama.org.au/?p=3521 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E557 · Sun, July 10, 2022
0557 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: Sibilance
2022.07.11 – 0557 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: Sibilance Sibilance This is ‘too much’ (whatever that is) of an ‘s’ sound, and in our line of work the pitch of that sound can be picked up and exaggerated by the microphone (and different types of mic work better with different kinds of voices, picking up different frequencies better), and with podcasts can go right into someone’s ear. There is some fix for the problem (if indeed it is a problem – some may reasonably say that sibilance adds character to the voice and what is too sibilant to one person is not to another), of recording a voice which has a lot of hisses in it or is very ‘essy’. You may be able to reduce the problem by having the mic to one side of your mouth so you are not speaking into it or indeed across it. It’s an issue well-recognised, so much so that audio programs often have a ‘de-esser’ function built in. De-esser https://www.izotope.com/en/learn/the-dos-and-donts-of-de-essing.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E556 · Sat, July 09, 2022
0556 – Pop Screens and Filters
2022.07.10 – 0556 – Pop Screens and Filters Pop filters [1] work by either displacing or slowing down the flow of the air, to make it less aggressive on the mic head. There are two kinds. There’s the foam ‘hat’ that goes directly on the mic head to protect it from windblasts and usually seen on outside mics. But the microphone experts Neuman says these can reduce the treble part of a voice slightly. There’s also the filter that’s a ring of plastic or metal which holds two layers of a thin metal mesh or gauze-type fabric. It’s attached to the mic stand two or three inches away from the mic itself to work effectively, not directly against the head. [2] It’s also a good idea to angle the pop screen slightly to avoid sound reflections bouncing between the screen and the mic head. For a similar reason, large pop screens are better than smaller ones because the ring that holds the fabric may introduce sound reflections, too: the larger the pop screen the further away the outer ring is from the mic. These screens are much more effective against pop noises than foam shields and affect the sound far less, although they can be a bit intrusive as they are larger than the mic head, and you may not be able to read a script as easily or simply feel that it’s getting in the way of you connecting with the mic. [1] Hear sound samples of how pop-screens and filters work, here: https://www.neumann.com/homestudio/en/how-to-protect-your-microphone-against-pops [2] As this short video explains: pic.twitter.com/ekrf1Vg65y Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E555 · Fri, July 08, 2022
0555 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: Popping Ps
2022.07.09 – 0555 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: Popping Ps Plosives (or: ‘pops’) This is the name for the small blast of air that hits the microphone when someone says words starting with the letter ‘p’. Put your hand in front of your mouth and say: “ Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers / A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked ” or “ Peter Rabbit’s burrow ”. Microphones are sensitive to these sounds in a similar way and the rush of air can cause a distortion of the sounds to the listener either live or on a recording. (You’ll remember we looked at plosives and how they are formed way back, in the section on diction.) It is difficult to fix this kind of distortion in a recording, but you could try reducing the level of that millisecond, removing it altogether or (like several of these problems) running that section of audio through an audio production program such as https://www.izotope.com/ You can cut the chances of this happening in the first place by: · Wear headphones so you know it is happening and you can take steps to stop it · Saying such sounds a little more softly · Backing away from the microphone · Turning the microphone at an angle so you are not speaking directly into it · And having a ‘pop shield’ in front of the mic - whether one of gauze attached to the outside of the mic, or foam slipped over the mic’s head. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E554 · Thu, July 07, 2022
0554 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: Off-Mic Audio
2022.07.08 – 0554 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: Off-Mic Audio Off mic audio If your voice is off-mic, it will sound thin, muffled and distant. Move closer to the mic, speaking more clearly across its top (not directly into it, and so avoid ‘plosives’) and with better level-monitoring. Choosing a different type of microphone with an alternative pickup range may also be the answer. Wear headphones so you can monitor the recording as you make it. Sometimes altering the EQ (equalisation) on the voice may help solve part of the problem in ‘post’ (post-production) – but as always prevention is easier than cure! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E553 · Wed, July 06, 2022
0553 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: Mouth Noise
2022.07.07 – 0553 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: Mouth Noise Mouth noise We all have this to some extent, the sound of too much saliva in the mouth, or too little! The sound someone may make as they open their mouth to speak, or move their tongue and lips to form the words, can create an unpleasant noise. Some of this is caused by nerves and not enough saliva to lubricate the mouth, or by eating something recently which can cause too much! The creamy taste of chocolate can cause someone to speak less ‘cleanly’. Tips: drink water rather than coffee; some presenters will brush their teeth immediately before a show to reduce the chances of ‘lip-smack’; move the mic to be off to one side may also help in the recording. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E552 · Tue, July 05, 2022
0552 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: Interference and Hum
2022.07.06 – 0552 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: Interference and Hum Interference and hum This is another kind of distortion, usually from external factors such as air-con units, mobile phone signals (not phones ringing, but when a phone is searching for a carrier), fluorescent or neon lights, computer monitors, fridges, electrical cables and so on. Move away from them or turn them off if possible, put cell-phones into ‘airplane’ mode and uncoil cables. The interference may also be caused by one of the cables you are using, perhaps connecting your mic and the recorder, in which case get it checked out soon in case of a potential fire or electric shock. Hums or buzzes caused by these issues are usually throughout a recording so even more problematic to fix than the others listed here, but you may be able to isolate a second or two of the hum by itself and then instruct an audio program to remove that frequency throughout the recording (although doing this will also remove that frequency from audio that you do not wish to affect). One more thing: some types of electrical hum will not be heard as you monitor a recording but only when you listen back. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E551 · Mon, July 04, 2022
0551 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: Hiss
2022.07.05 – 0551 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: Hiss Hiss (or: ‘static’) This is usually caused when levels are set incorrectly during the recording and so the mic is picking up and boosting the ambient noise of an almost-silent room. It may also be down to a poor-quality microphone or one that has been damaged, or if the mic/line setting on a recorder (or on a connection built into the lead) is set incorrectly – in which case choose the alternate switch. The good news is that this kind of interference is easier to fix in most audio editing programs than some of the others listed here. Isolate a small part of the recording that is only hiss (and not speech or any other noise) and the program will then be able to remove that frequency from the rest of your interview. Remember to do this with the raw material, or you will have to repeat the process for every single edited section! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E550 · Sun, July 03, 2022
0550 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: Echos
2022.07.04 – 0550 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: Echos Echo It’s not quite the same echo as you get when talking in a tunnel or cave, where your sound comes back a split second later, but it’s the same principle: the sound of a voice is reflected off rather than absorbed by the environment in which you are making the recording. This ‘colours’ the voice and makes it sound thin – great if you want to paint a picture of being in a huge empty warehouse but less good if you are not. In fact, that’s a good point, the larger and emptier a room, the greater the problem may be. A good pre-recording check is to clap your hands once and hear what sound you hear – but remember, the mic will pick up noise in a different way from your ears will, as your brain will help compensate for some of the potential distortion. A smaller room, one with carpets and curtains or lots of different edges to break up the soundwaves as they move around the room, will reduce the echo effect as the waves won’t return to the mic at the same time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E549 · Sat, July 02, 2022
0549 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: Recording Distortion
2022.07.03 – 0549 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: Recording Distortion Distortion (or: ‘clipping’, ‘overmodding’) When the equipment is set at too high a level for the incoming audio, the resulting recording is distorted. It is ‘overflowing’ with the sound it is being asked to process. On a level or meter, the needle will barely move from the far-right hand side or lights will be fully-lit in the red. Set the level lower (give it some more ‘headroom’) so the levels can move more comfortably. Keep an eye on levels during a recording and change them as necessary, or simply move the mic further from the source of the loudness: your mouth. Distortion in a recording is usually not fixable – unlike low-level recordings which can be boosted. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E548 · Fri, July 01, 2022
0548 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: Clicks
2022.07.02 – 0548 – Mic Muck-Ups Solved!: Clicks Clicks Seemingly inexplicable clicks and bumps on a recording can often be traced to handling noise from the microphone. In a studio put the mic on mount and simply don’t touch it. Hand-held mics should be gripped firmly but not tightly and fingers should be kept still, as any movement can often be picked up as handling noise. So if you have a ring on your microphone hand, remove it, as mics are particularly susceptible to the small scraping sounds that a ring might make. Also remove any bracelets. Take up any excess slack in the mic cable by looping it around your hand. Some outdoor mic can be fitted with an extra handle (a pistol grip) to reduce handling noise. Clicks or bumps on the recording can also be caused by the lead going into the mic – or the recording unit - being bumped against another object (such as furniture), or if the connections (where the lead goes into the mic or into the recorder) is knocked or pulled. It is difficult to edit these noises out as they are often within the recording. Advanced studio sound problems (From: Broadcast Journalism: Techniques of Radio and Television News (Stewart, Alexander; Routledge 2021) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E547 · Thu, June 30, 2022
0547 – Listen Out For These Common Microphone Muck-Ups
2022.07.01 – 0547 – Listen Out For These Common Microphone Muck-Ups AUDIO TROUBLESHOOTING Basic studio sound problems Forgetting to put the mic on or turn it on – even pros very occasionally omit to attach a lapel mic to themselves or start talking before they have faded their mic up. [1] Forgetting to take it off or turn it off – or walking away from a set and forgetting that people can still hear you, or leaving a mic ‘live’ in the studio and your words still being heard by a production team, or broadcast to listeners. [2] , [3] , [4] The mic picking up sound that it’s not meant to – drumming fingers on a desk, the rustle of a script, the jangling of the presenter’s bangle, a mobile phone ringing in the studio, perhaps because the ‘pickup area’ of that particular microphone has been ignored or misunderstood The mic not picking up the sound it should – as a presenter moves away from it (or conversely, picking up a sudden and unplanned burst of sound or increase in volume as they move closer or suddenly cough or laugh), or perhaps because the ‘pickup area’ of that particular microphone has been ignored or misunderstood, or a lapel mic being incorrectly positioned. Do not touch the mic when you are speaking. Although you may be able to get away with moving a mic arm while on air, touching the stand, or mic itself (easily to do when wearing a lapel mic) will invariably result in a loud sound being broadcast or recorded. The sound is usually reduced with the use of a ‘shock mount’ the ‘cat’s cradle’ of strings that hold the mic in suspension and position and absorbs any movement that it feels. But the rule of thumb: set it and forget it. [1] In 2016 this BBC Breakfast presenter forgot to wear his microphone https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/1780291/blunder-on-bbc-breakfast-as-presenter-forgets-to-wear-his-microphone/ [2] In 2010 the then UK PM Gordon Brown was caught on mic calling Rochdale pensioner Gillian Duffy " bigoted ", when he didn’t realise his microphone had been left attached and ‘live’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEReCN9gO14 [3
S2 E546 · Wed, June 29, 2022
0546 – Noise-Gates and Ducking
2022.06.30 – 0546 – Noise-Gates and Ducking Noise gating controls the loudness at which a sound will be picked up or recorded. If it’s too low a level, it simply will not be allowed to pass through the ‘gate’, which stops background noise such as traffic sounds from being heard. It’s what’s used in Automatic Level Control systems that we looked at earlier. Ducking controls the volume of one sound compared to another, so say a your mic channel takes precedence over that of a guest or music. Ducking won’t eliminate the other sound but it allows the dominant source to better cut through. These settings in a radio studio may be set up for everyone, or there maybe a ‘keycard’ system which allows the system to recognise you and adapt the settings to your particular tone and timbre, that will have been set up in advance with the help of an engineer. It is unlikely that you will be given free reign of the panel to alter the settings yourself. In a recording booth the sound engineer will adjust levels live as you record and also in post-production as part of the overall mix of the audio – together with say a music bed, effects, or jingle. (The above adapted from: https://rode.com/en/about/news-info/how-to-get-the-best-audio-quality-out-of-your-podcast . More at: https://promixacademy.com/course/understanding-audio-essentials-eq-compression-delay-and-reverb/ @promixacademy ) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E545 · Tue, June 28, 2022
0545 – Equalisation, Compressors and De-Essers
2022.06.29 – 0545 – Equalisation, Compressors and De-Essers Equalization – or EQ – is a form of audio processing which allows you (or rather the studio engineer) adjust the volume level of a frequency (or range of frequencies) within a sound. As everyone’s voice is different, this can to a certain extent, cure a sound of its imperfections. Compressors control the loudness of the signal by dampening the ‘peaks’ such as ‘puh’ and ‘tuh’ sounds in words, laughs, and particular ambient sounds. Compression is a complex process, and there are multiple parameters that you can adjust, but overall it can make a vocal sound fuller, tighter, and more well-defined. De-essers reduce the sibilance (the frequency made by ‘ess’, ‘t’, ‘shh’) in a vocal recording. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E544 · Mon, June 27, 2022
0544 – Studio Tech That Could Make Your Voice Sound Great
2022.06.28 – 0544 – Studio Tech That Could Make Your Voice Sound Great Audio Processing There are technical ways (such as EQ and compression) of adjusting the voice that is being (or has been) recorded to enhance it further to give it greater presence, depth and tonal quality. This is something you have done only after you have provided the tech the best possible original signal : having good acoustics and levels for example. Using processers will only enhance good audio, they won’t cure crap sound. So on the way over the next few days, we’ll hear about equalisation, compressors and de-Essers, noise gating and ducking. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E543 · Sun, June 26, 2022
0543 – Mike’s Mic Problem: A Case Study
2022.06.27 – 0543 – Mike’s Mic Problem: A Case Study Mike was referred for voice help by his studio engineer – a rather unusual route to consultation. The engineer’s problem was that where he placed the microphone, it would always pick up Mike’s breaths, and he determined that it was Mike at fault and not the studio equipment. And he was right! There could have been several reasons for the audible intake of breaths. Maybe Mike was breathing through his nose rather than his mouth, and because of the reduced air intake that way, his breath ended up sounding more like a sniff. Maybe he was ‘vocalising the breath’ alongside a ‘lip smack’ – a duo of problems that often go together when a presenter audibly ‘sucks in’ air through a partly-closed (and often an elevated tongue), rather than letting it ‘drop in’. Actually, it turned out that Mike was breathing from his chest rather than his diaphragm, causing ‘constriction tension’ in the neck. Better breathing and relaxation techniques were prescribed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E542 · Sat, June 25, 2022
0542 – Your Mic Levels Mixed With Music
2022.06.26 – 0542 – Your Mic Levels Mixed With Music Your levels with music We looked at the use of music beds before, but the important thing to remember here is the balance of levels between the music and your voice. Many beginners tend to have background music too high because they aren’t sure of their voices and their overall confidence, and so use the bed to cover them a bit. It’s a bit of a safety net. This is a mistake and should be avoided. Invariably, your voice must be the dominant sound without you having to shout over the backing track. Again, if you do this, your voice may appear aggressive to the listener and the way your message is received will be altered. The trouble is you can’t really use the VU meters to judge whether the music is too high against the voice, because you often have two sounds going through the audio board only one set of meters – showing the overall mixed level. Therefore, you need to use your ears, experience and careful judgment to create a good balance between two sounds when you’re mixing them. Equally of course, the background can’t be too low or you’ll lose the effect of having it there in the first place! (See more on this below: ‘ducking’.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E541 · Fri, June 24, 2022
0541 – Your Mic Levels With Headphones
2022.06.25 – 0541 – Your Mic Levels With Headphones Your levels with headphones If you notice a lower level in your headphones, you might begin to speak more loudly to compensate, and suddenly you’re in a situation of talking at the listener, rather than telling them a story, or chatting with them in a conversational way, and lessening the ability to communicate with them. Incidentally, the best way to tell your sound levels are set correctly is to always use headphones, and to have them turned up high enough to drown out your normal speaking voice. Anything too loud will cross the threshold of pain and soon have you reaching for the volume control. There’s more on the correct use of headphones, in a bit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E540 · Thu, June 23, 2022
0540 – Mics At Noisy Events
2022.06.24 – 0540 – Mics At Noisy Events VOICE BOX Mics at a Noisy Event If you are simply shouting over other noises (perhaps to convey the excitement of the event [1] ) then: · you may not be using the right type of microphone · you probably need to be wearing headphones so you can isolate the sound that the mic is picking up (rather than what you are hearing at that location), and determine the balance between ‘situational sound’ and your voice. Once you know this you may be able to: o reduce your vocal volume or o move to a quieter location or o move the microphone closer or further from your mouth or o adjust the ‘input level’ of your microphone or o move the microphone so its pick-up pattern is better reproducing the sound you want or o a combination of the above. · you will be putting undue strain on your voice · you will be tiring to listen to for any length of time because… · you will lose subtleties of inflection. [1] As we have seen elsewhere, if you raise your volume then your pitch will also rise. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E539 · Wed, June 22, 2022
0539 – The Magic Balance Between Mic Position, Projection and Recording Levels
2022.06.23 – 0539 – The Magic Balance Between Mic Position, Projection and Recording Levels You can increase the basic loudness of your voice by turning up the gain [1] on your mic, but this will make you sound thin and weak, partly because more room noise is also being picked up by the mic, for which you have increased the sensitivity. In other words, your voice will be louder, but it won’t have more energy, projection or robustness. We’re talking sheer naked ‘volume’. Audio processing makes sure that recorded voices are heard by the listener at roughly the same level, so they don’t have to grab the remote to turn up the TV as a whispered boardroom coup takes place, or turn it down as a soap opera showdown kicks off. It’s easier to pull back the energy and add it in later, than have it too loud to start with. Recorded audio that’s been recorded too loud and so ‘overmodding’ or ‘distorted’ is virtually impossible to fix. Therefore, it’s best to get the mic-to-mouth position and the dependent mic levels correct at the get-go, so nothing has to be changed later. [1] When a microphone channel is fully open, it is not actually picking up sound at its full capability. An additional knob, (‘the gain control’) can boost the incoming signal (your voice) so it is broadcast or recorded louder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E538 · Tue, June 21, 2022
0538 – Maddening Over-Modding
2022.06.22 – 0538 – Maddening Over-Modding On occasion it may be impossible to anticipate external noise and so be unable to use any of the techniques described above, and therefore over-modding may be the (almost) inevitable result. For example: at a sports event when a goal is scored (or at a presidential event when a political point is scored) and “ the crowd goes wild ”; at a carnival or parade when a marching band passes by; on a street with the unexpected siren of an emergency vehicle and so on. In such situations a deft reporter or studio engineer will simply have to ‘ride the faders’; and adjust the incoming audio levels ‘on the fly’ to avoid distortion in the live feed or recording. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E537 · Mon, June 20, 2022
0537 – How To Fix A Recorded Level That’s Too High… Or Low
2022.06.21 – 0537 – How To Fix A Recorded Level That’s Too High… Or Low If your mic level is too low Your ‘live’ level can be boosted, not just with the main microphone channel but also the booster ‘gain’ setting’. But this may also increase the background noise from the studio that’s picked up, that is the general ambience of the room, as well as making the mic more sensitive to your own mouth noises. If audio has been recorded at too low a level, it’s pretty easy to raise it higher without a change in quality. If your recorded or live volume is too high Voice volume per se is seldom needed in studio broadcasting. That is, it is rarely necessary for you to raise your voice as you can simply speak at a near-normal level and increase the input on your microphone channel so it boosts the level of the sound that it captures. Additional human-produced volume may be needed outside of a sound-proofed studio where other noises will compete for the microphone’s attention. And that’s when distortion of ‘over modding’ may happen (which we’ll talk about more tomorrow). To stop this in a live situation you can either pull away from the mic, or pull the fader down a touch, or move somewhere quieter. But if the levels have been recorded too high, there’s very little you can do except retake the entire piece again. Compare that with if levels have been recorded too low when, with digital recording, you can boost them significantly without altering the quality of the piece. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E536 · Sun, June 19, 2022
0536 – Automatic Level Control
2022.06.20 – 0536 – Automatic Level Control Automatic Level Control versus Manual In a home recording studio, your mixing desk or the recording set-up on a video call may have an ‘automatic level control’ that you can ‘set and forget’. They keep signals below distortion point, and when they fall too low they cut in and boost the signal upwards. But adjusting the recording levels manually gives you more control and creative freedom. You can use your professional judgement to choose settings to perfectly match different circumstances, instead of passing control to the machine, whose systems were designed to cope with ideal conditions. Another drawback to some ALC systems is the problem of ‘pumping’, which can happen when there is a pause in speech and the ALC hunts for sound to boost the levels. If there is a lot of background noise, such as passing traffic or an AC unit in your home studio, the ALC will surge this forward whenever you stop talking for much more than a moment. Then when you start talking again, the first word may be clipped as the system struggles to cope with the sudden surge or sound. None of these problems can occur with a manual recording that is correctly monitored, but having to monitor levels means your attention is divided between the tech and the talking. Using ALC means you can save your concentration for the most critical element – the content. If you must use ALC do so under perfectly quiet conditions. A better solution is to set the levels manually and monitor them by listening on headphones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E535 · Sat, June 18, 2022
0535 – Why A Studio Engineer Wants To Know About Your Breakfast
2022.06.19 – 0535 – Why A Studio Engineer Wants To Know About Your Breakfast When asked for “ a bit for level ”, it is surprisingly difficult to think of what to say! It sounds obvious but many people simply say “testing, testing … 1,2,3,4,5” or “Mary had a little lamb” or a producer may use the classic line “tell me what you had for breakfast”. But all of those are too short and don’t encourage you to speak in the same way as you will do when you are ‘live’. Your volume may differ, as too may your tone of voice. It also needs to be a sentence or two so the producer or engineer has time to adjust any settings on their desk or console to better reproduce your special tonal qualities. So read from your actual script with the same presentation style, volume and vitality, position and posture as you will later on. A sound engineer may ask you to talk slightly differently (“ a bit softer ” or “ pull away from the mic a touch ”). Comply with their request and carry on talking until you are asked to stop. The tip is: say in rehearsal what you will say in reality, say it in the same way, and position yourself in relation to the mic just as you will ‘for real’. Whatever you do, don’t ‘test the mic’ by tapping it or blowing into it. A microphone is sensitive and doing either of these will damage it. You may also be asked at this point to say your name and the name of the product or script “ for the tape”, so that there is an audio record of whose voice follows on the recording. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E534 · Fri, June 17, 2022
0534 – “A Bit For Level, Please”
2022.06.18 – 0534 – “A Bit For Level, Please” “A bit for level” Part of working out your correct mic position before you start recording or go live, will involve of course, you speaking in to the mic so your voice can be heard by you (wearing headphones) and by any engineer you might have (in a control room), and correct recording levels can be set. This is to check: The microphone, its channel and signal are working – a microphone such as lapel clip-on mic may have an on/off switch on it, or its battery back, or transmitter unit; the battery in the unit may be drained or faulty; there may be signal interference from the transmitter to the receiver; a studio mic may have been unplugged for some reason or the desk fader which controls its volume may be dirty and lead to crackling on air; or it may have been turned around leading a speaker to be ‘off mic’ and not heard properly. The level or loudness of your voice – so correct levels can be set for you so they are regulated with those of other guests or sound sources The proximity of your voice to the microphone – to avoid issues such as plosives distorting the clarity of your voice Any additional interference – for example, if a clip-on mic was too close to and picking up noise from a necklace or chain; hidden under clothing which rustled ‘on mic’; picked up the ‘searching for signal’ noise from a mobile phone which had been left on. As we have seen you may need to get a little closer or more distant from the mic (with all the other considerations that that will bring), and/or turn up the mic input level (or ‘gain’) so that your voice level appears louder on the air or on the recording. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E533 · Thu, June 16, 2022
0533 – Don’t Interfere With the Sound Engineer
2022.06.17 – 0533 – Don’t Interfere With the Sound Engineer A quick word to be kind to your sound engineer. This is the person in a voiceover or dubbing studio who is likely to be doing the technical side of things such as setting up your microphone, monitoring levels, doing the actual recording and playing back those recordings to a client. Another role will be turning on your talkback (the intercom system between the director and you in the studio) so you can hear (or not) the conversations about your read between a client and a director. They will also pass on their expertise to a director, for example on the tone of the voice, what ‘take’ is best, whether different versions can be cut together and so on. As well as other studio staff, the engineer is your friend. They can make you sound good! Always treat that mic as ‘live’, so no swearing or complaining or criticising the script, the client, the pay or the coffee, even under your breath. You don’t know who is listening… As your microphone is always likely to be on, don’t tap it, or cough or burp into it as it will go straight into their ears. And ensure you eat something (but not a huge meal) before you go into the studio. OK you may be nervous and not feel like it, but it can happen that stomach growling or rumbling [1] can be picked up by a sensitive microphone in a sound-proofed booth, and compromise recordings. [1] Borborigmus is the fantastically onomatopoeic word meaning " a rumbling sound made by the movement of gas in the intestines ". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E532 · Wed, June 15, 2022
0532 – Why You Need To Love Your LUFS
2022.06.16 – 0532 – Why You Need To Love Your LUFS Sound levels are gauged with decibels and ‘LKFS’ and LUFS’ [1] and on studio displays which light up vertically, or with needles that wiggle, but essentially your ‘moment-by-moment’ level should pretty much always be in a yellow-to-green area, with very occasional short peaks into a red. Or if you have a level marked up, around -10dB, or ‘peaking to PPM 6’ [2] , When recording for a podcast your host will most likely want Apple’s required level of -16 LUFS, that is the average loudness over the entirety of the piece Broadcasters mostly want -24 LUFS (U.S) of -23 LUFS (the rest of the world), so as James Cridland from www.podnews.net points out “if you were to take an audio file made for broadcast radio and upload it as a podcast, it would be too quiet”. [3] An engineer can use a ‘compression’ device to give the impression that a sound is louder than it actually is, by making it sound ‘fuller’. (There’s more on this a bit later.) [1] They are both the same and sometimes referred to as ‘integrated loudness’. LKFS (‘Loudness, K-weighted, relative to Full Scale’ and LUFS (‘Loudness Unit Full Scale’) are both the unit of measurement used to quantify a piece of audio's perceived loudness by analyzing the average level over time. LUFS is written in negative numbers, so -30 LUFS is quieter than -10 LUFS. They are a standard loudness measurement unit used for audio normalization in broadcast television systems and other video and music streaming services. [2] BBC recommendations for its studio staff, here: https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/radio/commissioning/TechnicalSpecificationRadio.pdf [3] https://podnews.net/article/lufs-lkfs-for-podcasters Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E531 · Tue, June 14, 2022
0531 – Loudness Standards
2022.06.15 – 0531 – Loudness Standards In a network or voice-over studio, a sound engineer will adjust your volume settings so the volume of voice is balanced with a similar level of those of other sources, be they of other guests or music. (In smaller studios or for podcasting and so on, you will of course have to do this yourself.) A consistent level is necessary so the listener isn’t forced to keep increasing the volume themselves. It’s called ‘normalisation’. Imagine how annoying it would be if a radio station had the presenter at one sound level and then a piece of music at another, or if one podcast was at a different level to the next in playlist and so on. That’s why there is a recommended standard volume setting not only for each programme but also for the whole broadcast industry (and by default podcasts, video channels and other services such as Spotify and so on). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E530 · Mon, June 13, 2022
0530 – How Recording Levels Affect Your Voice
2022.06.14 – 0530 – How Recording Levels Affect Your Voice So, you have optimised your recording space as far as you are able, and learnt about mic technique – knowledge of each will help you ‘get a better broadcast, podcast or voice-over voice’. So let’s move on to the actual recording of your sound, with a look at ‘loudness’. But we’re not so much looking at your own ‘projection’ or volume – which we looked at in some depth previously – but at what level that is recorded at. In this next section we’ll discuss why there’s a standard setting of levels, so even though you may shout a line when you need to, it’s unlikely to be recorded at that same volume. That is, the perception of projection comes more in the style of the read rather than in the actual level at which it was recorded. We’ll take a look what the industry-standard voice recording levels are, how to mix your voice with effects and music, and if there’s anything you can do if your voice is recorded too high or too low. I’ll also explain audio processing: automatic level control, equalisation, compressors, de-essers, noise gates and ducking … all of which help you get a better recorded voice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E529 · Sun, June 12, 2022
0529 – What To Wear ‘On-Mic’
2022.06.13 – 0529 – What To Wear ‘On-Mic’ What you wear ‘on mic’ The microphone is a sensitive piece of equipment which will ‘hear’ everything it can. That means your voice, your breathing, the squeak of a chair, the rustle of clothing or scripts. So when a microphone is open, move and act with care. This also includes not clicking your pen or tapping your feet. ‘Jangling jewellery’ will be heard on a mic, so might a stiff cotton shirt, leather trousers as you cross your legs or shift in your seat. Do what you can to reduce rattles and rustles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E528 · Sat, June 11, 2022
0528 – On-Mic Breathing
2022.06.12 – 0528 – On-Mic Breathing Take a breath before opening the mic, so the first thing a listener hears is a word not a gasp. Also beware of lip-smacks when you take subsequent breaths when you are on air at the start of a new story or paragraph. This is the sound that occurs when you take a breath and utter a habitual ‘wet kiss’ sound (or ‘tsk’) as you open your mouth. It can be an unconscious habit and once spotted, very annoying to listeners. It can also be interpreted as a single ‘tutting sound’, as though you are judging what you or someone else has just said. Gasped-in breaths during a read can be caused by nerves: people perhaps worried that they’ll run out of air and want to take a big lungful - what you’d do in a ‘freeze situation, or if you were about to run away. As we have seen before, a big breath will: · Cause tension in the neck and throat and shoulders · Causes big pressure in your throat, all that air ready to rush out. So, relax! Remember you don’t need to suck air in, it’s done naturally to even out the pressure lost once you have let it out. You don’t need to think about it at all – after all you do it naturally most of the day, and certainly all of the night when you are asleep. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E527 · Fri, June 10, 2022
0527 – The Off-Chance of Being Off-Mic
2022.06.11 – 0527 – The Off-Chance of Being Off-Mic It may sound obvious but make sure that you know which part of the microphone to talk into! With some you talk into the top, with others you talk into the side. Added to that, different mics pick up noise from different areas (their ‘pick-up pattern’), so that could be more from the front and back and not much from the sides, or only from the front and so on. So, if you are talking into the wrong part of it, then you will be ‘off mic’ and your voice will sound thin, weedy and distant – which hardly aids effective communication. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E526 · Thu, June 09, 2022
0526 – Speaking On Mic
2022.06.10 – 0526 – Speaking On Mic Speaking on mic So you are in the booth and you have your script stand, then you need to work out how you can talk into the microphone, but also be able to read from the script. You have to try and read it ‘through’ the pop-screen or stand, or off to one side slightly, or even up higher than the mic. One thing you shouldn’t do is have the script too far below the mic so you have to look down to read it. Doing this will cause a crease in your neck and constrict your airway. So, try and have the script printed off in large type, or expand the size on your screen, so you can see it more clearly. And arrive at the studio in good time so you can, with a director’s permission, adjust the placement of script and mic (and the stand) to the best and most comfortable position for you, and the best sound quality. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E525 · Wed, June 08, 2022
0525 – Finding The ‘Sweet Spot’
2022.06.09 – 0525 – Finding The ‘Sweet Spot’ Having said that, a greater mic-to-mouth distance will give your voice a lighter pitch, with more treble, a thinness to the sound and more of the room acoustics, especially if you turn up the recording level. Conversely, standing away from the mic and raising the voice can make it sound as though you are speaking live on location – useful for giving a lift to studio commentary over outdoor scenes or sound effects. But somewhere in between will be a ‘sweet spot of sound’ where the mic will enhance the deeper bass tones in your voice. With the help of a studio sound engineer if you have one, try various mics and positions according to you and your surroundings to find that the ‘Goldilocks’ position of the mic (not too close, not too distant, but just right). Another consideration is not to speak directly into the mic, but across it or from one side. Again, this will depend on your personal preference of mic location (within the parameters of it still working well!), and the kind of mic it is (different designs of mic pick up sounds from different areas around the head: its ‘pick-up pattern’). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E524 · Tue, June 07, 2022
0524 – How To Get The ‘Barry White’ Effect
2022.06.08 – 0524 – How To Get The ‘Barry White’ Effect VOICE BOX Moving the mic slightly towards or away from you raises other issues to do with what’s called The Proximity effect. This is a phenomenon that leads to an increase in low frequency response, the shorter the distance is between mic and mouth. This can create problems, but at the same time it opens up ways to shape the sound. Close mic work – the pros · Your voice (especially those which are naturally lower to start with) can sound bigger, fatter and ‘sexier’. Late night radio presenters use the close-mike technique to make their voices sound as sexy and intimate as someone whispering sweet nothings into your ear. Where a voice is naturally lacking in richness, close mic work can sometimes help compensate. · Close mic work may encourage you to talk more softly Close mic work – the cons · Your voice can sound thick, muddy and muffled if you get too close or misuse the ‘Effect’ · It has little change on voices of a naturally higher pitch · Close mic technique may make it more likely that your breaths and mouth clicks are picked up · It’s more likely that ‘plosives’ – the short burst of air heard ion words that start with ‘b’ and ‘p’ sounds – are exaggerated · There’s a greater chance of distorted recordings (‘overmodding’), so make sure you turn down the recording level when you get closer to the mic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E523 · Mon, June 06, 2022
0523 – Why Six Inches Is A Great Length
2022.06.07 – 0523 – Why Six Inches Is A Great Length So, what is “the right mic-to-mouth position”? It’s usually about 6-8 inches’ distance. Indeed, a good rule of thumb is the literal rule of thumb, the distance between the ‘noise creator’ of your mouth and the ‘noise receiver’, the mic, should be around about the same as the span between splayed tip-of-thumb to tip-of-small-finger, or a bit longer than a pen. Wearing headphones (we’ll come to more about headphones later), you will get to realise the exact best distance depending on: The type of mic Your volume Your closeness-comfort to the mic – some people simply do not like the mic too close to their mouth or face. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E522 · Sun, June 05, 2022
0522 – Microphone Headsets
2022.06.06 – 0522 – Microphone Headsets Some radio presenters as well as podcasters and YouTubers use microphone headsets in which the mic is incorporated into the headphones, similar to the ones you might imagine an air traffic controller wearing. The mics on these are obviously smaller than a desk mic, but shop around and you can find good quality ones. The advantage is that you are never off-mic and you don’t bend your head to speak into mic on a desk stand. Also, it means that you can gesture without the worry of knocking a microphone. The disadvantages are that popping is more likely as the mic is so near your mouth, and you can look a little ‘unusual’… (What is ‘popping’? We’ll come to that in a bit…) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E521 · Sat, June 04, 2022
0521 – Reading Scripts From A Screen
2022.06.05 – 0521 – Reading Scripts From A Screen In 2020, I started to read radio news bulletins from a screen. Before that, scripts were always printed out and reading them on air often meant that your head was nodded down to look at sheet on the desk in front of you. That of course cause a ‘kink’ in the throat and a subsequent reduction in the quality of presentation. Now, off-screen reading means that my head is naturally held up, allowing a better flow of air, and (hopefully!) better presentation. That’s not the case in every studio of course: some have screens sunk into the desk to allow for a better view of the presenter on in-studio cameras set up for social media livestreams. If you can’t read off screen for some reason (perhaps you are recording a podcast with a colleague and the video link is on your screen instead), then either: · firmly hold each sheet up, to cause you to lift your head up · prop your script against the screen of your laptop, so you can still see your video and your own camera is not obscured. This will also mean that when you glance to one side to read, or adlib from your script, your eyes are not far from the lens so you will still appear ‘connected’ with your audience have your script on a second electronic device perhaps on an adjustable arm or goose-neck, or printed out and on script rest or even (if you are standing) a music stand. Having it at head height will save you bending your neck and so restrict your airflow and vocal quality. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E520 · Fri, June 03, 2022
0520 – The Mic-To-Mouth Position
2022.06.04 – 0520 – The Mic-To-Mouth Position Mic position Look back at earlier in the book when we discovered how to sit and breath better. Hopefully you are still using that ‘home balanced-breathing position’ (from which you can vary slightly), to enable a good flow of air to and from your lungs. In a TV studio it is sometimes ‘natural’ urge to lean in to the camera, but doing so squashes the abdomen. In the audio studio, try not to lean into the microphone to read as this will alter your ‘home position’ and disrupt the good work that you have achieved. Instead move the microphone towards you. If you are podcasting or radio broadcasting, ensure that the microphone is at the right position for you. That’s easy if it’s on an adjustable ‘Anglepoise’ or ‘scissor arm’ holder, as you can sit up and hold your head up for airflow, and have the mic at mouth-height. If you can, move the mic to you: leaning towards it will create skeletal and therefore, vocal, tension. But what if the mic is on a desk stand? It may be that you have to crick your neck down to talk into it, or even hunch over. Both of these actions will reduce your ability to practice affective breathing and breath control. In fact, if, when presenting for radio or a podcast, you act as though you are on camera and being beamed into living rooms, you may naturally sit up and be more alert than you would be, alone in a radio booth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E519 · Thu, June 02, 2022
0519 – Mic Stands, Arms and Mounts
2022.06.03 – 0519 – Mic Stands, Arms and Mounts Mic stands, arms and mounts It makes sense that desk mics are those on a stand, on a desk. And touch of the base of the stand, or a knock of the desk itself, may likely be heard through the microphone. That’s why many studios have the main mic held in an Anglepoise-type arm, which can often be adjustable inasmuch as you can alter the height or distance from you, to get that Goldilocks position that you are comfortable with. However, it’s a sad fact that some professionally-designed studios have the arm clamped to the desk in such a way that either the arm or the mic itself partly obscures the screen that you are reading from. Other studios have mics suspended from the ceiling in a carefully balanced combination of wires, which are less easy to alter for height or distance. Whether on an arm or from the ceiling, the mics are unlikely to be simply clipped into a clamp, but held in place in a ‘cats cradle’ of taught elastic. These are often called ‘shock mounts’ [1] . Studio microphones are deliberately designed to pick up low frequencies but that means they are also very sensitive to rumble and vibrations (properly called “structure borne noise” or “impact noise”). But you can only make use of the ability to record bass frequencies if they aren’t drowned in rumble noises. Hence, the elastic suspension. Such a mount also helps protect the recording from accidental bumps on the mic stand, because they dampen the impact noise before it even reaches the mic. Such mounts are delicate and intricate, so don’t go moving them without knowing just what you are doing! In fact, don’t go touching the mic at all unless you know that it is OK to do so. Certainly, don’t tap or blow in to it to “check it works”, or even touch or tap the base or stand. [1] Hear sound samples with and without shock mounts: https://www.neumann.com/homestudio/en/do-i-really-need-a-shock-mount Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E518 · Wed, June 01, 2022
0518 – Types Of Mics
2022.06.02 – 0518 – Types Of Mics Types of mics Most microphones in audio studios are on table stands or arms fixed to the desk which are height and/or distance-adjustable. TV presenters use either fixed, direction mics out of shot on the studio ceiling or, more likely small lapel mics powered by a battery/transmitter pack attached to their belt or (under a skirt or trousers) to their leg, or in a pocket. Handheld mics, or those on a pole (a ‘boom’) are used outside and are usually with an inbuilt battery and transmitter, or are cabled. Different microphones have different pick-up patterns [1] , meaning they ‘hear’ sound from different directions around their head. Therefore, if you know you are going to be in a noisy situation, you can use a mic which will pick up more of your voice and less of, say, the sound of a crowd. That’s why sports commentators use close-use lip-mics in noisy stadiums, and sound recording engineers filming outdoors on the set of a TV drama will use unseen but highly-directional shotgun mics which will pick up the actor’s voices, but not the sound of other people or traffic. These, like the AT-875R, may also be useful in a home recording booth as they help pick up the voice, but not extraneous sounds from your family, the neighbours or the street. How to pick the right mic: https://www.voices.com/blog/how_to_pick_the_right_microphone/ Remember: A great mic and poor studio will just give a great recording of an awful sound. Everything has to work together to get an optimum, quality recording of your newly-discovered great voice. [1] Hear sound samples of different kinds of microphones and their pick-up patterns, here: https://www.neumann.com/homestudio/en/what-is-a-dynamic-microphone and https://www.neumann.com/homestudio/en/what-is-a-condenser-microphone and https://www.neumann.com/homestudio/en/cardioid-omni-figure-8-why-do-microphones-have-different-pickup-patterns and https://www.neumann.com/homestudio/en/difference-between-large-and-small-diaphragm-microphones <p style='color:grey; font-size:0.7
S2 E517 · Tue, May 31, 2022
0517 – What You Need To Know About How Mics Affect Your Voice
2022.06.01 – 0517 – What You Need To Know About How Mics Affect Your Voice OK now we are in the studio, the next important piece of kit to make the most of your voice is of course, the mic. Speaking with a microphone is different from speaking with another human being. And there are various ‘mic environments’ each of which will make your presentation and voice projection a little different: Using a microphone to amplify your voice – for example in an auditorium where there are hundreds of real live people Using a microphone to transmit your voice – for example in a radio studio where there are thousands of people listening, but they are not with you and cannot see you Using a microphone to transmit your voice – for example in a radio studio where there are thousands of people listening, but they are not with you and cannot see you, but where there are also people in the studio with you and you are talking to them as you might do as though you were not on air. Using a microphone to transmit your voice – for example in a TV studio where there are thousands of people watching who can see you and your body language. Using a microphone to record your voice – for example for a podcast which is a much more intimate experience as people tend to listen alone and with headphones or buds directly in their ears, rather than radio which is consumed in a more communal setting such as a kitchen or car. Using a microphone to record your voice – for example for a video, where people can also see you and your body language. As far as we are concerned with this book/podcast, we need to be aware of how ‘everything to do with mics’ can affect your voice, from their pick up patterns, the stands they sit on, how near or far they are from you, how you speak in to them, what you wear when you are near them… …as well of course as the type of mic, which we’ll look at tomorrow… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E516 · Mon, May 30, 2022
0516 – The Clap Test For A Better Voice
2022.05.31 – 0516 – The Clap Test For A Better Voice The Clap Test As you are treating your room, check the acoustic changes you have made by carrying out the ‘clap test’: stand in the middle of your space and make a single sharp clap. How does the sound, well, sound? It should sound crisp and clear, with no other echoes, thinness or muffles. The technical term is that is should sound ‘dead’ (with few reflections of sound), rather than ‘live’. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E515 · Sun, May 29, 2022
0515 – Treating Your Studio: At The Very Least Do This
2022.05.30 – 0515 – Treating Your Studio: At The Very Least Do This If sound-treatment is challenging for you to try to at least do three things: · Have a sound-wave absorber on your table – as you will be sitting here in front of the mic and the recording device, your voice is likely to bounce off the hard surface and back into the mic, changing its effect. A towel or a large gaming mouse pad will help deaden the acoustic. · Isolate the back of the microphone – you will be facing and speaking into the mic, but much of your sound will go past it, perhaps to a wall or window the other side and then bounce back towards the mic. A portable sound booth or an isolation shield may help to a certain extent. You may be able to create a home-made version using a clothes airer and a heavy towel or duvet, or propping up a soft cat-bed behind the mic. · Isolate the wall behind your back – yeah, don’t forget this area: sound that goes past the mic, hits a wall and returns may very well then hit the wall behind you and come back for a third try at the mic-head. Not having this space covered may create an echoey effect in the room, so treat it too. I have a portable clothes rail on wheels, over which I can drape a heavy duvet. I pull it behind me just before I record. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E514 · Sat, May 28, 2022
0514 – The Difference Between Sound ‘Proofing’ and Sound ‘Treating’
2022.05.29 – 0514 – The Difference Between Sound ‘Proofing’ and Sound ‘Treating’ There is a difference between ‘sound-proofing’ and ‘sound-treating’. The former is stopping the unwanted sound getting in and can be a big an expensive job, whereas sound treating is quicker, cheaper and easier and involves working with the sounds inside the room. Ideally, they will both be done, but if you can’t then certainly do the latter: ‘treating’ the inside of the space, reducing sounds within it from bouncing around, so they are absorbed rather than creating a thin ‘echo’ effect with sound waves bouncing off hard surfaces and re-entering the mic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E513 · Fri, May 27, 2022
0513 – All About Acoustics
2022.05.28 – 0513 – All About Acoustics What is in your studio space is important for your voice because if your sound bounces around too much, it will appear to be ‘thin’ and ‘hollow’ rather than warm and natural. Then consider how the room itself sounds: the acoustics. · The size of the room – usually a smaller room is going to be easier to be less echo-ey and easier to ‘sound-treat’ than a larger one, a lower ceiling preferable to a higher one. But too small a room and it will get hot, claustrophobic for any length of time – all affecting your stress levels and so, your voice – and the shorter distance from your mouth to a hard surface (off which your voice can bounce) is smaller, and so will affect the recording. · The layout of the room – flat and straight-angled walls, floors and ceilings will make it easy for sound to bounce off them in a uniform way (‘sound reflection’), which is not what you want. · What is on the walls and floors – hard surfaces lead to more ‘wave bouncing’, so avoid plain plastered walls (although hard walls from a brick of concrete are better than popular drywall for stopping external noises getting in), wooden floors and windows. Add mass to the walls to reduce noise and vibrations getting in. Seal gaps around windows. Cover surfaces with soft (and ideally heavy) fabrics carpets and curtains (sofas and furniture covered with fabric work as absorbers). Break up naked wall surfaces with anything from pictures and shelves, furniture, curtains or sound-absorbing panels. Pay particular attention to corners where two walls or two walls and a ceiling connects. Cork, rubber, and foam insulation are common methods of soundproofing that can be found at your local hardware store. You can use foam rollers (typically used for stretching and rolling out sore muscles) or yoga blocks to fill the corners. The more irregular angles, shapes, and rugged surfaces in your room, the greater the chance it will better diffuse your voice into the mic. And the more sound-absorbent material is in the room (within reason), the greater the chance of reduce the echo effect in the space. There’s a good reason why many people record in their walk-in wardrobe: a small space with lots of clothes… [1] [1] There’s more techy stuff on sound waves and acoustics here: https://improvepodcast.com/podcasting-room-acoustics-how-your-room-impacts-your-audio-quality/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informati
S2 E512 · Thu, May 26, 2022
0512 – How The Studio Space Affects Your Voice
2022.05.27 – 0512 – How The Studio Space Affects Your Voice THE STUDIO Recording location The studio space will affect your voice because too much other noise may be a distraction, you may be lost in the mix, or the acoustics of the room will simply alter how your voice sounds. Outside of a professional recording studio, the podcaster will ideally choose a recording location that has the least amount of background noise or the one which will be easiest to soundproof. So, review any potential location from the perspective of the least amount of noise: · Outside noises getting in – such as neighbours, traffic, animals (birds), weather (wind & rain), plumbing. · Internal sound sources – computer fans, air conditioning, pipework, or any other noisy equipment. Consider turning them off while you record, or having your mic as far from them as possible. Stopping outside noises interfering with your recording is a matter of sound-proofing the room that you are using as your studio. The aim is to stop virtually all external noises being heard inside. It can be a big and expensive job with the possibility of suspended ceilings or floating floors and padded with sound-deadening foam and air-space. There are plenty of companies that will sell you acoustically treated isolation booths that you can construct in your existing room – a ‘room within a room’ if you like - ( https://www.acousticabins.com/ https://www.kubevocalbooth.com/ https://whisperroom.com/ ) or of course you can build one yourself. But for a basic alternative: · Have a home studio in the quietest part of your home, probably upstairs and at the back of the house to reduce road noise, · Consider recording at the quietest part of the day - perhaps on Sunday morning at 7 when the neighbours are quietest, rather than in the morning rush hour when the road outside may get busier. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E511 · Wed, May 25, 2022
0511 – What’s Stuff About The Studio Got To Do With My Voice?
2022.05.26 – 0511 – What’s Stuff About The Studio Got To Do With My Voice? What’s all this got to do with my voice? Knowing more about studios, mics and the electronic processing of your voice will simply help you sound better. For example, knowing the best mic for your voice, how far to sit from it, how to hold it and what side to speak into. Knowing this, as well as the rest of the studio paraphernalia will help you become more relaxed in the booth and as we have already seen, that will help you produce a more relaxed and resonant tone, and turn in a better performance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E510 · Tue, May 24, 2022
0510 - Your Voice In The Studio
2022.05.25 – 0510 – Your Voice In The Studio This Part of the book is divided into three chapters. First, we will look at the different equipment in the studio. Don’t worry we won’t be getting too technical and talk about the transmission chain, but there are a few bits of kit in a home or pro studio that you need to know about and about how to use it right to make the best of your voice. For example, there’s no point doing breathing exercises and great resonance if you don’t know which side of a mic to speak into (yep, it happens), or have ‘headphone howl-round’. The second chapter looks at your performance in the studio, with techniques such as ‘reading ahead’; and ‘cold reading’ – when you have to sight-read a script just handed to you. We’ll take another look at confidence and what kind of preparation can help in that, and also about feedback given to you by other people… and feedback you give to yourself. Chapter three in this Part then moves on to the production of a spot or a show: the process of being directed and how those ‘behind the glass’ will help you give your very best vocal performance. After all, if you know in advance what they want then you are more likely to be able to provide it – fast and to a high standard. This chapter also looks at different kinds of reads: for example, how a book narration differs from a ‘voice of god’ announcement’ at an event and what some of the different skills are. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E509 · Mon, May 23, 2022
0509 – Vocal Variety
2022.05.24 – 0509 – Vocal Variety Variety If your inflection patterns are too consistent, then you're sounding bored rather than interesting. Depending on the material, sometimes your delivery should be fast, sometimes slower. Sometimes you should be excited, sometimes calm. Sometimes your voice should carry a smile, sometimes you should sound dead serious. By constantly varying your pattern (without sounding like a pastiche) you increase the possibility of being perceived as human rather than automaton… and therefore someone that the listener can connect with. Variety in your voice will help people listen for longer. In real conversation, inflections vary widely from sentence to sentence. In announcing, people will tend to say everything the same way. It is far more captivating to hear someone who presents with: · Various sentence lengths – so you don’t get into a repetitive rhythm · A voice which alters in pace and pitch – faster and higher for exciting passages or when relaying content that people know but that helps you get from point A to point C · A style which intonates correctly rather than is robotic in modulation – so it is natural and understandable, and people aren’t trying to work out what you said and while doing so miss your next great point. · The occasional presentational … pause. To make people engage, to tease and intrigue. Some trainers say “ be unpredictable ”. No. That’s just annoying. Look back at those tips above, variety shouldn’t be unpredictable, the variety comes from being natural. All of those points are what we do naturally in conversation, or telling a story to a group of friends, maybe a pause before a punchline. Whatever the style or the content, you need to deliver the message to the audience in an engaging, memorable way that will make them act: either emotionally or physically. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E508 · Sun, May 22, 2022
0508 – Your Injection Into The Output
2022.05.23 – 0508 – Your Injection Into The Output Rapport begins with realising that each ‘consumer’, viewer or listener is an individual who in most cases, has invited you into their home, their world, their ears. Consider yourself a guest, an acquaintance or even a friend, who’s been welcomed in because you have a story to tell. You can easily forget about the audience. Cocooned within the four walls of the studio, you can begin to sound as though you are talking to yourself or to the studio director or producer. Do this and you begin to go through the motions, your concentration is elsewhere and your vocal presentation begins to sound stilted, singsong and insincere. “We’re people, we’re human beings. The days when news was read in a black tie and you’re not supposed to have a personality – those days are gone. You’re putting on the television to see other human beings and see their reactions. If I just stood or sat there po-faced, I think that’d be a very big turn-off for people. I think we need to inject a bit of ourselves in our output, and that’s what people will watch you rather than someone else for.” Simon McCoy, TV news presenter/journalist, “You’re On The Air” podcast November 2020 We spoke about energy before, but it’s not shouting or projection per se. Even a relaxed conversation on a podcast takes concentration, focus and energy. It’s you with a bit more. You alone could sound a bit flat when it came out of the other end of the speaker or headphones, you have to add some showbiz sprinkle on top, so it’s “YouPLUS!”, with the ‘plus’ burning off between your mouth and the listener’s ears. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E507 · Sat, May 21, 2022
0507 – Personality and Rapport
2022.05.22 – 0507 – Personality and Rapport PERSONALITY AND RAPPORT Good presenters are ones who establish rapport with their audience. “A lot of people have complimented me for sounding warm and I think that’s important… warm but authoritative at the same time. You can read really bad news without emoting about it but on the other hand not being cold and too factual either and I think I’m very happy when people say that because that’s what I’m aiming for. (I’m) calm, even though you’re not feeling calm but you sound it because you have to be. Not emotive. You have to be good at giving bad news without dramatising it. You have to deliver something impartially but also with warmth. You want it delivered by somebody who’s not going to react to what you’re reading in any kind of emotive way. You don’t want to sound angry about something, even if in your head you are. You don’t want to sound very, very sad when something very sad has happened: because it is a sad thing it doesn’t need the newsreader to load it up with their sadness either. So, you have to be very concerned and warm but also slightly set apart. You’re talking to a friend. (It’s like) some news has happened and you’re driving along and you see someone you haven’t seen for a little bit and you say ‘oh my goodness, you’ll never guess what’s happened’ and it’s that kind of thing… but you don’t dramatize it. Don’t sound as though you’re about to burst into tears if it’s a really sad story, the story speaks for itself. You are a conduit. You have to deliver it calmly but without sounding like an automaton.” Susan Rae, BBC radio 4 newsreader/announcer, “You’re On The Air” podcast December 2020 Such rapport defies satisfactory definition. It is a kind of chemistry that exists between presenters and their audience. A ‘focused energy’. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E506 · Fri, May 20, 2022
0506 – Stop Thinking What You’re Doing
2022.05.21 – 0506 – Stop Thinking What You’re Doing Finally - stop thinking about what you’re doing When you read a story or a script for the first time, be mindful as to its immediate meaning. What jumps out of the page at you? What’s surprising or shocking? What’s confusing or concerning? Capture the sense of discovery and realisation so you can bring it to your performance later, to make it more naturalistic. Just don’t think about creating that feeling … don’t act it or read it. Just open the tap and let the feelings flow into you and immerse you as you convince and compel in your conversation with your listener, reflecting its meaning. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E505 · Thu, May 19, 2022
0505 – Rehearsing Conversationality
2022.05.20 – 0505 – Rehearsing Conversationality Rehearsing reading out loud makes you a better communicator; it’s a skill that must be learnt and practiced so it sounds as though you are speaking off the top of your head. Another killer of the conversational read is being in the ‘performance zone’. If you feel as though you are ‘acting the part’ of a voiceover artist or newsreader, that should be a sign to rethink your ‘attitude’. Clues might be: · Speaking louder than normal, now of course you want to have energy behind what you’re reading, but lots of times, just a bit of smile and moving your body a little bit can add to that energy without projecting too much. · Over pausing can ruin a conversational read · Too much drama, annunciation or inflection. A conversational read should not be too ‘in your face’. You don’t want too many peaks and valleys as that’s when you lose that believability and vulnerability Being over stiff and stuffy. It’s okay to move your body. It really, really helps as long as your microphone doesn’t pick those sounds up Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E504 · Wed, May 18, 2022
0504 – A Giveaway That You’re Reading
2022.05.19 – 0504 – A Giveaway That You’re Reading A Giveaway That You’re Reading Sometimes it’s obvious you’re reading something because it contains too much information that you couldn’t possibly know or remember. As an example, here is something that if read as written will definitely sound as if it is being read: “On Thursday July 7th 2005, three bomb explosions hit London Underground trains…” The reason it sounds as if it’s being read is because few people would remember what day of the week it was, so clearly the information is in front of you. If you want to come across powerfully, you have to engage in a little play-acting and say something like this: “July the 7th 2005 … I remember it was a Thursday …” There’s only one occasion when you should sound as if you’re clearly reading something; and that’s when you are quoting someone, in which case you should say exactly that: ‘…and I quote…’ Ironically, reading something flawlessly doesn’t sound impressive when you’re trying to make out you’re adlibbing. It sounds cold and matter-of-fact. If you throw in the occasional hesitation, gentle emphasis and change the pace of your presentation, it’ll sound like you’re thinking about it, as if it’s something honestly important to you. This will have more intellectual and emotional impact, which is what you want, if you want your listener to think you’re smart. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E503 · Tue, May 17, 2022
0503 – 20/21 - Suspensions and Stumbles
2022.05.18 – 0503 – 20/21 - Suspensions and Stumbles 20 - Suspensions and Stumbles Consider leaving in any genuine slips and trips - so OK, your recording may not be not perfect but it will be more naturalistic. Again, you can’t do this in a news script or voice-over session, but you may be able to in a podcast. 21- Focus on The Message – Not Your Voice Or Breath All this will give the impression that these words, in this order are being thought and said for the very first time, right now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E502 · Mon, May 16, 2022
0502 – 19 - Unlock the Full Stops
2022.05.17 – 0502 – 19 - Unlock the Full Stops 19 - Unlock the Full Stops Free the periods and commas to recreate a natural verbal fluidity. Don't pause where the full stop/period is. Instead, ignore them – and break the flow of the words where it feels more natural to. And that’s not necessarily at the end of a grammatical chunk. And we saw before, sentences are an artificial way to marshal the written word. Conversationally we don’t use them. So you need to break away from the normal structure of sentences when wanting to read ‘naturally’, to give the impression that the words are just occurring to you, that you are delivering spontaneous thoughts. That you are thinking in the moment, not ‘reading’ a pre-prepared script. To help in this artifice, think of how you sound when talking with friends and replicate that style. Either re-mark your script, or adlib it live, so that punctuation is moved or even removed. · Don’t stop at the full stop – OK you can’t always do this but sometimes you can. After all you don’t want to pause at every single one as that’s not how we speak naturally. You need to find a rhythm and a flow in the story or the script, where a desire for understanding trumps punctuation. · Merge sentences together. Ask yourself: will the punctuation help you or the listener understand the information – or is it or getting in the way of a connected delivery? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E501 · Sun, May 15, 2022
0501 – 18 - Play With Your Voice
2022.05.16 – 0501 – 18 - Play With Your Voice 18 - Play With Your Voice When you are able to, surprise yourself with what you can do with your voice. For example, you don’t just say “ no ” as a single note and syllable, it could be “ Noooo ”. Imagine for example that your other half is teasing you for taking a newly baked bun from the cooling tray. They know you have taken it, and you know they know, and they’re not bothered, and they’re joking as they caught you out: “ Have you taken a bun?!” they ask with a smile on their face. “ Nooooo ” you reply, with a smile on your face and with a cake in your hand halfway to your mouth! The turn on a word that is more than intonation, that helps make it natural and says more than the letters can by themselves. “Y’know it’s Donald Trump’s last day as president? Weeeelllll, his wife Melania has recorded a video message saying…. (pause for effect) the country should pull together.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E500 · Sat, May 14, 2022
0500 – The Anchor/Reporter Rapport
2022.05.15 – 0500 – The Anchor/Reporter Rapport Structure You are a reporter and so you need to be able to succinctly communicate the distinct points that ‘make the story the story’, boiling down the issue or the scene to what’s important. If you get stuck in the weeds of detail, you could end up the creek without a paddle. What is the main story here? What are the elements that took us from where we were to where we are, what order should they logically go in, and how do you explain them to someone who may not have been following every twist and turn as you, the reporter, has? A cliched format of scripting these two-ways has the presenter asking the reporter questions such as: · What do we know so far? · What does today’s news mean? · What reaction has there been? · What happens next? But these provide answers that the host would know already – and so asking them sounds false, misleading and patronising to the audience – and inevitably, unconversational. Instead, the anchor and reporter need to have a rapport to make it sound more natural: · “ OK in this question I’ve written for you to ask me, just so you know, when you get half way through I’m going to politely interrupt you and agree with what you’re asking ”. · Get the host to give some of the information rather than the reporter. That way they are more involved and look more knowledgeable on a story that as an anchor frankly they ‘should’ know about: “We covered the warehouse fire on the show yesterday, remind us what happened…”. No! It’s the host’s show, they were on yesterday, they remember what the story was, so rephrase the question to make it sound more natural. And if the question is natural, the answer and the voice will sound more natural too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E499 · Fri, May 13, 2022
0499 – Off-The-Page and Off-The-Cuff
2022.05.14 – 0499 – Off-The-Page and Off-The-Cuff Conversational The best two-ways are a balance between what’s off-the-page and what’s off-the-cuff. ‘Structured improvisation’ if you like, working with the script but not word for word. Choreographed. Reading every question and answer just as it was composed at a desk makes the flow, go … and unless you and the host are great actors, may sound stilted and artificial. So usually, you can both reply in bullet points – key facts and figures. For a complicated or controversial topic (especially court cases) those can have a bit more detail in them. Incorporate some of the tricks we have already seen: · Call each other by name, naturally · Use phrases such as “ of course ” and “ y’know ” · Verbally agree with each other as they talk “ uh-huh ”, “ mmmm ” and then as you start a sentence “ yes, that’s right ”. In such a situation, the odd stumble (that’s a small mistake, and not many of them) makes the reporter seem more human, more authentic especially at a breaking news story for example in a typhoon or outside a court room. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E498 · Thu, May 12, 2022
0498 – TV Two-ways
2022.05.13 – 0498 – TV Two-ways VOICE BOX TV Two-ways A two-way is when a studio presenter on radio or t,v interviews a reporter colleague (usually one who is on location, but maybe in the studio) about a story. The reporter: · Is not working to a script · Has to sound fluent and confident · Must get over the main points in a succinct and accurate way · Should be able to cope with any question asked of them from the host · Can react to anything that happens while they are on air. · Must be prepared to go ‘open ended’ – that is to talk to a certain duration (say 30 seconds or a minute) with the possibility that they are cut short (a minutes’ worth of material now has to be cut down to 15 seconds), or go long (stretching that 30 seconds prepped work to 90 seconds), or ‘go open ended’ when the anchor and reporter will talk to fill the available time until, say the start of a live news conference or the President arrives, or the verdict is announced. Much of this is easier for radio reporters as they are not on screen and so can refer to notes rather than having to reply on their wits and their memory, but it can be quite daunting. Very often the questions and answers can be scripted – and sound as though they are: stilted, awkward and obviously written and read to a format. And yet they should be: · Conversational · Have a clear structure and ‘journey’ – perhaps with background, what the latest is, what it means to people with examples or case studies, reaction, what happens next Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E497 · Wed, May 11, 2022
0497 – The Lead In – Working Example
2022.05.12 – 0497 – The Lead In – Working Example SCRIPT: “I’m fed up. Another Christmas lunch on the way battling with my worn-out kitchen. Stuck drawers, crammed cupboards and simply not enough surfaces. I’m heading to Kittyhawk Kitchens. They have an in -house design and fitting team, to advise and help every step of the way to your new dream kitchen. From their house to yours, Kittyhawk Kitchens. They soar above the rest.” So faced with that script, build in the imagined prompts for you to naturally reply to: · Are you OK? > I’m fed up. · Why’s that? > Another Christmas lunch on the way battling with my worn-out kitchen. · Really? What’s wrong with it? > Stuck drawers, crammed cupboards and simply not enough surfaces. · So, what’re you gonna do? > That’s why I’m heading to Kittyhawk Kitchens. · Why there? > They have an in -house design and fitting team, t o advise and help every step of the way to your new dream kitchen. From their house to yours, Kittyhawk Kitchens. They soar above the rest. Lead-ins give you something to organically react to, to create an authentic atmosphere, and the situation for you to deliver your first line off from. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E496 · Tue, May 10, 2022
0496 – React To Act
2022.05.11 – 0496 – React To Act One way to do this is a ‘lead in’ (sometimes called ‘the moment before’ technique): think first (or maybe say aloud) part of the conversation that’d take you into that first line. What was said or what happened to cause your character to make this comment? So your scripted sentence is a natural reaction. Having a ‘lead in line’, that you either record and then edit off, or simply think, helps you find the emotion in what a scriptwriter at a desk has asked you to say. The recording will be you reacting to the ‘unsaid’ comment. So you can trick yourself into getting into that conversational frame of mind and tone of voice by adlibbing the earlier part of the conversation that precedes your script, And for subsequent parts of the script you can do the same thing: imagine someone else asking you a question to prompt you into saying a line (some people actually write these ‘question prompts’ into their script to read to themselves – but not record – to get the correct on-mic ‘voice’). It could be a word, a phrase or even a sound “ Hmmmm ?”. And it’s not just considering the lines that are written, or the lines that another (unwritten) character might be saying for you to react to. Your performance also comes from what that character is and has been, thinking. That way you’ll sound more authentic – as though you are actually responding to someone with a problem that you can help solve, or a question that needs to be addressed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E495 · Mon, May 09, 2022
0495 – 17 - Lead in Lines
2022.05.10 – 0495 – 17 - Lead in Lines 17 - Lead in Lines By creating the atmosphere of a conversation, it’s easier to pretend you’re in one. Most commercial copy sets up a problem, and then provides a product, brand or service as a potential solution. For example, “ Want to get your laundry whiter than white? ” After that you will presume that the answer will be “ Yes I do, but how? ” Acting is re-acting to the response that you got. You are having a conversation albeit a one-sided one. Do that and you will sound less robotic. Sometimes I like to surprise my friends by calling them up and just launching into a conversation. No preamble of “ how are you? ”, “ have you got a moment? ” or “ I wanted to tell you about so and so… ”. I may, as soon as they answer, simply say “ You free Sunday? ” or “ Unbelievable! ”. It throws them, because I’ve destroyed the ‘conversational expectation’. Similarly, if you start a script-read going straight into the first sentence, then mentally you are unprepared. It’s unnatural to just say “ The all-new Pontiac Mercury has all-round safety buffer zones ” or “ Got a stubborn stain that you just can’t shift? ” or “ The port of Dover is closed tonight and hundreds of lorries and their drivers are queued-up through Kent… ”. Logically and naturally, you need to have a reason to start saying those things, ‘permission’ if you like, from your listener, to get into the ‘zone tone’. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E494 · Sun, May 08, 2022
0494 – 16 - Rhythm Nation
2022.05.09 – 0494 – 16 - Rhythm Nation 16 - Rhythm Nation A formal script will sound ‘script perfect’. Each phrase and sentence will come with the regularity of waves on a shore, every one much like the previous one. Think perhaps of a documentary style of presentation or an announcer. It sounds like a script has been written, read, rehearsed and recorded. But that’s not how we speak in real life. In real life our utterances have ebb and flow. We don’t really talk in sentences at all, but a series of phrases, of different lengths, with rises and falls in pitch and intonation, and yes with pauses as we search for the right word and stumbles as we correct ourselves. As though you’re discovering the thoughts as they occur to you. Your story will have natural pacing if the thoughts and feeling in your script or story influence how you express them. Listeners should be able to hear different rhythms as the thoughts and feelings unfold. A ‘read read’ tends to be quite consistent and definite. A natural conversational read has more variety, more ebb and flow. What are the rhythms? · Some words and ideas should come quickly, while others - usually the important words – will take more time, more care and deliberation. As we search for the word, there’s a suspension or a stumble. · There should be natural pauses between thoughts – after all, even though you can’t see your audience and have no verbal or facial feedback from them, it is still a dialogue and not a monologue that you are trying to achieve. And what a pause does, is that it creates a moment when they can inject their own thought, or nod or a nod or a shake of the head. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E493 · Sat, May 07, 2022
0493 – Sounding Like An Expert
2022.05.08 – 0493 – Sounding Like An Expert Be conscious of how you sound when you explain something to a friend and try and capture that feeling, mood, zone and so on to sound conversational on air. Here’s an example [1] Read the following aloud as if you are reading it to someone: “The future behaviour of America as the current lone superpower is terribly important to China not only because America can disrupt China's vision of a harmonising world by doing its own thing in the Middle East and elsewhere, but also because a recession in the American economy (caused by debt, deficits etc) would immediately have a knock-on effect on the Chinese economy.” Now read it as it is written below but · Pause for a breath at ‘…’ · Intonate a word when it’s in bold · Speak more quickly where words-are-run-together · Slow down where a phrase has underlining "The future behaviour of * America* as the * current lone superpower* is … * terribly important to China* … not only because America can disrupt China's vision of a … harmonising world by … doing pretty-much its own thing in the-Middle-East-and-elsewhere … but also because a recession in the * American* economy would of course immediately have a knock-on effect on the * Chinese* economy .” Just by pausing and emphasising certain words and changing the pace you now sound as if you’re thinking about what you’re saying; as if you’re drawing on your vast general knowledge of China’s macroeconomic policies. You’ve also been bit sneaky and thrown in a word or two: “ pretty-much ” and “ of course ”, suggesting you’re familiar with the economic relationship between the US and China. [1] From https://www.mindofafox.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E492 · Fri, May 06, 2022
0492 – 15 - Pausing
2022.05.07 – 0492 – 15 - Pausing 15 - Pausing Put pauses in different places - as you ‘search’ for the right word or phrase (just don’t make it too often). These may be silent, or vocalised (“ errr ”). I have heard (but been unable to verify) that Ira Glass the producer/presenter of the podcast “ This American Life ”, does not use commas or full stops/periods in his scripts … he uses ellipses. When you listen to him, he sounds as though he is talking and yet he’s actually reading … phrase to phrase to phrase. And with ellipses you can decide how long the pause should be: a beat, a pregnant pause or suspension before the final phrase… If it sounds as though you are reading an item, you are doing it wrong. You should sound as though you are telling a friend something of interest. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E491 · Thu, May 05, 2022
0491 – 14 - Gestures
2022.05.06 – 0491 – 14 - Gestures 14 - Gestures Big gestures and facial expressions can be ‘over the top’ in a conversational presentation. Reign them back to sound more real and believable. But still keep doing some kind of gestures. ‘Talking with your hands’ will help you talk with your voice. Sitting on them will make you sound stilted. Don’t be afraid to smile or laugh where appropriate, shake your head as you read something worrying or surprising. Use ‘air quotes’ to help you lift certain words or phrases and give you the micro-beat to set it apart from the rest of the read. If you are in a voiceover booth and the script shows your character is in a bar, then lean on the edge of the desk as though that’s exactly where you are, with a drink in hand, to get your voice where it would sound in that situation. Incorporating even minor physicality will subtly engage your voice to sound more authentic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E490 · Wed, May 04, 2022
0490 – 13 - Conversational Intonation
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 people there, where they are in relationship to you, and the subject matter. As we saw before, we often either going up at the end of a sentence (to indicate a question or hesitancy or an incomplete thought), or down (showing certainty and finality). But in a conversational read, your sentence inflection at the end is somewhere right in between those. It's in the middle : "It's the best floor mop on the market." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E489 · Tue, May 03, 2022
0489 – 12 - Volume and projection
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 or taking just one ‘ear’ of the headphones (that is, moving the cup from one ear slightly to nearer the back of your head). Doing this will help you hear yourself naturally rather than through the artificial construct of the microphone, and its boosted-level of every breath and mouth click, and through the headphones. You’ll be concentrating more on what you’re saying and who you are saying them too, rather than how you sound. If you hear yourself as you usually do naturally, then there’s a good chance you will talk more naturally too. (Obviously in a recording session you will need at least one ear on so you can hear directions from a producer. And in a live radio studio you need at least one ear on to hear any other source that you bring ins, such as music, or a caller…) Let the microphone do the work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E488 · Mon, May 02, 2022
0488 – The ‘Word Merge’
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 think of several more examples, where saying the words ‘properly’ would cause a mini-pause mid-flow and a clunky read. Did you spot where they were in the sentences above? I’ve underlined them for you: · You never forget your firs t t ime · It’s often a good idea to kee p p et insurance · It’s silk smooth and sof t t o touch · It’s a re d d anger zone · She’s the Park s S upervisor If saying those sentences spontaneously, we’d naturally merge the two words together: · You never forget your firs-time · It’s often a good idea to kee-pet insurance · It’s silk smooth and sof-to touch · It’s a re-danger zone (although you may separate ‘red’ and ‘danger’ to make it clear that it’s not an ‘amber’ zone for example, as the context suggests the information is important) · She’s the Park-Supervisor ( although you may separate ‘Parks’ and Supervisor’ to make it clear that she is the supervisor of several parks – Parks’ Supervisor - rather than one – Park Supervisor.) Remember, remove some letters to keep a smooth flow, to be ‘conversationally clear’, as long as that style fits with the request, the target audience and the brand. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E487 · Sun, May 01, 2022
0487 – 11 - Contractions and Elisions
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 that comes with sounding, each, individual, word. In English, we often don’t say a word exactly as it is spelt, because we want to sound natural and fluent for a way to make your read conversational, ‘every-day-of-the-week’ kind of read. For instance, look back at that previous sentence: · Not everyone pronounces the ‘t’ in “ often ” (and say “ offen ” instead). · Hardly anyone would say “exactly” with a clear ‘t’’, but smooth it out to say “ exacly ” · We are likely to say “ nd ” or “n” rather than “and” (how do you really say “fish and chips”? I bet it’s close to “ fishnchips ”? · “For a” is often said “ frer ” · “ Your ” could be changed to “ yer ” · “ Every ” is said “ evry ” · “ Day of ” would become “ day’ve ”, “ kind of ” changes to “ kind’ve ” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E486 · Sat, April 30, 2022
0486 – A ‘Stream Of Consciousness’
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 – if you’re confused by something – “ Eh, why is it that with more tech, the world just seems to get more complicated?” · Laugh – “ and you know what, with this medication, life feels yeahhhhh!, great again! ” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E485 · Fri, April 29, 2022
0485 – 10 - Ad-libs
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 look more at ad-libbing later, but here are a few more points: · Highlight the key points of a script and practice logically moving from one of the ideas to another without looking at each individual word. · Ad-libbing will help you find a natural rhythm and alternative natural phrases that you hadn’t considered when sitting at your keyboard: “ Y’know ”, “ Let’s face it ”, “ As you know ”, “ Which kinda makes sense ” and so on which you can have to hand or build in to the presentation (but beware of verbal crutches – phrases that you use too much and come to rely on instead of clear, compelling content). · Include additional oral ejaculations – so if talking with a co-host this may include “ well… ” or “ that’s right… ”, “ now ” or “ so ” at the start of answers, or “ uh-huh ” to agree with them as they are talking. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E484 · Thu, April 28, 2022
0484 – Articulation In Conversationality
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 script you of course have to read it exactly. It’s been written, edited, redrafted, submitted, approved, timed and signed off. News scripts too will (hopefully) have been crafted for clarity, fluency and legalities. But a script for a podcast may invite a little more fluidity and you know what, you don’t have to read every word as it is written. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E483 · Wed, April 27, 2022
0483 – Eliminate Banality and Formality
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 wherever you can. You want good writing that feels real. Formal writing creates a barrier between your idea and the audience, conversational writing (surprise!) can more easily lend itself to a conversational reading. The construction of the sentence should be conversational, not just in using less-formal words, but also without clauses, which we don’t normally use when speaking ‘normally and naturally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E482 · Tue, April 26, 2022
0482 – 9 - The Form Of The Words
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-reading is unnatural (alongside no immediate ‘facial feedback’ from the listener) is that we are usually not adlibbing our own words, inspired by the uniquenessof the moment, but instead by someone else’s words they thought at a different time and situation, and translated into grammatical sentences which are now represented by squiggles on a screen or on a piece of dried wood pulp. “Do you see what I did there? I used incomplete sentences. I said ‘kinda’. I used a simile with the words ‘really cool.’ I used the word ‘like’ in the same way I would have if I were talking to you at a bar. I said ‘really good’ instead of something print-newsy like ‘phenomenally gifted newsman’, or ‘a revolutionary voice that defied convention blah blah blah’. NPR reporter Sam Sanders [1] If you use more of your own words where you can, writing like people talk and not writing how you think people ought to write, then you will be more conversational, and make more of a connection. [1] https://training.npr.org/2015/02/25/how-sam-sanders-is-finding-his-voice/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E481 · Mon, April 25, 2022
0481 – Conversation Questions
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’ . Your delivery is as important as the definition of the words you are saying. Only when you truly understand the significance of the script can you deliver it [1] with compelling conviction. [1] Again, the word ‘script’ or ‘story’ in this book can mean any pre-considered text such as a news story, voice over script, audio book, e-learning etc., or an adlibbed live show, in other words ‘verbal audio content’. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E480 · Sun, April 24, 2022
0480 – Focus On The Message More Than Your Voice
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 casting director will consider the age of the voice they employ, their accent, their gender, and most importantly is their attitude, right? Do they have the right playfulness or energy for the product or brand or message?) Knowing these answers will help you focus more on the message and less on your voice. Remember, if the ad features you as a father, targeting other new dads with a range of nappies, you are not selling nappies. You’re selling a clean bottom, and a happy baby and less crying and a happy household. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E479 · Sat, April 23, 2022
0479 – Pitching Your Presentation
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 you want to reach them (do you want to calm, entice or excite them?), you’ll be better able to find the right ‘voice’ and style. If it’s your story then you should know what there is about it that you want to share it with your audience and inject that interest in your voice naturally. If it’s someone else’s, then work hard to find the intention in the script. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E478 · Fri, April 22, 2022
0478 – The Emotion Duplication
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 audience through my voice as well as the words…? So maybe it’s a commercial where a carpet stain (problem) can be solved by a new shampoo (resolution); an unboxing where intrigue about a new phone (problem) is satisfied by knowing what the expert thinks of it (resolution); a news story of a man crushed by a falling wall (problem) being rescued by fire crews. So, think of your tone, projection, speed, every element of scriptreading, are subtly altered depending on the developing emotional state. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E477 · Thu, April 21, 2022
0477 - 8 – Know What The Desired Response Is Of That Audience
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 way. Most news stories are to inform the audience as to what is going on – with others to amuse or entertain. But imagine your target listener, say a teenager, if you read them a story about an economic forecast? They may be confused, disinterested, distracted… Hmmm, not the response you want – after all the story may be of important to them even if it’s not immediately interesting. So, it’s up to you as a news writer and reader, to create that story in a way that will engage: the words and the presentation. That may be talking about the likelihood of getting a job, or a loan, or buying a first flat and so on, in a voice and style that’s similar to theirs. Commercial reads often follow a format of setting up a problem that the listener may be familiar with, and then providing a solution for it in the form of a product or service. And you need to know what to feel at each stage of that short scenario, say, frustration and then relief, or anger followed by calm, to be able to give an authentic delivery. [1] Which reminds me of the episode of Seinfeld where Kramer gets a line on a Woody Allen film, and the friends have different interpretations on how it should sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMe7mlRv8UE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E476 · Wed, April 20, 2022
0476 - 7 – Imagine Where That Audience Is Listening / What They Are Doing
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 instance, won’t you naturally change your voice if you are talking on a video that will be to a room full of people – or to one person listening on headphones? Won’t your style change if you are a presenter on a Saturday night radio show , or a late-night bedtime show? Or if your commercial is for an instore supermarket read, or one that’s on a podcast? It may be similar content – or the same content – but thinking what the listener will be doing as they hear you will help you create the best, most engaging voice for the message. It will help style it, and focus on the listener if you imagine them in a car with kids on the way to work, hearing the announcement on an airport Tannoy as they wait for their flight to be announced, or taking a shower before bedtime. Oh, err, …. It’s a small and perhaps subtle change, but even if makes an incremental difference to your style, then it’s one that will benefit your connection with the listener. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E475 · Tue, April 19, 2022
0475 – The Geller Principle
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.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E474 · Mon, April 18, 2022
0474 – The Information Equation
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.
S2 E473 · Sun, April 17, 2022
0473 - The Listener's B-S Detector
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 correctly. So never hesitate to query something which is uncertain. If you don’t, the chances are high that the listener, who cannot ask questions of anyone, will be left completely in the dark. Concentrate on the story, not the voice you are using to tell it. Think and care about the information you give, understand why it is important to people, why it deserves to be on air. If it was not worth reporting or reading – why are you doing it? If the story or the service is worth telling people about, it is worth telling with some interest and sense of significance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E472 · Sat, April 16, 2022
0472 - 6 – Understand The Story Or The Message
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 yourself: why are we running this item? What is the significance of it to the ‘target audience’? In commercial copy, you may ask: why would the listener be interested in this product or service? What si their problem that this can help solve? How will it save them time or money? How will it improve their lives? Answers to those kinds of questions will help shape how you put over the content to connect with them, with engaging, authentic audio. The clear and present danger is that some reporters, out of deadline pressure or laziness, may put something down on paper which they don’t really understand in the hope that those who hear it will . They won’t. Some of the ability to understand the story and understand its significance, comes perhaps with a bit of life-experience: “I do think that it’s all about trust… and it’s not just age, it’s also about experience. If you’re looking at someone on television who you know has been out and perhaps seen a bit of the word and understands the horrors that man can do to man, but also can share in its triumphs as well and has seen that first hand.” Simon McCoy, news presenter/journalist, “You’re On The Air” podcast November 2020 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E471 · Fri, April 15, 2022
0471 - 5 – Know Who *You* Are
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. (Incidentally I personally think there’s a bit of a brand disconnect when commercials feature famous voices in the role as brand ambassador. Hearing a famous actor talk as though they are a member of staff of a supermarket, bank or whatever (“ Here at SuperStore ABC we have created the finest Indian cuisine …”, “ call us at ABC bank where we have experts who can advise you on your pension plan …” sounds unrealistic, disingenuous and plain daft. I know the actor is only paid to front the ad, so don’t give me the impression they work there full time… · A friend or neighbour of the listener – “Want a new sofa in time for Christmas…?” · A reassuring expert such as a doctor or dentist – “I know just how painful receding gums can be…” · And so on … If you haven’t been given a ‘character brief’ as part of your direction notes on the script, you could go one step further yourself, and think for a few seconds about your character: · Who they are and how they know the listener – close friend and confident or passing acquaintance? · Their name and age – to add a bit of detail Where they are talking to them – over a garden fence, at the school gate, in an office… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E470 · Thu, April 14, 2022
0470 – NPR Advice
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. It's you talking to them. So, talk directly to one person. Think about a friend or a mentor or someone you respect and care about. As you craft your story and think about telling the story to them and think about the language you would use to best communicate to that one person.” Tamar Charney, NPR “ The Power of Digital Audio Storytelling: From Podcasts to Voice Assistants ” webinar series, The Knight Centre. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E469 · Wed, April 13, 2022
0469 - Keep yourself single
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 listeners’ , or ask if ‘ anybody heard what happened . . .’ (especially not, ‘anybody out there . . .’ ) or refer to ‘you all’ . Like a confirmed bachelor, keep yourself single. Speaking in the plural breaks the personal connection you have with each listener. Ok there are many of them, but they are all listening alone, and saying “ everyone ” breaks that illusion and reminds them they are not alone. Always keep in mind the first eight letters of the word ‘personality’. Each listener should feel as though you’re having a personal conversation with them. Include them, don’t exclude them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E468 · Tue, April 12, 2022
0468 – Intimate Audio
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. Radio is intimate and personal in a way that television is not. People often listen to the radio alone – in the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen or in the car and it is the skill of talking to people singly while actually speaking to an audience of thousands that the presenter has to master. ‘TV at its best is an amazing medium of pizzazz and excitement. But radio is fantastically intimate: one person a microphone and a relationship.’ [1] Talking to everyone, one at a time, is something that many newcomers to radio have trouble grasping – especially those who have previously been television presenters where the style is different. You’re still broad casting, so you would think it natural to refer to listeners as a group, a crowd. But where most TV viewers tend to watch in a group, most radio listening is done alone. ‘In broadcasting your audience is conjectural, but it is an audience of one. Millions may be listening, but each is listening alone, or as a member of a small group, and each has (or ought to have) the feeling that you are speaking to him individually’ [2] So, part of being conversational is imagining you are having a conversation with someone you know, who is interested in what you are talking with them about. [1] Roger Mosey, Head of BBC Sport, ex-Controller BBC Radio Five Live, Radio Academy event, November 2005 [2] George Orwell, author, March 1945 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E467 · Mon, April 11, 2022
0467 – Talk To Teddy
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 on “ The Podcraft ” podcast, S4/E4 John had a great analogy in this podcast. He said that your voice projection and ‘attitude’ for a podcast should be the same as though you were on the phone to friend: talking one-to-one and straight in their ear (though not shouting as though hands-free in a car!). You’re just changing a tele-phone, for a micro-phone… And by using the teddy bear in the studio, John created eye contact – another useful trick to sound natural. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E466 · Sun, April 10, 2022
0466 – Where Are They Listening
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 hearing you on the podcast. Now you’ll be talking to one person and pitching the content conversationally, as you would a friend or neighbour, to someone who wants to engage. You’ll be better able to imagine their reaction if you see them ‘on location’, that is where they are as they consume your content. And if you put the photo the other side of the mic, at the distance at which that person would normally be standing, you will also be ‘throwing your voice’ naturally to them, which will help you with the volume on air too. Only you and the (imaginary) person you are talking to are in the studio. Not ‘the audience’, not the producer or the director or the pop filter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E465 · Sat, April 09, 2022
0465 – Your Audience Reminder
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 lecturer · Someone who is encouraging and can give constructive feedback and who will be interested in what you are saying – like… well, that’s up to you! It’ll be a different for each of us depending on who we know and our relationship with them · If you can’t have a real person who you know, then have a clear idea of your ‘composite listener’ But ideally it will be someone to whom the message you are giving will have some kind of resonance, someone who will find it interesting and of use. Your aunt may fit the criteria above, but it’s no good ‘talking to her’ if you’re in a voice-over booth trying to sell a new pair of sneakers. If you are lecturing to a theatre of undergrad chemists, it’s probably not helpful to picture your grandmother. If you are speaking with a board, then it may not be appropriate to picture an undergrad chemist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E464 · Fri, April 08, 2022
0464 – 4 – Talk To Them One To One
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 event is being recorded and there’s no live audience anyway. There is no single person who we can talk to, and we get nothing from the ‘feedback loop’ when we speak to tell us how the message is being received and whether it needs to be altered in some way. If we are not comfortable then we are to some extent likely to be nervous and nerves cause tension which can be felt in the body and heard in the voice. Nervous tension can muddle the message. So, to be conversational, don’t talk to the microphone or think of the huge number of people listening or watching, just be yourself and imagine talking with one single person - perhaps like you’re talking on the phone to them. (After all, most people listen to audio while they are alone.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E463 · Thu, April 07, 2022
0463 – 3 - Know Who Your Audience Is
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 and not be perceived as patronising or too deferential, or too unfeeling or emotional. You won’t engage your audience if you don’t know who it is. That’s from the writing (the angle, the words) to the presentation (speed, tone and so on). Over time you will become adept at adapting to different styles, formats, audiences, stations – a great skill for a freelance scriptwriter or presenter. So, it’s Ok to imagine you are talking to a friend – but not if that friend has no interest in what you are talking about. Instead imagine someone for whom the content is appropriate, who will listen and respond, react and act on the message. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E462 · Wed, April 06, 2022
0462 - 2 - Be Comfortable
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 book/series.) A lot of ‘sounding good’ is down to confidence. Part of that comes from knowing what you’re reading and being comfortable where you’re sitting. So, take every chance you can to become familiar with the script and the studio. It’ll make you sound so much more relaxed, which will be heard in a more relatable voice. Good preparation and breath control will calm you and you will hold your body more confidently and a natural smile will break out – where appropriate (you don’t want to appear like a Jack Nicholson character about to sneer “ Here’s Johnny!” [2] ). Relax and react naturally, and your emotions and expressions will follow suit with a relaxed and natural voice and a more conversational style. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barker_(occupation) [2] " Here's Johnny ", the catchphrase used by the Jack Nicholson character in the 1980 film ‘ The Shining ’ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E461 · Tue, April 05, 2022
0461 – 1 - Study Natural Conversations In The Wild
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 replicate the sound of naturalness in your reading, then it makes sense to study that ‘nature’ in the wild. Listen to other people’s conversations, and monitor your own. How do they speak (is it in sentences?). What is their pace and use of the pause? What is their level of intonation, the rise and fall in pitch of their voice as they speak? For example, consider the naturalness of talking to a friend, live, perhaps about a great new ‘potential partner’ you just met: · Your pitch rose when you talked about the excitement of seeing them for the first time. · It dropped when you mentioned how you got closer for a kiss and a cuddle. · You spoke faster over the ‘bits you don’t want to mention’ ( “anyway one thing led to another and yadda-yadda-yadda…” ) · You elongated words just before describing what happened next, to build drama ( “… and the next morrrr-niiiiing….!” ) · And you increased volume and pronunciation to emphasise certain facts ( “it was like …. OH. MY. ACTUAL. GOD!” ) If you can hear and understand what natural conversation then you will be better able to replicate it in the studio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E460 · Mon, April 04, 2022
0460 – The Keys To Conversationality
2022.04.05 – 0460 – The Keys To Conversationality THE KEYS TO CONVERSATIONALITY or ‘Tips To Make It Sound Like You’re Making It Up’ or ‘ABCDE: A Better Conversational Delivery for Engagement’. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E459 · Sun, April 03, 2022
0459 – Does A Conversational Read Lessen Your Authority?
2022.04.04 – 0459 – Does A Conversational Read Lessen Your Authority? VOICE BOX The best reads are a combination of intonation, volume, speed, pause, pitch – all slightly dialled up or down depending on the story, the sentence, the word, the situation, the audience… But does being conversational lessen one’s authority? For example, in news reading. Presenting ‘the facts’ you are the voice of authority, the trusted conveyor of important information. But if you sound too official, your message (arguably) won’t be received as well as it might were you to have a more accessible, engaging and authentic style. There’s a balance to be struck: · Informal formality · Familiar but not overly · Relaxed but not lazy · Loose but in control “Good radio speech should be: Warm but not smarmy Friendly but not intrusive or too cosy Clear, but not over-elocuted or precise Natural but not undisciplined, authoritative but not aggressive Fluent but not unbelievable Sympathetic but not patronising” BBC Local Radio Training Manual, 1987 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E458 · Sat, April 02, 2022
0458 – BBC Presentation Advice
2022.04.03 – 0458 – BBC Presentation Advice ‘Be yourself. Keep your style natural, conversational, lively and engaging. Try to help the listener feel they’re part of the discussion. Address the listener in the first person — this is more intimate and encourages a sense of belonging. Use the present tense wherever possible — it gives a sense of immediacy. Five Live vocabulary should be accessible, jargon-free, simple, clear and intelligent. Be careful not to overcomplicate things and don’t be unnecessarily formal in your delivery. Try to avoid becoming too predictable or repetitive, particularly at regular junctions. It’s easy to get into habits such as repeating the same expressions e.g.: “to be fair”, “you know”, “I have to say”, “I mean” or starting your programme, strand or bulletin with exactly the same phrase every day.1 BBC Radio Five Live Style Guide Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E457 · Fri, April 01, 2022
0457 – Don’t Be A Micro-Phoney
2022.04.02 – 0457 – Don’t Be A Micro-Phoney Radio presenters talk to millions of listeners, one at a time and yet the best ones still sound natural. But some new (and young) presenters hide behind an artificial ‘radio persona’ of what they think a presenter ‘should’ sound like. They sound ‘micro- phoney ’. In the following pages/podcasts, learn how to read aloud and sound as though you are not reading, but talking, as though the words are just coming to you spontaneously: Levels 2 and 3 of the guide above. You will learn how to tap into your own natural sound (albeit enhanced with the advice you have heard so far), rather than emulating another broadcaster or celebrity. You will sound truthful, simple and authentic: conversationality without compromising credibility. You will sound relaxed and in control, and the show or script will be an easy listen for your listeners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E456 · Thu, March 31, 2022
0456 – The ‘Level 1’ Read
2022.04.01 – 0456 – The ‘Level 1’ Read Level 1 Style : A very loose style, more ‘street speak’ perhaps. The style may be almost ‘throwaway’. Further contractions in the script, and the ‘slurring’ of words (not in a drunk style, but meaning looser articulation). The pace may be quite fast, or changeable, the projection might be more, the voice having a variety of tone and life, possibly with some up-tone at the end of sentences, and maybe some other vocalisation such as a chuckle, a sigh, or a stammer. If level 2 is ‘family’, this is ‘two mates with a beer’ or ‘BFFs with a bottle of wine’. It’s certainly not a ‘hard sell’. Brand : Like the other extreme Level this is rarely used, but can be heard in such areas as video games and animations, but unlikely to be heard on air. Level 0 Completely flat. No intonation or speed or life. Robotic, Flat and AI-like. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E455 · Wed, March 30, 2022
0455 – The ‘Level 2’ Read
2022.03.31 – 0455 – The ‘Level 2’ Read Level 2 - Conversational Style : More ‘articulate’ than 1 (below), but not too much more. It’s still a conversational ‘speak’, casual but more ‘chilled’ than ‘street’. Even though you need to sound like you’re having a conversation, you still have to read the actual scripted words, and that’s quite a feat. You may, if the director allows, be allowed to play with pace and pause and include some authentic adlibs, an appropriate sigh, chuckle or a laugh. This voice is friendly and ‘young family’ but without being lazy and sloppy. As I said above “a style that’s more personal and trustworthy. It’s more understated, heartfelt, real and credible. In fact, the kind of way you’d talk to a friend offering insight, experience and suggesting advice, rather than a ‘hard sell’.” It feels unplanned and more spontaneous. It may also be a slower read to better connect the listener with the content, giving them time to absorb the message. Level 2 and 3 are where most people talk most of the time. To the listener you will sound ‘someone like me’. The scripted words reflect how they are used by most people, and read in a way to engage a specific demographic: ‘real people’ talking to ‘real people’ with a sentence structure to closely resemble the rhythms of natural conversation. Brand : Levels, 2,3 and 4 are the styles mainly used in explainer videos, e-learning and commercials: perhaps to people who have sought out the information and are already interested. Think everyday items such as mobile phones, pizza restaurants and washing powder. It’s often called ‘peer to peer’ read, because you sound like someone to whom you’re talking, someone who’ll buy the product or service. There’s a bit more emotion and less logic. It’s less directive and more subjective. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E454 · Tue, March 29, 2022
0454 – The ‘Level 3’ Read
2022.03.30 – 0454 – The ‘Level 3’ Read Level 3 Style : The style relaxes further, with a bit more character in the voice. In some situations, this may mean less projection, less pace, with a touch of ‘sell’ and a few conversational and casual contractions in the text. Becoming more authentic, relatable and believable. Brand : Conversational e-learning and commercials for businesses in, say, the finance and medical fields, not targeted at traders and medics, but the users of the services, ‘real people’. These are serious businesses but your voice style needs to reassure the customer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E453 · Mon, March 28, 2022
0453 – The ‘Level 4’ Read
2022.03.29 – 0453 – The ‘Level 4’ Read Level 4 Style : Serious, focused and formal; less ‘heavy’ and ‘polished’ than Level 5, and certainly warmer, but still reasonable slow, dry and articulate. At this Level and Level 3 below, your presentation style is to give trusted information to a broad market, Brand: Perhaps for a corporate HR statement on a serious protocol such as health and safety, or a medical or ethical narration, training programs, e-learning or instructional videos or audio. On-air work may be a heart-rending appeal for charity donations: serious, but with a warm and sensitive edge and a touch of business-like formality. The voice is lower-key than previously and still ‘speaking on behalf of’ the brand. These scripts require you to be a confident, skilled reader. You’re delivering information that the listener needs to understand. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E452 · Sun, March 27, 2022
0452 – The ‘Level 5’ Read
2022.03.28 – 0452 – The ‘Level 5’ Read Level 5 Style : Clear and paced diction, shorter sentences (or even ‘statements’), and quite directive. There’s a still a heightened performance, it’s energised, direct, animated and salesy. Slick and polished. Brand : Less common nowadays for many companies, products and services but still used for presentations where luxury or class is being suggested – although in these situations although the delivery may be clipped and formal it will carry less volume and speed. Think premium service hotels, high end holidays, luxury cars, sophisticated restaurants and expensive jewellery, where the voice may be on a corporate video, commercial or telephone greeting. The language may still be formal: “ our operatives are busy just at this moment in time, we request that you redial again at your convenience”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E451 · Sun, March 27, 2022
0451 – “Can You Dial It Down A Bit?”
2022.03.27 – 0451 – “Can You Dial It Down A Bit?” And in doing so, if a director says “ Hmm, you may wanna dial that down a bit ”, you’ll be more aware of what it is that you need to dial down on , to give them the read that they need. VOICE BOX (The list is subjective and not definitive.) Level 6 – Announcer [1] reads Style: Loud and fast, this presenter almost shouts at the audience with energy and emotion. They are ‘in your face’ and designed to be clear and directive – although they may also turn off the audience and are pretty rare. Clichéd and cheesy, like a circus ringmaster “Ladies, gentlemen and children! Roll up, roll up!”. They are often written in a very stylised way, with irregular words and syntax [2] . Short, sharp sentences, with a high volume and high speed. Brand: Think of car salesroom adverts (and others [3] ) on local TV in the US [4] , gospel preachers on religious TV channels or the UK’s own Cillit Bang adverts [5] . Often used for ‘what you see is what you get’ adverts, shouting about money-saving deals, simplistic solutions, and basic brands. Basic brands? Yep. Because it sounds cheap and in your face. They were often used to announce variety-type TV shows and the style just stuck, until it became a parody of itself. Such ‘reads’ target a very broad demographic and tries to capture attention. [1] Enunciatory - https://wordsmith.org/words/enunciatory.html [2] The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language. [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTlI634j_hk [4] Such as in these spoofs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKT4BOtpHOw and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqHZWdFVyyQ [5]
S2 E450 · Sat, March 26, 2022
0450 – Considerations For Other Reading Styles
2022.03.26 – 0450 – Considerations For Other Reading Styles There are of course many styles in between these two extremes of presentation, all with differing levels of some of those variables and more. For example, your style may change depending on some or all of these (and there may be many, many more considerations): · The content of the message – an emergency announcement or a soft sell · The item being sold – bathroom cleaner or luxury condo · The level of reassurance being given – grass seed or a pension plan · The duration of the spot, together with the length of the script - five words in 15 seconds, or fifteen words in 5. · Whether the content is ‘opt-in’ content or interrupting – a webinar someone has chosen and paid for, or a radio ad that they don’t want and have to ‘endure’ rather than enjoy. · What else is around the message – do you want it to merge with the ambient messages or to stand out? Is the ad before an action movie at the cinema going to engage more if it is hard-hitting or a soft-sell? · The demographic of the audience – older/younger, male/female, their education and income and the content of the message · Their understanding of the language in which you are speaking- arguably slower for those who have it as their second language. · The formality of the words used - longer words will perhaps be used in the more formal and technical reads for finance and medicine, shorter colloquialisms in a natural read · The content and the context – although the content may be similar, the presentation of an e-learning on the latest breast cancer care is likely to be different for medical staff than it will be for patients. A bank will likely use a different voice and style to target students than first time home-buyers, or small business start-ups… · The brand and the message – is the message to ask someone to spend £5 or £5000? Are you feeding their stomach or their mind? · And so on and so on. Therefore, it’s impossible (and unnecessary) to list every single variation of style here. However, let’s go through what may be some of the main attributes of a ‘read’, from emphatic and energetic Announcer to natural and emotional Conversational. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E449 · Fri, March 25, 2022
0449 – The Conversational Style of Reading
2022.03.25 – 0449 – The Conversational Style of Reading The Conversational Style Now the desired sound is someone who is more authentic, relatable, believable and conversational. Consumers don’t want to be told what to buy, but to have the benefits of that item explained to them by someone ‘like me’, a friend or neighbour. This ‘real read’ style is deemed to be better at building a relationship. It’s one that’s less talking (or shouting!) ‘at you’ to one that’s more talking ‘with you’, a style-shift from ‘authority’ to ‘authenticity’, a style that’s more personal and trustworthy. It’s more understated, heartfelt, real and credible. In fact, the kind of way you’d talk to a friend offering insight, experience and suggesting advice, rather than a ‘hard sell’. Those are perhaps the two ‘extremes of a read’ – ‘energetic announcer’ to ‘close confident’, and if you think about it, the factors which cause them to be different include obvious elements such as: · The volume and projection - Announcer: louder / Conversational: softer · The speed of delivery - Announcer: faster / Conversational: slower But also, other variables such as: · Length of sentences – Announcer: shorter / Conversational: longer · Word count – Announcer: higher (because of the speed of the read) / Conversational: lower (as it is slower) · The script punctuation – Announcer: with more pace and projection may have more direction in the punctuation Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E448 · Thu, March 24, 2022
0448 – The Announcer Style of Reading
2022.03.24 – 0448 – The Announcer Style of Reading READING STYLES The Announcer Style The ‘announcer style’ was typically an American format in the 1980s and 90s, scripts read with aggression, projection and stress. The announcer was almost telling you what to buy – in fact sometimes literally shouting at you! It was over the top and cheesy and fake. It’s a style now rarely heard apart from perhaps some local ‘used car showroom sale’ type adverts, or in parodies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E447 · Wed, March 23, 2022
0447 – Conversational Contradictions
2022.03.23 – 0447 – Conversational Contradictions So, let’s take what we have learnt so far to the next level. Some of what follows will enforce what we have looked at before, but other parts may seem a bit contradictory for example, building in hesitations, softening intonations and ignoring punctuations – but that doesn’t mean the previous pages/podcasts have been a waste of time. Far from it! You have to ‘know the rules’ before you can break them. After all, we don’t follow ‘the rules of the written word’ when we speak in a conversation. So, if you want to replicate that naturalistic, authentic style, then read on. We will also look at different kinds of presentational styles and how to make sure you understand the script: not the words , but the message (or messages) and the target audience. Because, a bit like the Royal Mail, only by knowing who the message is addressed to, can it be delivered precisely. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E446 · Tue, March 22, 2022
0446 – Sounding Conversational - Introduction
2022.03.22 – 0446 – Sounding Conversational - Introduction Kids rarely say “can you read out loud to me?” they say “can you tell me a story…? ” And that’s what this section is all about: sounding natural when you’re reading a story. Ideally listeners should not notice you, but just the material – it should appear that there is no presenter, with the audience almost absorbing the message without that verbal go-between. That’s not possible if the script is mumbled and stumbled, read without a sense of understanding, and ideas are inconsistently intonated. It’s not possible if the delivery is inconsistent with the message and the brand. If the listener feels that the message matters to the reader, then they will be more engaged. If you are interested, it will be more interesting. Communication doesn’t happen just because ideas have been presented. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E445 · Mon, March 21, 2022
0445 – Expression Conclusion
2022.03.21 – 0445 – Expression Conclusion Gestures will enhance your vocal presentation. They help you focus on the person you’re communicating with and the sense of the story, to concentrate on truly understanding and ‘living’ the message you are delivering rather than simply reading the words. And the audience hears the result of the gestures in your voice, through the resulting intonation and authenticity. So don’t sit on your hands, but give in to the natural impulse to punctuate and strengthen your words with expressive gesticulations. Speaking to thousands of people at once is an unnatural thing to do, even more so when you can’t see them. Gestures are what you would naturally do if you were speaking on a one-to-one basis as they help communicate ideas in ways other than purely using words. So, if you want to sound natural, act natural. Use your ‘mouth-talk’ and your ‘body talk’. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E444 · Sun, March 20, 2022
0444 – Choosing The Right Gesture
2022.03.20 – 0444 – Choosing The Right Gesture If you are nervous (and there’s more on overcoming stress, later), it may be that you suffer from ‘expression suppression’: the life drains from your presentation and you become stiff and starchy. It’s the last bit of the ‘fight, flight or freeze’ trio of possible automatic physiological responses to a threatening event. You’re not going to ‘fight’ the feeling of stress, you’re not going to flee from the studio, but the ‘freeze’ is still a possibility. If this is the case then you need to think how you can deliberately build appropriate gestures into your content. This will not only help you look natural, and sound natural, it will help you feel natural too: you’ll be tricking your brain into thinking “OK, these gestures are usually what I do with these words, so things must be less scary than I thought, so I can relax…” So how do you re-engage with expressions, how do you judge which gesture is right? When you’re relaxed, gestures come naturally, so analyse what you do in various situations without thinking. When you’re out having fun with friends after football, what do you do with your face? What is your pose when you’re pleading with police about problems with your tyre pressure? When your home with your honey, what do you do with your hands…? (Oh…!) My point is, monitor the mannerisms in the moment, so when you need to read with ease, instead of a freeze, you can take possession with rehearsed and appropriate expression. When you are less stressed and more comfortable with your story, and situation, you can forget about your gestures. That may be a funny thing to say in this section, but what I mean is that you’ll be able to think about communicating, not about what your hands are doing! Your body will be naturally reflecting what you are saying, so the audience will better feel and understand … not just be watching your hands. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E443 · Sat, March 19, 2022
0443 – The Nodding Dog Syndrome
2022.03.19 – 0443 – The Nodding Dog Syndrome Some people get into the habit of ‘self-conducting’ while they are talking, especially when reading from a script. They nod along to the rhythm of the words, or when they ‘highlight’ or ‘lift’ a word’s intonation. That’s not so bad if you are presenting audio (indeed it can help create the rhythm of the read), but on video it can look rather unusual and be off-putting: viewers will be watching your mannerism rather than listening to your message. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E442 · Fri, March 18, 2022
0442 – Expression Suppression
2022.03.18 – 0442 – Expression Suppression Sometimes you may need to sit on your hands and suppress the pressure to gesture. For example, if a newsreader, if it’s a sensitive or emotional story you may benefit from having your whole body ‘small’ and still. Genuine gestures only Be you – don’t just use someone else’s gesture because you think it looked good. It has to fit with your personality and culture: you have to feel comfortable using it, and it has to be genuinely part of you if it is to enhance your speech delivery. Using a ‘fake’ gesture, or supressing your own will upset your equilibrium of naturalness and create tension in your mind, body and voice, and you could be distracting yourself from your task of informing, educating or entertaining. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E441 · Thu, March 17, 2022
0441 – Signature Gestures
2022.03.17 – 0441 – Signature Gestures What to Remember When You Gesture Mind your mannerisms When does your ‘signature gesture’ cross from being a trademark (such as, for UK listeners, the Anne Robinson wink [1] , the Huw Edwards pose [2] , or Magnus Pike’s ‘windmill arms’ [3] ) to being irritating, a distraction or a self-parody? When will viewers cheer or jeer what you do, could they be a distraction to the information, rather than helping them concentrate on your content? [1] https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/tv/new-look-countdown-anne-robinson-20919907 [2] https://metro.co.uk/2016/09/08/hang-on-huw-edwards-has-been-doing-the-same-pose-every-time-news-at-10-starts-6117568/ [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnus_Pyke Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E440 · Wed, March 16, 2022
0440 – Thaw Your Frozen Face
2022.03.16 – 0440 – Thaw Your Frozen Face The most communicative voices have active facial language. The voice from a poker face – one that looks like a ventriloquist’s dummy, with no life in the eyes, brow or mouth - sounds mechanical bored and disengaged. You need to thaw them out! Don’t read with a blank face, but animate it. This may be tiring at first but find a balance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E439 · Tue, March 15, 2022
0439 – More Advantages of Gestures
2022.03.15 – 0439 – More Advantages of Gestures More advantages of gestures Gestures affect your energy, help lower your tension and raise your resonance On video people will see your energy – it’s obvious, you will be animated. And using energy will releasing happy hormones into your body, affecting how you feel and sound. Smiling and moving will help release tension, rather than having stored-up stress in places such as your shoulders and jaw. Again, that will be heard vocally. Bringing your arms up with gesticulations will also help expand your ribcage and so aid breathing and breath control, increase the opportunity of resonation and vocal ability and decreases vocal strain. Yep, your whole body is your instrument. Expressions aid better communication You may want to frown when you read a sad or serious story, or smile when you have a kicker to read. A complicated story may benefit in the telling if you gesticulate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E438 · Mon, March 14, 2022
0438 – Gestures In Voice Acting
2022.03.14 – 0438 – Gestures In Voice Acting Voice-over is acting, it’s not just about ‘reading out loud’. Getting your whole body involved will help you develop your character: a ‘little old lady’ voice will be easier and more authentic if you ‘become small’, maybe hunched over, pulling your clothes near you to keep out the cold. But it’s not just humans. The ‘voice’ of a steam train will be more on track in its express-ion, if you ‘act like a train’: big, powerful and forceful. The sound of the sun, may be bright and open and welcoming, so think of the appropriate gestures to help you create that voice. How might you characterise a voice ‘the wind’, what might be the movement and hence the sound of a bottle of dishwashing liquid [1] , a credit card [2] , a tiger [3] , …? If there’s space in the studio, and you’re still on mic, animation will help your narration and characterisation. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow_cFieXoFM [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7N-tIqy6yQ [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ9j841_YSw&t=11s Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E437 · Sun, March 13, 2022
0437 – Eye Contact For Video And Stage Performers
2022.03.13 – 0437 – Eye Contact For Video And Stage Performers Eye contact for video and stage performers OK this isn’t about the voice per se but let’s just spend a short time looking at this closely associated topic. When you speak, involve your listeners with your eyes: it’s natural, personal and conversational and helps create a bond with them. That’s easy of course if it’s a one-to-one conversation or with a handful of people as you can look at each of them in turn. With an auditorium of people, look at different parts of the audience and within that some specific individuals. On video, look into the lens of the camera, not at yourself in the screen. Yes, you can glance away in all of these situations, to one side, or down at your notes or up at the ceiling as you do a ‘mock’ search for words, say. But looking someone in the eyes suggests (in most cultures), honesty and friendliness and averting your gaze suggests disinterest, nervousness and insincerity. Plus, if you don’t look at them, they won’t look at you! You will have broken the ‘eyeball bond’ and the audience will feel excused from giving you their eyes, their ears and their attention, which in turn may lower your confidence and raise your discomfort. Looking at your audience completes the feedback loop that we looked at before: you can see your listeners’ reaction and change your delivery accordingly. Furious scribbling in notepads shows you’re giving content of value (although possibly a little too fast). People looking away and talking to each other suggests you may be losing their interest so maybe consider brightening your intonation, animating your gesticulations, or moving across the stage. Has anyone got their hand raised with a question..? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E436 · Sat, March 12, 2022
0436 – Gestures For TV and Video Presentations
2022.03.12 – 0436 – Gestures For TV and Video Presentations Expressions on Televisions - Gestures on TV and Video TV video work can be a bit different. With audio production (either radio or voice over work) you can make many and large gestures to help your vocal presentation, partly to give life to your words. TV is more intimate. Gestures are small and your delivery is more conversational. On TV viewers can see your natural reactions, and see them quite close-up too! And even though you the presenter might know that the camera is the other side of the studio, if the shot has been zoomed in, that’s not where the audience is. If the shot is tight on your head and shoulders (a mid-shot) the viewer may be, in effect, just a few feet away and your voice and overall style should reflect that. Those recording YouTube videos or webinars, on either a small mobile camera or webcam should be careful with expressive arms. These may either go out of the frame of the camera, or if adjusting the camera, viewers will see your hand lunging at them out of the screen. A ‘poker face’ might be good playing cards but not in effective communication. And as your face gives away your thoughts and feelings, attitude and personality, people will be watching as well as listening for clues as to what they think you may be thinking. For example, your expression and gestures may be perceived as editorialising the content of your presentation. This may not matter if you are a YouTuber giving your thoughts about the pros and cons of a gadget during an unboxing, but may be more concerning if you are reading about the Presidential race on an impartial news channel. An unconscious expression may suggest an attitude that you don’t have. For several years British politician Priti Patel was criticised for having what appeared to be a ‘sneer’ or ‘smirk’ on her face ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anb7A6Em9B0 ), although that is her regular expression. Beware of lip-licking, lip biting, nervous twitches or tightening of the jaw which may give away that you are nervous, inexperienced or ill prepared. What will the audience feel if they sense you are nervous? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E435 · Fri, March 11, 2022
0435 – ‘Verbal’ Gestures
2022.03.11 – 0435 – ‘Verbal’ Gestures Verbal gestures – ones which enhance what you are saying or replace what you’re thinking, maybe: · Moving hands in front of you from one side… and then another – indicates comparisons (that while A was happening here, B was happening there) · Closed fists being put on top of one another – showing the stages of something (a structure or the ‘building blocks’ of an idea) being built · Clicking fingers may suggest something sudden or an idea, (or be me used as we try and remember something) · A clenched fist shows strength of character or emotion · As well as the obvious nodding or shaking, your head on one side may indicate disbelief or that you are trying to understand the speaker · There’s a lot that can be seen in the eyes of a speaker or a listener: whether someone is holding contact (or not), or glancing away. Squinting can be a sign of someone trying to understand or disbelief, wide eyes may indicate surprise or disbelief. Winking may be a hint at an in-joke. · Smiling will help relax you as you read, not a huge Jim Carrey-type grin but just a slight upturn of the corners of your mouth. So smile for a lighter story or give a slight lip-purse or pout with a frown to show concern – it’ll be heard in your voice. · Touching the tips of thumb and forefinger to make a precise point or to help enunciate words or hit the beat or a sentence. Think of your voice as an orchestra and you as the conductor. You don’t want to necessarily adopt all of these movements (if you do, you’ll look rather odd!) but consider which ones you would normally use in everyday conversation, and try to employ them in your studio or stage work. It will look natural and feel natural and you will sound more natural too. Your gestures are heard in your voice, so don’t be a mannequin – move! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E434 · Thu, March 10, 2022
0434 – ‘Leading’ and ‘Ideas’ Gestures
2022.03.10 – 0434 – ‘Leading’ and ‘Ideas’ Gestures Different types of gestures When you are speaking with an audience face to face you employ any of these types of gestures to help you influence them. So even if they are not there in front of you, you may still want to use them: [1] Leading gestures – show people what you want them to do, such as: · Point – to make them look in a certain direction · Raise your hands – to encourage them to do the same thing · Applaud – as you say “ let’s give them a round of applause ” Ideas gestures - when you want help to express a thought or create an emotion for example: · An open palm – indicates openness, taking or receiving (perhaps of an idea), or the start of a handshake (originally indicating honestly and that no weapon was being held). A hand that’s held down suggests suppression or secrecy · A shoulder-shrug - suggests an uncaring attitude, or ignorance, a casual attitude say “ Hey, this really works for me. You should try it .” · A step forward might indicate that you are advancing an important story, a step or two back that you have made it and are concluding. · High-up gestures indicate inspiration and aspiration, lower-down gestures suggest poor/rejected ideas or emotions. Gestures near shoulder level may indicate calmness, stability. [1] There are many books, articles and videos on gestures, which go into this topic in considerable depth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E433 · Wed, March 09, 2022
0433 – Adopting Authentic Gestures
2022.03.09 – 0433 – Adopting Authentic Gestures So, gestures along with the words we choose and the way we deliver those words (for example a timid or a robust voice) helps in communication – the message we are delivering and the understanding of it and the impact that it has. In most of the situations that we are looking at here, radio/podcast/video and stage delivery, we want to be imparting information with confidence and naturalness, conversationality and authority. Therefore, if we adopt the gestures that we would normally use in such a face-to-face situation – even if there’s no-one actually in front of us, it will help us deliver the message in an authentic way, with the correct authentic tone. So, what kind of gestures are these likely to be? [1] [1] Remember, gestures change from culture to culture, and sometimes country to country: think how many of our Middle Eastern or Southern European friends move as they talk , so these can only be generalisations to encourage you to think what you would do naturally and to replicate that in your ‘un-natural’ talking environment of a studio situation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E432 · Tue, March 08, 2022
0432 – Your Lesson In Physical Expression For Better Verbal Connection.
2022.03.08 – 0432 – Your Lesson In Physical Expression For Better Verbal Connection. Now this is where we start your lesson in physical expression for better conversation and connection. Of course, we use gestures all the time: · when we are looking for the remote control at home, we may tap one palm with a finger of the other hand as though we are using the device we are searching for · we may touch our temple with a forefinger if we think someone we are referring to is a bit confused, and we surreptitiously scratch our cheek with two fingers in a V-shape if we don’t like them · try giving someone directions without gesturing and you’ll see (literally!) what I mean. More seriously body language gives away a lot of information about us and how we feel: · on a chair cross-legged and cross-armed makes you appear defensive · standing on a stage, with a wide stance and arms outstretched makes you look confident perhaps to the point of Messianic And in the office or at a meeting: · squinting and rubbing your chin gives a look of thoughtfulness and consideration · raised eyebrows, wide eyes and a nod shows approval and encouragement Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E431 · Mon, March 07, 2022
0431 – Face-To-Face Gestures When Talking Face-To-Mic
2022.03.07 – 0431 – Face-To-Face Gestures When Talking Face-To-Mic The ‘father of modern public speaking’ Dale Carnegie, wrote, “ A person under the influence of his feelings projects the real self, acting naturally and spontaneously. A speaker who is interested will usually be interesting ”. If you are interested in your subject, believe in what you are saying, and want to share your message with others, your physical movements will come from within and be appropriate to what you’re saying. And if you use ‘face-to-face’ gestures even when you’re ‘face-to-mic’ and can’t actually see those you’re talking to, then you will start to sound a bit more natural. There were non-verbal signals before there was language. After all, animals manage to negotiate their entire social lives by using non-verbal signals. They make friends, find mates, rear young, decide hierarchies and work together in groups, by using non-verbal signals. Similarly, Stone Age man would tell others about the best hunting grounds, teach them how to make weapons, fight and appease neighbouring tribes and so on without language as we know it, but with grunts and gestures instead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E430 · Sun, March 06, 2022
0430 – ‘Using Your Hands To Help Your Voice’
2022.03.06 – 0430 – ‘Using Your Hands To Help Your Voice’ Hold on, this is supposed to be all about talking, with your mouth, isn’t it? Well yes and no. Talking also involves the rest of your body. Certainly, in breathing you use your diaphragm and throat … but talking also involves your hands, your head – in fact a lot of the rest of the body too: posture and gesture go hand in hand (!) to affect your vocal delivery. Earlier we looked at how to imagine another person in the room with you, as a way of presenting more conversationally. It’s not just picturing someone in your mind that can help though, you can also use this ‘body behaviour’: the gestures you would normally use when speaking face-to-face. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E429 · Sat, March 05, 2022
0429 – What is A ‘Natural’ and ‘Conversational’ Sound?
2022.03.05 – 0429 – What is A ‘Natural’ and ‘Conversational’ Sound? Now let’s enter a new section in the [1] ‘voyage of the voice’, with more communication skills. So far we’ve looked at how the voice is produced – with a series on breathing - and how words are formed when we spent some time on articulation. Then we examined the various aspects of speaking from intonation to projection, pace, pause and pitch. So, now we know what goes on in the ‘chest and the head’ – what does it take to go one step further? In this chapter / series of episodes we will take a look at the ‘attitude’ of conversational reading. That is how we sound more natural and fluent, how we bring a story to life. First, how talking is more than ‘moving your mouth’ – how sounding natural comes in part from moving the rest of your body too. That is the verbal orchestration that is gesticulation. Then a series on conversationality, or if you prefer ‘voice acting’: how can you sound as though the words are not being read? What are the tricks to use, and the psychological ‘zone’ you need to be in, to appear not to be using a script, even though you are? It’s a tricky trick to pull off. Linked with this of course, is ad-libs: going off-piste from a script. Then a section on fluency and what I’ve called vocal viruses. No, not coughs and colds, but the causes of slips and trips, stumbles and hesitations, filler words and fluffs. [1] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E428 · Fri, March 04, 2022
0428 – The Speed Of The Read – A Summary
2022.03.04 – 0428 – The Speed Of The Read – A Summary And that’s the challenge: to maintain clarity and inflection throughout the script. “Sometimes the most powerful sound in stories is a lack of sound, or a pause, or a silence, or a cadence of the way we speak in person that you can't really get when you're reading print. You hear that in your mind, but you don't really know how it's intended to sound. So, I think there's a musicality to audio storytelling that gives it also a little bit of an advantage over just watching something that has visuals and audio and also just reading something on the page .” Julie Shapiro, Executive Producer of Radiotopia from PRX [1] And those are our paragraphs on the power of the pause. Now, is it time for you to start giving someone ‘the silent treatment’? [1] Interview with Tamar Charney, NPR, on “ The Power of Digital Audio Storytelling: From Podcasts to Voice Assistants” webinar series, Knight Centre. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E427 · Thu, March 03, 2022
0427 – Peter’s PT For Talking To Time
2022.03.03 – 0427 – Peter’s PT For Talking To Time Take some copy which has a required duration indicated on it, and read it aloud like you might in a demo, and with a stopwatch to hand. How many words did you read in 30 seconds? Or how many seconds were you over? Keep practicing until you can sensibly get the copy in the seconds required, several times in a row. Then take another script and repeat the exercise before return to the first script and seeing if the rate and the rhythm are still there. Then go back to the second script. Then take a third one, of a different style and duration and word-count, and try it all again. A further exercise would be to take your 30 second script and elongate it so it when you read it, it lasts 40 seconds, or shorten it to 25: all of these are skills that will come in useful in the recording studio. You are often presented with a script that is just too ‘word-rich’ and yes, every single one is vital. It is up to you to ‘fit the words into the seconds’ in a clear and interesting way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E426 · Wed, March 02, 2022
0426 – Peter’s PT For The Fast Talker
2022.03.02 – 0426 – Peter’s PT For The Fast Talker VOCAL YOGA – PETER’S PT for the fast-talker Here’s one of those infamous ‘Terms and Conditions’ statements you often hear at the end of ads. Can you clearly communicate this script at speed and at ease? “Representative example cash price 13-4,2,0. Deposit 4,8-9,9-41 Credit amount 8,5,2,0-59 36 months optional final payment 6,2,3,7-67 Total payable 14-7,3,6-72 Based on 8-thousand miles per annum Representative APR 5.9% Fixed interest 3.05%” The ad I took this statement from, had it read in 13 seconds… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E425 · Tue, March 01, 2022
0425 – Pod-Fasting
2022.03.01 – 0425 – Pod-Fasting POD-FASTING This is when listeners play back your podcast really fast, perhaps 1.5 or even twice the originally recorded speed (often referred to as “2-ex” speed). They may be short of time, or they may find your delivery either not compelling enough – just too drawn out, or not enough wheat for the chaff, or simply your presentation just. Too. Slow. The podcast player removes the micro-pauses in and between words, without affecting your pitch. So you seem to speed up without sounding like Mickey Mouse, Alvin The Chipmunk or Pinky and Perky. If you want to replicate that in your home recordings for say voice-overs, such tech is available in most DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations). You usually do this by selecting the audio you want to speed up, and then a button called “Remove Silence” or “Truncate Silence” and then setting parameters for what you want to be considered as ‘silence’: that is, the ‘loudness’ and the duration’. You don’t want to eliminate all silence as that will sound completely unnatural, but you may want to reduce them by a percentage. “There's a time and a place for everything. Listen to the movie ‘Tootsie, where Bill Murray stole many scenes from Dustin Hoffman's manic performance with measured, mindful pacing. The ‘I Have A Dream’ speech, at 1.5x speed, sounds like a grocery list. Liam Neeson's ‘Taken’ speech, the action movie monologue that became the meme of the 2000s, at 1.5x speed, would be 0.5x as threatening.” [1] [1] https://www.thepodcasthost.com/editing-production/podcasts-at-1-5x-speed-take-control-of-your-flow/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E424 · Mon, February 28, 2022
0424 – The Pregnant Pause
2022.02.28 – 0424 – The Pregnant Pause Pregnant pause This is a pause that is full of meaning (‘pregnant’ means ‘full’) – it builds suspension and signifies significance. “And Prime Mionsiter, did you ever take drugs?” [Pause] “Yes. Yes I did.” “And now we come to who will inherit the vast percentage of grandad’s estate…” [Pause] or perhaps could happen when no-one knows quite what to say: “You know Nigel? He’s been arrested for murder…” [Pause] Pregnant pauses can be natural as in those examples, or manufactured. For example, a conversation between a car salesman and a potential customer can often have pregnant pauses in them as they try to make the other uncomfortable, give the impression they are mulling over an offer or suggestion… and as brinkmanship to cause an uncomfortable situation and force the other person to speak and so give away part of their gameplan. The danger is not only talking, but ill-considered talking, starting to sound desperate, saying words just to fill the silence. A clever salesperson or manager, parent or presenter knows the pregnant pause can be a powerful tool. When it appears, consider letting it linger. Stretch it and feel it. Sense how it affects the conversation (perhaps give the other person time to think, and process, what you said) and shifts balance of ‘power’ in the conversation. The “ silence may be deafening ”, they may feel threatened or flustered by it, see it as a psychological trick, and pressured into making a decision. On the other hand, the listener, possible customer, staff member may feel more respected, unthreatened, more in control. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E423 · Sun, February 27, 2022
0423 – The Difference Between A Pause And ‘Dead Air’
2022.02.27 – 0423 – The Difference Between A Pause And ‘Dead Air’ A Pause and Dead Air – the difference A pause is purposeful production. It’s been included for a reason, for effect, for punctuation and a dozen other reasons (see below). Dead air is a gap caused by a gaffe – a miscalculation, a technical mistake, a brain freeze. A pause is intentional, dead air is accidental. “A pause is a silence filled with meaning; an empty lapse of time is a wait.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E422 · Sat, February 26, 2022
0422 – Pausing Practicalities
2022.02.26 – 0422 – Pausing Practicalities Pausing practicalities If recording a voice over often it doesn’t matter if you pause for several seconds in the middle of a script. A producer or director will understand that if you have an intense, heavy technical read, or maybe one with subclauses or no punctuation (for example a ‘terms and conditions’ section), then you may have to record several versions starting at different points and leave it to them to edit together. Obviously only do this after a conversation with them and together you can find a good spot at which you can breathe and also make an edit easier for them. It will be better for everyone if you stop to take a longer pause at a place where there is a comma or fullstop/period, than to fight through to the end of a sentence and squeeze every last ounce of air from your lungs as you do so. Starting at the beginning of the script and seeing how far through you can get before you make a mistake, doesn’t make a lot of sense but uses a lot of time. Just make sure that when, using the stop start method above, you keep in mind the intonation in which you ended the previous sentence before you paused. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E421 · Fri, February 25, 2022
0421 – Too Many Pauses
2022.02.25 – 0421 – Too Many Pauses Too many pauses Even though it’s important that each word be properly pronounced, overly precise diction with a micro-pause after each word, can sound very unnatural. Another potential problem is, a we saw before, the speakers who chunk words together by how many there are rather than their sense, and then repeat the pattern. So you get, say three words, then a pause, then three more, and another pause ….. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E420 · Thu, February 24, 2022
0420 – Silence In An On-Air Studio
2022.02.24 – 0420 – Silence In An On-Air Studio VOICE BOX Silence in an on-air studio If an audio signal is not sent to a radio station transmitter for a set period of time, an emergency ‘tape’ kicks in. That’s if equipment senses that a silence is too long, and maybe ‘something’ has happened in the broadcast studio … say the studio desk has broken, there’s a power cut, fire or evacuation. So if you’re being melodramatic with a super-long pause, you may just get more than you bargained for. That emergency recording will fire up, and go straight to the transmitter and take your desk off air. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E419 · Wed, February 23, 2022
0419 – The Problem With Pauses
2022.02.23 – 0419 – The Problem With Pauses PROBLEMS WITH PAUSES In commercial voiceovers, the pauses are often edited out to leave a ‘word-wall of sound’. I was once asked to record a daily podcast for an (in)famous media company. They loved my voice and presentation style, but had one request: could I please go back and edit out all of my breaths from the recording as “ people don’t want to hear them ”. Errr! Removing breaths disrupts this natural rhythm and therefore interferes with our understanding of the content, but it’s done to cram more information into the time allowed. Granted people don’t want to hear big gulps or suck-in breaths, but they are a normal part of speech that we hear, live, every day. And of course, we naturally take a breath in adlibbed speech certainly, where it makes sense in a thought block, and therefore that creates a pause which the listener considers natural. And pauses are pertinent in an ‘ad read’ for reasons mentioned before: they can help draw attention to key words or phrases such as a feeling the product suggests, the name of the business, the strapline or special offer. Alternatively, some radio and podcast presenters edit pauses into their show, to add suspense. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E418 · Tue, February 22, 2022
0418 – Pausing In Podcast Presenter Teams
2022.02.22 – 0418 – Pausing In Podcast Presenter Teams VOICE BOX Pausing in teamwork A brief look at the pause when you have several presenters on your radio show or podcast. When you have one or more co-presenters, it’s important to know when one of them has paused, for effect, or stopped. Knowing each other, trust and on-air communication will avoid the problem of one of the rest of the team trampling all over a carefully timed link or bit. These might be hand signals – a raised hand might indicate “ I’ve got this… let me talk ”, an outward palm “ don’t talk, let me finish ”, and a finger-point or gracious ‘I cede the floor’ gesture might indicate it’s their turn. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E417 · Mon, February 21, 2022
0417 – The Janice Pause
2022.02.21 – 0417 – The Janice Pause The ‘Janice pause’ The exaggerated pause indicating stunned surprise, or comedic drama: a trend from ‘ Friends ’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSmp1ZSvelY Having said that, don’t fall into the pattern of pausing so much between words, so often, that your delivery becomes ‘bitty’, with you saying. Each. Individual. Word. Such a delivery is unconventional, un-conversational and un-emotional – sucking energy out of what may actually be exciting content. “ Oh [pause] my [pause] gosh [pause] he [pause] just [pause] proposed.” More naturally in this situation of excited, energetic enthusiasm, you’d create a ‘word merge’… “ Ohmygosh [pause] hejustproposed.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E416 · Sun, February 20, 2022
0416 – Silence In Different Cultures
2022.02.20 – 0416 – Silence In Different Cultures Silence for different cultures In general, eastern cultures value silence more than word-rich western ones. In their book ‘Communication between cultures’ Samovar and Porter, elaborate using an example: “In response to the question: ‘Will you marry me?’ Silence in English would be interpreted as uncertainty, in Japanese it would be interpreted as acceptance, in Igbo (Southeastern Nigeria) it would be considered as a denial if the woman was to continue to stand there and acceptance if she ran away.” [1] And of course, if you are reading or presenting for those who have your first language as their second , they may need additional time to process what you are saying. [1] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/power-silence-alok-vishwakarma-%E3%82%A2%E3%83%AD%E3%82%AF- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E415 · Sat, February 19, 2022
0415 – Silence Shows You’re Listening
2022.02.19 – 0415 – Silence Shows You’re Listening Silence shows you’re listening In an interview, your guest has just made a significant or poignant remark, and to show respect and empathy – pause. The strategic pause adds tension and anticipation and indicates comprehension and reflection. It shows you are actively listening and value their comment. It helps build trust. …. but only if it is not followed by an “ errrm ” or “ ummm ”. Those kinds of words will merely show you are ill prepared. It’s a great skill to have in your repertoire but should be used sporadically for best effect. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E414 · Fri, February 18, 2022
0414 – Silence Skills In Interviewing
2022.02.18 – 0414 – Silence Skills In Interviewing Silence in interviewing Maybe you have a guest on your radio show or podcast, consider using pausing the way it’s used by counsellors, coppers and court-room legal teams. Silence creates a vacuum that cries out to be filled. Experienced interviewers let the silence fill the air, to create an awkward or a hostile pressure. And the other person feels obliged to break that pressure by saying something – possibly, under anger or embarrassment, something they hadn’t meant to. Similar tactics are used in negotiations – perhaps for a new car or a salary rise. Those who lose their nerve and talk first may weaken their message and position. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E413 · Thu, February 17, 2022
0413 – Scanning Scripts And Audiences
2022.02.17 – 0413 – Scanning Scripts And Audiences To rescan the script A pause gives a moment for the reader to look ahead in their script or notes to refamiliarize themselves with what comes next: the upcoming point they will make, maybe spotting the awkward word or name they need to concentrate on getting right, the ‘pitch and tone’ reset as they start a new topic. That is: Stop. Breath. Look ahead. Or indeed, if working without notes, to think of what to say next. Stop… and look If you are working in front of a live audience (ok not the main target for this podcast and book), a pause gives you a moment to scan those in front of you. Spend a second or two giving eye contact to a few different areas of the audience to help them feel involved in your presentation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E412 · Wed, February 16, 2022
0412 – A Beat For A Breath
2022.02.16 – 0412 – A Beat For A Breath A beat for a breath For the reader, pauses create a ‘breath-space’ for you to take in some air at an appropriate place , and not somewhere that’d interrupt the flow and confuse the listener. We looked at breathing and where to do it to keep the sense of the sentence, earlier on in these podcasts. Remember the audio I mentioned of the famous British newsreader who creates new sentences in [pause] her script she merges sets of phrases [pause] together and then breathes [pause] in the wrong places in the next one and that starts to affect the intonation and [pause] also the sense of the sentence too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E411 · Tue, February 15, 2022
0411 – Using Silence as a Substitute
2022.02.15 – 0411 – Using Silence as a Substitute Using silence as a substitute for filler words If you pause rather than add in a vocal bridge – “ err”, “ahh”, “y’know”, “so” – then it will make you sound more interesting. Try a pause and a mental ‘reset’, rather than a verbal, “ um ”. There is nothing wrong with the occasional hesitation word, as long as it's not used too frequently, but you don’t need to fill every second with sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E410 · Mon, February 14, 2022
0410 – A Pause For Thought
2022.02.14 – 0410 – A Pause For Thought A pause for thought In conversation we hesitate, search for the right word or phrase, perhaps weigh what we want to say with the context and the audience. To sound natural, to create the illusion of life, when you need the listener to believe you’ve just had a new thought, a gap is required: “I don’t get mad, I [pause] get even.” That moment (or beat) between the thinking and the speaking translates into a pretty powerful pause. If the pause were placed before the “ I ”, the thought could seem too fluent, and some of the force would be lost. But moving that ‘beat’ after the “ I ” creates a feeling of you searching for the right word, the right phrase to balance the first one. This technique is really ‘voice acting’ but can be useful in broadcast and podcast presentation as well, to give the feel of spontaneity, as though the words we are using are not considered and written, rehearsed and read … but just that moment coming to us and will make you sound more authentic, real and believable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E409 · Sun, February 13, 2022
0409 – Comic Timing
2022.02.13 – 0409 – Comic Timing Comic timing There’s great importance of the pause before a punchline. It’s the ‘gap gap’ between the stress of the set up and the relief of the reward – laughter. The anticipation within the pause adds punch to the punchline, it creates a beat and is a social signifier of “ this next bit’s the gag, when I’ve said it, you laugh! ” That silence often gives the audience just long enough to settle into a false sense of security, but short enough so they don’t figure out the joke for themselves: “I just flew into town [pause] boy, my arms are tired.” The pause sets up the expectation that you are talking about flying on a plane, without giving them time to think: “hmm, this is a gag, they probably don’t mean exactly that…” and then get the gag for themselves. The use of the pause gets greater applause. The confident comic delivers the line (with the pause), and then pauses again for the laughter. A ‘nervous novice’ races on. Dare to be quiet, allow the audience time to respond, let the laughter build, don’t step on it. Indeed, some comics milk the laughter by pausing longer. They make the laughter longer longer by a raised eyebrow, a double take to the side, which itself can cause a second wave of laughter. Those gestures can actually end up being a trademark of individual comics. In broadcasts and podcasts of course, there is no live audience to give you that response – a situation that as we have seen before is tricky. Some radio presenters have a ‘crew’, ‘posse’ or ‘team’ who contribute to the show and can act as the audience, responding appropriately. On stage jokes can take longer to land with the mass audience so give an extra beat for a punchline to register. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E408 · Sat, February 12, 2022
0408 – Pauses In A Visual Description
2022.02.12 – 0408 – Pauses In A Visual Description Pauses in a visual description That is, when you’re describing a person, a room or any environment or object, the use of the beat allows the listener to create the visual for themselves. “Are you ready to swap loungewear for swimwear? [pause] Or Zoom calls for stunning waterfalls? [pause] Maybe you’re dreaming of that first blissful moment of sand between your toes, [pause] or the excitement of exploring somewhere completely new. [pause] Our five-star resort offers beaches for days … smiles for miles. [pause] Located on the south coast of the island, the suites look out over the pristine gardens of the breath-taking Caribbean Sea and swimming pools. [pause] When you can tear yourself away from the comfort of your private surroundings, [pause] the refreshing breezes make for excellent sailing, scuba-diving and kayaking. [pause] When it comes to dining, you’re spoilt for choice [pause] with 11 gourmet restaurants serving delicious dishes in an intimate atmosphere.” Give listeners time to visualise what you verbalise. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E407 · Fri, February 11, 2022
0407 – Pauses as an Indication of Quality
2022.02.11 – 0407 – Pauses as an Indication of Quality Pauses as an indication of quality In commercial reads, less copy, fewer words, slower speed and time taken, is often the algorithm to indicate luxury. “ Imagine waking up to the feel of rich luxury satin silk sheets … [pause] gently caressing your skin … [pause] with the cool breeze and sounds of the ocean through your veranda windows … [pause] eased open to allow just a chink of early morning sunlight to dapple the room…” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E406 · Thu, February 10, 2022
0406 – Using Pauses After Rhetorical Questions
2022.02.10 – 0406 – Using Pauses After Rhetorical Questions Creating silence in which the listener can answer your question Ask the audience a rhetorical question and then pause at the end of it so they can digest it and answer it internally. “Fed up with that dirty stain around the bath? [pause] Tired of the weekly scrub of the tub? [pause] Want a better way to have shiny ceramics? [pause] Introducing the all-new Bathroom Wonderclean …” “Want to hear every edition of the podcast a week before everyone else? [pause] Want an ad-free listening experience? [pause] Want exclusive offers and a chance to win a meet with the hosts…? [pause] Then subscribe and leave a review, and send us a screen shot for a chance to win!” “Have you ever wanted to speak out… but been too afraid to say anything?” Yes, even when the listener, the person you are asking, is not with you and you cannot hear their reply, a silence creates ‘space’ for them to consider their thoughts and feelings, to compose a reply in their mind even if they can’t verbalise it. It only need be a beat or two, but a pause creates space for the percolation of the response. As a presenter, don’t rush headlong into another item of content. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E405 · Wed, February 09, 2022
0405 – Pauses As The Fulcrum In A Story’s ‘See-Saw’
2022.02.09 – 0405 – Pauses As The Fulcrum In A Story’s ‘See-Saw’ The pause as a see-saw fulcrum A pause can help explain the balance of two parts of the story – while this is happening over there, this is happening over here. “ The mayor said that it was the fault of the police [pause] the police are claiming it was a council error.” “ Jones is alleged to have killed the three men [pause] he denies all the charges.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E404 · Tue, February 08, 2022
0404 – Pauses As Intonational Devices In Quotes and Sub-Clauses
2022.02.08 – 0404 – Pauses As Intonational Devices In Quotes and Sub-Clauses They are used as intonational devices in quotes, brackets/parenthesis and sub-clauses As we saw previously when we talked about pitch and intonation, we leave a micro-gap either side of a quote from someone else to indicate that they are their words, not ours. The quote itself is often also said in a slightly different pitch and at a slower speed: “ Perkins told us [pause] ‘I’ll sue if those allegations are repeated’ [pause] and then thumped our reporter in the chest”. “ The company says it’s [pause] the best camera of its kind [pause] on the market ”. Similarly, the pause is used to verbalise a phrase that would perhaps be a sub-clause or in brackets, in the written word: “ And you can get her new novel [pause] which is the second in the ‘Blandford’ trilogy [pause] with our exclusive discount code ”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E403 · Mon, February 07, 2022
0403 – A Pause Helps You Say What You Can’t Actually Say
2022.02.07 – 0403 – A Pause Helps You Say What You Can’t Actually Say A pause helps you say what you can’t actually say A pause might be inviting the audience to ‘read between the lines’ pointing them to a possible irony – the verbal equivalent of a raised eyebrow: “And Melania Trump, has delivered a farewell address ...saying the last four years have been 'unforgettable' and calling for an end to division”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E402 · Sun, February 06, 2022
0402 – Silence to Let Sound Tell the Story
2022.02.06 – 0402 – Silence to Let Sound Tell the Story Silence to let sound tells the story Radio consultant Tracy Johnson tells the story [1] of former Dodgers baseball play-by-play ‘personality announcer’ Vin Scully and quotes his commentary [2] of Hank Aaron’s 715th home run, the blast that “ made him baseball’s home-run king ”. Scully later talked [3] about using silence to capture the drama when he was asked what he did as soon as he made the home run call. “ (I) shut up. I try as hard as I can to call the play as quickly and as accurately and then shut up, there are no words better than the roar of the crowd… When Henry Aaron hit the home run, I put the microphone down, got up and went to the back of the booth cos I had nothing to say. The place went bananas.… I think I poured a little coffee and I stood there and just revelled in the sounds and the sights. And I’ve timed it since and it’s about a minute and 24 seconds without a word spoken and that’s a long time in radio but I had nothing better to say. And it also then gave me time to calm down and think and then go back and talk about the importance to America.” [1] https://tjohnsonmediagroup.com/blog/power-of-the-pause/ [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvfYg_kNtTk&t=290s [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1207&v=0ocs1zJIkUY&feature=emb_logo (from 17.22) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E401 · Sat, February 05, 2022
0401 – Pauses To Engage Attention After Significant Content
2022.02.05 – 0401 – Pauses To Engage Attention After Significant Content After significant content A pause after a phrase or story gives listeners time to reflect on what they’ve just heard, to allow it to sink in, giving the audience time to digest information, not drown in it. “The four people who died in a house fire this morning, were two sets of twin boys aged 4 and 6. In the last few minutes a woman from the same address has been arrested [pause]. The fatal fire broke out at around 2 this morning on a house on Collingwood Avenue…” The pause in this kind of situation, after the news of the death of a prominent person or ‘shocking’ news story, may also indicate a sense of significance or respect. In a speech, a pause indicates you’ve just made an important point. Let it sit with the audience a moment… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E400 · Fri, February 04, 2022
0400 – Pauses To Engage Attention Before Significant Content
2022.02.04 – 0400 – Pauses To Engage Attention Before Significant Content To engage attention before significant content A brief moment of silence adds suspense, adds anticipation and indicates incoming important information that may require attention. “This just in from Downing Street” [pause] “There are new rules for the lockdown…” “We are just getting news in from Paris…” [pause] “The Princess died at around 4.30 this morning…” “A statement from The White House in the last few minutes has confirmed [pause] the President has resigned with immediate effect.” Or it may be just one or two words that you subtly pause before to highlight a forthcoming fact: “And the latest government borrowing is now [pause] 319 billion pounds…” Silence before anything has been uttered (for example, leaving a news jingle to fade out almost completely before talking), gives the sense of an approaching mood of significance, its unexpectedness creates suspense. It makes people lean in, their ears prick up, they mentally try and fill the void with their own thoughts, “what’s going on?”, “why has it gone quiet?” – you’ve engaged them. And as a large percentage of people listen to podcasts and the radio while doing other things (driving, housework, exercise), such a pause helps recapture and re-engage them. Used correctly, it is perhaps one of the strongest, but least-used rhetorical devices to move listener’s attention to help convey important words and messages. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E399 · Thu, February 03, 2022
0399 – Pauses As Script Divisions
2022.02.03 – 0399 – Pauses As Script Divisions As script divisions to aid understanding Pauses divide a script into ‘sense groups’ for the ‘heard word’, the same way that a comma or full stop/period does for the written word. A dash or ellipses (…), comma, full stop/period, paragraph, page or chapter – they all indicate in text or when translated into speech, different kinds of pause to help marshal thoughts and aid understanding. In these situations, the length of the pause may differ. Say micro-beats at a comma, one beat between bullet points, and double that between different paragraphs. They allow the reader to ‘refresh and reset’ a tone between one story or topic and the next. For example, going from one story which ends “and appears in court tomorrow charged with his grandmother’s murder” to the next one which starts “The town’s lido re-opens today after a refit that’s taken two years…”. Pauses provide punctuation, the verbal equivalent of a full stop or period. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E399 · Wed, February 02, 2022
0398 – The Importance Of Pauses In Lists
2022.02.02 – 0398 – The Importance Of Pauses In Lists Sometimes you have a list of two or three items in a sentence: So, on an airline when the cabin crew offer you a meal (we used a similar example previously): “Would you like chicken or fish with vegetables or pasta?” Are you being offered: · “Would you like chicken / or fish with vegetables / or pasta?” o Chicken, fish with vegetables, or pasta? · “Would you like chicken or fish with vegetables / or pasta?” o Chicken and fish (both of which come with vegetables), or pasta? · “Would you like chicken or fish / with vegetables or pasta?” o Chicken, and fish both of which come either with vegetables or pasta? The information only becomes clear when the speaker puts the pause in the correct place OK in these examples the listener may be able to work out the context for themselves – if you are talking with a friend, you may know how many people they report to, or on an airline you may see what other people up the aisle have been given for their meal. But of course, similar sentences may come up in, for example, e-book narration. And like all of this advice from diction to intonation, yes, someone may be able to work out what your message is, but why should they? Isn’t it your job to aid their understanding and signpost the sense? And, while they are trying to solve your conversational conundrum, they’ve missed the next thing you’ve said and so fall behind further. Effective communication starts with making the message easy to understand. Here’s one more: “It clouded over before today” – depending on where that pause is, will tell mum back home that you’re on the phone to, whether it was overcast earlier this day, or this week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E397 · Tue, February 01, 2022
0397 – My Manager’s A Jerk…
2022.02.01 – 0397 – My Manager’s A Jerk… “What’s that on the road ahead?” “What’s that on the road, a head?” A pause can make all the difference between seeing traffic problems, and the scene of a murder… If your friend said to you: “My manager who’s in the New York office / is a jerk” the pause would indicate that they have more than one manager, and they are referring to the one in New York, rather than the one in London or Paris. If instead they said “My manager / who’s in the New York office / is a jerk” the pause indicates that they only have one manager, and that that person is based in New York. The point of the pause is to give added context to the comment – although either way that person is a jerk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E396 · Mon, January 31, 2022
0396 – Pauses As A Signpost To Meaning
2022.01.31 – 0396 – Pauses As A Signpost To Meaning As well as the above reasons, you pause to help signpost the sense of the sentence. You can pause between setting up a statement and presenting it: “Crafted in stunning 9ct white gold / each of these studs boast a brilliant-cut solitaire diamond.” You can pause to make a statement stand out: “This / is the BBC” or as I say at the end of my podcast: “From London / I’m Peter Stewart” But the meaning is the key-thing. Remember that for when you come across a sentence with two sets of commas in and you need to work out which one (if any) means you should pause. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E395 · Sun, January 30, 2022
0395 – When We Pause
2022.01.30 – 0395 – When We Pause When we use a pause Not all pauses are created equal. We use them to help both the reader and the listener in many different ways. Pauses – together with intonation - aid understanding Pauses should be at speech-natural places within a script, rather than appearing at random within it. But you don’t pause at every comma or after every phrase. The commas are there in the main to help you and not to dictate to you and to break whenever you reach one will give you a stop-start, choppy delivery. And of course, a comma doesn’t indicate the length of a pause. Some reads require a millisecond, others a full beat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E394 · Sat, January 29, 2022
0394 – Don’t Fear The Silence
2022.01.29 – 0394 – Don’t Fear The Silence “Pauses strengthen the voice. They also render thoughts more clear-cut by separating them.” Rhetorica ad Herennium - the oldest surviving Latin book on rhetoric, dating from the late 80s BC Broadcasters can fear silence. We want to have a wall of sound on air – music and talking, or music and talking. It causes some people to talk, without ‘saying anything’, verbal diarrhoea just to keep the volume meter waggling on the studio desk. Silence doesn’t mean ‘nothing’. It is an important communication tool which can mean as much as ‘something’. Constructive silence can be confident and comfortable, and create conversation. Destructive silence can be defensive and discourage discussion. Silences can be golden, or leaden. They can give us space to breath literally - and for the audience, metaphorically, letting significance sink in. Pauses possibly produce powerful performances, from increasing tension to enhancing jokes. But they can also be slow, boring, pregnant … or dead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E393 · Fri, January 28, 2022
0393 – Pauses: An Introduction
2022.01.28 – 0393 – Pauses: An Introduction PAUSES The huge majority of this book is about noise and sound. From how words are written to how they are uttered … their volume, intensity, pitch and pace. But now we’re going to look at what’s missing. Literally. The silence. The bits betwee n the words. The change of pace that’s a reduction to a complete standstill: the pause. Pauses are hugely important and effective, and they go hand-in-hand with ‘pace’. They are perhaps the least-used vocal tool and are sometimes as important as the words either side of them. "Silence is also speech." West African proverb Don’t be afraid of silence. As we will see, it’s a hugely effective device to aid understanding. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E392 · Thu, January 27, 2022
0392 - How Fast We Can Speak… and Listen
2022.01.27 – 0392 - How Fast Can We Speak… and Listen? How Fast Can We Speak? “In just 600 milliseconds, the human brain can think of a word, apply the rules of grammar to it and send it to the mouth to be spoken.” How Fast can We Listen? The average rate of speech for an American is about 125 words per minute; the human brain can process about twice that speed (“the average adult can readily comprehend spoken audio at 2X speed or at a compression rate of 50%. This roughly corresponds to 275 words per minute” ) or even more (“people speak out loud at an average of 150 words per minute, while our brains internally yammer along at 400 words per minute”) So given that humans can process spoken dialogue nearly twice as fast as humans can speak it, listening to podcasts at 1.5x speed makes sense. A problem seems to be training our brain to recognise unfamiliar speech patterns: “word recognition drops about 40% when audio is played back twice as fast” says Uri Hasson a Princeton neuroscientist. And listening fast can also reduce the effort that went into producing the podcast: although I listen some roundtable and interview podcasts at 2x, I wouldn’t do the same to the great 20k Hertz podcast because of its production values which’d be lost to me if I listen at speed. If you ‘listen fast’ you have heard the podcast, but have you ‘felt’ it? You’ve consumed it, but have you comprehended it? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E392 · Thu, January 27, 2022
0392 - How Fast Can We Speak… and Listen?
2022.01.27 – 0392 - How Fast Can We Speak… and Listen? How Fast Can We Speak? “In just 600 milliseconds, the human brain can think of a word, apply the rules of grammar to it and send it to the mouth to be spoken.” How Fast can We Listen? The average rate of speech for an American is about 125 words per minute; the human brain can process about twice that speed (“the average adult can readily comprehend spoken audio at 2X speed or at a compression rate of 50%. This roughly corresponds to 275 words per minute” ) or even more (“people speak out loud at an average of 150 words per minute, while our brains internally yammer along at 400 words per minute”) So given that humans can process spoken dialogue nearly twice as fast as humans can speak it, listening to podcasts at 1.5x speed makes sense. A problem seems to be training our brain to recognise unfamiliar speech patterns: “word recognition drops about 40% when audio is played back twice as fast” says Uri Hasson a Princeton neuroscientist. And listening fast can also reduce the effort that went into producing the podcast: although I listen some roundtable and interview podcasts at 2x, I wouldn’t do the same to the great 20k Hertz podcast because of its production values which’d be lost to me if I listen at speed. If you ‘listen fast’ you have heard the podcast, but have you ‘felt’ it? You’ve consumed it, but have you comprehended it? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E391 · Wed, January 26, 2022
0391 - Backtiming 2
2022.01.26 – 0391 - Backtiming 2 Of course, the duration of a song or a report is known in advance, but there are variables such as live interviews (especially with non-professional guests who may talk in in half-sentences or whole paragraphs!). At the end of a show, presenters may adlib to fill time, or a buffer item such as a weather report is included, which can often be extended or cut short depending on an over- or under-run. On radio, presenters can often dip a song to get to a news bulletin. In both situations, a ‘backtimed’ bed is very useful to give the impression of slick and professional completeness. This is where a piece of music which naturally ‘ends’ rather than ‘fades out’, is initially played off-air and only introduced to the audience as a filler to the end of the show. For example, if a programme is due to end at one second before the start of the next hour, and a ‘backtime bed’ is two minutes long, then it can be played (off air at first) from 57 minutes and 59 seconds into the current hour. The producer/presenter is then aware that should they need to, they can bring the music up at any point, safe in the knowledge that they don’t have to verbally fill for time as the music will do it for them. They know that the music will end right on time, in a way that speaking to time (finishing a story or script or a sentence, to the second) is rather more difficult to do. Of course, YouTube videos and podcasts are pretty much open-ended – although that causes its own issues of a lack of self-editing (or actual post-recording editing) and presenter-indulgent shows which are more chaff than wheat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E390 · Tue, January 25, 2022
0390 - Backtiming 1
Backtiming Some stations or programmes hand back to a network (possibly automatically) at a certain time. As this has to be ‘to the second’ there may be silence (‘dead air’) if a presenter ends too early, or a ‘crash out’ if their output is taken over mid-way through a sentence or story. So, each script is timed at the average speaking rate of three words per second. With this figure, the presenter or producer calculates the time they need to have started reading the script by, if they are to finish on time. That calculation is the ‘backtime’. Additionally, you can annotate your page with any markers that indicate by which time you need to have started a certain sentence or paragraph by (obviously this is tricky to do if reading from a screen…) If a script is written in a ‘pyramid style’, (that is with the most important information first and least important last), then it may be that you can mark it to clearly show each sentence and ‘cut from the bottom’ – simply read until you reach a natural place to stop as your time runs out. Over time you be able to fluently adlib around some content (such as the weather, which doesn’t need to be read word-for-word), so you can talk to time. Or sight reading and having an eye on the clock to see how long you have left in which to complete the read. Such presentation skills come with a lot of experience, and will require you to, if necessary, quicken or slow your pace as you go, to fill the time available. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E389 · Mon, January 24, 2022
0389 - How To Talk To Time
2022.01.24 – S2024 – 0389 - How To Talk To Time A sense of timing can be developed in the same way as an experienced driver can tell the speed of a car as it passes, or while they’re in it, and with experience you will be able to slightly adjust your reading rate ‘speedometer’ (or a ‘read-ometer’!) to say, shave a second or two off a script: · Taking shorter breaths – or longer ones (that can be edited out) that will allow you take fewer breaths over the duration of the script · Slightly increasing the intonation may give you the licence to speak slightly faster · Contracting words and pauses – but be careful not to gabble. Making the words fit a longer duration is not always as simple as slowing down: · Pauses can be a bit longer and micro-pauses can perhaps be added after key words or phrases. · Words may be drawn out a little. But you can’t just read. Each. Word. Followed. By. A. Pause. You still have to have flow and maintain a meaning with what you’re reading. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E388 · Sun, January 23, 2022
0388 - Talking To Time
2022.01.23 – S2023 – 0388 - Talking To Time One of the skills of a broadcaster is being able to talk to just the required length of time to ‘hit a junction’ (for example, a news bulletin or commercial break), up to the vocals in a song introduction or before a ‘music bed’ [1] runs out. Similarly, a commercial voice over artist must be able to talk to time, to fit the approved copy into the time allowed for that commercial, while keeping correct characterisation, inflection, phrasing and pausing and so on. In a script that is a minute or two long that may be less of a problem than trying to hit 29 seconds with a script that has 39 seconds worth of words in it! If you or a director tries to cram too many words into not enough seconds, the listener just hears a “ wall of sound ”. OK, the scriptwriter may want to put everything in a script – whether it’s a news one or a commercial, and it’s tough to know what to leave out - but a script which has room for the copy (and the reader!) to breathe, and place the correct inflection and pauses, is more effective. [1] A music bed is an instrumental piece of music, used either as a theme to introduce an item or as a mechanic to get from one feature to another without the presenter speaking ‘dry’ with no music and therefore no momentum. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E387 · Sat, January 22, 2022
0387 - Rehearsing Your Read-Speed
2022.01.22 – S2022 – 0387 - Rehearsing Your Read-Speed Rehearsing Your Read-Speed Ever seen the rehearsal rooms from the tv shows “ Strictly Come Dancing ” or “ Dancing With The Stars ”? You will have seen, or can imagine, how the pros show the celebs the steps: slow to start, then get fast. And it’s like that with learning a new instrument, a new song, heck even reading itself … and now with script-reading: start slow, practice getting your tongue around the words, a phrase at a time. Practice potential stumbling blocks and then gradually speed up as your confidence and ‘mouth memory’ improves. Speed Matching If you want someone to speed up talking, then you speed up talking to them. Naturally they will try and ‘voice match’… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E386 · Fri, January 21, 2022
0386 - Slow-Speed Speed Traps
2022.01.21 – S2021 – 0386 - Slow-Speed Speed Traps · By itself , reading slowly does not make you sound more authoritative or serious. You still have to understand the content, have intentional intonation, proper pronunciation, a sense of context and so on. · And neither does a slow read, by itself, make a script easier for a listener to understand. Telling a tale like a tortoise may actually make it more difficult to absorb – the listener becoming so frustrated with your relaxed reading rate they’re disengaged with the content. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E385 · Thu, January 20, 2022
0385 - Slowing Down To Highlight Importance
2022.01.20 – S2020 – 0385 - Slowing Down To Highlight Importance Saying a single word or phrase slower, slightly elongating its pronunciation, highlights it within a sentence and so can be used as part of your arsenal to highlight its importance. These variable speeds contrast with the text around it, and therefore take on additional significance. · “ The cost is over one-billion pounds …” · “ The death toll stands at fifty-thousand people ” · “ The statue is over 100-metres high ”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E384 · Wed, January 19, 2022
0384 -The Message Given By ‘Slowing Your Talking’
2022.01.19 – S2019 – 0384 -The Message Given By ‘Slowing Your Talking’ · Slower speed may add tension, or suspense before a surprise, (and you can use the pause – which we discuss later - as a ‘drumroll’ before a punchline, or a release) · A slower speed is often required for a video voiceover, to give the viewer time to absorb any images or graphics on screen · Complex, sadder or formal content may benefit from a slower, calmer pace · Slowing your pace will add accuracy and clarity – there’s less chance of a mumble or a stumble… · … it will allow better ‘belly breathing’ and cause more voice resonance (we covered all this in some depth previously) and may make you sound older and more authoritative. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E383 · Tue, January 18, 2022
0383 - The Message Given By ‘Slowing Your Talking’
2022.01.18 – S2018 – 0383 - The Message Given By ‘Slowing Your Talking’ · Slower speakers can be seen as ‘slow-witted’, overly-thoughtful and lacking in confidence… · Or as so super-confident they can go at their own speed, despite what others may think, they may be thoughtful and considering every nuanced word in what they say. Again the context and content of your message will help you decide which image you want to project. · Or be perceived as tired - as though the speaker is bored with the topic and disinterested. And in the same way as excitement in the speaker could evoke excitement in the listener, the same goes for boredom… and a listener may switch off. After all don’t you read a bedtime story to a toddler in a slow, quiet voice…? · Slow reads signify seriousness - perhaps gravitas, perhaps in presenting a shocking piece of breaking news that listeners may not quite believe or have trouble taking in. “Princess Diana has been seriously injured in a car crash in Paris…” · Slower readings are often used for quality brands. It suggests reassurance, stability, confidence and luxury – perhaps for banks, jewellery, desirable cars and the like. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E382 · Mon, January 17, 2022
0382 - EXTREMES OF SPEED - The Slower Read
2022.01.17 – S2017 – 0382 - EXTREMES OF SPEED - The Slower Read EXTREMES OF SPEED - The Slower Read “Slow down, you move too fast, You got to make the morning last” The 59th Street Bridge Song (“ Feelin’ Groovy ”), Simon & Garfunkel 1966 If you want to communicate an important point well, naturally, you may need to fight the urge for urgency. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E381 · Sun, January 16, 2022
0381 - The Speed of T&Cs
2022.01.16 – S2016 – 0381 - The Speed of T&Cs These ‘disclaimer statements’ are often heard at the end of an ad … so, after the enticing offer comes the ‘boring bit’ and information on the limitations. Let’s be honest, the client doesn’t want to highlight this detail and certainly doesn’t want to spend vital airtime having it read at the same speed as the main deal. But in 2008 the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority ruled [1] , perhaps not unreasonably, that disclaimers on radio adverts must be read out slowly enough for people to understand them. It’s after a Vodafone advert, promoting a mobile phone package that included "unlimited" phone calls, ended with the following qualification: "Subject to status, availability and connection to 18-month contract. Unlimited calls to landlines or Vodafone Mobiles only. Fair-use policy, terms and 60-minute call cap applies." A listener said they didn’t understand what was said. Vodafone said that it was usual to summarise qualifications to claims or offers in radio adverts in this way and the qualifications were read out by an actress in her natural voice and were neither speeded up in post-production nor spoken any more quickly than those in similar adverts that needed to convey a number of points (such as those relating to financial services products). They also said, again not unreasonably, that the CAP (Broadcast) Radio Advertising Standards Code (Code) made no specific mention of the speed at which qualifications should be spoken. But the ASA disagreed, saying that as they were delivered too quickly, the important terms and conditions were not clearly audible and the advert could mislead listeners, contrary to rule 3 of their Code. Then in 2017, another communications company, Plusnet, had its radio ads banned [2] for saying terms and conditions too quickly. One ended with this 25-word disclaimer, crammed into five seconds [3] : "Prices may change. 18 month contract. New customers in low-cost areas only. Traffic prioritisation applies. See plus.net/traffic. Terms apply." Another concluded: "Standard UK minutes and texts. Prices may change. Rolling monthly contract. Offer ends 14th of March. Terms apply. See Plus.net/mobile." [1] https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/1-383 946?transitionType=Default&contextData=(sc.Default) [2]<
S2 E380 · Sat, January 15, 2022
0380 - Fast Talking Speed Traps 2
2022.01.15 – S2015 – 0380 - Fast Talking Speed Traps 2 · A fast read can lead to reduction in intonation, leading to a machine-gun fire style as you rush to squeeze more script into fewer seconds · If you are reading quickly, you have less time for your eyes to ‘read ahead’; and your brain to process what’s coming up … which could lead to more tongue-tied talking · Saying a word or phrase faster tells your listener that it is ‘insignificant information’ (remember we covered this in the chapter on intonation) and is included for ‘background’ or context. You’re communicating the message that what you are saying is unimpressive, uninteresting. Is that really the impression you want to give them? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E379 · Fri, January 14, 2022
0379 - Fast Talking Speed Traps
2022.01.14 – S2014 – 0379 - Fast Talking Speed Traps Some people speak fast naturally and can still be understandable and engaging. But: · If you read a script too fast, then for the listener it might be like watching the landscape from an express-train window: they get a general idea, but not a full understanding. To use another analogy: they will be gobbling down your nuggets rather than digesting them · If you talk too fast, there’s a chance people will miss things, the detail about a product, service, idea or news story. What you say becomes a ‘wall of words’ · You may have less precise articulation and intonation, with words running into one another, and a greater chance of verbal slips and trips (indeed if you stumble too often, it may be a warning to slow down!) TV presenters usually have an easier time as viewers can subconsciously lip-read, watch facial expressions or even put on the subtitles. There is no such help for your listeners to radio or podcasts, so you need to help them as much as you can. This means speaking clearly and being careful technically. If you are able to deliver word-rich content rapidly whilst still losing enviably-little on clarity, you may find yourself a good niche Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E378 · Thu, January 13, 2022
0378 - The Message Given By Talking Fast
2022.01.13 – S2013 – 0378 - The Message Given By Talking Fast The Message Given By Talking Fast · Fast talkers are often seen as confident and clever. It’s almost as though they have so much great content to share that they can’t wait to get it all out…. · Or they can be perceived as nervous and excitable, unable to control themselves, “ letting their tongue run away with them ”. So, think of the image you are giving when you rattle off like a cattle-market auctioneer: verbal dexterity or internal insincerity? And if you give the impression that you are nervous, then won’t the audience perhaps pick up on that and feel nervous themselves ? · Faster talking might suggest action, excitement, urgency, energy and pace in the script or character and that mood can be conveyed to the listener Phrases and sentences read qu ickly may suggest that they are ‘throwaway’ or contain unimportant information. That may be what you want the listener to feel (“ it’s boring background blah-blah, I’ve said it before, but I have to include it ”), in which case great. But it’s incongruous to quickfire, complex content. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E377 · Wed, January 12, 2022
0377 - Being Chased By The Music
2022.01.12 – S2012 – 0377 - Being Chased By The Music · You are being ‘chased by the music’ Many presenters like to talk with music running underneath them. Such a track is called a ‘bed’. It makes them feel safe and less exposed as they can pause for a moment and know that there’s no silence or ‘dead air’. But music beds can encourage someone to talk too fast as presenters confuse pace for ‘momentum’ or ‘excitement’. Although your delivery should mirror the bed (a lugubrious read over a dance track would sound as disconnected as a motor-mouth over a mindfulness melody), don’t let the music force you into speeding up so much that you garble. That is, don’t let it ‘chase you’. Increasing the pace you talk, won’t necessarily increase the momentum or excitement of what you are talking about : doing something that’s not interesting faster, does not make it more interesting One more thing, if the final commercial will have music with it, always ask to hear it, so you can match your speech rate and rhythm with that of the music – so when the producer lays you down on the bed (so to speak), it ‘fits’ snuggly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E376 · Tue, January 11, 2022
0376 - The Script’s Too Long Or The Time’s Too Short
2022.01.11 – S2011 – 0376 - The Script’s Too Long Or The Time’s Too Short In a commercial voice-over situation, the duration of the piece is of the essence. If the spot has to be a certain length (to fit with the pictures, or because that’s the duration that has been bought, or it’s the duration of all commercials on that network so all breaks are balanced on different transmitters), then that is the length it has to be. This can cause some problems: · The script writer might have tried to cram too much information into the copy to be able to read it comfortably within the time allowed. · You may start reading the copy at one speed and then, sensing that you are running out of time, gradually start to speed up. Or vice versa, when a nervous presenter may start fast and then, slow down with relief when they sense the end of the script. Arguably we have more sense of time and durations than at any other time in human evolution: we always have a watch or phone on us, we are used to seeing split-second timings in sports events, the countdown at a basketball match, we see progress bars on short-form videos. But we rarely need to know how long it’ll take to read something out loud! And, in a studio the ‘sense’ of time can change, and that may lead you to talk too fast (usually) or too slowly (less common). Here’s how you can help train yourself get a better sense of time with a script. A ‘standard read’ duration is three-words a second. So get yourself some copy (nothing that needs to be read slowly or fast – so not a script for a luxury chocolatier, or a used car sale!), set your stopwatch and read it naturally. Then, afterwards (not during) see how long you took. Try and get to your calculated 3-words-per-second rate by a subtle speed alteration. Then, read it again and aim for a shorter overall duration: if the standard rate was say, 30 seconds, aim for 25, then 20. And then see if you can slow it down to 35- and 40-seconds duration. The idea is to get a better sense of time, and how you can lengthen words and pauses (or slightly shorten them) to alter your read-rate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E375 · Mon, January 10, 2022
0375 - Why You May Talk Fast
2022.01.10 – S2010 – 0375 - Why You May Talk Fast · Fast-talking may be from how you were brought up. Perhaps you had several siblings and in a busy home you had to take any gap in a conversation to blurt out your contribution as fast as possible, and then keep talking to keep attention and ‘hold the floor’ · It may be that you have developed a fast-talking speed: perhaps as a sports commentator in a fast-moving play-by-play event such as basketball or ice hockey where you had to be fast to keep up with the game · Maybe it’s less deliberately practical, but more subconscious: as a radio presenter you may fear ‘dead-air’ silence and feel as though you have to keep that ‘needle waggling’, or that you have so much content to share that it’s difficult to ‘keep it all in’ · Nerves or a lack of confidence may make you speed up. You may simply want to ‘get to the end’ and ‘get it over with’ · Excitability, either ‘natural’ (a by-product of nerves), or ‘forced’, that is acting excited by talking fast, say for a commercial read on a ‘special deal’ or conveying drama in a fast-moving sports commentary · Trying to get everything in before your slot ends or the show comes to an end (see ‘talking to time’ later), which may be because… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E374 · Sun, January 09, 2022
0374 - Extremes Of Speed: The Faster Read
2022.01.09 – S2009 – 0374 - Extremes Of Speed: The Faster Read EXTREMES OF SPEED - The Faster Read Usually, your listeners won’t have a second chance to process what it is that you have said. There’s no easy ‘rewind’ button on live radio or video and certainly not in an auditorium presentation. When speaking face to face, we can change our pace in response to the feedback we get and our feeling of their understanding of the topic – but not with pre-recorded audio, or live audio in a radio studio: because either they are not in front of you, or they simply haven’t heard it yet! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E373 · Sat, January 08, 2022
0373 - Changing speed within a story
2022.01.08 – S2008 – 0373 - Changing speed within a story Changing speed within a story On occasion you may change the speed within a paragraph or a story: starting slowly because of the content which is new, important and serious: ‘Multiple fatalities this morning, as a bus carrying commuters into the city, left the road and mounted a pavement in Stockbridge…’ And then, when giving information later in the story that is less important, throwaway or a ‘filler fact’, speeding up slightly: ‘It’s the second fatal crash in involving city buses this year and now questions are being asked about the depot’s maintenance record.’ Here’s another example: Normal speed: The price of pineapples is set to fall – but only for some people. Slightly faster: It’s after the ongoing glut of the fruit caused by perfect growing conditions in Latin America over the past year. Slightly slower: Cheaper pineapples will be available for those aged over 53, and only on Wednesdays and Saturdays in August. So, change you pace with the emotional value of the content you’re presenting. Treat each new piece of information or each new section in the script very differently, adding light and shade of meaning and variations in pace where it’s needed. Consciously vary it to aid understanding and add a refreshing attractiveness to your presentation. Vary your pace as you do in normal life: walk, trot, canter, gallop and pause, to give the correct value to the words you deliver. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 E372 · Fri, January 07, 2022
0372 - When You May Change Your Reading Rate
2022.01.07 – S2007 – 0372 - When You May Change Your Reading Rate For example, a weather script on a sunny summer’s day may be quite rushed – listeners are expecting it to be blue sky and high temperatures. But tell them about a forthcoming storm and your speed will slow (and your tone will also change) to reflect the severity of the situation. A lighter story can be read more quickly than a serious one, a complex story will be presented more slowly (although not patronisingly so) than a straightforward one, breaking or surprising news may also be read more slowly. David Attenborough changes his pace within wildlife documentaries he narrates: slow and calm over video of seals basking on an ice flow, faster when a whale threatens to leap from the calm, icy sea … to have it for its tea. And with news stories there are similar issues: a breaking story of a multi-vehicle accident in fog will be read at a slightly slower pace than might be normal. It adds to the gravitas of the presentation, and as the speed is a little out of place it will draw people’s attention to what is being said. It also gives people time to gather their thoughts and think through the implication of the information, without missing it “Gosh, Steve goes home on that road. He’d be there about now. I hope that he’s OK…” Conversely, a lighter story can be read as well as with a lighter tone, at a faster pace: “A retired postman and his wife have won five million pounds on the lottery…” The speed, fast or slow, reflects the sense of the story and gives the listener more information about how to feel about it. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021, 2022 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2023. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hund
S2 E371 · Thu, January 06, 2022
0371 - Changing Your Reading Rate
2022.01.06 – S2006 – 0371 - Changing Your Reading Rate Changing Your Reading Rate If you speak too slowly an audience may lose interest; if you speak too quickly, they may lose the thread of what you are saying. If you keep up the same pace throughout you may sound like a wall of sound – or a smartspeaker A.I device with a monotonous pace and style of delivery. It’s important therefore to consider variety if you want to move your content from ‘boring’ to ‘absorbing’. Having a subtle change of tempo (without sounding manic) can help re-engage the listener with what you’re trying to communicate. Micro-changes from, say, story to story, from context to context, just as you do when you speak conversationally, helps a story come alive. Remember before when we looked at intonation and suggested that having too little of it may make you sound monotone? Well, having too little change in pace may make you sound like a metronome. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021, 2022 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2023. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This
S2 E370 · Wed, January 05, 2022
0370 - The Average Read Rate
2022.01.05 – S2005 – 0370 - The Average Read Rate The Average Reading Rate This is one which is comfortable for the reader, clear to the listener, and which suits the style of the content. For example, on a radio station that could be anywhere between 140 and 220 words per minute, depending on whether it’s a music station or a news station. The standard calculations are: · Conversational speed - about 150 words per minute · A scripted read (spoken with more fluency and less hesitancy) – about 180 wpm (three words per second). With this formula, a 20-second script becomes 60 words, a 30-second story is 90 words, and so on. · Some fast talkers and readers – nearer 200 wpm. Obviously some single-syllable words are faster to say and longer words take, well, slightly longer, but this is a rule of thumb (hmm, should that be ‘rule of tongue’?), but it all averages out. VOICE BOX A good speed for presenting and reading aloud is often a real, conversational one: when your reading sounds like you’re just talking. And you can get speed and sound from what we have learnt so far: controlling your breath, confidence in the content, knowing the audience, flexing your inflection and so on. The software which scriptwriters use will calculate the accumulated duration, working to the accepted reading rate of three words per second and adding if necessarily in a broadcast situation, adding in the length of all the audio clips too. There are also online versions such as https://edgestudio.com/words-to-time-calculator/ Without using an automatic script timer, you may prefer to use a clock or stopwatch as you read. A point to keep in mind is that we tend to read faster when reading silently, so do your timing while reading the copy aloud. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021, 2022 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2023. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop
S2 E369 · Tue, January 04, 2022
0369 - Your Natural ‘Read Rate’
2022.01.04 – S2004 – 0369 - Your Natural ‘Read Rate’ YOUR NATURAL READ-RATE There is no ‘correct’ speed to read. It is likely to be determined by: · the amount you have to say · the time that you have got to say it in · the content of the script and · the energy that you are being asked to bring to it. Let’s take a look at each of those. With a commercial voiceover, it may be that you are asked to say “ Probably the best lager in the world ” and make it last 5 seconds. Or have a 50-word Terms and Conditions statement to read at the end of an advert – and 10 seconds to say it in. So, it is obvious how the number of words and the available duration affects the speed of those words being said (as well as how they will be said). You may also be directed to read a commercial for a luxury watch at a slower pace than one for a family runabout hatchback. A news bulletin for a dance music station may, in general, have more pace than one for an easy listening format. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021, 2022 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2023. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating y
S2 E368 · Mon, January 03, 2022
0368 – The Speed of the Read
2022.01.03 – S2003 - 0368 – The Speed of the Read With voice skills I often think of one of the last scenes of the classic film “ The Wizard of Oz, ” when Toto pulls away the curtain to show the Wizard pulling various levers, spinning dials and cranking handles. Reading aloud or presenting, also involves changing (albeit with more finesse and care) so many different ‘settings’: your pitch, tone, projection, and also your speed (sometimes called ‘the tempo’). In this chapter we’ll look at the different situations we may want to speak fast or slow, and some of the advantages and disadvantages of doing so. Plus, associated topics of speaking to time, backtiming, how you calculate how long a script might be, how to stop being chased by a music bed and how tech can help you sound faster than you actually are. From fast-talkers to slow talkers, we’ll also take the speedometer down to zero and talk about the ‘power of the pause’ and why it’s so useful in presentations. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021, 2022 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VOICE-OVER VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2023. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audi
S2 E367 · Sun, January 02, 2022
0367 - The Speed of the Read - Introduction
2022.01.02 - S2/002 - The Speed of the Read - Introduction A new year and a new topic to get your teeth in to. Today, an overview of the skills in reading fast and slow, and everything in between - including dead slow or stop: the pause! Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021, 2022 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2023. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcast is London-based and examples are spoken in the RP (Received Pronunciation) / standard-English / BBC English pronunciation, although invariably applicable to other languages, accents and dialects. Music credits: all Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license "Beauty Flow" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat
S2 E366 · Sat, January 01, 2022
0366 – A Look Ahead To Season 2
2022.01.01 – S2001 – A Look Ahead To Season 2 Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021, 2022 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2023. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcast is London-based and examples are spoken in the RP (Received Pronunciation) / standard-English / BBC English pronunciation, although invariably applicable to other languages, accents and dialects. Music credits: all Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license "Beauty Flow" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 E365 · Fri, December 31, 2021
0365 - The End of Season One
In which I look back at the voice topics covered in Season 1 of the unique, daily podcast series. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcast is London-based and examples are spoken in the RP (Received Pronunciation) / standard-English / BBC English pronunciation, although invariably applicable to other languages, accents and dialects. Music credits: all Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license "Beauty Flow" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 E364 · Thu, December 30, 2021
0364 - Bonus Guest Episode - Live Announcing
The last of three bonus episodes in which I’m joined by a fellow broadcaster and voice over artist ANTHONY DAVIS with his own insight and perspective on voice and presentation skills. Anthony is a British broadcaster, writer and voiceover artist, born in London and now based in LA, he’s worked on radio and TV shows, in news and presentation, and has voiced campaigns and commercials, documentaries and live events. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcast is London-based and examples are spoken in the RP (Received Pronunciation) / standard-English / BBC English pronunciation, although invariably applicable to other languages, accents and dialects. Music credits: all Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license "Beauty Flow" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow <p style='color:grey; fon
S1 E363 · Wed, December 29, 2021
0363 - Bonus Guest Epsiode - Voice Overs and Accents
Over three bonus episodes I’m joined by a fellow broadcaster and voice over artist ANTHONY DAVIS with his own insight and perspective on voice and presentation skills. Anthony is a British broadcaster, writer and voiceover artist, born in London and now based in LA, he’s worked on radio and TV shows, in news and presentation, and has voiced campaigns and commercials, documentaries and live events. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcast is London-based and examples are spoken in the RP (Received Pronunciation) / standard-English / BBC English pronunciation, although invariably applicable to other languages, accents and dialects. Music credits: all Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license "Beauty Flow" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow
S1 E362 · Tue, December 28, 2021
0362 - Bonus Guest Episode - Mics and The Fonzie Factor
Over the next three bonus episodes I’m joined by a fellow broadcaster and voice over artist ANTHONY DAVIS with his own insight and perspective on voice and presentation skills. Anthony is a British broadcaster, writer and voiceover artist, born in London and now based in LA, he’s worked on radio and TV shows, in news and presentation, and has voiced campaigns and commercials, documentaries and live events. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcast is London-based and examples are spoken in the RP (Received Pronunciation) / standard-English / BBC English pronunciation, although invariably applicable to other languages, accents and dialects. Music credits: all Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license "Beauty Flow" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow <p style='color:grey; font-size:
S1 E361 · Mon, December 27, 2021
0361 – Projection Through A Mask
2021.12.27 – 0361 – Projection Through A Mask As I write this, the world is still mid-pandemic, and even though the use of masks has declined somewhat it’s a chance to write some notes on what we have learnt since early 2020. Wearing a mask: · it is harder to be heard, which can lead to a strained voice o so, you need to be clearer with your diction · it is harder to be heard, which can lead to a muffled voice o so, you need to consider a greater variety of modulation, tone, intonation and focussed projection, especially concentrating on ends of sentences. · hides your facial expressions – especially the ‘micro expressions’ that we do without thinking o so, consider using other gestures perhaps with your eyes (raising your eyebrows, ‘smiling’ with your eyes), your head (cocking to one side, nodding, shaking), using your hands (we have much more on how gestures help your voice, later) Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This po
S1 E360 · Sun, December 26, 2021
0360 – Volume and Your Vocal Strength
2021.12.26 – 0360 – Volume and Your Vocal Strength A loud voice, when it is necessary, comes from having a good foundation in ‘vocal strength’, and as we saw earlier, the foundations of that come from things like good breath support, how you sit and stand, and relaxation. It’s a bit like a family car and a supercar: they can both do 50mph but the supercar will do it more easily and comfortably with more support. It is a capability more within its range. When you raise your voice and shout, your larynx is raised, and you produce a loud, high and strident voice - you don’t shout with a low voice. Simply using volume verging on shouting without support, can cause tension in your upper body and damage your vocal folds leading to a loss of voice or sore throat. Speaking loudly, rather than shouting, produces less range and folds that are strained. Conversely, talking quietly may have its roots in a physical problem, or indeed cause one. You may have an inherent weakness in your vocal cords, or a breathing problem (either to do with your lungs or maybe your frame). If you ‘choose’ to talk quietly or not very often, your voice may grow weak from lack of use. Whispering can cause ‘vocal troubles’: lots of air going through strained cords is not good for them, so simply speak softly instead. The Goldilocks volume (not too loud, not too soft, but just right), is your real, conversational one, in which you can use your full natural vocal range without it being forced or faked, too high or low, too loud or soft which may lead to damage. Remember your voice is the instrument through which you make your living. And again, breathing is the key thing. Breath is your ‘volume controller’ and it all starts with diaphragmatic breathing. We looked at this early on in the course – breathing using your stomach muscles. Doing this means you take in more oxygen more efficiently and avoids strains on parts of your body that aren’t meant to be used for breathing, such as your back, neck and chest muscles. You can control your projection using the same stomach muscles you use in good breathing, and as you might expect, good projection is also an effect of confidence, which will give you better breathing and a better voice too. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you
S1 E359 · Sat, December 25, 2021
0359 – Volume, Mics and Processing
2021.12.25 – 0359 – Volume, Mics and Processing Studio work is different from stage work: as we have already discussed you usually don’t need to be projecting your voice or raising it beyond the level of a normal animated conversation with someone sitting close to you. That is, a level that if someone was siting almost touching you, they’d neither lean in to catch what you were saying, nor move away. Presenters who shout, are often pushing their listener away from them. Again, it is this real, conversational voice that will connect you with your audience. Having said that, it can be tricky to gauge your volume when you’re wearing headphones … and when you are using a sensitive mic … and perhaps faced with a desk of volume knobs and faders which may also have altered your sound. A tip here is to take your headphones off from one of your ears. Listening to yourself through headphones gives a false sense of our voice, it’s ‘too close’ and unnatural (we don’t hear ourselves like this when we talk with friends), and therefore won’t help a natural read. Take an ear off, and you will better connect with your ‘real you’, with less projection and promotion, and more authenticity and credibility. You’ll be focussing more on what you’re saying to entice, engage, explain, educate, entertain… and less oh how you’re saying it. Just like in life. (There’s more on mic technique, later.) Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The
S1 E358 · Fri, December 24, 2021
0358 – Volume In Character
2021.12.24 – 0358 – Volume In Character A certain volume or projection may be part of a character you play – perhaps in an animation, video game, commercial, voiceover or book reading. You need to be able to recall the vocal characteristics of that character so they sound the same page after page, or (hopefully) booking after booking. You can make notes describing the level but that can be a tricky. What you may find better is a description of who you ‘channel’ when in character, the kind of person, their physical attributes. How do you hold your body when you ‘are’ this person? What does inhabiting their body make you feel? These notes can be in text, or perhaps as part of an audio file in which you read lines of the character but also describe the sound and the feeling verbally. Then you have a reference point to more easily slip into the voice on a future date. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcast is London-based and examples are spoken in the RP (Received Pronunciation) / standard-English / BBC English pronunciation, a
S1 E357 · Thu, December 23, 2021
0357 – Volume Variety
2021.12.23 – 0357 – Volume Variety One of the most important tools to use to engage and persuade is a variety of voice volume - there is a huge power in dropping or raising your voice. To read every story with the same projection level is wearing on your voice and on the listeners’ ears and is not conducive to understanding. Information as a wall of sound is less-easily interpreted than ‘light and shade’, where you might present significant news with more projection than a lighter ‘and finally’ story. Having the same volume throughout a presentation may make you look and sound one-dimensionally dull. And if you’re boring and people aren’t listening to you, they may still be looking, at your socks, your hair …. and start to criticise those parts of you as well as your voice, your style and your content: a triple whammy. Like with how fast you read, you can increase the volume in parts of a script that are more exciting and energetic (power, assertiveness, a call to action), ‘up’ the projection for more intense parts, and go softer for the lines which evoke poverty, heartache and sadness. After all sympathy comes with softness. A change in volume catches attention and creates dramatic or sympathetic tension in a presentation. A careful variety of volume without bordering on the manic, will help engage. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to t
S1 E356 · Wed, December 22, 2021
0356 – Getting A Louder Voice
2021.12.22 – 0356 – Getting A Louder Voice This obviously depends on which of the above issues (or others) is the cause but here are a few pointers: For (suspected) physical reasons – consult your family doctor or GP in the first instance about issues to do with breathing, and talk with them about a possible referral to an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) specialist, or a speech therapist. For confidence issues – speak with a doctor about any worries, insecurities or anxieties you may have and who may be able to refer you to a counsellor; getting advice on your hair, skin and clothes – a change to these areas may give you more confidence and dissipate the worries of people looking at you as you talk; acting and singing lessons and groups, public speaking events (such as Toastmasters); work on your voice in your own time with warm up, articulation and breathing exercises, reading aloud at a cat or a cushion placed an increasing distance from you. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcast is Lo
S1 E355 · Tue, December 21, 2021
0355 – Reasons Why Some People Talk More Softly
2021.12.21 – 0355 – Reasons Why Some People Talk More Softly There may be physical, psychological and social reasons someone speaks softly. Physical: · Weakness in their vocal cords or breathing problems · Nerves can lead to a feeling that your vocal cords are ‘closing down’ – we looked at this previously – a mental attitude that can lead to tension and shallow breathing · Lack of practice! If someone has not spoken for a while, perhaps working from home, their voice may be easily strained on their return to the office. Psychological · Lack of concentration on the topic or the listeners, or ‘reading the room’ can lead to mumbling. · Lack of confidence in the topic can lead to ideas being ‘thrown away’, and being said more softly · A quiet voice may be down to someone being self-conscious, perhaps about how they look, their face perhaps or their teeth, or maybe because the think their voice doesn’t suit them (it’s ‘too’ high or low), or perhaps because of a lisp · It could be down to stress or depression… Social reasons · Perhaps coming from a quietly-spoken family, one where children were encouraged to be “ seen and not heard ”, perhaps some religious communities, or perhaps being a single child · Or coming from a large or loud family where siblings were so exuberant it was easier to stay schtum than to fight to be heard. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your v
S1 E354 · Mon, December 20, 2021
0354 - Voice Extremes: The Softer Voice
2021.12.20 – 0354 - Voice Extremes: The Softer Voice The softer you sing, the louder you're heard Donovan , musician, ‘Rolling Stone’ magazine (9th November 1967) We saw some elements about a quieter voice earlier, when we looked at the situations in which we used different volumes, and compared ‘loud’ with ‘soft’. The advantages of the ‘soft sound’: · People responded better to being ‘connected with’ rather than being ‘talked at’. It’s a matter of ‘telling not yelling’ · You can use less volume to draw people in with your ‘invitational energy’ · You can get through more words, faster, with less volume The disadvantages of the ‘soft sound’: · There’s a danger of, when you lower your volume, you lower your energy levels · Too soft a voice or too little power, suggests you have little conviction or passion. Or don’t know what you’re talking about · People may struggle to hear what your message is, simply zone out, or even avoid you to save the embarrassment of having to say “sorry?”, “what?”, “pardon?” yet again. · Being asked to repeat yourself may leave you embarrassed, flustered, annoyed or upset, losing your thread or your nerve. (Though sometimes, a very shy person might speak softly because they want people to avoid them…) · Those people who find themselves in a conversation with you may just agree (“ yeah …”) even though they’ve not heard what you’ve said. That miscommunication could lead to problems down the road: do you think they’ve agreed to something that they have in fact, not? · In a group, others will talk over you and it’ll be harder to have your thoughts or ideas heard. You may develop insecurity issues, losing confidence in contributing to conversations, thinking that your ideas are worthless as no-one wants to hear them. Truth is, they can’t hear them. · If you can’t be heard in an office, you might as well give a swerve to after-work socials in bars, clubs and restaurants. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/
S1 E353 · Sun, December 19, 2021
0353 – Screaming And Shouting – Part 2
2021.12.19 – 0353 – Screaming And Shouting – Part 2 Remember that screaming and shouting isn’t necessarily about sheer volume. A similar affect may be achieved perhaps by a shaking voice and a whimper, an “ urgh ” or exclamation may replace a ‘ level eleven ’ guttural shout. And even if you are specifically screaming or shouting, the microphone itself can do a lot of your work for you. After all, you’re in a recording studio, not an open-air theatre, and the effect of loudness can be made more efficiently, effectively and safely by an engineer in the control room than you in the booth. Another tip is to leave the extreme voice work to the end of the session. As long as your studio work hasn’t up to that point been too long or tiring, your folds should be well warmed up, and importantly if any soreness is caused by the scream, it won’t affect the rest of the session if it’s done at the end. After the ‘extreme projection’, some cooling down such as swooping up and down the notes in your range with a hums, or low ‘err’ sounds into vocal fries, for example. Bring your high, shrill screaming tone down to your usual vocal note, gradually and safely. And then rest your voice… [1] [1] More screaming help: https://melissacross.com/ Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC reg
S1 E352 · Sat, December 18, 2021
0352 – Screaming And Shouting – Part 1
2021.12.18 – 0352 – Screaming And Shouting – Part 1 Screaming and shouting It may be that a script, say in an animation, calls for you to scream – the epitome of projection. This can potentially cause damage to your folds if you don’t prepare correctly, and could limit your work for the next few hours, days or longer. ‘Hydration before violent projection’ is part of the answer. Wet folds are less easily damaged than dry ones slamming against each other. But as we have seen this is more than sips of water on the day, your whole system needs to be hydrated ahead of a screaming session, more than ever. Another classic tip that’s as useful for ‘extreme screams’ as any other voice work, is the warming up. Don’t go in and simply shout at the top of your voice, you need a lead up to such pressure on your voice. What’s important here is the warming up of the folds and throat which we have seen before, such as swooping up and down the notes in your range with hums, or low ‘err’ sounds into vocal fries, for example. For the shout or scream itself, st and up so you have the best airflow for the sound and projection. Be well-grounded (again we looked at this before), so with a ‘steady stance’ with (to paraphrase Paula Abdul), one foot forward, one foot back and the soles firmly on the floor. You may also want to loosen the knees a little. A variety of semi or full crouching positions may help you get a more guttural, natural sound, and gesticulations (perhaps arms aloft or out wide, or maybe fists) may also help in the characterisation. You won’t need to do a great ‘lungful of air scream’. The bigger your breath in, the more pressure will be built up, and the greater the tension in the throat as that carbon dioxide is driven over the folds. So try a ‘less airified’ projection and see if you can achieve a similar sound with less harmful results. Beware of overly-tensing your body for the shout or scream. You are already going to put the body under pressure vocally and it may feel natural without you realising it, to tense your throat, raise your shoulders and freeze your face as you make the sound, but a more relaxed body may achieve the same sound without putting your ‘frame under strain’ so much. Watch the levels on the mic, so stand back from it and turn the levels of the recording and headphones down! Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And
S1 E351 · Fri, December 17, 2021
0351 – Sounds That Drown
2021.12.17 – 0351 – Sounds That Drown What loudness means ‘Authority’ does not mean talking loud. ‘Authority’ comes, as we have seen before, from understanding the story and having the confidence to explain its significance to your listeners, with appropriate vocal expression. The louder you are, the more control of a conversation or of someone you are trying to achieve. That’s not ‘authority’, that’s ‘bullying’. Shouting does not necessarily mean excitement. It does, though, usually mean simply more noise. Sounds that drown If you were live at a busy event, a party, building site, factory or roadside for example, you’d naturally project your voice so you are heard over the background. So it stands to reason that if you are recording a voiceover where you have background atmos that is either played in as you record, that you also project to similar extent, to create ‘audio authenticity’. (The script may say something like “factory sound effects (SFX)” or could even be more specific, such as “Sacha is loading the machine with wooden planks in the factory”. You need to work with the director or studio producer so you create a mix that is believable - and that of course is tricky if the effects are mixed in at a later stage in the production process, after you’ve gone. You’d also have to rely on having being told that, in the mixdown, you would appear to be ‘on location’, so you’d use appropriate projection in the recording, and are neither yelling or being drowned out. The same goes for a music track (a ‘bed’) underneath your voice: the levels of you and it in the mix need to sound natural to the listener so they can hear you and also be moved by the music, as the director requires. Achieving the best result will be a combination of projection, distance from the microphone, and the recording levels set by the producer or studio engineer. And a good sound will also be achieved by your imagination: whether the effects are being played-in ‘live’ as you record or not, try to imagine that you are in the location indicated by the script. Visualise yourself doing what your character is described as doing, delivering the lines written, and to the target audience that’s been outlined to you, and what they may be doing as they listen. Yes – act! Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A B
S1 E350 · Thu, December 16, 2021
0350 – Voice Extremes: The Louder Voice
2021.12.16 – 0350 – Voice Extremes: The Louder Voice From a whisper to a booming voice of a ‘hurry, hurry, buy now, offer ends on Saturday’ commercial, your volume speaks volumes about the message and the character. The ‘size’ and drama of a louder delivery can indicate urgency, importance, confidence, power, resolve or anger. A softer voice can convey a secret, an intimate word, a warmth, discretion, or indeed indiscretion. Getting the volume and energy right can often be the key to the read. Let’s look at the two extremes. Notes on: THE LOUDER VOICE Be careful when projecting that you still have in mind that you are talking to your audience and not at them. Too much volume becomes impersonal; the listener feels that they are not the only one at the receiving end but part of a crowd; that you are broadcasting rather than telling or communicating . Think of the 50s-style American TV and radio presenters who announced (in an affected way only ever heard in such broadcasts) rather than explained or advised or told . Styles have moved on and that kind of volume is not the conversational style that is usually required outside of some commercial voice overs or ‘voice of god’ introductions. “You're just talkin’ loud / And saying nothin’” Lyrics “ Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing” by James Brown and Bobby Byrd, 1970 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZkjo3mNmsA Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that
S1 E349 · Wed, December 15, 2021
0349 – Projection And The Audience
2021.12.15 – 0349 – Projection And The Audience The audience Your volume will alter depending on how many people are listening, where they are and what they are doing. We have seen some of this already when we discussed vocal proxemics and how you adjust your projection if you can’t see your audience. Let’s develop that a little. What if your audience is captive? Not in a hostage situation you understand, but if they are watching a video presentation such as an online training or webinar as part of their job, most likely by themselves and possibly in an office wearing headphones. In which case, you are talking to them one-to-one, so a softer, more personal voice is one that is used. How, and what platform is the audience listening to you on? If ‘through headphones’ then that requires a personal setting, a Tannoy or ‘in-store announcement’ voice requires something different. You have to be a bit more energised, to cut through the shopping hubbub with news of special offers or missing children. Note, that’s not necessarily volume, but more intensity, focus, more projection or energy – as we spoke about before. So, knowing how and where your content will be heard also helps you set your own ‘control’. Volume versatility means that in these different situations and others, we control our loudness without even realising what we are doing. To be more effective in voice-acting, script reading and presentation we need to identify what we do naturally and replicate it in a the ‘false scenario’ of reading words from a page in studio or on a stage. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggest
S1 E348 · Tue, December 14, 2021
0348 – Projection And The Message
2021.12.14 – 0348 – Projection And The Message The message Lowering your volume has a double effect: it not only makes your voice softer and quieter, but it also becomes more resonant. As we saw earlier, this means the sound is more-full and more pleasant to listen to. Think about it, a loud voice or shout is far from ‘smooth’ or ‘rich’ or ‘resonant’. Therefore, a softer voice may be appropriate for messages that convey trust, experience, maturity and warmth. That isn’t to say you whisper – it’s a fine balance between have ‘warm sincerity with energy’. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcast is London-based and examples are spoken in the RP (Received Pronunciation) / standard-English / BBC English pronunciation, although invariably applicable to other languages, accents and dialects. Music credits: all Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ License: h
S1 E347 · Mon, December 13, 2021
0347 – Projection And The Location
2021.12.13 – 0347 – Projection And The Location The location We have already seen how we usually speak louder outside than in, and, obviously speak louder when there are other noises to compete against. But there are other elements which affect the volume we choose to use too. We may speak more loudly when we are trying to excite, and perhaps more softly when encouraging – but I’m sure you may be able to think of circumstances when we do quite the opposite. For instance: the manager of a school sports team may raise their voice to encourage point scoring, in a half-time huddle. That same person in the classroom, may speak more softly to excite students to work through an algebraic equation. And don’t you naturally lower your voice in a church or cathedral, and raise it in a warehouse – even if both are empty and otherwise silent? They are similar spaces, and yet our culture may expect us to speak differently in each. Similarly, your volume may also change when speaking in your office to your staff, versus speaking in your boss’ office amongst other staff of their grade or yours. Similar spaces but different expectations on volume and presence. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialec
S1 E346 · Sun, December 12, 2021
0346 – Projection And Character
2021.12.12 – 0346 – Projection And Character Volume is a key part of presentation from a script, whether in voice overs, voice acting, reading or presenting, and that volume needs to be appropriate for the character, the location, the message and the audience. The clues to the volume you use will be in the script, the written or studio direction, or in the outline / brief / specs provided by the scriptwriter / agency / client. It is your job to take all the clues and direction and create content that connects with the target audience to make them do or feel something. That could be to buy a certain thing, think a certain way, or laugh, or cry, or become angry and so on. The character It’s perhaps obvious that a character written as a bully would be loud and lairy. But think about that for a moment. Aren’t some of the most threatening characters actually rather quiet, perhaps even unassuming? It may have more effect to whisper a threat than shout one. And yes, horror films have sudden loud surprises, but the softer noises can be more scary than soothing. A confident person, you might suggest, would be someone that has no problem sharing their voice at a good, clear volume. But think again, confidence may be shown in a quiet voice because the speaker knows they have the personality and gravitas to command the room be hushed to listen to them. Wasn’t you most effective teacher at school the one who spoke softly rather than shouted? These few examples show that with a bit of thought and direction, you can make your character more 3D than 2D when it comes to portraying them through the use of volume. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some
S1 E345 · Sat, December 11, 2021
0345 – Imagining Your Hidden Audience – Where They Are
2021.12.11 – 0345 – Imagining Your Hidden Audience – Where They Are Summon up an image of where that person will be when they are watching you on tv or listening to you on the radio, will also alter how you talk live, or record a piece of copy. Will it be played on breakfast TV? Is it for an instore commercial? Is it for a podcast? If you are presenting on the radio, you are likely to have a different style of presentation for a breakfast show to a late-night show. Not only will the content be different but also the choice of words, the projection, the pace and the tone: perhaps brighter and faster for breakfast and slower and softer for late in the evening. Each situation may suggest a different style to cut through or complement the activity that your listener is likely doing as they consume your content. If you are a fast-paced Saturday night DJ the scenario you’re painting with the music you are playing is one of a club, so you ‘point of vocus’ would be as though you are talking to lots of people, at a distance, in a club. A ‘late night love’ music presenter would be more intimate in their style, fitting with the music and the atmosphere they are creating, so their point of vocus is nearer to the mic – a close, one-to-one voice. A local radio presenter of events and guests would be somewhere between the two, as might be a newsreader. Project your voice to an invisible listener across the studio: a visualisation technique to help you successfully talk conversationally, one to one despite seeing no-one. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, V
S1 E344 · Fri, December 10, 2021
0344 – Imagining Your Hidden Audience – Who They Are
2021.12.10 – 0344 – Imagining Your Hidden Audience – Who They Are Imagining Your Hidden Audience Who are they? One way to achieve an appropriate ‘point of vocus’ for your projection is by putting a photo of someone at a distance from you in the studio, that you’d imagine an actual listener to be if they were with physically you. So, if the voice-over is personal and intimate then the image would be close to you and the mic, and a louder, announcer read may require a photo the other side of the room, so you can target your projected voice to hit it. If you can’t have a physical photo of someone that you choose as your ‘listener’ then have someone in your mind instead. That should be a real person with whom you have a connection. How do you want them to feel when they hear you? Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcast is London-based and examples are spoken in the RP (Received Pronunciation) / standard-English / BBC English
S1 E343 · Thu, December 09, 2021
0343 – The Point of Vocus
2021.12.09 – 0343 – The Point of Vocus The Point of Vocus Put simply, the microphone is usually positioned in our ‘inmate’ zone 6-8 inches from our mouth. If it was a human ear rather than a mic that we were talking to at that distance, we would be very friendly indeed with that person! Our voice would drop in volume, the tone would change (and so too would the content – but that’s another book). But it would be inappropriate to read the news or usually to introduce a song in that kind of ‘intimate’ voice, even though that’s where our listener’s ears are. It wouldn’t sound right. We have to change our ‘point of vocus’ and use another ‘voice’. Hmmm. We chose the voice that we naturally use when we are talking to someone that we know, and like but are not intimate with or distant from. So not, from the barbecue event we looked at earlier, the ‘aunt down the hallway voice’ (as she was too far away to hold a conversation with); not ‘aunt on the bench voice’ as she was too close, and in a personal zone. But more like ‘having a conversation with aunt and uncle in the garden voice’ – that is somewhere between one and three metres away from us. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects
S1 E342 · Wed, December 08, 2021
0342 – Vocal Proxemics – Part 2
2021.12.08 – 0342 – Vocal Proxemics – Part 2 So, you have a different voice when you are with your lover in the ‘ Intimate Zone’ ( a very soft level that you might use to tell a secret to a friend or whisper ‘sweet nothings’ to a lover), than you use to a room of people in a ‘ Public Zone’ (a louder volume used in front of lots of people who may be further away). Translate that into the studio situation. The ‘ Personal ’ voice level is one to use when you’re neither making-out… nor want to shout. It’s this voice level that’s best for communicating with people via broadcast, podcast or video. You give the impression you are sharing your thoughts with one single person in the room with you, about 2 metres away – the other side of the studio desk, say. After all, most of your radio or podcast listeners are alone when they consume your content (ok, ‘alone’ but multiplied many times over), so simply speak as though you are in the room with one of them, not all of them. Imagine them sitting the other side of the desk in your ‘ Personal Zone’ , and talk to them in that voice. Don’t talk to the microphone or to the other side of the room, talk to the empty chair opposite you, and you should get the projection of your voice about right. It’s a bit like the ‘point of focus’ you have when you are looking at an object depending on how near or far away it is. Let’s call it ‘a point of vocus’ . Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He ha
S1 E341 · Tue, December 07, 2021
0341 – Vocal Proxemics
2021.12.07 – 0341 – Vocal Proxemics Vocal Proxemics Associated with ‘Human Spacing’ are our vocal proxemics : the kind of voice we use in each Zone. The further away someone is, the louder and less personal your voice becomes. ‘Proxemics’ is a branch of linguistic science which describes the effects of nearness or distance in signalling attitudes. We all [1] have an inbuilt ‘virtual voice volume’ dial, which we use to adjust our loudness level depending on what we judge is needed. The brain automatically adjusts our projected voice depending on factors such as, for example: · where the other person is – next to us on the sofa or down the street · how many of them there are – whether we are speaking one-to-one, to 12 people or 200 · our familiarity to them – in a bedroom or a boardroom · ambient noise – a silent street or a noisy nightclub · the content or complexity of the message – to give emphasis: “ I said NO! ”, to whisper a secret · our own assertiveness – self-confident people tend to have louder voices · the urgency of the message – shouting at someone who is right beside us on a pavement “ watch out! ” · what we want them to think about us – do we want to appear engaging, entertaining, brave or a bully · and our own perception of our ‘personal volume’ – we hear our own voice through air passages connecting ear and throat (the ‘eustachian tube’) and also through the vibrations in the bones in our head. So, our perception of our voice quality differs greatly from that of others’. [1] Nearly all. Some people are not able to ‘read a situation’ and therefore may have a loud voice when engaged in a private conversation, or may speak quietly without picking up clues from the listener that they cannot be clearly heard. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speak
S1 E340 · Mon, December 06, 2021
0340 – Your 12-Inch Voice
2021.12.06 – 0340 – Your 12-Inch Voice Sometimes people refer to a “ 12-inch voice ”. But what is that? It is the volume required for you to be heard only up to a 12-inch radius around yourself (approx. 30 centimetres). 12 inches is certainly in the intimate zone! Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcast is London-based and examples are spoken in the RP (Received Pronunciation) / standard-English / BBC English pronunciation, although invariably applicable to other languages, accents and dialects. Music credits: all Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license "Beauty Flow" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferre
S1 E339 · Sun, December 05, 2021
0339 – Human Spacing And Its Part In Projection Theory
2021.12.05 – 0339 – Human Spacing And Its Part In Projection Theory Human Spacing What the barbecue has illustrated is Human Spacing, the ideas of anthropologist Edward T. Hall [1] from which we understand the projection needed to speak conversationally [2] . It’s because, as we have seen, there are very specific ‘social rules’ about this social distance [3] . The Public Zone This is generally over 3 metres. That is, when we are walking around town, we will try to keep at least this distance between us and other people. The closer others get, the more we become aware and ready ourselves for appropriate action. The Social Zone Between 1.5 and 3 metres we start to feel a connection with other people: we can talk with them without having to shout, and is a comfortable distance for people who are standing in a group but maybe not talking directly with one another. The Personal Zone In the personal zone of .5 to 1.5 metres the conversation gets more direct, and this is a good distance for two people who are talking in earnest about something. The Intimate Zone When a person is within arm’s reach or closer (under .5 metres), then we can touch them in intimate ways. We can also see more detail of their body language and look them in the eyes. When they are closer, they also blot out other people so all we can see is them (and vice versa). Romance of all kinds happens in this space. [1] ‘Culture and Environment’ By Irwin Altman, Martin M. Chemers: http://tinyurl.com/kvcd6n [2] There’s a whole chapter about speaking conversationally later in the book. [3] This is true in the ‘developed Western world’; other cultures have other norms. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this
S1 E338 · Sat, December 04, 2021
0338 – The Anniversary Party Analysis
2021.12.04 – 0338 – The Anniversary Party Analysis VOCAL PROXEMICS AND THE FOUR VARIETIES OF VOCAL VOLUME Your natural volume We are not ‘prehistorically programmed’ to speak to people that we can’t see, let alone speak to millions of people all at once but supposedly in a friendly one-to-one conversational way. The two elements are in dichotomy. So, we try and manipulate our mind to create a false version of reality. Let’s take a step back, and consider what we do naturally. Picture this: your lovely uncle and aunt who you’re very fond of (and they love you back) have invited you for a barbecue to celebrate their wedding anniversary, and you knock on the door and step back as uncle opens it. You say hi and also say hello to your aunt down the hallway you’ve just spotted. You are shown into the garden and you chat with them both for a while. Your uncle moves away to the barbecue and calls over asking what you’d like, and you reply. Then your aunt suggests you get out of the sun and carry on chatting on the made-for-two garden bench, where she whispers the surprise gift that she has got for her husband. Later you talk with some of their neighbours you have met for the first time, who ask you to repeat a funny story one of them had heard about you, and then you make a speech to the whole gathering to honour your aunt and uncle’s anniversary. Now think of the different voices you used in those few minutes: · To uncle as he opened the door · To aunt who you spotted down the hallway · To them both as you stood in the garden · To uncle over by the barbecue · To aunt as you sat together on the garden bench sharing a secret · To the neighbours · And then to the ‘whole garden’. Now consider what changes to cause you to alter the volume and tone of your voice: · To uncle as he opened the door o You know him, he was alone, probably about a metre away, it’s the start of a fun, social day · To aunt who you spotted down the hallway o You know her, she was say, six metres away, by herself but beyond your uncle who is close beside you, it’s the start of a fun, social day · To them both as you stood in the garden o They are together, you are outside, each of them is probably half a metre away · To uncle over by the barbecue o He’s outside say, three metres away, behind the barbecue · To aunt as you sat together on the garden bench o As it’s a made-for-two bench you are right next to each other and indeed touching, and you have a conspiratorial conversation · To the group of neighbours o Each of them probably about a metre from you, further than your aunt and uncle stood as you are less ‘personal’ w
S1 E337 · Fri, December 03, 2021
0337 – Projection Advice to BBC Presenters
2021.12.03 – 0337 – Projection Advice to BBC Presenters On 2nd January 1928, 5XX (the forerunner of the BBC) broadcast its first ‘Daily Service’ from Savoy Hill in London, with The Rev H.R.L Sheppard C.H., D.D. A booklet “Hints For Preachers” was published for those who would be speaking on this new medium and were unsure how to ‘use it’. The advice: “Remember that your vast audience isn't a crowd or congregation, but various individuals to whom you are speaking in the intimacy of their homes.” Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcast is London-based and examples are spoken in the RP (Received Pronunciation) / standard-English / BBC English pronunciation, although invariably applicable to other languages, accents and dialects. Music credits: all Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license </p
S1 E336 · Thu, December 02, 2021
0336 – The Feedback Loop – Part 2
2021.12.02 – 0336 – The Feedback Loop – Part 2 When we are in a studio, we don’t have this verbal and non-verbal feedback loop because the audience is unseen: we can’t see their nods of agreement, or hear their “ uh-huhs ” of understanding, and so it’s tricky for us to adjust our mode of delivery, and therefore to sound natural. We need to create a construct of conversationality while reading a written text aloud. You know what it’s like when you’re talking to someone at a barbecue or business gathering, and they are looking over your shoulder distracted by someone else they’d rather be talking to? What you are saying just peters out. Perhaps you’ve been in the situation with your kids or partner – you are talking and feel as though they’re not actively listening. If the feedback loop exists at all its maybe just “uh-huh”, “yeah”, “I see” … You may even have said something totally outrageous to check that the loop isn’t entirely broken “ … and then I thought I’d run stark naked through the church ladies reading circle” to jolt them into attention and authentic reaction. In summary: When you are talking to someone in front of you, you see their reaction: they lean in to show their interest, they look away and are distracted by something else, they nod in agreement … the relationship is two-sided and reciprocal, and leads you as the message-deliverer change your style to further engage them. But you do not experience this in a studio environment. And that’s why it’s tricky. And we’ll look at the tricks to overcome this trickiness over the next short while. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a sug
S1 E335 · Wed, December 01, 2021
0335 – Mouth Open, Eyes Closed
2021.12.01 – 0335 – Mouth Open, Eyes Closed I once knew a man who spoke in a very loud voice. He commanded the conversation both with his volume and also with his body language, because when he spoke in his overbearing, bumptious tone… he’d close his eyes. What he was doing was shutting out all external signals that would have told him to cede the floor: he would not see someone stepping back, looking away, shaking their head and so on, which meant he could continue barking until he had finished what he wanted to say. It may come as no surprise that the arrogant man was a local politician. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcast is London-based and examples are spoken in the RP (Received Pronunciation) / standard-English / BBC English pronunciation, although invariably applicable to other languages, accents and dialects. Music credits: all Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/
S1 E334 · Tue, November 30, 2021
0334 – The Broken Feedback Loop
2021.11.30 – 0334 – The Broken Feedback Loop In a face-to-face or even voice-to-voice conversation (such as a phone call), most people constantly monitor their role in relation to others: · taking turns so they don’t monopolise a conversation · the speaker adds verbal checks to confirm that the other person is listening and understanding (“ you know what I mean?”) · the listener adds verbal confirmations back to the speaker to show they are listening and understanding (“ Go on… ”, “ oh yeah? ”) or negative feedback to signal a desire to end the conversation (“ O-kaaaaay ”, “ Right! ”) or to hurry them on (“ uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh ”). · there’s non-verbal feedback such as nodding, holding eye contact as a way to encourage and engage… or folding arms and looking away to signal boredom and a desire to escape, or stepping back if someone is too loud and imposing · and so on Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audie
S1 E333 · Mon, November 29, 2021
0333 – The Big Projection Problem
2021.11.29 – 0333 – The Big Projection Problem The big problem is that in our line of work - broadcasting, podcasting or voice-overing – we are in an ‘unnatural situation’. A million years ago, our prehistoric ancestors would talk, live, to a handful of people who were standing nearby. Then as communities grew, people would talk live to larger crowds standing in front of them. Today, we sit alone in a room, and talk to far greater numbers of people, who we can’t see but who are all listening alone rather than together, and indeed may not be listening live at all – but at some point, further in the future… Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcast is London-based and examples are spoken in the RP (Received Pronunciation) / standard-English / BBC English pronunciation, although invariably applicable to other languages, accents and dialects. Music credits: all Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
S1 E332 · Sun, November 28, 2021
0332 – Presenting Projections on TV and Radio
2021.11.28 – 0332 – Presenting Projections on TV and Radio In television a conversational projection is more appropriate because the reader has an illusion of eye contact with the audience, and television audiences offer more of their undivided attention than do radio listeners. Radio presenters have to work harder to cut through distractions and background noise before reaching the listener, especially if you are being heard on somebody’s car radio or in a living room full of hyperactive two-year-olds. Yelling is not the way to make sure every syllable is heard – clear diction is. Podcasters are perhaps slightly different again – you are often going into someone’s ears via headphones or earbuds, so there’s no background noise to cut through, and so a more focussed delivery may sound too strident. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcast is London-based and examples are spoken in the RP (Received Pronunciation) / standard-English / BBC English pronunciation, although invariably applicable to
S1 E331 · Sat, November 27, 2021
0331 – Interpretations of Projections
2021.11.27 – 0331 – Interpretations of Projections Loud speakers can come over as assured and energetic - or aggressive or bumptious, full of themselves, larger than life, maybe a bit of a bully. They can’t or won’t monitor how their message is being received – and so don’t dial back from 11, and leave the listener feeling attacked and wanting to disengage from the message. Softer speakers can seem meek, mild and unsure of themselves or their content. A listener may consider they have less credibility and so lower their expectations of their performance or professionalism. Or they may think that the speaker is calm and assured. It is therefore a good idea when speaking one-to-one to consider whether how you speak is making other people feel uncomfortable. Are they having to lean in to listen, or backing away from the force of the voice? Using an appropriate volume makes a big difference in how we are perceived by others. But if you use loudness or softness inappropriately in your presentation, your message will be confused and you may be perceived as peculiar. Having said that, varying your volume (and intonation) will help aid attention and give communication clarity. With so much about your voice and professional presentation, there’s a balance. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcast is Lon
S1 E330 · Fri, November 26, 2021
0330 – Why Various Voice Volumes Are Vital
2021.11.26 – 0330 – Why Various Voice Volumes Are Vital Why ‘Various Voice Volumes Are Vital’ So why is cranking the dial up or down so useful both with scripts and adlibs? In natural English-presentation, more volume and projection are used: · to add emphasis to important content · when we are excited about the content · when we are speaking with a several people, or those who are further away · when we are angry · when we consider the listener doesn’t understand the message. In natural English-presentation, less volume and projection are used to: · suggest intimacy or privacy or trust · entice people to listen more carefully · give an impression of Halloween creepiness, that is quiet, understated threats Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcast is London-based and examples are spoken in the RP (Received Pronunciation) / standard-English / BBC E
S1 E329 · Thu, November 25, 2021
0329 – What Is ‘Energy’?
2021.11.25 – 0329 – What Is ‘Energy’? Energy (or ‘presence’) This is slightly different from both volume and projection, but does have elements of those within it. ‘Energy’ is subtle and complex, and is a mix of various elements of your body and mind. So, an ‘energetic presentation’ might be a mix of varying degrees of: Your Body · Volume – but you’re not shouting · Projection – but you’re not too intense · Pace - but not like an action-packed livestock auctioneer · Resonance – from your foundation in better diaphragmatic breathing which we studied in some depth previously · Pitch – it is difficult to be very energetic for very long with a high voice because of the strain on the vocal folds. (As we saw earlier this is not necessarily a male/female issue: a higher pitch can come about through nerves, poor breathing and so on) · Intonation – an energetic performance is likely to have a degree more modulation in intonation, more ‘voice variety’. Elements of your energy will also come from how you think and feel about your presentation: Your Mind · Knowledge, passion, enthusiasm and conviction – that is, speaking with focus and intention, turning off the ‘autopilot’ and being connected to your content. You can do this by imagining that this is one of the first times you have explained this story or sold this product, visualising what happened, picturing the people involved – almost experiencing what you are saying along with the audience. · Being ‘present’ – giving your full attention to your script or presentation, not allowing yourself to be distracted by kids or to-do lists, emails or voicemails. Focussing in and not ‘phoning it in’, reading the room rather than reading a script. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart This podcast is London-based and examples are spoken in the RP (Received Pronunciation) / standard-English / BBC English pronunciation, although invariably applicable to other languages, accents and dialects. Music credits: all Kevin MacLeo
S1 E328 · Wed, November 24, 2021
0328 – The Shower Head Analogy
2021.11.24 – 0328 – The Shower Head Analogy Projection is ‘your voice with focus’. Think of the settings on a shower head: one may be a wide ‘rain shower’ spray, another a ‘full body’ spray covering a smaller area, and then a ‘intense jet’ that uses the same overall force of water but concentrates it in a smaller more-clearly targeted area. So, think of the soundwaves leaving your mouth as being more intense in their focus , but with little or no additional volume. Flick the setting and have the water (sound) travel up your hose (pharynx), and then feel the vibrations as the sound enters the main shower head (mouth) and leaves from the jet-holes (between your front teeth). Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcast is London-based and examples are spoken in the RP (Received Pronunciation) / standard-English / BBC English pronunciation, although invariably applicable to other languages, accents and dialects. Music credits: all Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed
S1 E327 · Tue, November 23, 2021
0327 – What Is ‘Projection’?
2021.11.23 – 0327 – What Is ‘Projection’? Projection – There is a subtle difference between ‘volume’ and ‘projection’, where the latter is a more nuanced way of ‘throwing one’s voice’ when speaking on mic in a studio to ‘reach out’ to those who you cannot see. Projection is more about the power of the voice rather than the volume. It suggests intensity and focused strength . Like a focused laser beam rather than a strong, wide torch beam. Yes, projection involves ‘loudness’ but it is less to do with, say emotion and more to do with location and your relation with the listener: as a speaker you gauge the distance to be covered by your voice, who you are talking to and how many people there are, and you adjust your sound production accordingly … in a way you don’t do with volume alone. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcast is London-based and examples are spoken in the RP (Received Pronunciation) / standard-English / BBC English pronunciation,
S1 E326 · Mon, November 22, 2021
0326 – What Is ‘Volume’?
2021.11.22 – 0326 – What Is ‘Volume’? DEFINITIONS Volume – is a basic degree in softness or loudness of your voice along the path from whispering to shouting (or ‘raising one’s voice’). Sound is measured in decibels (dB). A whisper is about 30 dB, normal conversation is about 60 dB (a motorcycle engine running is about 95 dB). Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcast is London-based and examples are spoken in the RP (Received Pronunciation) / standard-English / BBC English pronunciation, although invariably applicable to other languages, accents and dialects. Music credits: all Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license <
S1 E325 · Sun, November 21, 2021
0325 – How You Naturally Pump Up The Volume
2021.11.21 – 0325 – How You Naturally Pump Up The Volume How You Naturally Pump Up The Volume As we saw many chapters ago, your voice is produced by air from the lungs moving over the vocal cords in the larynx in the throat. As the cords’ combination of muscle and cartilage contract and relax, the space between them increases or decreases, and the tone and pitch of the voice changes. But it’s the force and speed of air passing over them which changes the volume. Think about a shout: Don’t you naturally take a deep breath first? (We’ll look a bit more at projecting a loud voice, in a while.) Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcast is London-based and examples are spoken in the RP (Received Pronunciation) / standard-English / BBC English pronunciation, although invariably applicable to other languages, accents and dialect
S1 E324 · Sat, November 20, 2021
0324 – A Mix Of Modulators
2021.11.20 – 0324 – A MIx Of Modulators Of course, volume and projection are part of the overall ‘mix of modulators’ which combine in varying degrees to give you your unique voice that you use in different situations. They are perhaps more closely related to ‘tone’ which we spoke about earlier, and that in itself is related to the content of a message: you rarely shout “ I love you ” but say it in a softer voice. Similarly, at a sports event you’re unlikely to whisper “ C’mon you Reds…”. And they’re also both linked with ‘intonation’: we saw previously how lifting a word to signify its significance involves a subtle blend of pause, pitch… and projection. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcast is London-based and examples are spoken in the RP (Received Pronunciation) / standard-English / BBC English pronunciation, although invariably applicable to other languages, accents and dialects. Music credits: all Kevin MacLeod (incompet
S1 E323 · Fri, November 19, 2021
0323 – The Volume of Your Voice – plus a shout out to projection and energy
2021.11.19 – 0323 – The Volume of Your Voice – plus a shout out to projection and energy “The mouth is a true index of character. It is through the mouth and eyes that all emotions are expressed” A.A. Milne In this chapter we’ll look at how loud you sound. There’s a section on vocal proxemics , the times you may use a softer or louder voice and a bit on mic technique too. Plus, your vocal health when it comes to both whispering and straining when projecting. Everything from intimate to ‘declamatory’ … from laid-back night time radio to an energetic breakfast show, from a soft sell to a hard sell. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2022. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (see contacts clink above) and presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with various formats. He has read tens of thousands of news bulletins and hosted 3,000+ podcast episodes. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcast is London-based and examples are spoken in the RP (Received Pronunciation) / standard-English / BBC English pronunciation, although invariably applicable to other languages, accents and dialects. Music credits: all Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
S1 E322 · Thu, November 18, 2021
0322 – Intonation Summary
2021.11.18 – 0322 – In Summary A common failing of script readers is banging out every, say, fifth word, like a beat on a drum. Or banging out unimportant words, the ‘ grammar glue ’ that simply link a sentence together, rather than the words which do the ‘ heavy lifting’ and help explain the story. (Here I have underlined the correct ones to lift!) Having this kind of intonation gives the impression that you don’t understand the story – and of course it is your job to explain it. Intonation exists to bring out meaning. And to get the meaning over to someone else, you have to know it yourself first. So we lift (by varying degrees) the words and phrases that help make the story the story. To lift other words can at best confuse the listener and at worst make you look foolish, or land you in trouble. An example: ‘The police chief says he WASN’T speeding’ is a flat denial reported by an impartial newsreader. ‘The police chief SAYS he wasn’t speeding’ suggests that you think he’s lying… As I say in my seminars: Use your inflection and intonation to extract the information from your stories, with your voices. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “A
S1 E321 · Wed, November 17, 2021
0321 – Final Intonation Considerations
2021.11.17 – 0321 – Final Intonation Considerations Once you have pre-read and rehearsed and are confident in what the sense of the script is, don’t necessarily read it exactly the same way each and every time. To sound convincingly conversational, you need to ‘feel’ the words each time your eyes see them, as though the thoughts are just occurring to you. As long as it’s true to the intended meaning, each time should sound like it is the first time. Intonation is important: highlighting one different word can change the meaning of the sentence. Stumbling through a script can leave it sounding illogical to the listener. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio an
S1 E320 · Tue, November 16, 2021
0320 – What Am I Talking About
2021.11.16 – 0320 – What Am I Talking About What am I talking about? “She is a miniature horse breeder and is married to an English professor.” Is she a horse breeder who is small in height, and married to a woman who is English and teaches science? Or does she breed miniature horses and married to a German who tutors in the subject of English? “The new solicitor was very concerned about his brief case and allegations about his clients’ milking machines.” Is he worried about his bag and the fate of his client, a farmer? Or a short court hearing about several people who face allegations of defrauding pinball machines? Intonation is everything. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant a
S1 E319 · Mon, November 15, 2021
0319 – Intonations In Different Languages
2021.11.15 – 0319 – Intonations In Different Languages INTONATIONS IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES Each language has its intonation and some are more musical than others. In English, a wide range is used. In some instances, intonation carries the meaning of a phrase. For example, in question tags the intonation used can indicate whether the speaker is looking for agreement. It is important for speakers of other languages to be aware of intonation. If their language does not have the same range, they can sound monotonous or even bored when speaking English. Misunderstandings can also arise between speakers who are not aware of the intonation of the other person's mother tongue. EXERCISES A series of scripts for you to use to exercise your marking up and intonation skills. · A centre-left think tank has proposed that a levy on frequent flyers should replace air passenger duty, which is charged on each ticket. Under the plan, a passenger's first holiday flight of the year would incur zero tax. But second and subsequent flights would attract progressively higher taxes. The New Economics Foundation believes this would not only curb emissions, but also make holidays cheaper for poorer households. · England's women beat India by 18 runs in last night's T20 match at Northampton. Today - England's men face Pakistan in the 2nd one-day international at Lords. · Three people have been killed and several injured in a church in the French city of Nice in what officials say was a terrorist attack. The attacker, who was shouting 'God is greatest' in Arabic, was shot by police and is being treated in hospital. The French authorities have raised the terrorist alert level. · The government says it has no plans to follow France in imposing a second national lockdown, despite evidence of a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases. Scientists at Imperial College London say the number of people in England catching the virus is doubling every nine days and is now around 96-thousand a day. · New figures show sixty per cent of contacts provided to NHS Test and Trace in England were reached and asked to isolate last week -- a performance unchanged from the previous week’s low point. Performance for outbreaks managed by local health protection teams remained high at 97 per cent. · Rail companies are calling on the government to cut taxes on the electricity they use to power trains - and raise fuel taxes for airlines and motorists instead. They say this would encourage travellers to make greener choices because rail journeys cause less harm to the environment. Airlines say they're already paying the highest rate of Air Passenger Duty in Europe. · The Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, has made last-minute changes to the way A-Level and GCSE results in England are to be decided - following th
S1 E318 · Sun, November 14, 2021
0318 – Prick Up Your Ears
2021.11.14 – 0318 – Prick Up Your Ears This ‘skeleton script’ comprising of just the meaning-full words, are the ones which are lifted and if you only heard these ones perhaps on the radio in the car when the kids were chattering, you get a gist of what the story was. Like catching your name being said amongst the hubbub of a party, they are the ones which prick up your ears. It’s like, as a child, listening from the upstairs bannisters to your parents talking downstairs. You can’t get every word of what they say but the key words, lifted for emphasis in their conversation, travel more clearly and you can still make out what it is they were talking about. Or, think of intonation in terms of lighting your main living room at home. A successful lighting scheme is a balance between background illumination, lights drawing attention to specific features, and those used to illuminate activities. Using three types of lights creates visual texture. You need audio texture: the ‘background lighting’ of your voice with the overall tone and clarity, and specific intonation to light up certain words and phrases. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 E317 · Sat, November 13, 2021
0317 – The Magic Skeleton
2021.11.13 – 0317 – The Magic Skeleton You have to be careful with intonation of course: · If you lift the wrong words that you begin to sound like a bad robot and thus not conversational or natural · If you lift the wrong words, it can actually change the meaning of a sentence, and may even land you in trouble legally · If you lift too many words then the whole sentence or paragraph will be lifted, and be akin to a constant shout rather than a well-modulated, meaning-rich presentation. That for the listener is difficult to listen to and confusing to interpret. The magic trick is, when you have underlined each meaning-laden word in your script, to then go back and, tah-daaah!: · First, only read the words which you have not underlined. All the less-meaningful words, the ‘glue’ in the sentences, the words that are there to hold the others together. o You will find when you do this that what you read is pretty much nonsense and you get very little understanding of what’s going on at all. · Now, only read the words that you have underlined: the meaning-full words. These are the ones that you will lift both in conversation and also therefore in a script. They are the unusual terms that help make the story, the story. They are the skeleton words that give the story its structure. o You will find that even though there is not an overall context to the story, you will get a better understanding of what is going on than in the first exercise above. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voic
S1 E316 · Fri, November 12, 2021
0316 – Hearing Your Own Intonation
2021.11.12 – 0316 – Hearing Your Own Intonation It is difficult to be aware of the exact intonation of your own presentation, partly because of how we hear ourselves ‘inside ourselves’ through our own sound passages and vibrations. And also, it’s because we know our ‘intention of intonation’, and therefore it’s difficult to judge how exactly that message has been received. To put it another way, we hear what we said, not what others have heard and have understood by it. Those who speak in a monotonous style truly believe they have variety, intonation and emphasis… But even the most powerful prose or meaningful monologue will fail to engage and inspire if the delivery is as flat as a Coke with the top left off. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episode
S1 E315 · Thu, November 11, 2021
0315 – The ‘Question Intonation’
2021.11.11 – 0315 – The ‘Question Intonation’ Those who have a ‘sing-songy’ voice which goes unnecessarily up-and-down in tone (the ‘sea-sick syndrome’), can come over as patronising. It may sound ‘up and bright’ to them but to the listener it sounds cheesy and as though the presenter is on ‘auto-pilot’ without a care for the content of the message. Other presenters go up at the end of every sentence? Like this? Whether it’s necessary or not? Are they really asking a question? Or have they got into the habit … of really annoying their audience? This is called ‘up-speak’, everything becomes a question and can make you sound insecure, and insincere, that everything you say needs validation. Some people use it too much, as though they are constantly asking questions, and that affects their authority. Incorrectly using a ‘question inflection’ triggers confusion in the mind of a listener: the sound of what you are saying is contradicted by its content. Doubt about your delivery disrupts the effectiveness of your message. So if you are a presenter encouraging phone calls or a YouTuber requesting comments under your video, you need to use a rising inflection… where appropriate. A question will engage your audience more than using a straightforward statement. Statement: “Many people are struggling today by not making enough money as an entrepreneur.” So turn that into a question: “Are you as an entrepreneur, making enough money in your business?” Or: “are you one of those entrepreneurs who…?” A question draws people in, it involves them much more than a statement. A question creates attention. Hmmm do you always go up at the end of a question? No! So called ‘interrogative’ Yes/No questions (those which can be answered with one of those words) are often ended with a down-tone: “ So, you’re going to go by train?” Usually, so too are those to which you already know the answer: “Our reporter Peter Porter was in court, can you tell us what happened?” – it would be odd if Peter replied “ no! ”! Another situation is when you answer your own question: “Have you ever thought about getting a tattoo? I know I have…” Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-da
S1 E314 · Wed, November 10, 2021
0314 – Circumflex Intonation
2021.11.10 – 0314 – Circumflex Intonation But the human voice is capable of much more intonational gymnastics! Within some words we can go down … and then up and then down again. Or up, down, and up again. And these intonation alterations give additional clues to the listener as to what we mean. Down > up > down ( ) This is often a sneery tone, or used to signify uncertainty. · “I don’t think you doooo!” Up > down > up ( ) Suggests that we haven’t finished talking , or us used at the start of a contrast · “I’m not going to Antigua… I’m going to Bermuda” What circumflex inflections would you use for these phrases, and what would they mean? · Stop worrying. · Don’t go. · Please come back. · Give me a call soon. · Stop trying to trick me. Listen to how you and others talk in every day conversations: “ He did what??!! ”, “ Yeah, su-u-u-u-u-re you do ...!”, “aaaaand…”. Then try and reproduce these techniques on air to make your intonational sound increasingly natural and ear-catching. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills i
S1 E313 · Tue, November 09, 2021
0313 – The Flat Intonation
2021.11.09 – 0313 – The Flat Intonation And in some situations, I may just have an almost flat intonation (with a slight raise) on a word, to signpost a meaning to the listener. For example, if I am talking, it’s the way that I would say that I’m in the middle of my sentence, and I don’t want you to interrupt me yet because I’ve got more to say about this subject, but when I have finished what I’m saying, I’ll finish and go down. Let’s take a look back at that: “So, it’s the way that I would say that I’m in the middle of my sentence / and I don’t want you to interrupt me yet / because I’ve got more to say about this subject / but when I have finished what I’m saying / I’ll finish and go down.” [1] If you go down on your intonation early, you give the impression you have finished and the listener may jump in as you are no longer ‘holding the floor’. [1] From https://englishpronunciationroadmap.com/ielts-speaking-test-tips/ Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”,
S1 E312 · Mon, November 08, 2021
0312 – The Downward Circumflex Intonation Within A Word
2021.11.08 – 0312 – The Downward Circumflex Intonation Within A Word This is, unsurprisingly, a word said in a higher pitch followed by a lower one, and as you might expect often signifies closure, certainty, finality – and is what we often use at the end of a sentence, as well as: · Usually for straight questions expecting more straight answers – “Is the team playing today or tomorrow?” / “Tomorrow.” · “What will Professor Harris say?” · “Why is she so upset?” · “Why are you complaining?” · “Where could you send the students?” · “Who knows what he did?” So, in natural spoken English, we are brought up to understand that a downward inflection suggests the combined attributes of credibility and closure. I was recently helping my goddaughter Corey and her boyfriend Dan move house. Because I could only give them til 2 that afternoon before I was due at another engagement, I was given a specific task of cleaning the kitchen cupboards and stocking them with crockery, cutlery and cookware. Nearing the end of this time I said: “ Right, I think I’m done here ”. Say that sentence with an upward inflection and it suggests some doubt in whether I had finished to their satisfaction, or maybe that I had a few more minutes in which I could do something else for them. With a downward inflection it says the opposite: that I know I have finished, I have run out of time and am unable to do anything else. It sends a ‘tonal signal’ to the listener of the underlying intent of the actual words and is used, for example, to avoid explanation or confrontation. In presentation situations, a newsreader’s inflection will go down at the end of a story to signify not only that the item has come to an end, but also the credibility of what has just been said. We tend to go down to signify being emphatic, when saying a statement or command or exclamation. · “I’ve got to go to work” · “That’s wonderful” · “Put that down!” Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), t
S1 E311 · Sun, November 07, 2021
0311 – The Upward Circumflex Intonation Within A Word
2021.11.07 – 0311 – The Upward Circumflex Intonation Within A Word This is when you start saying a word in one tone, and then end it on another, giving the word an upward tonal spin from one syllable to another. It suggests a wavering lack of finality as well as: · Doubt – “I’m not sure what I think about th at…” · Worry – “ Will you finish no w?” · A simple question that expects a simple answer – “Did you ever visit Pa ris?” · Do you think I ca re? · Should I send you an e- mail? · Would you finish this to day? As we have seen before, we also use a rising intonation when we’re asking a question. “Do you want another beer?” As the tone is unresolved, it’s used as an ‘intonation invitation’, a way of inviting a response to the question. It can also be used in lists. So your friends have said yes they do want another beer, and you go to the bar: “ I’ll have a Heineken, a Budweiser, a Coors and a packet of crisps ”. Each different item, or beer, is often said with a rising intonation, but with a falling intonation, on “crisps” to indicate that we’ve finished. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”,
S1 E310 · Sat, November 06, 2021
0310 – The ‘Intonation Circumflex’
2021.11.06 – 0310 – The ‘Intonation Circumflex’ But one doesn’t always merely ‘push’ a whole word, sometimes by changing your inflection within a word it carries another meaning. This is the ‘word-wobble’ or ‘circumflex intonation’, denoting doubt by the reader. Consider the statement “ the Moon is made of cheese ” and the reply “ Really? ”. That reply could be said: · Really? – a matter-of-fact slightly disbelievingly, with a low, emphatic tone · Really? – a slightly more intrigued answer, as though there could be something in the claim. Said in a typical questioning way · Really?? - more questioning tone, possibly with a three-tone change within the single word: o re – said as a high-tone o le – as a lower tone o leee? – as a rising tone · Really??? – said in a way that suggests desperation with the speaker, and said with a frown and grimace. Another example from the newsroom: “ The police authority said ‘no-one was available to be interviewed this week’… ” A ‘word-wobble’ on “ available ”, indicates your suspicion that their claim is unlikely. So far, we have looked at intonation on a simple colouring (or un-colouring) of a word by a degree or two. But of course, in conversation we do more than simply raise or lower the intonation on an individual word. Although as we saw earlier, intonation is itself a complex combination of tone, pause and projection, when talking naturally we do something else a little more complex. Welcome to intonation circumflex - the change of the pitch of a voice within a word or within syllable . And even though that sounds complicated, as you will see, it’s what we do very often without realising, and in doing so it gives the listener even more information about our meaning than the words themselves. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcas
S1 E309 · Fri, November 05, 2021
0309 – Intonation for Comedians
2021.11.05 – 0309 – Intonation for Comedians OK this is a bit off topic, but let’s spend a moment looking at intonation in respect of the delivery of a joke. One of the reasons something is funny is because it is unexpected. And that may mean you have to change your intonation to signpost the humour. So (and this is not the joke!) what do you call the situation when lots of cars are filling a road and none of them are moving? A ‘traffic jam’ right? And you would naturally put the colour on the word “ traffic ” yes? Ok so look how you have to say that phrase when it appears as the punchline to this kids’ joke: “Why did the girl smear peanut butter on the road? To go with the traffic jam!” To make it funny (?) you had to stress (and yes, I probably do mean to use that word here!) the “ jam ” part, so it balances with the “ peanut butter ” reference. Here’s another example: “What musical instrument is found in the bathroom? A tuba toothpaste.” Here you say the punchline with the colour on “ tuba ”, whereas in the phrase “ a tube of toothpaste ” you’d highlight “ toothpaste ”. In a joke or witticism, surprise is partly because of the use of synonyms, say here: “ My wife just ran off with my best friend. Oh boy do I miss him. ” The punchline is the very last word, itself a synonym for “ best friend ” In this ‘intonation misdirection’, the comic plays down the first reference to something so as not to draw attention to it. The new information is, contradictorily, left un-coloured so the second mention can be more of a surprise and the punchline funnier. This misdirection is because the comic is giving the impression that the gag is being adlibbed – that they themselves don’t know the punchline and so they don’t know to lift what later turns out to be significant details in it. Many good lines are ruined because the teller lacked the act of seeming to be spontaneous in their presentation and intonation. And a slightly more risqué example from the BBC Radio 4 series “ I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue ”: “ Colin [the pianist on the panel show] tells us that it was Johnny Cash that helped him buy his first piano. He says back in the 1970s those condom machines were a licence to print money ”. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over t
S1 E308 · Thu, November 04, 2021
0308 – How Mis-Intonation Can Cause Mis-Direction
2021.11.04 – 0308 – How Mis-Intonation Can Cause Mis-Direction Not intonating the correct words can completely alter its meaning and tone, leading to a completely different message given to the listener. He said their action had made a walkout inevitable. Stressing the word “ he ” might suggest there are others who would disagree with this statement. He said their action had made a walkout inevitable. Emphasising the word said casts doubt on the truth of the statement, implying there are grounds for disbelieving it. He said their action had made a walkout inevitable. The speaker now sounds as though he is pointing a finger in accusation at another group of people. He said their action had made a walkout inevitable. This has an intriguing double-meaning. Does had suggest the possibility of a walkout was true earlier, but is no longer the case, or is the stress on “ had” a rebuttal, as though denying a suggestion that the action would not lead to a walkout? Think about it. The answer would probably become obvious from the context, but it highlights the importance of having a clear understanding of the item before attempting to read it on air. [1] [1] Adapted from “ Broadcast Journalism ”, Focal Press, Peter Stewart Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over arti
S1 E307 · Wed, November 03, 2021
0307 – 13 – A Brief Bit on Brackets (or ‘A Pause for a Part on Parentheses’)
2021.11.03 – 0307 – 13 – A Brief Bit on Brackets (or ‘A Pause for a Part on Parentheses’) You will be unlikely to find these in news or commercial reads (although sometimes you might), these are clauses which may appear with brackets around them, or – just like this – with dashes… or maybe ellipses. On other times, depending on the style of the writer, they may appear inside commas. As bracketed phrases (or those in parenthesis) may appear in an ebook narration, let’s spend a few moments looking at these structures. These constructions are like an ‘aside’ to the reader, an added bit of information or clarification on what has just been said. Using them leads to a script which is rather more formal and flowery and this naturally disrupts the flow of a read. Usually such clauses can, with permission, be put into another separate sentence or omitted completely. I have used several clauses with this construction already in the three paragraphs above. Take a look back and read them out loud and you will hopefully, either take a slight pause either side of them or drop your pitch as you read them. You may do both. Again, think of them as asides, but not complete sentences in themselves, so don’t go down at the end of them as you have the rest of the sentence to finish reading! “The fire was, the witness said, started at about 5am”. “ The witness said” is a clarifying clause and so can be dropped in tone. Let’s look at this sentence from the same trial: “The defendant, wearing a white blouse and blue skirt, entered a plea of not guilty”. OK her attire is new information, and you can slightly colour “ white blouse” and “blue skirt” with a slight pause either side. Why only slightly colour? Yes, it’s new information but it’s not germane to the understanding of the story, it is literally colour, and added ‘fun fact’. If you left it out it would make no difference to the sentence – nothing would be lost in the understanding or the telling of the tale. “ The fire, which killed more than a five hundred pigs, broke out at Old McDonald’s Farm, last June .” Ah. Now we have new information that’s both significant and surprising, so this deserves to be coloured rather more, and with a pause either side too. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is,
S1 E306 · Tue, November 02, 2021
0306 – 12 – Positive Intonation About Negative Information
2021.11.02 – 0306 – 12 – Positive Intonation About Negative Information Remember earlier we looked at the fulcrum of facts in a story or sentence? That is, ‘this person says this and that person says that’? Well that can be developed into situations when ‘that person says this happened and that person says it did not’. In other words, negatives, opposites, contrasts and contradictions. Words such as “ didn’t ”, “disagreed”, “refused”, “never”, “hadn’t”, “not”, “no” and “none” are usually key words because they point to what the sentence, story or script is about. The same goes for words which have a similar job in a sentence, “should”, “ought”, “may” and so on. Colouring such words then, highlights an actual (or implied) view which is opposite. “The moon is not made of green cheese” suggests that someone has just said that it is . A great place to look for examples of this sentence and intonation construction is in a court room – as what happens in there is very much a case of opposing accounts. “One witness said it was a man in a green hat, another said it was a woman in a red one”. So if you started a story with “The trial of a police officer accused of murder, has heard claims that he did not set fire to the hostel where seven people died” then it would be natural to highlight the word “ not ”. “The officer was asked whether he had a can of fuel with him on the night. ‘ I did not ’ he replied”. “The prosecutor said ‘ You of all people should know that carrying fuel is disallowed’ ” Well, here we have another type of negative in “ disallowed ”. Unlike “didn’t”, “hadn’t” “couldn’t” in which the negative is a suffix to the main word (did > did not and so on), disallowed (along with its cousins, disorder, disappear, disadvantage, non-essential, non-fiction, unable, unhappy, untidy, unlucky, unusual and so on) has a ‘ negative prefix’ to the main word. Look back at that list and say them to yourself. Don’t you naturally lift or colour the main part of the word rather than its ‘negative prefix’? “The cat dis appeared ”, “where is the non- fiction section, please?”, “she was deeply un happy ” and so on. That’s apart from when we introduce our old friend ‘contrast’ again. If those sentences above were contradicting known or implied information then you would colour the prefix: “The cat loves playing in the cardboard box. It appeared and then dis appeared”, “I can see the fiction shelves, but where is the non -fiction section, please?”, “He was overjoyed, but she was deeply un happy” . Talking of negatives, and as I mentioned previously, be carefu
S1 E305 · Mon, November 01, 2021
0305 – 11 – Positive Intonation About Positive Information
2021.11.01 – 0305 – 11 – Positive Intonation About Positive Information The ideas about highlighting contrasting and new information join together, when we look at ‘positive’ words such as ‘any’, ‘all’ and ‘always’. “ Police found a body in a house on Devilgate Drive, and they didn’t allow anyone to walk up there.” Remember our shades of colour in intonation. The fact that they didn’t allow anyone up the road, is new information and “ anyone ” may be lifted slightly. But in the following sentence the same word is not only new, but also contrasts with information earlier in the sentence: “ Police found a body in a house on Devilgate Drive, and they didn’t let residents to get back home, in fact they didn’t allow anyone to walk up there.” In this example one would naturally lift “ anyone ” slightly more, because of those two reasons. Similar structures can be found with “ any ”: “I wasn’t allowed any sweets” (a slight lift on “ any ”) and “I wasn’t allowed the bar of chocolate. I wasn’t allowed any sweets” (with a greater lift on “ any ”). So these words are rarely coloured unless they are strongly contrasting with what has gone previously. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice a
S1 E304 · Sat, October 30, 2021
0304 – Grammar Glue Part 2
2021.10.31 – 0304 – Grammar Glue Part 2 or – and and or are often two sides of the same coin. “ And ” is often giving additional information, whereas “ or ” usually suggests options or alternatives are available. In a simple ‘either/or’ phrase, the “ or ” is often subdued, to allow the basic options either side to be coloured. “You can have chicken or fish ”. But in a more complicated sentence, when there are two sets of options compared with two more you may want to highlight the “ or ” to be a ‘pivot point’ in the options. Remember our holidaying friends who are working out where to go? “ So if you want to go to the museum now I will meet you there, or come with me to the shop and we will go to the museum together ”. of - “ Some of the oil refineries in the Gulf have shut down ahead of the arrival of the hurricane .” [1] Hopefully, with what you know so far, you lifted “ oil refineries ”, “ Gulf ”, “ shut down ”, and “ hurricane ”. Now read this: “Emergency services in southern American states are bracing themselves for winds of up to 80 miles an hour, as Hurricane Pete heads their way. Ships in the Gulf of Mexico are in particular danger. Some of the oil refineries in the Gulf have shut down ahead of the arrival of the hurricane.” All I’ve done is added an extra two sentences to the start of the report, so some of what you previously highlighted as new information may now be old information, and so your intonation will change. If you lifted “ Oil refineries ”, “ shut down ” and “ arrival ”, but didn’t stress “ hurricane ” or “ Gulf ” (old information), well done. Some people though will lift other ‘glue’ words instead, such as “ in ” and “ of ” as in “ Some of the oil refineries in the Gulf have shut down ahead of the arrival of the hurricane ”. The thinking seems to be ‘ I’ve talked about the hurricane and the Gulf, so I cannot stress those words again. I know, I’ll stress the ‘in’ and the ‘of’!’ And sorry to say, after a while, the thought process is no longer necessary, because stressing prepositions becomes second nature. This is wrong. [1] Adapted from https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/here-is-the-news-im-stressed-out-hk9sccfdgsb and <a
S1 E303 · Fri, October 29, 2021
0303 – 10 – Grammar Glue
2021.10.30 – 0303 – 10 – Grammar Glue Consider a dodgy phone connection and you can only hear some of what a friend is saying. You get the gist of the content from the meaningful words in the sentence: the words which actually are full of meaning, give detail and context and move the story along. Some words in a sentence don’t add much information, they are there to give it structure and hold the important words together. They act as grammar ‘glue’ . You can usually dampen down these delete-able words as by definition they are usually unimportant. Let’s go through some of them. and – Some people see this word and highlight it every time. Go back and look at that sentence again and colour the word “ and ” and you’ll realise how daft this is. Drawing attention to ‘and’ gives the impression that each of the two words or phrases either side may be mutually exclusive, or the listener should presume that they usually are. “ After the crash, police swept the road and opened it to traffic ” – highlighting “ and ” gives the impression that the officers may usually do one of these jobs or the other, but not usually both. On occasion you do want to draw attention to ‘and’ as we see from our airline example: “ You cannot have chicken, fish and pasta ” – but does this mean you could have both chicken and fish on the same plate...? Note that prepositions, words which describe a relationship between one item and another, are coloured very rarely. You do not order breakfast by asking for “ egg and bacon, beans on toast and a cup of tea ” but some readers use exactly that intonation. In this case the intonation goes hand-in-hand with the pronunciation of that three-letter word “ and ”: · The uncoloured , throwaway version is said ‘nd’ or ‘n’ – “Do you want bread n butter with your fish n chips?” · The coloured pronunciation rhymes with ‘sand’ – “My friend is just having soup n a roll but I’m having soup n a roll and fish and chips”. It’s the same with other words where colouring them changes how you say them: “Hey I said you could have a chip, not all of them” (where “ a ” is said “ ay ”) vs. “ He went for a walk ” (with “ a ” said like a short “ er ”), and it’s similar with the word “ an ”. “ The ” can be said “thee” when you draw attention to it (“The presidents of the state’s Rotary Clubs met thee President at the White House today ”) and also perhaps uniquely changes how you say it depending on whether the word that follows it is a vowel or consonant. “The army and the navy are combining in a show of strength this weekend…” Didn’t you automatically say “ thee army ” and “ t
S1 E302 · Thu, October 28, 2021
0302 – 9 – By Super-Stressing One Insignificant Word, You Downplay The Sense Of The Sentence
2021.10.29 – 0302 – 9 – By Super-Stressing One Insignificant Word, You Downplay The Sense Of The Sentence “Christmas is the best time of the year.” It’s a short, straightforward sentence: this speaker loves Christmas! It is simply the best! Therefore, the words that are most-coloured are: · Christmas · Best And slightly-coloured: · Year “ Christmas is the best time of the year .” But some people fall for the temptation of saying: “Christmas is the best time of the year.” By highlighting “ the ” (possibly with a change of pronunciation from ‘thuh’ to ‘thee’) you downgrade the key word of the whole sentence, “ best ”. And that doesn’t make sense because “ best ”, if it’s not lifted-and-projected, it could be swapped for “ worst ”. So words such as “ the ” are very rarely highly-coloured, and if you catch yourself doing so, look closely to see what other word you should be highlighting instead, or as well as. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-hous
S1 E301 · Wed, October 27, 2021
0301 – More Intonation Confusion
2021.10.28 – 0301 – More Intonation Confusion In a news item about the Kashmir earthquake, one presenter said that she was going to speak to “ someone who was in the country [Pakistan] at the time of the earthquake ”. But she highlighted “ country ”, which made it seem that this person had gone off to a quiet rural retreat. The new and newsworthy information is that that person being spoken to was an eye-witness, experienced what happened, and so the phrase that needed to be highlighted was that they were there at the time. Many people will also lift the word in, saying someone who was in the country. But by highlighting this word they give the impression that the person is usually not there . Again, the significance is that they were there at the time. One more: “Her parents say Adele had made several calls to police about her boyfriend’s violence but nothing ever happened. Police say there’s no record of any such calls being received.” Let’s concentrate on who is making the contradictory claims: · Her parents say – bearing in mind that this section seems to come from a longer report about the disappearance of Adele. So she has been introduced to the listeners already, but this is the first mention of her parents, so parents . · Police say – and parents saying something is balanced with police saying something else. But consider the inference you are making if you colour the word say in either case, you appear to be disbelieving or perhaps even snide. A more conversational example might be along the lines of “Susan says she didn’t take my phone, but I don’t believe her”. So you usually highlight says, when you are suggesting disbelief. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hund
S1 E300 · Tue, October 26, 2021
0300 – 8 – Beware of Potential Intonation Confusion
2021.10.27 – 0300 – 8 – Beware of Potential Intonation Confusion   We have already seen how colouring different words in a sentence leads to a change in meaning of that sentence.   Therefore, if you colour the  wrong word, the meaning of the sentence becomes wrong too.   In 2021 there was a lack of lorry drivers in the UK which hit distribution companies and threatened to lead to higher prices for products and stock shortages. It was suggested this was because of the Coronavirus pandemic and the results of Brexit. It led to this report on BBC news.   Where have all the lorry drivers gone? A shortage of drivers has been blamed by among others, the German confectionary giant Haribo , for problems delivering its sweets to shops in the UK . [1]   In the light of what we have learnt so far, let’s look at the words to lift here: ·         Lorry drivers – this is the start of the story and so this phrase is new information ·         Shortage – a lack of drivers has already been suggested by the first sentence of the story, so the colour on this word needs to be slight rather than significant ·         Blamed – this is new information and as the sentence progresses you see that it is the point of the story ·         German confectionary - new information, so these words need to be lifted ·         Haribo - new information, so these words need to be lifted ·         for problems delivering its sweets – this information has already been implied by what has gone before: a shortage of lorry drivers (who deliver things), a confectionary company (sweets) – so none of this needs to be coloured ·         to shops in the UK – we only need to lift UK here to contrast with Germany and highlight that it’s a problem in the UK and not where the company is based.   It is illogical to lift the word its - and yet that is what the reporter did: problems delivering its sweets to shops in the UK.   But in doing this it gave the impression that Haribo also delivers sweets for other companies, and that the shortage of drivers only affected deliveries of those brands and not Haribo’s, which was incorrect.   So, a mis-placed stress can be confusing and misleading. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart   Through
S1 E300 · Tue, October 26, 2021
0300 – 8 – Beware of Potential Intonation Confusion
2021.10.27 – 0300 – 8 – Beware of Potential Intonation Confusion We have already seen how colouring different words in a sentence leads to a change in meaning of that sentence. Therefore, if you colour the wrong word, the meaning of the sentence becomes wrong too. In 2021 there was a lack of lorry drivers in the UK which hit distribution companies and threatened to lead to higher prices for products and stock shortages. It was suggested this was because of the Coronavirus pandemic and the results of Brexit. It led to this report on BBC news. Where have all the lorry drivers gone? A shortage of drivers has been blamed by among others, the German confectionary giant Haribo , for problems delivering its sweets to shops in the UK . [1] In the light of what we have learnt so far, let’s look at the words to lift here: · Lorry drivers – this is the start of the story and so this phrase is new information · Shortage – a lack of drivers has already been suggested by the first sentence of the story, so the colour on this word needs to be slight rather than significant · Blamed – this is new information and as the sentence progresses you see that it is the point of the story · German confectionary - new information, so these words need to be lifted · Haribo - new information, so these words need to be lifted · for problems delivering its sweets – this information has already been implied by what has gone before: a shortage of lorry drivers (who deliver things), a confectionary company (sweets) – so none of this needs to be coloured · to shops in the UK – we only need to lift UK here to contrast with Germany and highlight that it’s a problem in the UK and not where the company is based. It is illogical to lift the word its - and yet that is what the reporter did: problems delivering its sweets to shops in the UK. But in doing this it gave the impression that Haribo also delivers sweets for other companies, and that the shortage of drivers only affected deliveries of those brands and not Haribo’s, which was incorrect. So, a mis-placed stress can be confusing and misleading. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you
S1 E299 · Mon, October 25, 2021
0299 – 7 – Take Notice Of What Is Implied
2021.10.26 – 0299 – 7 – Take Notice Of What Is Implied When no contrast is implied There are some phrases in which to colour one part over another, suggests a contrast that does not or cannot exist. On occasion you are able to rewrite the sentence so the anomaly disappears: “Police have found a dead body on wasteland in the city centre”. A ‘body’ in this context is by sheer definition, dead (otherwise the discovery would be referenced as “ an injured man ” for example). It would be odd to lift dead and supress body , or indeed the other way around. You could lift both words and that would not be wrong, but better still, omit the word dead completely to give an easier sentence to read and to understand. In a story that starts a bulletin with, say, “ A hundred pregnant women have won the right for a home birth ”, don’t lift pregnant and dampen women as that suggests that you have previously been talking about women, where you have not. The opposite problem might be if you dampen pregnant and lift women as that would suggest that pregnant men were not involved in the story. And so, as you need both of these words, lift both of them, pregnant and women . Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Es
S1 E298 · Sun, October 24, 2021
0298 – Purposeful Mis-Intonation
2021.10.25 – 0298 – Purposeful Mis-Intonation It’s similar in this e-learning script: “Human beings inhales mainly oxygen and exhales mainly carbon dioxide…” – we might normally say ex-HALE, but because of its contrast with an earlier word we say EX-hale. And on this government website: “… whether it’s national or international trade…” – instead of the more usual pronunciation of inter-NATIONAL, we say INTER-national so it contrasts with the NATIONAL mentioned previously. Or this training ‘pitch’ video: “We have supported personal growth in teams of various sizes, at profit and non-profit organisations…” – if you were asked who you worked for you might reply that it was a NON-PROFIT group. In this context, you keep the colour on the NON and erase it from the PROFIT, so the NON stands out in the context of the sentence. Or with this eco company: “Our mantra is to use and re-use…” - usually you may say that you re-USE your teabags, but the contrast here distracts that, to sound natural, you lift then prefix RE instead. On a school ‘behaviour’ notice for pupils: “Be helpful rather than unhelpful…” – if the sentence was “ all children are unhelpful ”, the weight would be “unHELPful”. To signpost the sense in this sentence though, you are contrasting the balance between those who are assisting and those who are not, by colouring it thus: UNhelpful. Remember: · You are not reading words on a page. · You are not reading sentences. · You are trying to get over a meaning, through meaningful intonation. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC
S1 E297 · Sat, October 23, 2021
0297 – 6 – Shades of Colour
2021.10.24 – 0297 – 6 – Shades of Colour In your ‘vocal palette’ you: · slightly colour new information… · give slightly more colour to the first part of contrasting information… · and slightly more again to the second part of contrasting information. That’s because you have to give credit to your audience: they understand that there is a pattern in the ‘emerging explanation’ of what you are saying, that you are going to mention everyone by name and the locations and times. You just need to bring subtleties to the differences. Let’s go back to some previous sentences: · “I think it’s better to go by plane rather than by train” – you slightly colour plane , but colour train more · “ Would you like chicken, fish or pasta? ” – you colour by increasingly subtle degrees each of the foods on offer. Say these sentences aloud and you’ll hear that this pattern of intonation is indeed what you use naturally, day by day. Let’s look at an example from a voice-over script which introduces another small point. It’s for an advert for a firm of solicitors which specialises in Wills: “So if you want us to write a new Will or rewrite an existing one, then call Williams & Williams Will Writing Solicitors on…” So what’s going on here? You would, I suggest, naturally want to lift “ write ”, “ new Will ” and “ rewrite ” and “ existing ” as they are all new pieces of information (not “ one ” as that is a synonym for Will, and so old information). And you also have some ‘balancing words’: “ write ” and “ rewrite ”, “ new Will ” and “ existing ”, which contrast with one another. But read that sentence out loud, and don’t you automatically (and correctly) colour the “ re ” of “ rewrite ” almost more than any other word or syllable? That’s despite us usually putting the weight on the “ write ”. Try it that other way, with the colour on “ write ” and “ write ” and you’ll hear that it just sounds plain wrong: “ write a new Will or rewrite an existing one”. And that’s because the context of the contrast here is between drafting an original Will and amending an existing one. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that
S1 E296 · Fri, October 22, 2021
0296 – Guiding The Listener
2021.10.23 – 0296 – Guiding The Listener It’s a complicated explanation, and your intonation will help the listener through who is doing what with who and when. And that of course is the point of intonation – to signpost the sense of a story. Here’s another example. Read it aloud naturally and then look at the construction and with what you know so far, work out the contrasts and therefore the ‘colour words’ that are there. “The climate action group said humans were felling too many trees, flying too many miles and eating too much meat.” Wouldn’t you lift “ felling ”, “ flying ” and “ eating ” which balance each other, as well as “ trees ”, “ miles ” and “ meat ”? But again, remember subtlety and nuance. You don’t need to batter your listener’s ears with a push of projection, or a volume of voice by the same amount every single time there’s new information and a contrast. Which leads us to … Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as
S1 E295 · Thu, October 21, 2021
0295 – Contrasts Within Contrasts
2021.10.22 – 0295 – Contrasts Within Contrasts Let’s make it a bit more fun, because sometimes there’s more than one contrast, or contrasts within contrasts! “Some dealerships give you a free vehicle wash with every service, we give an internal valet too … with every service and every winter tyre change.” Note the contrasts between “ some dealerships ” and “ we ” … “ free vehicle wash ” and “ internal valet ” … and “ every service ” and “ every service and every winter tyre change”. “The union leader says more talks should happen tonight, before Tuesday's strikes. But his deputy says the deal already offered should go to the vote first.” Here the balance is between: · the union “ leader ” and the “ deputy ” · “ tonight ” and “ Tuesday ” · “ more talks ” and the “ strikes ” · “ more talks ” and “ the deal already offered ” · the “ strikes ” and a “ vote ”. You’re on holiday with your friends and you all want to do something different tomorrow and have a long discussion after which you say: “So while Jack and James go to the museum, Harry, Harriet and Horace will go to the supermarket and buy sandwiches and drinks for today and soup and rolls for tomorrow, and Patsy and me will get up late because of the delay getting here yesterday, and then we’ll all meet up at either the Italian or the Sushi restaurant later … but did you say at 7 or 8?”. Wow! Can you spot the contrasts interwoven with the new information? Here are a few of them: · All the people’s names contrast with one another, and will be coloured: Jack, James, Harry, Harriet, Horace, Patsy and ‘me’ (which is a synonym for ‘Peter’ of course, but it’s new information). · The locations are contrasting (remember, “while this is happening here , that is happening there ”?): museum, supermarket, ‘here’, Italian, Sushi. · The times contrast: today, tomorrow, yesterday, 7 and 8. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 202
S1 E294 · Wed, October 20, 2021
0294 – 5 – Look For The Balance
2021.10.21 – 0294 – 5 – Look For The Balance Look for the fulcrum in the story – what balances one side of it with another. A story is often a story because the arc is based around an axis-point: ‘while this is happening over here, that’s happening over there . . .’, or ‘he says this, but she says that’. In your head you probably just read that sentence, slightly lifting the words “ this ”, “ here ”, “ that ”, and “ there ”. That’s because those words are giving ‘context through contrast or comparison’. · “The government says their proposal would be progress, but the unions say it’s a backward step.” · The prosecution says he killed the shopkeeper deliberately, the accused says it was self-defence” · “Some companies only give a five-year guarantee, we promise to repair or replace for a decade” · “The race favourite was ‘Going Solo’, but the winner was ‘Acapulco’.” In these sentences the fulcrum is at the comma, with contrasting balancing words either side of it. (Note that these are not synonyms, as the horses and where they came in the race are different.) Deciding how to get to the holiday location: “I think it’s better to go by plane rather than by train”, you naturally highlight the two modes of transport which could be considered, and which contrast with one another, “ plane ” and “ train ” – and in doing so supress the ‘grammatical grouting’ that joins the two together “ rather than by ”. While on the plane, the cabin crew staff offer you a meal: “ Would you like chicken, fish or pasta? ”, again the meaning-ful words are those which introduce information, which are also the ones which are balancing (yes, you can have more than two parts to this intonational fulcrum!). So whereas you supress “ Would you like ”, you highlight “ chicken ”, “ fish ” and “ pasta ” (and also suppress the ‘grammatical grouting’ of “ or ”. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: <a href="https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart" rel="noopener nore
S1 E293 · Tue, October 19, 2021
0293 – 4 – How Long Before An Old Idea Is New Again
2021.10.20 – 0293 – 4 – How Long Before An Old Idea Is New Again Yeah, good point. I mean, if you’re reading a longer script, a word, term or idea may keep reappearing. You can’t subdue every subsequent reference to it just because you said it two paragraphs or pages before. Indeed not. It becomes a new idea when other information has been introduced subsequently and taken the listener’s attention away from that ‘new thing’. It may be a ‘recycled’ new idea quite quickly – sometimes within a sentence or two, because of the ‘Key Of Contrast’ (see below). “Police said they were looking for a woman caught on CCTV. They’d arrested a man , but they were still looking for a woman .” I have underlined the ‘key contrasts’: woman is contrasting with “ man ” and “ man ” is then contrasted with “ woman ” again. So even though “ woman ” is an ‘old idea’, you colour it so it stands as a contrast to “ man ”. Here’s another example: “ The best present I got was the watch from my girlfriend. I mean, I got a jacket, a phone, theatre tickets and a surprise party, but the watch from Julia meant the most.” Here we have a longer section, but can you hear when you say this sentence how both references of the “ watch ” and “ girlfriend ” (or the synonym “ Julia ”), need to be highlighted? Again, it’s for ‘contrast clarification’. On occasion you highlight the same word or phrase over and over immediately. Can you think when you might do this? Can you think why it might be useful? Can you think of an example? Yep, repetition for reinforcement. You could drop “ can you think ” on the second and third instance, but it may be that you want your listener to realise your reiteration and act on it. This ‘triple repetition’ device is very often used in speeches for more effective eloquence. “Do you want a better future? Do you want a better life? Do you want to see us win?!” Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: <a href="https://linktr.ee/Peter_Ste
S1 E292 · Mon, October 18, 2021
0292 – 3 – Synonyms: simple and advanced
2021.10.19 – 0292 – 3 – Synonyms: simple and advanced We looked at the basic synonyms earlier. This is when “ the Prime Minister ” is then referred to as “ she ”, or “ The Green Fingered Gardening Group ” is called “ the business ”. And we discussed how, just because it’s a different word, the idea is still old: that person, organisation or idea has already been introduced and so a further reference to them using either the same word or a substitute term, should not be lifted. There are exceptions – like when what at first glance looks like another synonym is actually another noun albeit associated with the same person, organisation, brand etc. giving, and this is important, new information . “The Prime Minister, a mother, is meeting the Women’s Institute…” - don’t you naturally lift both “ Prime Minister ” and “ mother ”? “ Mothe r” is not another term for a “ Prime Minister ”, it is, in the context of this story, another describer of that person, is new information and gives added context to the story. “ The Green Fingered Gardening Group, an eco-friendly start-up run by students… ” – we have lots of new information here, and all of it needs to be coloured with your intonation. There are no synonyms. You may have more than one describer of course, each giving new information about, say, the same person and each word needs to be coloured. “We are here today to pay tribute to our dear friend Fred. Businessman, sailor, cricketer, winemaker and gardener, but most of all, husband and father….” Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship prog
S1 E291 · Sun, October 17, 2021
0291 – ‘Reading In’
2021.10.18 – 0291 – ‘Reading In’ In broadcast newsrooms, the person who writes the introduction to a story (the cue) may not be the person who goes on and actually records the script of the story itself. That’s because larger newsrooms might have specialist writer and those who are on-air. In smaller newsrooms it’s because the newsreader (who will read the cue on air) is usually the person who finds and writes the whole story and asks a colleague to ‘voice up’ the main report (a ‘voicer’). The problem comes when the ‘voicer-upper’ doesn’t read the cue , before they record their script . And that leads to an ‘unintentional intonational disconnect’ between what the (live) presenter says and what the (recorded) reporter says, when the listener hears the story as a ‘single unit’. So the reporter needs to read the cue to themselves before they record their script, so they can get the ‘carry-on’ sense of the script and present it in the same way that the listener will hear it. Otherwise, in this story, the reporter might highlight “ city ”, a word that doesn’t need to be drawn attention to, because it’s a substitute for “ Brighton ” mentioned a few seconds earlier, albeit by someone else. “A 17-year-old boy's been arrested on suspicion of murder after a body of a woman was found in Brighton. The 69-year-old victim and the boy are known to each other. Peter Porter has more: Police were called to an address in Cedars Gardens in the Withdean area of the city just before 7 last night where the body of the 69-year-old woman was found….” OK. How would you read this sentence? “People often take water from the well in the belief that it makes them feel well.” I’m sure that you coloured both uses of the word “ well ” even though they mean different things. So yes, don’t be thrown by homonyms: it’s the re-introduction of a word with the same meaning that we supress, not the actual same word. However, if the passage continued: “ The well is said to be a thousand years old…” Then that word with that meaning is old, and so you drop your intonation for it. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE.</
S1 E290 · Sat, October 16, 2021
0290 – Grades Of Lifting And Subduing
2021.10.17 – 0290 – Grades Of Lifting And Subduing You will remember the musical stave earlier, and realise that it’s not a matter of rising up from and down to your ‘home tone’ of intonation, in many cases you need to go below that tone to ‘un-colour’ or ‘subdue’ a word or phrase, such is its insignificance. I have used the word ‘subtle’ and ‘nuanced’ before, and that is deliberate, because I want to show the shades of colour you can bring to words within a sentence when you intonate. The degrees of lifting and subduing are all shades. Have you ever read an email from a manager or in an e-newsletter, where every sentence ends with an exclamation mark? They are scattered so liberally across the page that they begin to lose meaning! And that’s the same with intonation: too heavy a use too often not only clutters the context, but gives you little room to lift the words which really are important. In my one-to-one coaching sessions, I play audio from a national broadcaster who stresses (yes, in this situation I am using that word!) every few words: Recent changes to his con dition which was previously life-threatening have led to Mr de Zoysa being charged with murder by the Crown Prose cution Service. Scotland Yard said Sergeant Ratana’s partner and son had been up dated about what the force described as a significant development . So intonation is a matter of degrees, and like the value of shares, the colour you give to a word should go down as well as up. · “And there’s a huge price cut of 40% off all our electricals’ stock ” · “A sinkhole opened up in the ground !” · “Police seized a kilo of illegal cocaine” Read those sentences aloud and you will naturally drop “ stock ”, “ in the ground ” and “ illegal ”, because they are unnecessary words. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: <a href="https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewa
S1 E289 · Fri, October 15, 2021
0289 – Subduing Old Information: Examples
2021.10.16 – 0289 – Subduing Old Information: Examples Let’s look at the idea of subduing old information with a few more examples: · “The England football captain and other members of the team” – you would not highlight “ team ” as you have suggested that is what you’re referring to (with the use of the words “ captain ” and “ other members ”), and so would simply lift the word “ other ” and subdue “ members of the team ” · “Prince Charles, Prince William and many of the Queen’s other relatives” – it is presumed perhaps from the context that the listener knows that Charles and William are some of the Queen’s relatives, and so we simply need to alert them to the fact that they were joined by other relatives too, and so we colour the word “ other ” and un-colour “ relatives ”. · “The sale includes gold rings, bracelets, earrings and other jewellery” – rings, bracelets and earrings are all jewellery, but the sale includes additional items to many and various to be listed here (say, bangles, pendants, cufflinks, tie clips, nose rings…) which may all be considered jewellery too. So we highlight the individual items as they are all new, and then “ other ” but not the word “ jewellery ” (which we subdue) as that is inferred from the previously mentioned list. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “
S1 E288 · Thu, October 14, 2021
0288 – When Information Is Implied
2021.10.15 – 0288 – When Information Is Implied VOICE BOX This subduing of old information also, as I mentioned before, goes for information which – although never explicitly said – is implied: A large fire has broken out at a coffin makers in Strabane, County Tyrone. The Northern Ireland Fire Service is at the blaze at O'Doherty's on Railway Street. Julie Journo reports. Let’s look at that very last line “ Julie Journo reports”. We all understand the ‘grammar of news reporting’, and we know that a person at a desk reads a few lines of a story with a picture over their shoulder of what they’re talking about, and then, a few seconds later when they say someone’s name, that’s their colleague who’s going to tell us more about it – the ‘reporter’. It is therefore presumed information that the reporter will be reporting. After all, what else would Julie Journo be doing (apart from, say, being introduced with ‘substitute terms’ such as “ has more ”, “ has been investigating ”, “ has the latest ” and so on)? The point is, in this case it’s the name of the person that needs to be coloured as that’s the new information, not the presumed information of what they’re going to be doing. The only time you will colour a phrase that follows the name of the reporter in a situation like this, is if what they have done is new information: “… has been inside the burning building ”, “… was with fire crew when the emergency call came in ”, “… was inside the factory buying a coffin when the fire broke out ”… Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news pre
S1 E287 · Wed, October 13, 2021
0287 – The Synonym Intonation Substitution.
2021.10.14 – 0287 – The Synonym Intonation Substitution. Here’s a quick way to work out whether you should be ‘colouring a synonym’: simply put into effect The Synonym Intonation Substitution. This is: take a word or phrase that you think may be a synonym for something you have already said, and replace it with that first mention. Then read those same sentences again – with the repeated word in both. If you naturally drop the second reference (as you likely will), then: · You need to drop it again when you revert back to using its synonym · You need to consider whether you need to use the synonym at all – and drop that word entirely. So, if we have “A man’s been stabbed on Epsom Common. He was attacked as he walked on wasteland near the Wells estate.” · Hmmm do I need to raise or lower “ wasteland ”? · Test it out by replacing “ wasteland ” with the word(s) you think it may be a synonym for · This gives you “A man’s been stabbed on Epsom Common. He was attacked as he walked on Epsom Common near the Wells estate.” · Read it out loud and realise that you naturally drop your intonation on the second reference to “ Epsom Common” · Revert back to the original script, vowing to now un-colour the word “ wasteland ” – as it means the same as “Epsom Common” · And then you could consider dropping the word “ wasteland ” as well, so the sentence is a simpler read: “A man’s been stabbed on Epsom Common. He was attacked as he walked near the Wells estate.” Try it yourself with this copy: “Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza are being take off the government’s green travel list - following a surge in coronavirus cases on the Spanish islands. It means holiday makers - who haven't been fully vaccinated will have to quarantine for ten days.” Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around vo
S1 E286 · Tue, October 12, 2021
0286 – What To Do About Synonyms
2021.10.13 – 0286 – What To Do About Synonyms The same goes when synonyms (other words which have the same meaning) are used: · “A man’s been stabbed on Epsom Common. He was attacked as he walked on wasteland near the Wells estate.” o Colour “ stabbed ” as this is new information, but un-colour “ attacked ” as it is a synonym. The same principle goes for “ Common ” which is highlighted, and “ wasteland ”, which is another word for the same thing. · “The court heard how Mr Smith had set fire to the school in the early hours. The defendant said the blaze had been an accident.” o “Mr Smith” is lifted as it is new information , but “defendant” is a synonym. So you only need to colour the first mention of the man, when it was new information, that is “Mr Smith” and subdue the detail when it is old information “the defendant”. o Similarly, “set fire to” is new, and its synonym “the blaze” is old, so lift the first referenced and subdue the second. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4
S1 E285 · Mon, October 11, 2021
0285 – 2 - Un-colour Old Information
2021.10.12 – 0285 – 2 - Un-colour Old Information Unimportant or old information (that is, detail which is already known or presumed to be known), can be ‘thrown away’ in your delivery and does not need to be highlighted. It can stay on your level tone or subdued. “ The crash was between two cars. The blue car hit the red car .” We just saw how you would naturally slightly highlight “ crash ” and “ two cars ” in the first sentence but would you colour the word “ car ” in the second? Go ahead and you will hear how wrong it sounds. That’s because we already know the accident involved cars (rather than trucks, coaches, taxis or motorbikes) – it’s old information. The new detail is the colour of the cars – so that’s what we highlight. “ Mary had a little lamb . The lamb’s name was Larry” - we lifted “Mary”, “lamb” and “Larry” because they are names or new information, but subdue the second reference to the lamb, because that’s old information., but lift its name. Of course, you might say, that’s not how we would write a sentence – with a repeated word. And you’re right, you’d probably naturally speak by replacing the subsequent use of “ car ” or “ lamb ” with a pronoun. “ The blue one hit the red one ” and “ its name was Larry ”. But that doesn’t change the ‘rule’: whether it’s known information through a repeated word, or a substitute for that word, you still don’t highlight its subsequent appearances. [1] Let’s look at these two sentences again: “ The crash was between two cars. The blue one hit the red one ” “ Mary had a little lamb . It was called Larry.” And actually, you’ll see that even though we replaced the repetitive words with pronouns , we didn’t even need to do that. Much of the content of the second sentences is so throwaway and insignificant, we could have just, as we may have done in a conversation, just not said most of it: “ The crash was between two cars. The blue hit the red .” “ Mary had a little lamb : Larry.” So old information, such as a repeated noun is not lifted, even if it is a replaced with a pronoun. And many times, the pronouns are so unnecessary anyway, we can remove them from the sentence as well. [1] Although there may be a few exemptions to this as we will see later. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by
S1 E284 · Sun, October 10, 2021
0284 – What Are Meaningful Words?
2021.10.11 – 0284 – What Are Meaningful Words? VOICE BOX Meaning-ful words These are the words which help make the story, the story. They are the ‘magic key’ words to help the listener understand what is being said, rather than the (usually) shorter, more common words which are the ‘glue’ that holds the sentences together. When talking conversationally, we instinctively lift these key words, even without the benefit of a script or rehearsal time! It just naturally happens as the words tumble from our lips. It’s clever stuff, and something that if we want to make script-reading sound conversational, we have to deconstruct to see what is going on there … so we can replicate it in the ‘false reality’ of presentation. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand new
S1 E283 · Sat, October 09, 2021
0283 – 1 - Colour Important New Information
2021.10.10 – 0283 – 1 - Colour Important New Information Here are then, some keys to a good read. 1 – Colour Important New Information In ad-libbed speaking we naturally highlight the detail that ‘makes the story, the story’ – the information that is new and important, the facts that we want to draw attention to, and which propel the message… the ‘meaning-ful’ words and phrases. So ask yourself what the script is about and what makes it unusual. What is different, new or unexpected? “ The crash was between two cars. ” - You would naturally slightly highlight “ crash ” and “ two cars ” and speak the other words on a more normal level of intonation. “ Mary had a little lamb ” – the key words are “ Mary ” and “ lamb ” which you draw slight attention to by colouring each of these words as you say them. “ Had a ” are ‘grouting words’ that hold the phrase together and there is no need to highlight “ little ” as all lambs are small and so that adjective is of no significance and so does not need to be coloured. New information usually includes people’s names, their position or title, and geographical places. “ The President is in France tonight, meeting with leaders of that country ahead of the big G8 meeting in Paris tomorrow .” Usually as a commercial voiceover and a newsreader (apart from perhaps when you are directly quoting someone else) you are staying ‘in character’ – that is you are speaking as ‘you’. When you are reading an ebook as a voice actor though you may be various characters, or maybe you are the narrator telling the listener about the thoughts of one or other of them. In this situation, the information is new to the person being portrayed (either the speaker or the hearer), not to you as the reader or narrator. Let’s take a look at this: “With one more twist of the skeleton key, the lock clicked and the cabinet door creaked open. Nervously Robert opened the door wider and looked inside. He knew there had to be something of value inside but not exactly what it was. A minute later he was striding into the drawing room with the Chinese-looking vase carefully cradled in both hands. ‘They’ll be furious it’s just a vase’ he thought to himself. And he wasn’t wrong. ‘A vase!’ cried Ranjit in surprise. ‘Is that it?’ Alice said nothing. She had known for some time that the vase was there.” So here we have every reference to the vase coloured. That’s because different people are thinking or speaking about it. In this situation, the information is new to each of them in different contexts. So as a voice actor, sometimes you are the narr
S1 E282 · Fri, October 08, 2021
0282 – Intentional Intonation
2021.10.09 – 0282 – Intentional Intonation THE GUIDE to INTENTIONAL INTONATION Your intonation education and behaviour modification, starts here! Accurate intonation is the most important of all elements in spoken delivery. It allows your message to be communicated with precision. There is no point in reading if your listeners don’t understand the meaning. If you have any doubt in ‘how to read out loud’ think, “ how would I say this? ” rather than “ how would I read this? ” – that’s a trick that often results in an appropriate colour given to the key words. Then mark your script accordingly. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and
S1 E281 · Thu, October 07, 2021
0281 – Emma’s Story
2021.10.08 – 0281 – Emma’s Story If you understand the sense of the story, why it is relevant and interesting, then you stand a better chance of making it compelling when you read it. Put yourself in the place where the story happened, see it as you read it to add to your conviction… – like Emma, the travel reporter… I was called in by the manager of a radio station to train his travel news presenter, let’s call her Emma Leven. He was at a loss to know what to do. She had a great voice and personality on air, but when it came to reading the travel news script, she just didn’t sound right. I met with her and listened to an off-air recording and immediately I understood what her boss had meant: the news of traffic and travel, congestion and diversions were fluently-read but without any ‘spark’ that she’d previously shown when talking with the main presenters. Within a few seconds I thought I knew what the root cause of the issue was. “You’re new to the area, aren’t you?” I said. “Yes”, Emma replied. “I used to work at another station, so I know radio, but I moved here just a couple of weeks ago”. I was at the station for a couple of days, seeing and coaching several people on their voice and presentation style, so I gave Emma some homework. “Are you free this afternoon? If so I want you to go to places in the area that over the last few days you keep mentioning on the travel news – the hot spots, the pinch points, the road works. First drive through the area, and then park and walk around for a few minutes. See where the hold ups are, work out why they are caused (it may be that three lanes go to two lanes either side of some lights, there’s a school nearby, a bus in a stop blocks a line of sight for example), and then see what else is around. Soak it up. Experience it. Takes some pictures. Then go to another hot spot and do the same thing.” The next day I arrived at the station for day two of the coaching and the manager greeted me. “What did you say to Emma? She’s so much better this morning!” he smiled. The difference was that Emma now understood the situation as well as the script. Previously she was just repeating the words, but now she could picture in her mind exactly where the problem was, and its significance. She was not only able to present the travel news with a more relevant tone, but she was also including more relatable information such as “the traffic’s now backing up to the supermarket there”, or “it’s a nasty junction just by the pub…” and so on. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care t
S1 E280 · Wed, October 06, 2021
0280 – - How to Sound Like You Know What You’re Talking About.
2021.10.07 – 0280 – - How to Sound Like You Know What You’re Talking About. - How to sound like you know what you’re talking about. You can do this by actually knowing what you’re talking about. (You can’t fake sincerity.) If you don’t know the meaning of what you’re reading, then how will you will be able to convey the meaning to your audience? Good comprehension leads to good intonation. If you are not interested, your viewer and listener won’t be. You don’t want one (or more) of them to think: “They don’t know what they’re talking about…!” as they may well do if they have ‘intonation frustration’ with how you are talking. It’s why over the decades TV newsreaders have tended to be journalists rather than actors. They know what they’re talking about and can bring a sense of understanding and significance to the script. Giving context to the content means their gravitas is genuine. (Actors can also ‘act’ at being a presenter, rather than actually being one…) Don’t sound a ‘fake and false phoney’. · Realise the significance of the information you are passing on – if you are interested you will sound interesting · Know who the intended listener is · And their ‘desired response’ – and remember, it’s not how you feel about the story or the script, it’s about how you want someone else to feel, think or act differently after hearing it. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. H
S1 E279 · Tue, October 05, 2021
0279 – The Bus Driver Analogy
2021.10.06 – 0279 – The Bus Driver Analogy If you have ‘randomisation of intonation’ then it’s like travelling on a bus with a driver who keeps clipping the curb. You get so caught up with hanging on to the seat that you’re not ‘hanging onto their every word’. Your listeners have to be reassured where you are going with a script, so they can ‘enjoy the view’ of the message. That way they forget about the driver, and just enjoy the journey. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is
S1 E278 · Mon, October 04, 2021
0278 – Intonation Is Easier If…
2021.10.05 – 0278 – Intonation Is Easier If… ‘Read intonation’ becomes easier if you: · Understand the message of the script or story · Realise its significance – if you are interested you will sound interesting · Know who the intended listener is · And their ‘desired response’ Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we spea
S1 E277 · Sun, October 03, 2021
0277 – Nervous Newbies
2021.10.04 – 0277 – Nervous Newbies This person is a beginner in reading, perhaps live on air. Their problem is that they start their read not on their ‘home pitch’ but one or two octaves higher, which means that when they need to intonate a word using a slightly higher pitch there’s little head room to move in to. It can sound painful for humans to hear – although dogs may be able to! As well as internal and external stress contributing to a higher register, the style and content of some presenters leads to them speaking this way: · Excitement – this will cause a voice to rise in register, it may be genuine excitement (during the commentary of a sports match), or non-genuine (the sub-consciously fake higher pitch of a game show host when giving away a prize, which signals to the audience that the event is exciting). · Volume – a rise in loudness will naturally lead to a rise in register: it is impossible to shout in a low voice. So a ‘frantic DJ’ is likely to have a higher register than a ‘chill out DJ’. · Projection – subtlety linked to ‘volume’, projection is more to do with how someone ‘throws’ their voice than its sheer loudness. For example, you will throw your voice further according to the number of people you are trying to engage (as well as their distance from you), and in doing so your register will rise. For example, imagine you talking to a single colleague in an office at work and the projection you would use. It’s probably quite low-key, yes? Now imagine that there are four people in that same location, all listening to you. The voice you will use has changed hasn’t it? Not really in loudness , but certainly in projection, and with it your pitch has changed too. When Intonation Goes Wrong Think how the voice over felt when they mis-intoned in these situations. · 4-Skins wine – so-called as it’s “ made with four of Nova Scotia's choicest grape varieties - Castel, Marechal Foch, Leon Millot and Lucie Kuhlmann ” Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: h
S1 E276 · Sat, October 02, 2021
0276 – The ‘Grand Old Duke Of York’ Readers
2021.10.03 – 0276 – The ‘Grand Old Duke Of York’ Readers These are the presenters who rise in pitch as the sentence goes on, then pause three words from the end of it before completing it on… [1] a [2] downward [3] inflection. They are in effect, marching their words to the top of the hill… and then down again. (Say those two previous sentences with a rising intonation on each word up to the ellipses, and then drop it … word by word.) You may have heard people like this: they’re often on the microphone at supermarkets or on airlines. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome onboard Flight B74 from London… to Hong Kong. Please fasten your seatbelts and secure all baggage underneath your seat or …in the overhead compartments. We also ask that your seats and table trays are in the upright position … for take-off. Please turn off all personal electronic devices, including laptops… and cell phones.” Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ p
S1 E275 · Fri, October 01, 2021
0275 – ‘Intonation Stew’ Readers
2021.10.02 – 0275 – ‘ Intonation Stew’ Readers Sometimes I hear a script that sounds like an ‘intonation stew’, with intonations rising and falling for no apparent reason, and emphasis either in all the wrong places. It’s always hard to listen to that kind of read, because it’s completely un-natural. That is, it doesn’t mimic the way we speak in conversation, which is one of the skills you need for successful voice acting. It sounds like a really poor ‘robotic’ voice you hear on kids’ games form the 80s or still on some public transport systems where each word has been recorded separately and the computer then takes each individual word and tries to create a sentence with it. In a human being, this kind of read comes from not understanding that you need to analyse the words, to find the meaning of, or the intention for, the message… and then tell the story of that message. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries
S1 E274 · Thu, September 30, 2021
0274 – Action Intonators
2021.10.01 – 0274 – Action Intonators I have also read advice to “ stress every verb, because they’re action-words ”. That is simply wrong! There may be some sense in colouring (not ‘stress’ please!) some action words (as long as they are keys to the sense of the script (see below) such as run, fight, punch, jump and so on. They are certainly ‘action verbs’. But what about other verbs? Sleep, cry, collapse…? Verbs simply do not always express action. So such advice is ‘intonational nonsense’. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV,
S1 E273 · Wed, September 29, 2021
0273 – Plonking
2021.09.30 – 0273 – Plonking “Just a little tip, you don’t underline every third word for emphasis because it sounds really unnatural” that’s what Ira Glass the host and producer of the radio and television series ‘This American Life’ is quoted as saying. [1] Similarly, NPR says: “ You should give certain words a little punch, but in a way that doesn’t just mean you scream every fourth word and whisper all the others .” [2] Plonking in intonation on every ‘however-many-words’, shows you have a completely incongruous understanding of the content you are supposed to be explaining, and a contempt for the listener who you are supposed to be explaining it to: they are not worth the effort to get it right. Plonkers are actually plonkers [3] . [1] https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/biological-engineering/20-219-becoming-the-next-bill-nye-writing-and-hosting-the-educational-show-january-iap-2015/day-3-storytellers-toolkit-pt.-1/day-3-part-1/AjK2zF9yN0k.pdf [2] https://training.npr.org/2015/02/25/how-sam-sanders-is-finding-his-voice/ More from Ira Glass on ‘Storytelling’ here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pFI9UuC_fc&list=PLE108783228F1E008&index=1 [3] In British English a plonker is a silly or stupid person. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for mo
S1 E272 · Tue, September 28, 2021
0272 – Intonation Constipation
2021.09.29 – 0272 – Intonation Constipation This is when there is barely any intonation at all – your presentation style is as flat as Ian McDonald on diazepam. [1] With such a delivery, all the ‘story signposts’ are at the same level. Low. And even though the delivery may be unemotional – good on occasion – it may also be considered uninvolving or uncaring, or rude and does little to help lead a listener through the lanes of learning. Rather than get a full understanding, they’re more likely to fall asleep. You need to stop sounding boring and stop them from snoring. [1] Ian McDonald was the Ministry of Defence spokesman during the Falklands War of 1982, when he provided televised updates as British forces recaptured the islands from Argentina. During the three-month conflict, he became known for his restrained, and at times emotionless, style of delivery. Mr McDonald later admitted his emotionless style of delivery was deliberate, as he felt it could lessen the impact of any bad news. "I knew right from the start there would be bad news as well as good news, which is why the delivery I chose was drained of all emotion with no adjectives, short and truthful”. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17562230.ian-mcdonald-dull-voice-falklands-war-dies-82/ Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music p
S1 E271 · Mon, September 27, 2021
0271 – The Stale Story Read
2021.09.28 – 0271 – The Stale Story Read Another close relation, The Stale Story read is also the style of the 24-hour news channel presenter, who is reading the same script for the umpteenth hour and forgets to inject an element of understanding into it. It’s the style of the autocue automaton who forgets that someone is hearing this information for the very first time and to them it should be presented as ‘fresh facts’ and ‘new news’ and an intonation that will help signpost its significance. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wis
S1 E270 · Sun, September 26, 2021
0270 – The News Channel Read
2021.09.27 – 0270 – The News Channel Read This is the style of intonation in which every story is read in a similar style. It takes its name from the ’24-hour news’ style, where presenters don’t have time to read new stories off air before they do so on air. They get into a ‘reading rut’, a muscle-memory delivery that has the same pattern and intonation, rise and fall. Such a delivery is usually not very wrong, but not completely right either. It’s a basic non-committal, neutral safe style that ‘alright’ rather than ‘all right’, and ‘passable’ rather than ‘polished’. With this style, you can usually hear tension in the tone of the reader, who sounds uncomfortable with the information they are reading and are unaware of the direction the script is taking them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 E269 · Sat, September 25, 2021
0269 – Sing-Song Reads
2021.09.26 – 0269 – Sing-Song Reads Here then is my ‘Reading Rogue’s Gallery’ – ‘criminal intonations’ committed by newbies who haven’t been trained properly, and old hands who’re stuck in a rut. Sing-song reads These are scripts read with a repetitive rhythm, with a similar rise and fall in one sentence as another. This kind of delivery shows that rather than intoning the correct words, you’re merely intoning the ones that appear in the same place in each sentence. Each sentence should come across as a new idea, but reading with the same rhythm - sentence to sentence - gives the impression to the listener that what you’re saying is something they’ve already heard. Sing-song is wrong-wrong as the rhythm detracts from the delivery of the message, and shows that that as well as not connecting with your script, you’re not connecting with your listener either. Formulaic colouring compromises communication. “I’m always very disappointed when I hear someone reading the news and it’s probably because they’ve never been told, and they’ve developed a pattern of how ‘this is how the news should be delivered’ and it’s a sort of sing-song pattern. And what it says to me is that they’re not really making sense of what it is that they’re saying, they’re delivering it because they think it sounds authoritative to do it in that way because that’s how they’ve heard someone else do it. And you just have to unlearn all of that stuff and think about telling the story. A good way of practicing is to read something that isn’t news and just practice reading actual stories, fiction, and telling that story in a non-newsy way and then picking up a piece of news and trying to apply the same thing. Obviously, it’s very different but it’s a good way of untraining those bad habits.” Zeb Soanes, BBC radio 4 Newsreader and Continuity Announcer [1] A way to overcome much of a sing-song read, is to vary the length and structure of each sentence (we looked at this earlier), to upset a rhythm before it can take hold. However, there is a close relation to the Sing-song read and that’s… [1] “ The Voiceover Social ” podcast. 14th November 2020 Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a p
S1 E268 · Fri, September 24, 2021
0268 – When Wrong Words Are Intoned
2021.09.25 – 0268 – When Wrong Words Are Intoned If the wrong words are ‘intoned’, you are not achieving the main part of your job: effective communication. · the listener may not be able to follow · you may lose their attention entirely · they may become annoyed as they struggle to understand the sense of the story · you may give the impression that you are biased for or against the story you are reading · or imply that you have little confidence in the importance of the story or the interest others may have in it. · you may sound ignorant – as though you don’t understand the story · you may sound like a robot! - like a newsreading colleague of mine who was told by the editor “if you don’t know what words to stress, simply stress every fourth one”. If your performance is negatively memorable, then you’re easily expendable. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for e
S1 E267 · Thu, September 23, 2021
0267 – When Intonation Goes Wrong
2021.09.24 – 0267 – When Intonation Goes Wrong When Intonation Goes Wrong Later we will look at intonation, the lift or suppression of individual words and phrases to indicate significance. Mis-emphasis destroys the authority and believability of your delivery. Intonation is greatly misunderstood and badly taught – if at all. While researching content for this book to add to my extensive notes and experiences, I came across a company offering training in ‘how to speak like a broadcaster’. For $500 per day per person they offered group training in their technique which includes the advice: “Begin your statement in your ‘natural’ tone. Then move up one step higher on the speech stairs early in your statement, which is typically on the second or third word. Then move your pitch down the imaginary speech stairs on each syllable for the rest of your statement.” Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-
S1 E266 · Wed, September 22, 2021
0266 – Un-Colouring Words
2021.09.23 – 0266 – Un-Colouring Words And the counterbalance to colouring or lifting a word or phrase, is ‘un-colouring’ or dropping a word or phrase. It’s part of ‘throwing away’ unimportant information, and is just as important as highlighting the ‘best bits’. Without one, there would not be the other. People do not process every word you utter in their heads - they listen only for key words that unlock the meaning of the sentence, and they interpret words that you leave alone (or un-stress or un-colour ) as ‘filler-words’. We will look at more examples of this a little later, but in those phrases above, the key words which are coloured, are: “ tell ”, “ ready ” “ is ” and “ watch out ”. These words give meaning to the utterance. The un-coloured words are “ now ”, “ him ”, “ is ”, “ he ”, “ where ”, “ he ”, which are filler words, helping keep the grammatical structure of the sentence. The mortar rather than the bricks. The key words are like coloured bricks, all subtly different. The mortar holding the bricks together, is the same colour. The bricks build the ‘wall of the meaning’, the mortar gives it structure. Inaccurate intonation is one of the most common symptoms of a fake read: mis-colouring creates confusion. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Jou
S1 E265 · Tue, September 21, 2021
0265 – The Intonation Colour Chart
2021.09.22 – 0265 – The Intonation Colour Chart Intonational ‘colour chart’; There are four basic levels: Level 4 - Special Stress – more energy emphasis Level 3 - Primary Lift - slightly raised in range Level 2 - Home Base – your natural resting ‘mono-tone’ Level 1 - Finality - low pitch This is how that framework can be used: [1] · Statements of fact/command: “Now tell him” 2-3-1 · Interrogative sentence: “Is he ready?” 2-2-3 · Questions with interrogative words: “Where is it?” 2-3-1 · Fright or excitement: “Watch out!” 4-4 [1] This format has been adapted from another source which I believe to be “ NSW DET 2002 Certificate IV in Broadcasting Radio Learning Guide ” D.P.Guilfoyle 1997. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) wit
S1 E264 · Mon, September 20, 2021
0264 – Graduations of Intonations
2021.09.21 – 0264 – Graduations of Intonations Intonation Gradations Intonation requires you to give the correct degree of colour to ‘key’ words or phrases in a sentence, to show which of several possible meanings is intended. ‘Colour’ is a nuanced combination of: · Pitch – when we change the inflection or tone of the word by lifting it (this happens most frequently in intonation) · Projection – pushing the word more forcibly · Volume – making the word louder · Speed – saying a word slower than those around it to concentrate the listener · Pause – a slight break before or after a phrase or word (or both before and after) to highlight that it is new and/or important. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has rea
S1 E263 · Sun, September 19, 2021
0263 – The Intonation Code
2021.09.20 – 0263 – The Intonation Code So you will see by now that your intonation can greatly influence the meaning of the message and you have to select the weight of your intonation carefully to ensure that the correct information is communicated to your audience. Intonation is the code we have to unlock the meaning of what people ‘really’ mean – without them having to explain it all for us. And that is all great when we are adlibbing, discoursing and generally being gabby conversationalists. But then we come to read out loud … and we have to decipher squiggly hieroglyphics on a screen of glass or a piece of paper. We are supposed to sound as though these ideas are just occurring to us and we are saying them naturally and fluently. But if no-one has explained the ‘rules’ of natural intonation, then we don’t know how to apply them in this false situation. So, the ‘rules’ in a moment but first, the foundations. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for
S1 E262 · Sat, September 18, 2021
0262 – An Intonation Exercise
2021.09.19 – 0262 – An Intonation Exercise You want another example? Try this: “He lost the point”. But depending how it is ‘intoned’ it could mean: · “ He lost the point” – everyone else tried really hard, but that point loss? It was down to him. · “He lost the point” – we had all hoped that the point was going to be won, it was down to the wire, on a knife edge, and against the clock, but in the end, yep, he lost it. · “He lost the point ” – Yep he lost the point, but k’know what, we won the game ! Now here’s one for you: “Jack bought a new car” – what possible meanings can we give to this five-word sentence depending on the weight we give each individual word? Let’s double-up with a ten-word sentence: “ You mean I have to be there at ten tomorrow? ” can you see all the different potential meanings here, depending on what words you colour with your intonation? Even a two word sentence can have all sorts of intonation implications: “ He left ”… Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2,
S1 E261 · Fri, September 17, 2021
0261 – The Red Hat Mystery
2021.09.18 – 0261 – The Red Hat Mystery Those examples were with a single word, so now let’s try a similar exercise with the basic sentence “I didn’t say Roger took the red hat”. How we say each of those words, in relation to the others, helps explain more of meaning behind the statement than the actual words themselves. I didn’t say Roger took the red hat I didn’t say that – but Maddy did. I didn’t say Roger took the red hat I said nothing of the sort. Everything you say is false. I didn’t say anything to anyone about anything. I didn’t say Roger took the red hat All I did was suggest that Roger was probably the last person to see it. I didn’t say he actually took it. I didn’t say Roger took the red hat I said that Robin took it. I didn’t say Roger took the red hat I just said that he borrowed it. I didn’t say Roger took the red hat I meant that Roger was wearing a red hat when I saw him, but I don’t think it was the same red hat you’re referring to. I didn’t say Roger took the red hat … but he told me that he’d taken the green one. I didn’t say Roger took the red hat … but I know he took the red shirt. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hun
S1 E260 · Thu, September 16, 2021
0260 – “Hello…”
2021.09.17 – 0260 – “Hello…” Intonation is what we all use naturally every day in our conversational speech. As native speakers of whatever language, we have the rhythms and flows, the up and downlifts, the speed, projections and pauses, all in-built. That’s because we have heard the lilt of the language from inside the womb and every day since. And it’s the same when we hear people too: if your partner calls you on the phone you can tell immediately what kind of day they’re having – not so much what they say but how they say it: “You had a good day hun?” / “Yeah, it’s been great…” Without extra explanation, the written word has to be taken at face value, but the verbal word will be laden with additional meaning. “Hello.” A simple straightforward word that we say a dozen times a day to different people in different situations. And many of the times we say it, we intonate it differently. Let’s look at a single word, (perhaps therefore more of a look at its tone rather than its intonation in relationship with other words around it). · “Hello” – when meeting a friend for a planned weekly lunch date · “Hello” – when meeting them for the first time since lockdown · “Hello” – when bumping into them hundreds of miles from home while on holiday · “Hello” – when bumping into someone you don’t much care for, while on holiday · “Hello” – when bumping into an attractive stranger, you wanted to flirt with · “Hello” - when bumping into a colleague in the corridor How we say a word – as we saw in the chapter on tone - gives meaning to it beyond its basic definition. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music</p
S1 E159 · Wed, September 15, 2021
0259 – Intonation Illustrations
2021.09.16 – 0259 – Intonation Illustrations Intonation illustrations Intonation is the ‘punctuation of the spoken word’ used to signpost meaning when we’re talking. Of course, in the written word there are various devices that can be used instead: “When did you get here?” Susan snapped, sarcastically. “SHUT UP!” he replied. To help the reader, the author and printer have worked together to tell the reader what’s going on: · Italicisation – draws attention to the key word in a sentence. By putting “ you ” in italics, we know that that is the most important word in the sentence and that Susan is not so much interested in the time of arrival (despite the actual words used), but is implying that her displeasure at the other person’s presence at all. · “Snapped” – tells us the speed at which the sentence was said. · “Sarcastically” – tells us the tone in which it was said. · Capitalisation (“SHUT UP!”) – tells us the volume at which it was said. Of course, speech came before the written word so these are just various devices that authors and printers have back-engineered to give readers additional information. But for actors in a play or those voicing up an audio-book, some of this extra information can be left un-said. By using intonation, they simply incorporate the ‘stage directions’ (“ snapped sarcastically ”) in their read. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel
S1 E258 · Tue, September 14, 2021
0258 – The Goldilocks Rules Of Intonations
2021.09.15 – 0258 – The Goldilocks Rules Of Intonation Nuanced and natural The first thing to stress (!) is that intonation is usually a subtle blend of various vocal elements, nuanced and natural. It is usually not ‘stressing’, ‘emphasising’, ‘barking’ or ‘shouting’, all of which are the vocal equivalent of a thump on the table. And although we use CAPITALISATIONS to or underlining to mark our scripts and where to lift, we do so for practicalities’ sake. But in your mind, instead of emboldened words on a single line, think of the lifts and suppressions of words and phrases as something more like a melody line in sheet music. VOICE BOX The Goldilocks Rules of Intonation · Too little intonation and you will sound monotonous, dull and boring. · Too much intonation and you will sound crazy, or patronising. · Too much repetitious intonation and you will sound ‘sing-songy’. · The right intonation in the wrong place, or the wrong intonation in the right place will make you sound ill-informed. · Good speaking is getting the intonation ‘just right’ – like the temperature of a bowl of porridge – to give the meaning without being misleading. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “Journo
S1 E257 · Mon, September 13, 2021
0257 – My Guide To Reading Out Loud, Naturally
2021.09.14 – 0257 – My Guide To Reading Out Loud, Naturally Here is my guide on ‘how to read out loud naturally’ [1] which I developed as a BBC news presenter and then went on to use while train colleagues in national and local stations across the UK. It’s a framework on how to vocalise various constructions of grammar, punctuation and logic which make up most news stories and scripts. Note I did not say ‘rules’, because although some sentences can only be read in one way, most can be read in a couple of ways to allow for personal interpretation, understanding and expression. But I did say ‘naturally’. That’s because the idea behind this framework is to give the impression of natural speaking, of ‘conversationality’, so your reading is both intelligent and intelligible. Don’t only read this section. It has to be read as part of the rest of the book. That’s because one’s tone, and volume and particularly pauses are as much a part of this technique as lifting and subduing individual words and phrases. And during the days that you read it, absorb it and practice the techniques suggested within it, make sure that you listen – not to broadcasters but to real people and how they talk naturally. What words they lift and drop, and importantly, why. Because the vocalisation of words and phrases can sometimes carry more weight than the actual words themselves. OK let’s go through this framework so you don’t fall victim to mechanical and meaningless recitations or oratorical affectations. [1] With reference to “ How To Speak The Written Word ” by Nedra Newkirk Lamar, Revel, 1967 Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music <
S1 E256 · Sun, September 12, 2021
0256 - Weight And Pitch in Intonation
2021.09.13 – 0256 - Weight And Pitch in Intonation An Introduction to Intonation Intonation is, then, the weight and pitch one puts on individual words or phrases that draw attention to their significance and thereby communicate the overall message. Correct intonation leads a listener through a story, with the reader an interpreter or trusted guide of the facts about what ‘makes the story, a story’. The reader of a newspaper is led around the printed page by its layout. Television approaches this with its graphics and strong visual element, but in radio the layout is invisible and sometimes inaudible. Stories are separated by pauses and there is only the reader’s voice and the writer’s ability to help the listener tell where one story ends and the next begins. Peter Stewart - “ Broadcast Journalism ” Routledge https://www.amazon.co.uk/Broadcast-Journalism-Peter-Stewart/dp/1138886033 Intonation is what we naturally do when we ad-lib a conversation. The trick is to work out what we do then, so we can do it when we read the written word out-loud, so we sound conversational in that situation too. We ‘lift the script’ so we appear to be ‘saying’ it, rather than ‘reading’ it. If you’re reading something on air and you want the listener to think that you’re ad-libbing, you have to sound as if you’re processing what you’re talking about and sound conversational. Most books on voice and public speaking omit training in intonation. I have been on one-to-one and group courses on presentation skills and again, and barely a word on this key skill. And you can hear the result of such lack of understanding on radio and TV stations, up and down the dial. This is not one of those books. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been a
S1 E255 · Sat, September 11, 2021
0255 – Intonation Definitions
2021.09.12-0255 – Intonation Definitions Intonation – is the subtle combination of tone, pitch and volume that you give to individual words or phrases as part of your overall musicality of inflection – and that’s the point of this chapter. Therefore, I will refer to intonation rather than inflection as the way to read conversationally and with meaning. I shall be careful not to use ‘ stress ’ as the word can also be used to mean ‘physical or mental stress’ (causing tension in the body and leading to a change of voice). I dislike using ‘ emphasis ’ too much as I feel that this often gives the impression that a word needs to be ‘punched’ with increased energy and associated volume, where invariably to add significance to a word or phrase it simply needs to be slightly ‘lifted’ or ‘lowered’ in pitch, perhaps depending on whether it’s a question or a statement. Additionally, we have seen already that ‘ pitch ’ and ‘ tone ’ are different things. ‘Pitch’ is the register of the voice (simply put, ‘high’ or ‘low’). I use ‘tone’ for the overall sound that a story or script may be read in (‘concerned’, ‘serious’, ‘light-hearted’). Similarly, there is a subtle difference between ‘ volume ’ and ‘ projection ’, where the former is a basic increase in loudness or noise along the path to shouting (or ‘raising one’s voice’) and the latter is a more nuanced way of ‘ throwing one’s voice’ when speaking on mic in a studio to ‘reach out’ to those who you cannot see. Projection is a close-cousin of lifting and emphasising a word. Of course, all of these elements are interrelated: intonation itself may involve a subtle nuanced combination of tone (as its name might suggest: in-tone-ation), volume, pitch and ‘punch’. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and<
S1 E254 · Fri, September 10, 2021
0254 – Inflection Definitions
0254 – Inflection Definitions INFLECTION AND INTONATION DEFINITIONS Definitions for words surrounding different parts of speaking are many, varied and often interchangeable. For clarity I shall use: Inflection – the overall sound of a language. Listen to someone speaking in a language that you do not understand and the overall rise and fall of their sound, its musicality, is the inflection. ‘Cadence’ or ‘prosody’ could be considered other words for ‘inflection’. Inflection is the ‘sum of all the parts’ of all the elements in the various chapters here: the intonation of words and phrases + the projection + the tone + the pitch + the speed – all of which are nuanced in their own variety. We all have slightly different inflections because of our upbringings and personalities but in general, yours will sound one way when talking to a toddler, and another when talking to your boss. It will sound one way when explaining something complicated and another when you are recounting a funny story. For instance, a rising inflection would be heard in a sentence with a question: “ Did you really just say that to him?! ” when the pitch gets increasingly lighter. A falling inflection as you might suspect, shows finality: “ I did – and I’m not worried and I’m not worried one jot ”. Some sentences include a rise and fall: “ But when she finds out about it – you could get fired ” – in which you start with a rise in tone through to “ about it ” (which suggests that neither the story nor the sentence is finished), and then a falling inflection through to the serious finality word “ fired ”. A circumflex inflection is when there is a rise and a fall (or a fall and a rise) within a single word or even a vowel within a word. Think that sounds complicated? Well, actually we do it all the time. “ There’s absolutely no wa-ay you’re gonna get away with it! ” Yes, you could naturally just colour those two words either higher or lower, but in a tone of incredulity you’re more likely to bend each of them. (There’s more on this later in the chapter.) Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, cours
S1 E253 · Thu, September 09, 2021
0253 – An Introduction To Intonation
0253 – An Introduction To Intonation In this Intonation Section · How to recognize the principles of intonation used naturally in everyday speech · How to apply these principles in ‘unnatural’ scripted words, written by someone else · How to communicate the meaning of the reading – even with complicated content · How to speak naturally · How to make the written word sound unforced and natural In short, how to give meaning to your reading Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal im
S1 E252 · Wed, September 08, 2021
0252 – Non-Word Sounds
0252 – Non-Word Sounds It’s not just words that are requested in voice overs and voice acting. As we just saw, there are sighs gasps and screams too. Here are a few more sounds which are often requested at sessions, and which might be worth you practicing: · burping · cheering · crying · drinking · gasping · laughing · sneezing / blowing nose Also common ones in games: · climbing and lifting oneself up · jumping up, landing down and falling impacts · punching and being punched · kicking and being kicked · lifting an object (light, medium, heavy) · throwing (a rock, spear) · dying (from being stabbed, choked, shot and so on) Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside
S1 E251 · Tue, September 07, 2021
0251 - How To Sound Happy And Friendly… And Sad
0251 - How To Sound Happy And Friendly… And Sad When you're smiling, the whole world smiles with you. But what if they can't see you? What if they can just hear you? Smile and raise your eyebrows. That’s because smiling affects how we speak, to the point that listeners can identify the type of smile based on sound alone, according to a study by scientists at the University of Portsmouth. [1] The research suggests smiling and other expressions pack a strong informational punch and may even impact us on a subliminal level. It's believed that some 50 different types of smiles exist, ranging from triumphant ones to those that convey bitterness. The research lead author Amy Drahota said "When we listen to people speaking, we may be picking up on all sorts of cues, even unconsciously, which help us to interpret the speaker". Researchers identified three different types of smiles when they asked contributors to read the same answer “ I do in the summer ” to different increasingly unusual questions: The Duchenne smile - where the lips are drawn back, the cheeks are raised and you get little crows-feet wrinkles around the eyes. The non-Duchenne smile – which is similar but less intense smile, without the crows-feet wrinkles around the eyes. The suppressed smile – when a someone is trying not to smile while they’re speaking perhaps because they are trying to remain serious pulling their lips in or down as they speak. No smile - where people just speaking normally. The smiles were categorised, and were then played back to another group of people who were asked whether they thought the ‘answerer’ was smiling as they spoke, and most people were good at hearing the Duchenne smile. “A voice contains a variety of acoustical characteristics” said Drahota. “It’s possible that we interpret these ‘flavours’ in someone’s voice almost without noticing.” I know a voice talent who puts rubber ducks on top of their screen because it made them smile. Someone else puts a mirror in front of them, so they make sure they’re smiling as they’re reading. And as for a sad tone, a voice-over colleague once told me that when her mother died – and she had some ‘sad reads’ to complete, so just went into the ‘grieving zone’ and thought of her mum to help her. Of course that’s not necessarily something you can do, but you could watched a sad video on YouTube, to bring you to tears, or at least put you in that emotional mindset. [1] Source: <a href="https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1
S1 E250 · Mon, September 06, 2021
0250 - Tone and Your Mood
0250 - Tone and Your Mood Your natural unforced vocal tone at any moment (and tone is different from ‘pitch’ remember) is partly a reflection of how you are feeling, your general mood, and physical and mental state. If you feel positive and upbeat, so will your voice. If your car broke down, the dog’s been sick on the cat and your wife is threatening to leave you, such worries will also be reflected in your voice. Saying “ leave your troubles at the studio door ” is easier said than done, but there are some other tricks to, well, trick your mind to change your tone: · If appropriate for the copy you are reading, putting a smile on your face will help produce a happier sound in your voice · Positive posture will help – gestures of openness, outstretched arms, uncrossed legs and so on · Big breaths, ideally of natural air combined with a brisk walk and some natural light on your skin Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes
S1 E249 · Sun, September 05, 2021
0249 - A Change of Mood
0249 - A Change of Mood Those voicing commercials or longer presentations such as e-books or explainers will have to work to alter their ‘performance attitude’ during a script. That’s because: · The script will call for different ‘delivery feels’ to be reflected within the same read · A single ‘mood’ will be wearing on the presenter and the listener · A sometimes-subtle change of mood in the delivery aids understanding and the flow of the read Think of an advert for a mortgage company which may have a reassuring and comforting tone with the voice-over talking about fulfilling your dreams of owning your own home. You can imagine that that would be read in a warm, reassuring style, slower paced and possibly in a lower pitch. But at the end of the ad there needs to be a disclaimer along the lines of “Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage…” , or for a mobile phone offer “Subject to status, availability and connection to 18-month contract. Unlimited calls to landlines or same-network mobiles only. Fair-use policy, terms and 60-minute call cap applies". These phrases are a legal obligation, and although they have to be read intelligibly, for the advertiser (and probably the listener and the radio station as well), they may be considered ‘clutter’. So, they are put at the end of the commercial, and with a different tone: with high energy, at a quick rate, less conversationally, and often with more projection. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over
S1 E248 · Sat, September 04, 2021
0248 - Brand Voices
0248 - Brand Voices Earlier we looked at the different kinds of emotional voice tones you may be required to replicate in your script-reading and also mentioned the ‘mood’ of the overall project. Brands often create a ‘tone-of-voice’ for their product or service, to better explain their marketing focus for certain demographics. That could be the design, font and colour of their logo, the celebrities associated with the item, their social media attitude and so on. The literal ‘tone of voice’ of their audio should also be a part of this from the kind of person that’s on the HQ on-hold message, to voice-overs on the commercials or corporate website. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on r
S1 E247 · Fri, September 03, 2021
0247 - Script Direction
0247 - Script Direction More clues to your tone of voice will of course come from the direction both written in your script and from your human director in the studio. It should also set out who you are speaking to, the answer to the cliché actor’s question “what’s my motivation?” as well as the mood of the overall project (see below) and the demographic of the intended audience. You can use this information to help you visualise the scene and the situation, and in turn that will help the emotion in your vocal performance. When you start a read, especially one that is ‘conversational’, you need to begin ‘cold’ - you start with the very first sentence, with nothing to ‘react to’. Some voice actors find that tricky to do, so it may help to imagine the sentence that goes before the script. So, what has led you to say this ‘starting sentence’ and come out with this comment? What is it that you’re responding to? Get the answers to those and you may find it easier to create the right tone or attitude. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as
S1 E246 · Thu, September 02, 2021
0246 - The Gravity > Levity Tonal Scale
0246 - The Gravity > Levity Tonal Scale THE GRAVITY > LEVITY TONAL SCALE Let’s take that inexhaustive list again and re-work it so the emotions progress over time from a serious to a lighter emotion on our Gravity>Levity Scale. This is of course only my interpretation and you may have other thoughts. You will get further indication of the tone not just from the content but also the context of the script, also from directions on the script, and also from an in-studio producer of the item. Also consider what we looked at before, that some tonal emotions may mix, mesh and merge: it is quite possible that you are asked to read a commercial read in a ‘friendly ominous’ voice for example. 1. ominous 2. sad 3. irritated 4. worried 5. cynicism / doubt 6. serious 7. discovery – “I just found this / had this thought!” 8. intrigued 9. bemused 10. sincere 11. tempting 12. trustworthy 13. warm/caring 14. corporate 15. luxury 16. optimistic 17. proud 18. rousing 19. energetic 20. friendly 21. perky 22. bright Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on vo
S1 E245 · Wed, September 01, 2021
0245 – Onomatopoeia
2021.09.02-0245 – Onomatopoeia Occasionally you will find it appropriate to use words which, when you say them, sound like what they mean. “So why don’t you zzzzip up your new winter coat and…” “… and all fresssshhhhly delivered to your door.” “… with the smell of crisssp green apples.” “… relax in the luxurious bubbles and your tension will soak away” “…if it’s a tough job, this is the digger to do it” I’m exaggerating a bit in the text, but you get the idea. Take the sentence “ with this conditioner, your towels will feel as soft as they the day you bought them…” , and saying “ soft ” well, softly (!) will give more appropriate colour to the words themselves and make them much more impactful. It’s not just what you say but how you say it, and in many cases, it subtly directs the listener to how you want them to feel when they hear it. Read the words ‘in colour’. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections
S1 E244 · Tue, August 31, 2021
0244 – I Love You
0244 – I Love You “I love you” can be said in many different ways, but if you say it with the wrong tone for the moment, you may be in trouble… There will be clues in the script and the direction. If the intention is to excite someone, then sound excited. If you are talking about a miserable event, then say it in a downbeat tone. If you are using the actual words “ passion”, “excitement”, “adventure”, match your tone and volume with how the words are intended to make the listener feel. For example, think how you might say these sentences?: · The miserable boy walked home in the rain · The jubilant boy walked home in the rain · The shy girl flushed with embarrassment · The delighted girl flushed with anticipation. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted
S1 E243 · Mon, August 30, 2021
0243 - The Message Gives The Voice
0243 - The Message Gives The Voice Singing coach Judy Rodman suggests this exercise. [1] Sing or say the phrase “you're the reason I feel this way ” and with the same seven words, intend to send these different messages to the listener: · “you're the reason I feel this way ” (you make me happy) · “you're the reason I feel this way ” (you made me angry) · “you're the reason I feel this way ” (you left me lonely) · “you're the reason I feel this way ” (you gave me this courage) She says “How did your choice of message change your voice? Your breath? Your throat? Your face? Where in your mouth did the words come from? What did you have to do to create those messages?” So, the content of the message and the context of where it fits with a script (who is saying it to who, and under what circumstance), will help you create the sound that is required for an authentic replication. [1] https://blog.judyrodman.com/2017/04/ Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may
S1 E242 · Sun, August 29, 2021
0242 – When Tonal Emotions Clash
0242 – When tonal emotions clash Previously we looked at how a good understanding of vocabulary will help you as a broadcaster/podcaster, so you are better able to speak a script with significance – and we’ll come to much more about intonation and inflection later. But being a bit of a wordsmith will help you here as well: if you are in a recording session and a director asks you to read, for example, “ more ominously ” – will you know what they mean and how to replicate it vocally? What if they said “ less bright but more friendly” or “ take the seriousness out of your sad voice ” – would you understand the nuance? Understand the difference between ‘authoritative’ (confident, comfortable and factual), and ‘arrogant’ (which is the phoney attempt at being authoritative). Is there a subtle difference between “ bright ” and “ perky ”, or “ corporate ”, “ sincere ” and “ serious ”, “ bemused ” and “ intrigued ”? I’d suggest there is. And many times you will be asked to combine emotion and character: “ can you make it sound ‘smart’ but ‘accessible’?” Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regio
S1 E241 · Sat, August 28, 2021
0241 - Twenty-Two Tonal Emotions
0241 - Twenty-Two Tonal Emotions These aren’t by any means the only emotions which may be prompted by a script, but are here as a sample you can use in various rehearsal readings to explore your range. They are in alphabetical order. 1. bemused 2. bright 3. corporate 4. cynicism / doubt 5. discovery – “I just found this / had this thought!” 6. energetic 7. friendly 8. intrigued 9. irritated 10. luxury 11. ominous 12. optimistic 13. perky 14. proud 15. rousing 16. sad 17. tempting 18. serious 19. sincere 20. trustworthy 21. warm/caring 22. worried You will notice that with many of these, not only will your tone change but also so will other elements of your presentation. In this vocalisation of emotion, words may become more clipped in a ‘serious’ tone, you may project more with the ‘rousing’ tone, your pitch may heighten with a ‘trivial’ emotion, words may elongate with the ‘bemused’ expression and your speed may become faster with the’ happy’ tone. We will come to all of these elements of voice as the book and course continues. It may not come as much of a surprise to learn that studies have found [1] that emotions such as fear, joy and anger, are vocalised at a higher frequency (that is, pitch), than emotions such as sadness: · Anger is produced with a lower pitch, higher intensity, more energy (500 Hz) across the vocalization · Rage or fury is produced with a higher, more varied pitch, and even greater energy (2000 Hz) · Disgust, in comparison to neutral speech, is produced with a lower, downward directed pitch, with energy (500 Hz), and less variation · Fearful emotions have a higher pitch, little variation, lower energy, and a faster speech rate with more pauses · Sad emotions are produced with a higher pitch, less intensity but more vocal energy (2000 Hz), and with longer duration with more pauses. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_prosody Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And
S1 E240 · Fri, August 27, 2021
0240 - Tone In Voice Acting
-0240 - TONE IN VOICE ACTING Whereas in newsreading you have to be more impartial, with commercials you are quite the opposite: most definitely partial! You want to persuade people to your point of view, to get them to, for example, buy the product or buy into your idea. The trouble is that many people get so focussed on reading a script that they forget the ‘emotional understanding’ of the character. That ends up with them saying words in a nice voice rather than conveying authentic meaning. So how do you find the attitudinal tone in the script? So far, we have looked at tonal changes when reading a news script. But the same goes for other types of presentation where perhaps the shift can be rather less subtle. For example, in a commercial read or a TV presentation, the ‘shift in the script’ can happen in a heartbeat. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast epi
S1 E239 · Thu, August 26, 2021
0239 - More on Changing ‘Tonal Tracks’
0239 - More on changing ‘tonal tracks’ A TV game show or shopping channel may also have to ‘turn on a sixpence’ with the presenter’s tone: · “ Congratulations! You’ve just won 50-thousand pounds! ” (cheers, applause, music sting) “ Now, are you ready to gamble that… for the chance to win 100-thousand pounds, by answering just one question correctly..? ” (heartbeat effect) · “ Lines are open… NOW! Our operatives are standing by! Don’t miss your chance to buy this limited-edition diamond dress-ring! The number’s on the screen now! We have only limited stock! ” > “ Now, if you’ve just joined us, take a look at this beautiful ring. It’s a very pretty 18 Carat White Gold, round Diamond pave set dress ring in a leaf motif design…” Here, the ‘call to action’ delivery moves in to the ‘product features’ delivery: not just in the words spoken, but also the vocality. Your tone helps strengthen the message and lead the listener or viewer through to a greater understanding of the message. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broad
S1 E238 · Wed, August 25, 2021
0238 -The Tonal Construct for a Presenter
0238 -The tonal construct for a presenter There are then certain parameters for a news reader, but not so for a presenter. Those on the radio, TV or fronting a video will benefit from showing more, authentic emotional tone in their voice. But there again there are tricks and techniques in doing so. First, don’t forget what the emotion is that you want to convey to your audience. It’s easily said, but so many presenters have that disconnect that we talked about earlier when they get in front of the mic and lights. And that’s partly because they have told the story before, or they have rehearsed it, or they are recalling something that happened a long time ago – or inventing a situation from scratch – that they forget to inject the authentic emotional experience in their voice for the listener. Remember the Twenty-two Tones we had earlier? ((no it comes later) Consider them, so you read something with sincerity or authority. Or you pass on a story with humour or excitement. Or you give details of a personal experience with anger or frustration. Think about what you are saying and the listener’s likely reaction to it, just as you would if you were speaking with a friend who was right in front of you. Understand the need to exaggerate your natural emotions. Actors are taught that if they acted totally naturally when they performed to an audience some intensity is lost. The emotions seem flat. They have to overplay to seem normal. The same is true for radio. Your highs and lows need to be pushed just a little further, to give a sense of naturalness when they come out of the speaker the other end. You need to be ‘You+’. Your audience has to feel as though they know you, before they can begin bonding with you. And that means that you have to show a variety of real emotions. [1] Note I said “real emotions” – and that’s not to say that that you fake them, you just heighten them. You need to show that you have a variety of emotions, but realise that does not mean that you have to be ‘emotional’. And if you try and fake your tone (“ I’m so pleased to be back and to share my ideas and help you…!”) , well, it’s likely to be heard at 100 paces. Acting is, after all, only an act and a fake façade foretells failure. [1] I once trained a TV newsreader who had a story in her bulletin about a missing girl who was thought to have been murdered. She almost sang the story, with no feeling for the story or the victim’s family who may have been watching. The reader and I worked out that because she had read the story so many times, she had forgotten its significance. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-m
S1 E237 · Tue, August 24, 2021
0237 – Tonal Changes From Heavy to Light
0237 – Tonal changes from heavy to light Serious/sad – another sad story from the ‘universal emotions’ file. A serious tone, perhaps tinged with a hint of resignation as if to say “everyone had not dare fear the worse but…”. If you were reading this on a station closer to this event, and perhaps had this story as a lead in the bulletin, the tone may become slightly more serious as friends and relatives of the family concerned may be hearing the news for the first time. A body has been found by emergency services searching for a girl who'd fallen into the water near Loch Lomond in West Dunbartonshire. The alarm was raised in Balloch yesterday evening. In Norfolk, a woman in her thirties has died after getting into difficulties in the sea at the village of Waxham. Lighter – a lighter story to end the bulletin. It’s not ‘fun’ and certainly not ‘funny’ but conjures up pictures in one’s mind of metal detectorists, raises questions of “what if I’d found them…” A hoard of Bronze Age artefacts has been discovered in the Scottish Borders. The find is considered to be of national significance. It includes a complete horse harness -- preserved by the soil -- and a sword, which have been dated as being from 1000 to 900 BC. So, when you look at a script you have to have to work out the appropriate tone in which to read it, and you do that by finding the emotion or feeling that is trying to be evoked by the content and context. It is vital to get the tone of your news presentation just right. You need to sound authoritative yet natural and informal. And as we will see later, you need to have the speed of your reading just right and inject the correct amount of ‘light’ and ‘shade’ of intonation in your voice. Talking fast and loud does not mean you sound more urgent or dramatic; often it is quite the reverse. As in many things, the key is in finding the correct balance. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles
S1 E236 · Mon, August 23, 2021
0236 – Rehearse Your Tone With These Real Scripts
0236 – Rehearse your tone with these real scripts Straightforward tone – Be careful. This is a political story, and even though it may look on the face of it as ‘good news’, it may be that the ‘devil is in the detail’ that the money has already been announced or there are caveats to the scheme. The government has announced a 172-million pound funding package to train 8-thousand more nurses on degree apprenticeships in England over the next 4 years. At the moment, the NHS and social care employers train around one thousand apprentice nurses every year. The Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, said the "earn and learn" route would make a career in nursing more accessible. Concerning tone – this is a ‘universal emotion’ that job cuts are a ‘bad thing’, so should be read with a tone of concern. A survey suggests a rise in the number of organisations in the UK which expect to make job cuts this summer. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and the recruitment firm Adecco asked more than two thousand employers about their intentions, with a third saying they expected to reduce their workforce before the end of September, up from a fifth three months earlier. Lighter, more positive tone – this is good news, so can be read with a lighter tone and perhaps slightly faster as one usually does with a positive voice. More lockdown measures are being relaxed in Wales from today, as gyms, pools and leisure centres reopen their doors. Wales will become the first part of the UK to allow children to return to indoor soft play areas. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-
S1 E235 · Sun, August 22, 2021
0235 - Marking up a Script for Tonal Changes
0235 - Marking up a script for tonal changes You can mark your scripts with smiling or frowning emojis to remind you the kind of tone you need to adopt as you read it. Practicing appropriate tone As I said previously, one of your greatest assets in getting a better voice are your ears, so open your earlids and use them to listen to people around you in normal conversation and the tonal variety they use to engage and explain Here are several real news scripts, with notes on each regarding the emotion tone that you may consider using for each one. ACTUAL SCRIPT Straightforward tone – this could be a contentious story. Just because the government says there is little evidence, doesn’t mean that others don’t believe that that claim is correct. So read it ‘straight’. The Education Secretary has insisted there is little evidence that coronavirus is transmitted in schools -- as he pushes ahead with plans for all children in England to return full-time next month. Gavin Williamson said he had been looking at research from one of the largest studies of its kind in the world. But teaching unions are continuing to express concerns. One said that leadership teams were having to draw up their own contingency plans -- including teaching pupils in the classroom on a "week on, week off" basis. Straightforward – but think how your tone might change if this was happening in a country closer to yours, or in your own country. The tone would change. Thousands of anti-government protesters have clashed with police in Belarus after exit polls reported a sweeping victory for the authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko. State-run television said Mr Lukashenko won nearly 80-per cent of the vote. His main challenger, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, is said to have finished on about 7-per cent. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM
S1 E234 · Sat, August 21, 2021
0234 - Working Out Appropriate Emotional Tone
0234 - Working out appropriate emotional tone When you pre-read your script, work out the appropriate tone for the delivery of each story by asking yourself “How would I communicate this information if I was telling it to a friend in an interesting and committed way?” That goes for each item, and the tone may be substantially or subtly different for each one, but each one will be appropriate. Doing this will make: · each story, different · your delivery, diverse · your bulletin, interesting · your communication, effective · your listeners, engaged Let everyone else do the boring broadcast bulletins with the monotony of a faked, indifferent read. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech train
S1 E233 · Fri, August 20, 2021
0233 - Your Start-of-Bulletin Tone
0233 - Your start-of-bulletin tone And a quick thought: many news bulletins start with the reader saying “good morning” (or something similar), and all bulletins start with the most important story. As the most important is often also the most serious, possibly involving the loss of or threat to human life, be careful not to begin your update crassly with a smiley “Good morning” and then a dramatic gear change “100 people are dead after…” Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes
S1 E232 · Thu, August 19, 2021
0232 - Emotional Tone in the News as a Story Develops Over Time
0232 - Emotional tone in the news as a story develops over time Let’s take another example. A toddler has been mauled by an out-of-control dog, and has died. You would likely read that with concern. Then a week later, something similar happens to another child. Is your concern more or less than previously. It’s happened again so do that make it more serious that nothing was done? Good news / bad news and your appropriate tone Also consider, what may be good news for one listener may be bad news for another: · Interest rate rise – is good for savers but bad for borrowers · Jobs as a new factory is built – may be good for job-seekers, but bad for those protecting the green-field site where it will be constructed · Another day of the heatwave – good news for sun-worshippers, but potentially bad news for farmers… and so on. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nea
S1 E231 · Wed, August 18, 2021
0231 - Emotional Tone Within a Story
0231 - Emotional tone within a story Beware of tonal shifts within a script. A story that starts “300-million pounds is being given to…” sounds a ‘good news’ story, but how it continues may require a slight tonal change by the reader: · “street parties for the king’s coronation…” · “abattoirs to dispose of diseased cattle…” Or one that starts off as ‘good news’ but later takes a turn, or two: 300-million pounds is being given to provide more police for the region. It’s after a series of murders in the past year. Police chief Laura Norder is welcoming the increased budget” (Audio) “Tina Tinsel’s son Tommy was found dead last week – no-one’s yet been arrested.” So mood shifts may be buried in the text and the top-line isn’t always an accurate emotional indicator. Even a story about ‘politics’ might actually be quite quirky and need another tone – either one that you start off with or one that you introduce during the read. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts an
S1 E230 · Tue, August 17, 2021
0230 - Tonal changes within a bulletin
0230 - Tonal changes within a bulletin Tone also affects how you read each different story. The top one usually has more seriousness, and the last one a lighter tone. A well-constructed bulletin usually has this kind of flow to it, with a variety of hard, middle and lighter stories. [1] But not always. It may be that your news format is to have sports stories at the end of a bulletin. In that case your running order may start with a serious story and then become lighter as it progresses to the sports, where it may become serious again (perhaps losing a match, the injury of a key player, a transfer…). [1] Of course, on occasion such as a global pandemic, or VIP death or terror attack the whole bulletin may be taken up with various angles of the same story. Or if not that, then ‘other stories’ of similarly seriousness, without a flow of ‘lighter events’ and without a funny ‘and finally’ story to end. On such occasions, the presenter has to bring a similar tone to each of those scripts. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as
S1 E229 · Mon, August 16, 2021
0229 - Changing ‘tonal tracks’
0229 - Changing ‘tonal tracks’ As a presenter you may be required to present a story about a singing parrot one moment and then deliver breaking news of a terrorist attack. Each of these stories needs to be read in a different tone, which require you to swap tracks or gear from one tone to another, not only over the course of a bulletin, from one story to another, but also within a headline sequence. In this situation you may have just a half-second beat between stories in which to re-set your tone: A plane crash in India has killed 32 people A fire’s torn through a factory in Manchester early this morning. Loan charges by banks are to stay unchanged The Queen has celebrated her 100th birthday From one complete story to another, you can change tonal track by using silence: “Use silence, which is a wonderful thing to change gear. You might look down, look at your notes, change your expression a bit. The viewers can tell in you, because they get to know you quite well, they know how we work and if there’s a change of mood, I think they spot it. It’s all about voice … And this is what television does in a way that radio can’t because I think you’re using your face too, and a lot of presenters just think we’re there to read what’s there and not give of ourselves. I think if you don’t do that, you’re letting your audience down.” Simon McCoy, news presenter/journalist [1] [1] “ You’re On The Air ” podcast November 2020 Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Pano
S1 E228 · Sun, August 15, 2021
0228 - Appropriate emotional tone in the news
0228 - Appropriate emotional tone in the news You would appear to be a robot or psychopath if you read every story with the same amount of ‘tone of voice’ – from a landslide burying children in a school to a tap-dancing ferret. You need to give appropriate emotional weight to the script, depending on its content and context. Although you should not be wailing in grief over a royal death, or announce with anger the latest unemployment figures, you can and should usually show some understanding of the significance of the story in your tone of voice. This is because of what we can call ‘universal emotions’: ones which reflect your humanity and concern for your community. These might be a slight serious or sad tone at mass deaths (for example a plane crash), the murder of a child and so on. [1] Doing this will make you appear more human by showing empathy (as opposed to sympathy) and understanding of the story, without editorialising it. So, you can see that: · a story of a family killed in a house fire will be read in a different way to… · a story of the Prime Minister announcing a package of economic measures for the steel industry, which will be read in a different way to.. · the discovery of a great bearded newt on a nature reserve, which will be read in a different way to… · someone winning £1 million on the lottery on her 16th birthday on the very first line she ever bought, as well as passing her driving test and getting engaged. The overall tone of each of those stories will be pitched slightly differently. Going in reverse, the final one could be read in a light, bright, fun almost incredulous tone, with a smile on your face. The previous story would also be light but it’s not overtly funny although a ‘good news’ story. The ‘steel’ story is neither good nor bad and because of that, and because it is a political story, will be read in a more neutral tone. But the first story is obviously sad and serious. That’s not to say that story 1 will be read with the same amount (albeit different) emotion as story 4, but you can allow yourself some empathy reflecting your humanity and showing concern for those affected. The same might go for stories of impending disaster which could wreak havoc on a neighbourhood (to your viewers or listeners – your neighbours and clients) such as a severe weather incident, or the death of a beloved royal… Within those examples, there might be different levels of empathy depending on the particular circumstances: one child killed in a building fire or a whole family; a hurricane that devastates a city or state or severe flooding which has affected farmland and roads; the royal who ‘expectedly’ dies in her sleep at the age of 101 or the one who dies unexpectedly and
S1 E227 · Sat, August 14, 2021
0227 - Too little emotional tone in the news
0227 - Too little emotional tone in the news The requirement of balance leads to many news readers or broadcast journalists putting an emotional chasm between themselves and their story and such disassociation can signal to the listeners: · that the reader doesn’t care about the content - so they can be similarly indifferent to the information · that the reader doesn’t understand the content – so why should they work to understand it themselves Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how w
S1 E226 · Fri, August 13, 2021
0226 - Tone In the News
0226 - Tone In the News TONE IN THE NEWS In the UK and many other countries, broadcast news is different from the printed press in that news has to be fair, balanced and impartial. That even-handedness is not just what you say, but how you say it. Suggesting a personal view on what you are reading, by your tone of voice could be called editorialising. We will touch on this later when we look at the words you intonate to signpost meaning of the story and how some mis-intonations can suggest a view of you or the station which maybe at best misplaced, or at worst suggest complete disbelief or abhorrence. This may even cross over into a legal issue if you suggest that a person you are referring to is lying. Yes, it can easily be done by an incorrect intonation of the single word ‘says’. Listeners unconsciously filter all oral communication to hear whether the speaker is · interested, involved and serious about what they are saying · showing a commensurate level of caring and commitment to the material being delivered. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows,
S1 E225 · Thu, August 12, 2021
0225 - Auditory Disconnections
0225 - Auditory Disconnections We’ll look at the amount of tone and emotion a little later, but for now let’s examine a bit more, the claim that the words you say and the tone in which they are said, have to be congruent. Think of the phrase “ I’m happy ” and you’d expect it to be said in a happy tone, bright, light, smiling, laughing. If it’s said slowly, in a flat dull tone, it may not fit with the context and make you sound dull, bored, disinterested, fake, rude, sarcastic or even borderline sociopath – unable to ‘read a situation’ and react to it appropriately to ‘fit in’. Now there may be a good reason for a disconnect, especially if you are acting a part and it could be used for comic effect of course. Like with the British comedian Jack Dee. Let’s take another example. You may use an inappropriate upward inflection when you are talking? Like that! The tone will contradict the words and listeners will subconsciously have to work to make sense of the conflict. Their mind is not on what you are saying, and you are not communicating. So, as an incongruity can be confusing, talk in a tone that is appropriate to the message. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Ra
S1 E223 · Wed, August 11, 2021
0224 – Tone And Emotion
0224 – Tone And Emotion “We often refuse to accept an idea merely because the tone of voice in which it has been expressed is unsympathetic to us.” Friedrich Nietzsche - German philosopher The right words alone won’t necessarily persuade. The tone of your voice matters too if your listeners are to believe what it is you are telling them. Some people use the term ‘tone’ when they mean ‘pitch’. Again, this can be confusing, as the English phrase ‘tone of voice’ means something quite different, and usually it is derogative. [1] However a ‘tone’ can actually be a useful way to talk about an vocal ‘attitude’ in a presentation, perhaps an ‘authoritative tone’ or one that is ‘snarky’, ‘business-like’ or even ‘girl-next-door’. Most people can pretend to have a certain tone when needed – when sending the children to bed for instance! It may also refer to an age: ‘an older tone’, ‘the tone of a schoolboy’. So you can see why it is important to distinguish between ‘tone’ and ‘pitch’ as two different vocal describers? [2] Listeners may pick up a tone in your voice that you don’t mean to be there: almost imperceptible changes will be made to your sound if you have an underlying emotion, perhaps something going on in your personal life. After all, how often have you perhaps spoken to a friend on the phone and after a few moments said “Are you OK? You sound a bit different…” “How are you?” – the tone of this simple question can be altered to mean several things: a bright greeting for which no response is anticipated, a genuine health enquiry of someone’s maybe after a bereavement, a reciprocal personal request as part of a conversation. [3] So, if ‘pitch’ is the register of the voice, high and low, then ‘tone’ has more to do with the emotion of the voice – whatever the pitch is. So you could in-tone a serious emotion in reporting on a disaster or concern for a missing child, happiness when reporting a pleasant weather forecast, elation when reading a commercial about a great sale, and humour when telling of some harmless mistake or incident. Tone can have a huge impact on how your listeners feel about you, and what they think of what you’re telling them. If there is a disconnect between the words and the tone – for example if you say “ I’m really passionate about this…” but in a disinterested voice – it could be the difference between someone thinking “ Wow, they’re trustworthy!” to “ Wow! What a tosser ”. <a href="about:blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="
S1 E223 · Tue, August 10, 2021
0223 - Pitch and Politicians
223 - Pitch and Politicians That having been said, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) found that political leaders with lower voices were perceived as more dominant and attractive. Conversely, those who spoke with higher frequencies were viewed as submissive and benevolent. [1] Participants rated politicians’ voices with 67 adjectives such as dishonest, scary, dynamic, attractive, convincing and fair. What made a voice sound charismatic was viewed differently from country to country: French participants preferred a politician with a medium vocal pitch, perceiving him as prudent, calm, trustworthy and fair. Italian participants preferred a lower pitch, viewed as authoritarian, determined and menacing. But changing one's voice to become more charismatic is not simple, as the voice can mean different things to different people from different cultures. For example, a male with a low, deep voice may be perceived as dominant by other males, but maybe as sexy by females. And a higher vocal pitch can convey submission (in the case of a male speaker to male listeners), or sexiness (if a female speaker to male listeners). [1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-29800893 Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two edi
S1 E222 · Mon, August 09, 2021
0222 – Pitch And Perception
0222 – Pitch And Perception Pitch and perception In the past, society has judged people according to the pitch of their voice. Hopefully the days are gone, but even in the recent past, women with a high pitch may have been perceived by some as an ‘airhead’, a man with a lighter voice perhaps as effeminate. Conversely, a woman with a low voice was often seen as sexy, or indeed overly ‘masculine’. Several studies [1] have found that in general, women prefer lower-pitched men's voices to higher-pitched men's voices. Conversely, men typically prefer high-pitched women's voices over low-pitched women's voices. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, po
S1 E221 · Sun, August 08, 2021
0221 – Pitch Variety
0221 – Pitch Variety Try and use a wide vocal range when speaking to make what you say more interesting. Some broadcasters compress their range (say, 4,5 and 6 in our example above), thinking that that gives them more authority. It actually makes them sound flat, boring, monotonous and without feeling, reducing their ability to convey a message appropriately. Using natural pitch diversity (as most people use in natural everyday conversation) and you will come over as more real and authentic, trustworthy and likeable. If you sound interested, then you will come over as interesting, and you will keep your listeners interested in what it is that you are saying. Just be careful not to go too far in pitch variety, or it’ll come over as patronising – as though you are reading a fairy tale to a class of pre-schoolers. One more thing: as with all things voice, don’t try and sound like someone else. Use your own distinctive pitch and natural range. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional
S1 E220 · Sat, August 07, 2021
0220 – What A Carry On! Kenneth Williams On How His Comic Voice Caused Serious Injury
0220 – What A Carry On! Kenneth Williams On How His Comic Voice Caused Serious Injury Forcing your voice to do anything unusual is not good, as the British comic actor Kenneth Williams recounted about the over-the-top ‘cowboy drawl’ voice he adopted, together with a misaligned jaw, when he played the part of Judge Burke in ‘Carry On Cowboy’ (1965): (AUDIO) “…and I was doing all this on the first day of the film, and at the end of the day I was in agony. And my jaw… it had strained all the ligaments of the jaw. And so I went back on the set the next day and I said the Gerald Thomas ‘ well I’m not going to do that voice, I’m going to do another voice ’ and he said ‘ You can’t change! We’ve shot a whole mass of film and continuity demands that you do it all again, you’ve got to keep to it! ’. So, for six weeks …! Eventually I was very ill and had to wear a special thing, a bandage thing, and the surgeon got the jaw back into realignment. It was agony.” Kenneth Williams, (Interview on Australian TV with Mike Walsh c.1983) Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elec
S1 E219 · Fri, August 06, 2021
0219 – What Accents Are The Most Sexy?
0219 – What Accents Are The Most Sexy? Interested in this? Watch this video to find out more on what accents are considered sexy: https://www.bbc.co.uk/reel/playlist/the-laws-of-attraction?vpid=p09f7crq Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is:
S1 E218 · Thu, August 05, 2021
0218 – Research: Men With Deeper Voices Are More Attractive – But Cheat More
0218 – Research: Men With Deeper Voices Are More Attractive – But Cheat More In October 2020, Chinese researchers [1] claimed that although men with deep voices are more likely to attract a partner, they are also more likely to cheat on them The team said that women are often attracted to men with low, rich voices because they are associated with high testosterone levels which, in evolutionary terms, suggests the speaker will be a good mate for producing healthy children. However, men with higher levels of testosterone are also more likely to have a lax attitude to infidelity, care less about their relationships and eventually cheat. The same was apparently not true of women, with no noticeable difference in attitudes to fidelity whether they had high or low pitched voices. Having a sexy low voice could be part of the problem as it “ makes them more attractive to women which increases their opportunity for sexual encounters outside of their own romantic relationship ”, the team added. It also increases their chances of “ obtaining more or higher quality partners ”. [1] https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8809981/Men-deep-voices-likely-cheat-partners-testosterone-blame.html Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and product
S1 E217 · Wed, August 04, 2021
0217 – How Imperfect Pitch Got Jamal Into A Jam
0217 – How Imperfect Pitch Got Jamal Into A Jam Forcing your voice into a ‘false pitch’, can literally cramp your style. A voice that is deliberately pushed low can sound unnaturally strained and can cause physical harm to the speaker. Additionally, if you start speaking at an enforced low pitch you will restrict your ability for natural nuance when it is necessary for selected words, leading to a voice that sounds monotonous. Oh and some people deliberately speak in a high register in the mistaken belief that it reduces strain on their voice. In fact, it’s the opposite as your folds are working in a way that they are not used to. And don’t rely on changing the EQ controls on the microphone channel or altering the compressor to make you sound more ‘butch’. If you’re not careful, such changes can have the effect of making you sound muffled. Far better to change your voice in your body instead, and then only enhance what you have already. Credible delivery is more important than a deep voice. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broad
S1 E216 · Tue, August 03, 2021
0216 – Margaret Thatcher’s Pitch Profile
0216 – Margaret Thatcher’s Pitch Profile “From tape recordings of speeches made before and after receiving tuition a marked difference can be very hear. When there are played through an electronic pitch analyser, it emerges that she achieved a reduction in pitch of 46 Hz, a figure which is almost half the average difference in pitch between male and female voices.” [1] But forcing your voice into a lower pitch can be damaging. In the short term it can be tiring : you are unnecessarily using muscles you don’t need to (after all, your ‘home pitch’ is the one that’s easiest and most natural to use and maintain). In the longer term it can be damaging : hoarseness could lead to ulcers or worse. [1] “ The Gender of Sound ”, Anne Carson (New Directions Books, 1995) Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, garden
S1 E215 · Mon, August 02, 2021
0215 – Lowering Your Pitch
0215 – Lowering Your Pitch Lowering your pitch Your register is not only dictated by the speed your vocal folds vibrate, but also how taught they are. So, it stands to reason that to lower it, your folds need to be less-taught. They cannot be relaxed by themselves, but only with the rest of the body. So, less stress, better posture and breathing, will all contribute to a more relaxed state overall … and so slightly lower the pitch of your voice. Refer back to the 1-10 range mentioned before. Some people seat their pitch in the lower half of that range – they may naturally be a 5, but force themselves to start at a 4 or 3. They do this in the belief that it makes them sound more masculine, authoritative or believable. But as we saw before, if you start too low for an ‘ordinary’ story and then you need to inject a bit of gravitas for a more serious one, what do you do? You’re already at the limit. If you start to low… you’ve got nowhere to go! As we saw earlier when we looked at resonance, the sound of your voice is partly determined by the structure within which it moves. The sound of a tuba is different from that of a piccolo. And a lot of your body is a resonator for your voice. I’ve seen it described like this: the head is like a smaller speaker for higher frequencies, and your chest is a subwoofer for the mids and lows. A slightly deeper voice can be obtained (should you want one) by having more of a ‘chest sound’ and that’s done by lowering the position of your larynx, done with the same movement as happens when you yawn. Famously former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher lowered her voice while in office, to give herself more gravitas [1] . [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28_0gXLKLbk and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRQwLrpX61M Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book
S1 E214 · Sun, August 01, 2021
0214 - Politicians’ Different Pitches For Different People And Different Policies
0214 Politicians’ Different Pitches For Different People And Different Policies A study at UCLA [1] found that the best speakers, usually politicians, varied their voice within a single speech to appeal to listeners of different ages, genders and backgrounds, and depending on the topic being talked about. A savvy politician may sound authoritarian when discussing foreign policy, for example, and more caring when addressing health issues. [1] https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/got-charisma-look-for-it-in-your-voice Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects
S1 E213 · Sat, July 31, 2021
0213 - The ‘Higher And Louder’ Pitfall
0213 - The ‘Higher And Louder’ Pitfall We look at the volume of a voice a little later, but for now let’s take a glance its relationship with pitch, because there is a potential pitfall of using volume for emphasis, instead of pitch. Doing this might cause people to perceive your voice as shrill, and you as hysterical (something that Hillary Clinton was accused of [1] ). Both in a studio and in an auditorium, you should usually be letting the microphone do the work of boosting your volume. Emphasis instead comes from your use of a better vocal range. It’s: · easier and more comfortable to produce · causes less damage to your vocal folds · gives you more vocal stamina · is easier to listen to · sounds more spontaneous and natural · is more interesting and inspirational · a change of pitch alerts the audience to an important point or a change in topic · you as a speaker are seen as more in control rather than excitable or deranged. (And as we will see in a later chapter on volume, where a louder voice can certainly rouse a crowd, it can also create a ‘wall of sound’, whereas a softer voice causes people to lean in and pay attention.) [1] https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/hillary-clinton-voice-msnbc_n_56dd403de4b0ffe6f8e9d648?ri18n=true Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news pr
S1 E212 · Fri, July 30, 2021
0212 - Your Pitch Range
0212 - Your Pitch Range If you use a wide pitch range when speaking will help engage your audience. That’s not to say it should be super-wide: swooping up and down from sentence to sentence will make you sound very odd indeed, at best patronising at worse, manic. No, the range needs to be appropriately engagingly expressive. Now that you have found your natural pitch, you will realise that you vary from it in normal conversation, a few notes up and a few notes down. And when you want to draw attention to a word or phrase, you widen the pitch further, both higher and lower. For example, an important word may be said in a higher pitch from your normal range, or in a much lower pitch. Both would have a similar effect of highlighting the content to your audience. For example: “ The president said she was going to resign ”. The key word is obviously the last one, and you could draw attention to it by either raising or lowering the pitch in which you said it. It is perhaps interesting to note (!) that one’s pitch in a situation may depend on several factors such as: · the environment – for example, in a noisy environment you may be more likely to raise your pitch to highlight an important word rather than lower it, as a higher pitch travels further in air (which is why police sirens sound as they do) · your culture – as we have seen already, not only do some languages and cultures have a wider or narrower range of the spoken pitch, but also they use pitch differently than in the English language – where a change in note can signify a completely different meaning of the word being uttered. So, a wide pitch range helps to keep listeners listening. It’s variety and stops your voice being a mono-tone. Using a flexible voice allows you to become more engaging. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s tr
S1 E211 · Thu, July 29, 2021
0211 - Your Actual Natural Voice Pitch
0211 - Your Actual Natural Voice Pitch Now you are stress-free, and belly-breathing, simply say your name, as though you have been asked it by as new acquaintance. The pitch you use when you say that in a stress-free state is your natural pitch. Another technique is to agree with me, yes? “ Uh-huh ” you reply and the pitch at which you say that is likely your home note. Another is to sigh. All of these should produce a note that is comfortable and natural for you to start your ‘pitch range’ from. It’s as simple as that! Now, hum a long note with that same pitch and put a couple of finger tips on your lips and nose and you’ll feel a ‘buzz’, (this area is often called the ‘facial mask’). This is the usual pitch from which you will vary up and down in your conversation or presentation, for example when you express surprise (or excitement or asking a question) it will go up, and it will go down in pitch for a more serious, sad or sensual tone. If you speak above this optimal pitch for a length of time, it will sound lighter and thinner, with less resonance. It will give the impression of being unsure or ‘continuously surprised’ and will be unpleasant to listen to. Conversely, using your natural pitch will allow you a greater range and more confidence to you and those who listen to what you’re saying. Think of a scale of 1-10. If your natural pitch is at 5, then you are likely to vary your pitch during a conversation between say 3 and 7, and an animated, colourful conversation in a range of say 2 and 8. But if you force your pitch to start at 3 you are restricting your ‘pitch floor’, and if you start at 7 you will restrict your ‘pitch ceiling’ (and are veering into dog-whistle territory). Either way you will not only sound strained but also have less range. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained new
S1 E210 · Wed, July 28, 2021
0210 – Michael Caine on How Your Voice Pitch Can Be Affected By Nerves
0210 – Michael Caine on How Your Voice Pitch Can Be Affected By Nerves Nerves and Pitch When you are nervous and your body is tense it has little breath support, and you will tend to start a sentence in the upper half of your natural pitch range, which restricts your ‘intonational ability’: you simply have less ‘vocal head room’ in which you can give words and phrases their due inflection. Even the most illustrious of names can have nerves affect their voice pitch: (AUDIO) “I was nervous when I first did it, because your first film is always the most nerve-wracking. I remember Cy Endfield when he did the first take said ‘Cut!’ halfway through and he said ‘Michael… your voice has gone up about three octaves’, and my voice was up here with nerves and they could hardly record it, and we had to start again and then I brought my voice down. But what had happened was, everybody had come out of all the production offices because they were sure this cockney couldn’t speak like that. And I was sitting on this horse and I suddenly turned around and there was the entire crew, office people, staff, producers, everybody who’d never been on the set before, just standing there staring at me… and this is what threw me for the first take.” Michael Caine, speaking about ‘Zulu’, “ The Many Faces of Michael Caine ”, BBC 2020 Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has
S1 E209 · Tue, July 27, 2021
0209 – Stressful Sally’s Story
0209 – Stressful Sally’s Story Sally worked as a TV presenter out of a small and busy newsroom where everyone was expected to do everything. She loved her job but was concerned about the pitch of her voice, and wanted to know ways to lower it because she thought it too shrill. Would smoking help, she wondered, or maybe more late nights with friends? On visiting Sally in her office, the cause of her concern was apparent. Even though she was the presenter of the evening news show, she also had to produce items: calling contacts, chasing stories, arranging interviews and then filming and editing them. But when it came to the 6.30 show, Sally had to morph into a cool, calm, collected presenter. She had the clothes and the hairspray to help in that change, but inside she was still tense from the ‘rush of the day’, unknowingly holding her whole body in a state of tension until she was off air at 7. And that tension could be heard in her voice, partly because of the how it affected how her vocal folds were being held, causing a rise in her pitch. The prescription: slow down, relax mentally and physically, and to practice better breathing techniques. And once you are relaxed and stress-free, you can try and find your natural pitch. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Pete
S1 E208 · Mon, July 26, 2021
0208 – Your Resting Pitch
0208 – Your Resting Pitch Your resting pitch Your pitch will have a centre note, a ‘home’ from which you will be able to inflect words and sentences up and down within a range. It’s where your natural speaking voice mostly sits, in the centre of your vocal range, that gives you optimal resonance, the sound that you will produce without force or strain, and will make you feel and sound confident and focussed. There are several tricks to finding this note and you should do this once you have de-stressed as otherwise you will give yourself a ‘false reading’. So let’s remind ourselves about better breathing and how to ‘destress to sound our best’. Like much of the work of the voice, pitch is affected by your breathing. Feet flat on the floor, upper legs in contact with the chair, a straight back (but not so straight that you are tense) carefully supported by the chair, shoulders back (again, not so you are strained), and head up. You can afford to relax a little, but not too much: I call it ‘informal formality’ and here’s why. The more you sit up, the more air you can get into your lungs. This will reduce tension, keep you alert, increase the resonance and make your voice sound more natural, rather than thin and strained, which signals calmness, control and authority. Once you are sitting correctly, your breathing should be done from the stomach – if your shoulders rise when you breathe, you’re doing it wrong. Stomach breathing is deeper breathing and when you have more air getting into your lungs it will also steady your nerves. (Listen back to episodes…) If you breathe properly, you will relax, make the most of your natural pitch and trip over fewer words. Then, because you are making fewer mistakes and sound good, you will build up more confidence and so be more relaxed and sound better, and so on. (Tomorrow: Sally’s story…) Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Ra
S1 E207 · Sun, July 25, 2021
0207 – Why You Sound Different To You
0207 – Why You Sound Different To You The reason your voice sounds different to you rather than how everyone else hears it, is because of acoustics. Everyone else hears exactly the same ‘end result’ of sound from your mouth as it is heard within the situation that you are speaking – a sound-conditioned studio, the reflective surfaces of a bathroom or whatever. (At least we presume everyone hears the same thing, we have no way of knowing that specifically!) You hear the sound you make, with your own ears, within that same external environment but you also hear your voice ‘internally’ – as the sound waves resonate inside your body. So when you hear your recorded voice (when it’s not inside your head at the same time), it will sound unusual to you. You’re simply not used to it. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspe
S1 E206 · Sat, July 24, 2021
0206 - So what is ‘pitch’?
0206 - So what is ‘pitch’? Whether a voice is high or low in tone is determined by: · the rate of vibration of the vocal cords as air passes over them - the more vibrations per second, the higher the pitch. And as we saw earlier, the rate of vibration is to do with: · the length, thickness and degree of tension of the vocal folds, so slow-moving short, thick, relaxed folds make a lower pitch. Cartilage can almost imperceptibly re-adjust how the vocal folds are held. As they move backwards and forwards (more to the front of the throat and then the back), sideways and their angles change, the length of the folds, and therefore the tension with which they are held, alters too. And as a result, there is also an alteration in the change of pitch of voice. Generally, women have a higher pitch than men because their vocal folds are shorter and so they vibrate at a faster rate. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read severa
S1 E205 · Fri, July 23, 2021
0205 – An Introduction to Pitch
0205 – An Introduction to Pitch “Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning” Maya Angelou - Poet and civil rights activist Definitions I try to be very careful when using language around voice, because of how terms have been used over time and the effects that’s had on people’s perceptions of explanations. Pitch, tone and intonation all refer to different aspects of our voice. Pitch is the degree of highness or lowness with which one speaks. For example, some people naturally have a high-pitched voice. Emotional factors can also affect the pitch of someone's voice. For example, people may speak in a lower pitch when they are tired. Surprise may make them speak in a higher pitch than usual. Tone usually refers to the emotion that is conveyed in the voice. Think about the expression " I didn't like his tone of voice" or to a teenager “Don’t talk to me in that tone of voice!”. Tone can show anger, impatience, etc. Intonation is the weight or pitch one puts on an individual word. Cadence refers to the music of a language; that is how it rises and falls over a chunk of speech (sentence, phrase, group of sentences). We’ll look at each of these in turn. Pitch and tone come under the heading of ‘emotional prosody’ or ‘affective prosody’ which refers to the various non-verbal aspects of language that allow people to convey or understand emotion. It includes someone’s tone of voice conveyed through changes in pitch, loudness, timbre, speed, and pauses. These elements are particularly important in audio work where the listener cannot read facial clues to help determine an emotion. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capita
S1 E204 · Thu, July 22, 2021
0204 – Don’t Be Too Much
0204 – Don’t Be Too Much 1. Too much punch – you will be running short of breath 2. Too extreme use of upward inflection – you will sound like a child 3. Too slow on long phrases – you will sound patronising 4. Too many obvious pauses – you will sound jerky 5. Too many changes in projection – you will sound too dramatic Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating
S1 E203 · Wed, July 21, 2021
0203 – Reading Out Loud
0203 – Reading Out Loud Of course on radio and podcasts, when you aren’t seen, sound is all that you have to create visuals. That may be music or sound effects, and also the words that you utter, but it is your disembodied voice that creates much of the ‘picture’ on the kind of the listener. Let’s be honest, reading is an unnatural process. We have evolved over millions of years communicating via grunts and then quite recently, by using words. Our ancestors told each other stories and passed on information while sitting around fires outside caves. By comparison, it is virtually only yesterday that mankind started putting squiggles onto pieces of dried wood pulp as an interpretation of uttered sounds and expected others to translate those into speech with meaning. But scripts, especially those for commercials, are not like real-life ‘conversational communications’. For a start, the words are most-likely not yours and yet you have to present them as though they are, and that you’re making them up in the moment. But your job is to be the faithful go between, between the originator of the message and the recipient. What follows is simply what you already do in everyday life when you talk with someone. What I’ve done is break down the elements of conversational speech, so we can use those same ‘talking tactics’ when we interpret those strange hieroglyphics on a page or screen and sound similarly ad-libbed. By using these, you will sound natural as you tell people what is going on. The content may have changed from the best place to forage for food to the latest food scare, from the dangers of the sabre-toothed tiger to the danger of terrorism, from how to make a big sail to how to save at a big sale … But the way the tales are told will sound the same: conversational. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News
S1 E202 · Tue, July 20, 2021
0202 – The Story So Far
0202 – The Story So Far “The tongue can paint what the eyes can’t see.” Chinese proverb You can see how our ‘voyage of the voice’ continues; let’s chart the progress we have made so far: · We started off talking about the basics of how to sit and breath to give the voice support · Then we tracked the journey of air from our lungs to the larynx and into the mouth and nose. There we talked about the resonators which help give your voice ‘body’ – whatever the tone. · In the mouth we discussed articulation and diction, and how your ‘mouth furniture’ of your lips and tongue, jaw and soft palate work to shape individual pockets of air in your breath into syllables of understandable sound. · On this topic we also talked briefly about accents, dialects and diction. · More recently I suggested that a better presentation comes in part from better writing: shorter sentences with un-stuffy words, written in a conversational style are usually easier to read. And if such a script is easier to read, then you’ll make fewer mistakes, be more confident and such a feeling will be heard in the sound of your voice. · With that in mind we looked at various writing tricks for scripts that you may write yourself … and that dovetailed neatly onto scripts written by other people, and how to mark those up so they are easier for you to communicate their intent. Now we will move on to more ‘reading out loud’ skills, starting in a while with your voice pitch (that is, high and low), and also your voice tone (that is, the emotion within your presentation). Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news pre
S1 E201 · Mon, July 19, 2021
0201 - Be Prepared But Flexible
0201 - Be Prepared But Flexible Be prepared but flexible Flexible? Yes, many times the director and the clients at a voice-over production will disagree amongst themselves on how a script should be read, what words are the most important, or the tone of the overall read. As the voice actor your job is to bring your experience but to read in the way that the client asks you to. And if you have rehearsed so much that you have become too ‘set in your speak’, it may be tricky to break out from it. On other occasions, the director may want a read that’s different from the one that you have given them – but they may not know quite what it is they want to change! So, don’t be so practiced that you cannot bring something else to the read, another angle or take, a refreshing ‘attitude’ or perspective with your voice. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast ep
S1 E200 · Sun, July 18, 2021
0200 - Taking Apart A Voice Over Script Pt 3
0200 - Taking Apart A Voice Over Script Pt 3 · Big Name Kitchen Electricals o Another way to signify importance of a words is to give initial capitalisations. That’s what’s happened here, but it’s unclear why. · AT STEWART’S!!! o Another punctuation combination: capitals and not one but three exclamation marks. Certainly, as the name of the store, the information is important, but it’s unclear how excited the reader needs to be when saying this name. · That’s up to 50% Off ALL . o The first word is in italics, suggesting that it needs to be subdued. This seems to contradict the first word of the entire script that was also in italics but also emboldened. o Then there are various bolds and underlines which indicates important information to be highlighted intonationally – and yet it’s information that the listener has already been given, so such emphasis is unnecessary and unnatural. o For some reason the line is then broken. This kind of layout would normally suggest to a reader that they need to take a small pause at the end of the line and perhaps drop their tone… and yet actually the phrase / sentence / thought continues. · Household names! Krupps! Smeg! Zanussi! o The big names are, along with the price offer, what will draw people in. The sale is not on unknown brands they’re on the well-known aspirational names, so these are worth highlighting. Yet the exclamation mark (a single one for each, unlike the triple-marks for the name of the store earlier), suggests change of tone of voice, rather than volume or stress. This doesn’t quite seem right – and perhaps on this occasion more needs to be made of these brand names. · That’s white goods like fridges and freezers! o Yes to the subduing of this information, but it’s poorly placed on the page. It needs to be on a line separate from the brand names – but with a run on into the next sentence, (“PLUS ALL surface-top electricals like coffee machines and bread makers!”) as they are ‘balancing phrases’, that say ‘not only this here … but those there too’. So you need to be able to politely query, question or maybe challenge a script that is laid out like this and has poor direction in its punctuation if you are to successfully vocalise the messages and translate what’s written into what’s spoken by you, and received and acted upon by the listener. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to
S1 E199 · Sat, July 17, 2021
0199 - Taking Apart A Voice Over Script Pt 2
0199 - Taking Apart A Voice Over Script Pt 2 That script is not helpful! · Save o This is bold and italicised, but it’s unclear why. Certainly there needs to be an emphasis on this key word, but how that emphasis differs from the not-bolded, but capitalised and underlined word that follows is unclear. · BIG o Again, an emphasis on another key word at the start of the script is good. But how much emphasis is to be given is unclear in this randomised punctuation. · up to o This is in normal font, so quite rightly nothing to stress here. The phrase ‘up to’ has to be in there, but it’s a fact that you would not want to highlight. · HALF PRICE off o This is another key-information phrase, but it’s in another combination of ‘emphasis markings’ – bold capitalisations. And even though all three words are in bold, not all three are in caps. So even though the impression of the direction is to say the trio as a phrase, you have to alter your intonation within it, to an unspecified degree. · ALL o Of the first eight words, we are being asked to emphasise to some degree six of them. The problem is that this gives no room for light and shade, so the words that perhaps need to be lifted more, get lost in the noise of everything else. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voi
S1 E198 · Fri, July 16, 2021
0198 – Taking Apart A Voice Over Script Pt 1
0198 – Taking Apart A Voice Over Script Pt 1 The marks ‘built in’ to the script by the writer should give you an idea of the intention behind the words, how they ‘heard the words’ in their head as it was being written. But sometimes the various bolds, underlinings, italicisations and CAPITALISATIONS and exclamation marks can be more confusing and contradictory rather than give reassuring direction!!!! (Direction: energised and excited.) Save BIG up to HALF PRICE off ALL Big Name Kitchen Electricals – AT STEWART’S!!! That’s up to 50% Off ALL . Household names! Krupps! Smeg! Zanussi! That’s white goods like fridges and freezers! PLUS ALL surface-top electricals like coffee machines and bread makers! You’ll probably agree that those marks from the script-writer were confusing and contradictory: how much more do you ‘push’ an underlined word than one in capitals? What if a word has both markings? How much more excitement do you give to a phrase that ends with four exclamation marks than one with just one or two? How do you intone a word in italics – usually a signifier of an ‘aside’ tone – when it’s surrounded by more exclamatory markings? Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house ne
S1 E197 · Thu, July 15, 2021
0197 – How To Be A Better Reader
0197 – How To Be A Better Reader How to be a better reader To be a better reader… become a better reader! · Read more content – magazines, games cartridges, cereal packets… · Read out loud · Read umpteen different styles, even ones that you have no immediate interest in · Read without initial proof-reading first. · Read for a long time to build up your ‘vocal stamina’ – I’m not saying read without a break or without drinking water, but a short burst of a two-minute read won’t prepare you for an audio-book production. Sight reading will not only add to your fluency and speed of interpreting squiggles on a screen to vocal utterances, it will also increase your vocabulary. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for pre
S1 E196 · Wed, July 14, 2021
0196 – She Fell From Her House
0196 – She Fell From Her House When You Make A Mistake On Air This may simply be a result of poor sight reading, not having enough time to pre-read a script, not marking it up correctly, reading too fast, being distracted, being stressed, not understanding a story well enough to be able to presume where the grammar was taking the reader … or because of a scriptwriter who has not checked their work before submitting it – someone who has neither a spell-check or sense of professionalism or responsibility. I was once left a story to read: “A woman has died after falling from her house”. One might presume that perhaps she’d been repairing a roof and had slipped. The second line said “ The animal was found wandering on a country lane after the accident ”. Eh? Ah, the writer had meant “ horse ” and had not been bothered to check back… If there is a problem with your vision or reading skills which causes regular slips such as this, again a professional would be best placed to give further advice. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets
S1 E195 · Tue, July 13, 2021
0195 – Over-Rehearsing
0195 – Over-Rehearsing Over-rehearsing However, (!) recording a script over and over until it’s perfect (whatever that is!) doesn’t necessarily help. It’s possible that you read it so much that you forget what the overall message is, or you see too many conflicting messages, causing you to get locked in a certain rhythm or tone pattern. With a voiceover you may have recorded so many versions that you don’t know which is the best ‘take’. You’re suffering from ‘ear fatigue’, so it’s probably best to walk away and listen back again the next day with a fresh pair of ears and try and remember the ‘story arc’ that you noticed when you first read the script. Now some people say ‘full text analysis’ is well, a bit… how can I put this, well, take the first two syllables form the word ‘analysis’. And they may have a point – at least for pre-recorded work rather than live broadcasting. With a straight-off cold-read, unplanned and off the bat, you get to follow your instincts, and hear what authentic or creative inspiration strikes you, ‘in the moment’. Too much analysis could be a bit scientific and stifling. But notice I said ‘full text analysis’ and ‘too much’ – I’m not saying don’t do any at all. You still need to be aware of what you are saying and where the script and scenario is going. But spending too much time could leave you in ‘analysis paralysis’, going over the same sentence time and time again. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two
S1 E194 · Mon, July 12, 2021
0194 - Rehearsing Your Script
0194 - Rehearsing Your Script Rehearsals If you have every watched “ Strictly Come Dancing ” or “ Dancing with the Stars ” on the tv, I would imagine that you have never presumed that neither the pros not the amateurs simply rock up to the studio, take to the floor and perform faultlessly. In a similar way to the dancers having to get their legs and arms and torsos (and everything!) to learn the routine (‘muscle memory’), you have to rehearse your articulators, such as your lips and tongue to make sounds into clear words (what we might call ‘mouth memory’). Dancers don’t learn to dance by watching a video of the routine, they get on the floor and do it. You won’t learn how to read aloud, by simply reading the script in your head. You have to read it out loud. And marking your scripts is the first step in ‘script familiarity’. Some presenters mistakenly consider it some kind of bravado to sight-read, but there are several reasons why it’s a good idea to rehearse, not silently but aloud: · Confidence comes from being comfortable with your material. Such familiarity will cause you to relax, your breathing to steady, your timbre to drop and your overall presentation to improve · It is very unlikely that you will be able to pass off your words in a conversational style if you have no idea of the direction in which the story or the argument is heading. In a rehearsal, you will not only get a sense of the story, you will hopefully understand it and why the different elements included are there. Therefore, pre-reading is essential if you are to understand the full meaning of the script and effectively convey that to your listeners. If the audience gets the sense that you understand the story – by interpreting it and communicating it clearly to them - you will be perceived as more trustworthy · If you don’t understand the story, now is the time to find out why. It could be that the reporter or scriptwriter has mistakenly left out a part of the story or a stat. In which case give them the chance to correct their copy. It could be that there is presumed knowledge on their part, that “I thought everyone knew that!”. Again, if you the reader doesn’t, then maybe a good proportion of listeners don’t either. At this stage the script may have to be rewritten by the original author. Or, armed with the extra information you may want to rewrite it for accuracy and fluency. · You can only really, effectively find out where you will need to breath when you get to read out loud, by actually reading out loud . Simply reading with your eyes is less effective · You experience the ‘mouth-feel’ of the words and the rhythm of the sentences. What looked good with your eyes, just may not sound good and this is a good opportunity (if allowed) to rewrite for easier articulation and your
S1 E193 · Sun, July 11, 2021
0193 – Marking Up For… An Awkward Word
0193 – Marking Up For… An Awkward Word Marking up for… an awkward word To flag troublesome terms (ones that might cause pronunciation problems, we looked at these before), consider drawing a box or circle around it, with a how-to-say-it guide just above. It’s back! It’s big! It’ll save you money! {Stewart’s Big Holiday Weekend Sale!} Big money deals from big household names! Krupps! Philips! Zanussi! And remember! Every sixth customer, gets an additional 16% off! Certainly, after marking-up, your script will start to resemble a musical score, with the squiggles indicating the sense and the sound of the story. But be careful not to ‘overmark’ and be left struggling to read your own hieroglyphics rather than getting your message over. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all as
S1 E192 · Sat, July 10, 2021
0192 – Marking Up For… A Faster Read
0192 – Marking Up For… A Faster Read Marking up for… a faster read (more on the ‘speed of a read’ later) Some texts are presented quickly to add excitement and others more slowly to give perhaps a more luxurious feel. But sometimes scripts aren’t read at a constant speed at all, but have different flow-rates within them. This adds interest to the message and also allows the reader to ‘skip over’ some of the less interesting information and spend a bit more time on what’s important. To indicate that a word or phrase should be spoken more quickly than other parts of the script, perhaps draw a squiggly line under it. (As I mentioned previously, there’s no set way to mark a script, as long as it works for you.) Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts
S1 E191 · Fri, July 09, 2021
0191 – Marking Up For… Tone
0191 – Marking Up For… Tone Marking up for… tone (more on tone later) It is usually straightforward to record a commercial voice over in the correct tone, because you will have had a chance to read it in advance, rehearse aloud, and focus on that single say, 30 seconds, before the recording starts. Trickier is newsreading when you have story-after-story, all of varying content, and even though you will have read each one ahead of time, you need to hit the first few words of each news story with just the right tone from the get-go. To indicate at a glance the tone of voice in which a script should be read, presenters often drew an appropriate emoji on the top of each story: a smiley face, frown, sad face and so on. This is obviously impossible if reading from a teleprompter or computer screen. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant
S1 E190 · Thu, July 08, 2021
0190 – Marking Up For… Questions
0190 – Marking Up For… Questions Marking up for… questions Do you know how question marks are used? Of course, you do! But I wrote that sentence to illustrate how, when you read it aloud or in your mind, your tone of voice rose when you spotted that ‘ ? ’ at the end. In English intonation, sentences usually rise in the middle, and end on a downward note. Sometimes called ‘uppers and downers’, they are signposts to the listener, showing the way the sentence and the thought is progressing. When there’s a question, though, the intonation usually rises at the end of the sentence. And the ‘problem’ that we have in written English is that the indication for an up-tone comes at the very end of the sentence, well after we could have started the change in the voice. That’s not a problem if you can: · sight-read a few words in advance of what you are actually saying · see the script beforehand… · and remember where the questions are. So, it may be easier for you to circle any ‘ ? ’ on your script so you can correctly intonate the ‘question sentence’ appropriately. Incidentally, the grammatical structure of written Spanish doesn’t allow for an indication at the start of a sentence that it will turn out to be a question. (In English, by comparison, we might start with a ‘Who…’, ‘What…’, ‘When…’, ‘Where…’, ‘Why…’, ‘How…’.) So, they indicate to the reader in another way that it is a question at the start rather than the end of the sentence: an ‘opening question mark’. ¿Perhaps you will find this useful. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presente
S1 E189 · Wed, July 07, 2021
0189 – Marking Up For… Inflection
0189 – Marking Up For… Inflection Marking up for … inflection (more on the inflection, later) Where emphasis is the basic ‘thumping’ of a word, inflection is the gentler (and often more effective) tonal-lift. This is sometimes within a word. The former may be marked with an underlining, the latter perhaps with an arrow above, indicating the direction of the inflection. {Stewart’s Big Holiday Weekend Sale!} It’s so big – we need three days to fit it all in. Ends holiday Monday at midnight. And so we see that usually at the end of a sentence (and possibly slightly more at the end of a story), our general intonation goes down a note. This gives a degree of conclusion and finality, that the idea is complete. But sometimes a phrase or thought continues: the next story may be linked in some way (perhaps another angle on the same general theme) and so it would not be correct to start with a re-set pitch. The listener will have presumed you have finished the idea, only to hear you continue. It would not be a ‘reassuring listen’. To indicate this on a page, use a straight arrow to remind yourself that there is ‘more to come’. As I say, the amount the amount you drop the pitch depends on whether you have just completed an idea or the whole piece of copy. Save the biggest drops for the true end of the piece. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “
S1 E188 · Tue, July 06, 2021
0188 – Marking Up For… Emphasis
188 – Marking Up For… Emphasis Marking up for … emphasis (more on the emphasis later) Usually, such terms are either written in CAPITALS, or underlined . A double underlining, or a CAPITALISATION that is also underlined, will usually mean something needs to be stressed (I dislike that word too – see later for why!) even more. The product name – mark this in some way. The ‘rules of intonation’ state that this is one of the most important words in the script – people have got to know the name of the thing you want them to buy! – and you will ‘lift it’ on the first mention, and then not-so-much subsequently. The key words – these are the ones which hold the concept of the commercial together and ‘sell’ the product Marking up for … de-emphasis (more on the emphasis later) Brackets around a phrase signifies the voice needs to be dropped and the phrase perhaps read at a slightly faster rate – that the bracketed words are an ‘aside’. Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ pr
S1 E187 · Mon, July 05, 2021
0187 – Phrase Markings: A Practical
2021.07.06-0187 – Phrase Markings: A Practical So you could spit a sentence into phrases, or cluster phrases with an elongated circle or bunch the words together by-hyphenating-them. Marking up your script in this way shows you at a glance that everything within the oblong has to be said as a complete thought. It’s less often used than some other mark-ups, and difficult to show in print but you can perhaps see how it may be useful in a situation such as these. It’s back! It’s big! It’ll save you money! Stewart’s Big Holiday Weekend Sale! As I say the hyphen can be used in a similar way: that several words are linked and need to be clustered in their delivery: “ record-of-the-week ”, “ deal-of-the-day ” and so on. Another example might be in a slightly unusual name or title: “ The announcement by the BBC Director-General ” or “ the video recorded by Donald Trump-Junior ”. Without the guiding hyphen you may drop your voice on Director or Trump and then find it awkward to complete the phrase with assurance. Or The court heard that the retired vet had kept thirteen cats, seven hamsters, four chinchillas and a tortoise in her one-bedroom apartment. In the first example, you may be directed to say the {whole phrase} with the same intensity, speed and tone, and having the words groups together like this will signify that to you. In the second example, putting the animals together and reading them as a list gives perhaps greater irony to the story. == Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presen
S1 E186 · Sun, July 04, 2021
0186 – Marking Up For…Phrases
2021.07.05-0186 – Marking Up For…Phrases Marking up for … a phrase Your script will have punctuation for sure, but of course, that’s an ‘artificial articulatory construct’ – in other words, we don’t speak using punctuation. We adlib stories, conversationally sharing information as inspiration strikes us. And as very often a sentence carries more than a single message you need to be aware of where each one starts and ends as well as what the key points are within each. For example look back at that previous sentence, there are several parts to it: · And as very often a sentence carries more than a single message · you need to be aware of where each one starts and ends · as well as what the key points are within each. Here’s another example: “With WeWillBuyYourCar.com everything is super easy, safe and secure from selling your old car to buying your new one all in one place and all in one day.” As it’s got just one full stop it appears to be one chain of thought and one sentence, but actually there are several messages here and you need to distinguishes between them so the listener hears what they are. You can do this by breaking each one into a different line, or by putting slash marks between them: “With WeWillBuyYourCar.com everything is super easy, safe and secure / from selling your old car / to buying your new one / all in one place / and all in one day.” Identifying these messages will help you work out where to add pause and inflection to better communicate them … as we will see later on. == Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes
S1 E185 · Sat, July 03, 2021
0185 – Dashes and Ellipses in… Scripts
2021.07.04-0185 – Dashes and Ellipses in… Scripts But in scripts for news or commercials, they (or dashes --) are likely to be used as a more eye-catching alternative to a comma. They help break up a sentence more obviously so the reader can see a series of phrases, and where a slight pause may need to be taken, either for a breath or for effect. Take the sentence: The leader of the council has resigned, after just three days. You probably read the four words after the comma almost running on from the first part of the sentence. But written with a dash replacing the comma and you have an instruction to add a slight pause for anticipation and then voice the final phrase with a minor sense of irony or surprise: The leader of the council has resigned --- after just three days. Incidentally, having a full stop or period there would make no sense grammatically and would make the tone of the (now) second sentence more portentous than necessary: The leader of the council has resigned. After just three days. Dashes or ellipses are also used on the rare occasion that a sub-clause is used, and so indicates a change of tone when reading aloud: A man who escaped from Brixton prison --- after being jailed for arson just last week --- is thought be responsible for a fire at the cathedral last night. As mentioned before, dashes or slashes either end of this middle phrase would indicate intonationally that it needs to be read in a slightly different, in this case lower, tone. Additionally, the listener has to remember the first part of the sentence before it is resolved a few seconds later. It’s usually better to write: A man who escaped from Brixton prison is thought be responsible for a fire at the cathedral last night. The suspect was jailed for arson just last week. == Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working lif
S1 E184 · Fri, July 02, 2021
0184 – The Full Stop/Period and Comma
2021.07.03-0184 – The Full Stop/Period and Comma The full stop / period This indicates: · Where a breath may be taken · A half-beat’s pause in the read-back · A change of idea (and likely then, a change of tone) · Or all of the above. You may circle a full-stop or indicate it with a ‘double slash-mark’ // in the script. So you may have a ‘/’ (a ‘virgule’) where you need to pause or take a quick breath, and a ‘//’ where a larger one needs to be taken. The comma A comma is put in to: · Separate ideas or phrases within an overall sentence, perhaps a connected side thought · Indicate where a short breath may be taken. A comma, or phrase may have a single slash (a ‘virgule’) either end of it. A phrase or thought within a sentence / and with a virgule either end / may also indicate that a slight pause needs to be taken at each mark, and (or, or) a slight change of tone or pace. == Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-
S1 E183 · Thu, July 01, 2021
0183 – Now *You* Mark-Up For Breaths
2021.07.02-0183 – Now *You* Mark-Up For Breaths Transatlantic flights from the UK to the United States could take longer because of climate change. Researchers at the University of Reading say that global warming is likely to speed up the jet stream slowing down planes heading for America. Transatlantic flights from the UK to the United States could take longer because of climate change. // Researchers at the University of Reading say that global warming is likely to speed up the jet stream / slowing down planes heading for America. And now see where the newsreader took theirs: Transatlantic flights from the UK to the United States (BREATH) could take longer (BREATH) because of climate change. (BREATH) Researchers at the University of Reading (BREATH) say that global warming is likely to speed up the jet stream (BREATH) slowing down planes (BREATH) heading for America. I’m sure you would agree that the resulting unnatural phrasing of this story makes it less natural and more difficult to follow. And once you realise where the reader is breathing so awkwardly in every story, it’s difficult to un -hear it, and so the you listen for the breaths rather than listen for the sense . This is referred to as ‘choppiness’, when a breath is taken after each phrase rather than at the end of a sentence. It indicates that the reader is not in control of the breathing or perhaps doesn’t understand the story (and the different phrases that make it up) and leads to an uneven read that’s far from fluent. == Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Pa
S1 E182 · Wed, June 30, 2021
0182 – A ‘Marking Up’ Practical
2021.07.01-0182 – A ‘Marking Up’ Practical Here’s our raw script. New data has revealed car production in the UK fell to its lowest September level for a quarter of a century. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said just under 115-thousand cars rolled off production lines last month. The industry says uncertainty caused by the pandemic and a potential no-deal Brexit is undermining confidence. Mike Hawes, the society's chief executive, says the overall outlook for the year is bleak. My first temptation would be to divide each sentence onto a new line. That way it’s easier to see the sentences rather than simply a ‘block of text’. New data has revealed car production in the UK fell to its lowest September level for a quarter of a century. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said just under 115-thousand cars rolled off production lines last month. The industry says uncertainty caused by the pandemic and a potential no-deal Brexit is undermining confidence. Mike Hawes, the society's chief executive, says the overall outlook for the year is bleak. Car production in the UK has fallen to its lowest September level for a quarter of a century with just under 115-thousand cars rolling off production lines last month. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders says it’s because of uncertainty caused by the pandemic and a potential no-deal Brexit. The society’s Mike Hawes says the outlook for the year is bleak. Car production in the UK has fallen to its lowest September level for a quarter of a century / with just under 115-thousand cars rolling off production lines last month. // The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders / says it’s because of uncertainty caused by the pandemic / and a potential no-deal Brexit. // The society’s Mike Hawes / says the outlook for the year is bleak. == Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. </p
S1 E181 · Tue, June 29, 2021
0181 – Marking Up For… Phrases and Breaths
2021.06.30-0181 – Marking Up For… Phrases and Breaths Marking up for … phrases and breaths In copy written by someone else, full stops (or ‘periods’), commas and other punctuation (such as dashes and ellipses…) will, obviously, already have been included. They show the author’s intended or suggested way of reading, but don’t necessarily follow it to the letter (!). After all, the script is unlikely to have been written with you specifically in mind, so there is usually some leeway for you to read the script with your own ‘reading personality’, as long as you keep to the original message. Bear in mind that ‘the sentence’ is a grammatical construct: we don’t talk in ‘sentences’ per se, but rather in ‘thought-chunks’. That’s fine for a flowing conversation and perfect for a passionate podcast, but in many other ‘presentation situations’ a script is best. Sentences developed as a way to group thoughts together coherently on the page. Time spent writing means that thoughts (perhaps of someone other than the reader) can be marshalled, explanations considered, a story-arc summarised, perfect words chosen and target timings achieved … and possible stumbles and hesitations eliminated. The trick is to read the written word, while giving the impression of improvisation. == Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has
S1 E180 · Mon, June 28, 2021
0180 – ‘Marking Up A Script’ Tips
2021.06.29-0180 – ‘Marking Up A Script’ Tips Making annotations on your page will help you communicate your message. Normal punctuation will only get you so far, commas giving a basic idea of phrases within a sentence, and full stops showing you the end of a complete thought. To help you interpret copy to be read aloud, particularly for broadcast and particularly to make it sound ‘conversational’ [1] then you need to get out your pen and mark up some additional punctuation. Marking up a script will remind you how to ‘act’ naturally, in an artificial construct – in other words how to sound as though you are ad-libbing conversationally, when actually reading pre-considered, written words. Then later we will look at when and how to ‘ignore’ the guidelines, to sound more natural. But we have to know what the ‘rules’ are first. You will use a system of symbols on your script [2] , additional punctuation if you like, to show you how it should be read. There are no standard squiggles, you can develop your own, but it’s important to keep them simple and be consistent with how you use them so they aid rather than lead to on-air errors. [3] At first, marking up scripts will perhaps seem time-wasting tedium. But you’ll soon change that ‘first thought’ to ‘second nature’ and realise that doing it helps you become a better broadcaster-performer. But remember, making these marks are only a guide. You may read a script slightly differently from another person because you have brought your own experience and interpretation to it – and that’s why you have been hired. If you are working on a paper copy of a script, mark it with a pencil. Then if you decide to make a change, it’s easy to erase one mark and put it somewhere else in the copy. But do consider saving the planet and using an online ‘marker-upper’ instead, such as https://scriptation.com/ or these: https://clickup.com/blog/annotation-software/ [1] There’s a full section on ‘conversationality’ that is, reading a script with the ‘attitude’ of it being adlibbed, later in the book. [2] Of course, marking scripts can’t be done when you are reading from a screen! [3] You may want to use a coloured pen when marking a script, to better see your directions. This is particularly useful f
S1 E179 · Sun, June 27, 2021
0179 – If *You* Don’t Understand It…
2021.06.28-0179 – If *You* Don’t Understand It… It may be at this stage, or certainly after you have read the item a couple more times that those questions are still unanswered. It is rare to go on air and reading something that you do not understand yourself. You are the conduit of the content from say, a reporter or a copywriter to a listener. You have to understand the story or the message to be able to inject it with a tone of natural relevance. If questions are raised in your mind, then the same ones might be asked by the listener, and while they muse on that they will miss the tagline or the next item. Film star Johnny Johnson was involved in an ugly scene with fellow actor Dwayne Dawson outside a Hollywood restaurant today. Johnson called Dawson a has-been, and Dawson responded by casting doubt on Johnson’s parentage. He said he would sue. Who’s suing who? If you don’t know because of clumsy copywriting, how can you read with relevance and interpretive intonation? Spoken language was the first form of communication between human beings. It came long before written language and so reading is a strange concept. We are not naturally predisposed to looking at squiggly hieroglyphics on a sheet of dried wood-pulp, and interpreting them into sounds and meaning. To summarise: Do you understand what it is you are being asked to say? Your script is not a series of statements or phrases, they connect. You are not reading words off a page, you are trying to communicate a concept to people who are listening, using the words on the page. You have to read and understand it first, and tell people what you’ve just understood. If necessary, and if allowed (obviously not in a commercial situation, but likely possible in a newsroom) rewrite the script for clarity. Or rewrite it to fit your reading style – for example to avoid personally awkward words – and if they go all MC Hammer on you and say “can’t touch this”, then work with it. == Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voi
S1 E178 · Sat, June 26, 2021
0178 – Basic Script Analysis
2021.06.27-0178 – Basic Script Analysis You may think it’s easy to ‘read out loud’ from a script. But converting copy to authentic audio is a skill. After all it may not be written the way that you yourself would have written it, perhaps with different phrases, sentence length or rhythm. This is where we start to explore such issues. Now read it: · What is it about, its main theme or reason for being written? Does it make sense to you? You may naturally have questions rise in your mind from what you read such as “ why is that? ”, or “ how much does it cost? ” or “ does this have a logical flow…? Why not? ” · What is its ‘tone’, happy, sad, informational…? Does that tone change during the script? A commercial script for instance may start with a question or problem, and finish with a solution or resolution, in which case your ‘attitude’ needs to alter during the space of perhaps just a few seconds. · Look out for any tricky words or long sentences – or any other elements outlined in the previous chapter such as clumsy alliteration, sentence structure or unintentional jokes. Reading the script out loud will also help you spot awkward rhymes within phrases or repetitive syllables, constant consonants or personally problematic pronunciations: “ In India ”, “ The sixth thing ”, “ British soldiers ”, “ Sir Sean Connery ”, “ rural coronavirus restrictions ”, “ Chelsea scored two goals, Tottenham won”, “...and has facial injuries” may all look good on paper or screen, but their ability to tongue-trap or lead a listener astray, may not become apparent until they are read aloud. · Spot any typos and correct them now before they throw you while on air. Some people say spelling is irrelevant in broadcasting, but that is not strictly true. The listener may not know if the wurds are speld gud, but misspelled words can act like banana skins beneath unwary newsreaders and cause them to slide or stumble. And of course, many scripts are also used as the basis for a website story or social media post, so yes, get it right. I have worked in newsrooms where people have spelled words incorrectly or misused punctuation. “ Oh it doesn’t matter ,” they have said “ no-one’s going to see it ”. Well it does matter! Not only for professionalism, but also because the reader will see it and they shouldn’t have to alter content that should be correct in the first place. But more than that: if a news script is handed to them at the last minute and they have to read it ‘cold’, poor spelling or a misplaced apostrophe can alter the meaning of a piece. The reader’s mind may think the sentence is going in one direction, when it’s actually heading somewhere quite different and that can affect their intonation and overall presentation. == Audio recording script and show notes
S1 E177 · Fri, June 25, 2021
0177 – Marking Up A Script
2021.06.26-0177 – Marking Up A Script This is where we start to turn a bland page of text into something more resembling a musical score, giving us directions of how to say each word and phrase, in a polished and conversational style. If the script has been written by someone else, a one-second glance will tell you: · Whether it’s ‘easy on the eye’, broken up into sentences and paragraphs or whether it is one large speech block. When reading short news scripts with a bit of pace and punch, I prefer to have each sentence separated by a line-break so I can easily see where the next breath-opportunity is. When you consider that each sentence is usually a complete thought, this also helps in the interpretation and intonation. There is no ‘right or wrong way’ – but there is personal preference. · Whether there are any capitalisations or words in italics and so on. Don’t get hung up on what those words are just yet, just notice that they are there. They may be unusual words, or need a certain inflection and need a bit of attention later. · How long it is, but don’t get tied up with the specific duration at the moment. At this stage you will just get a feel of whether you have a 20-second read, or one of a few minutes’ duration. == Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-ho
S1 E176 · Thu, June 24, 2021
0176 - Writing A Script To Be Translated
2021.06.25-0176 - Writing A Script To Be Translated Writing a script that’s to be translated Foreign languages may be, literally, all Greek to you, in which case don’t rely on auto-translators. They’re increasingly accurate but they miss the nuance of a language, and you could end up being an ‘idiom idiot’. Instead hire a professional translator who’s not only studied that second language but also has ‘lived it’ and knows how it’s spoken in real life in that country – a native speaker perhaps. That way you will avoid literalisations – there are dozens of examples on the internet. Translation is different from localisation Translation is the basic conversion of a script from one language to another. Localisation involves customisation not only for everyday speech, but also for the specific target audience. Not all languages are structured grammatically like English, so customisation would consider linguistic nuances such as cultural conventions, how the ‘official’ language is spoken in that geographical region (or country – ‘Spanish Spanish’ is different from ‘Mexican Spanish’ for example, and that would also affect pronunciation), conversational turns of phrase and so on, but also the demographic of the audience. For example, is the commercial extoling the virtues of the new car to a family audience, a business person or a fleet buyer. The structure of a sentences may need to be changed depending on the social conventions of the target audience. The nuances used in your original, own-language script will be targeted correctly, but a literal translation may lead to rejection and possible reputational damage, so the more you’re able to literally and figuratively, “ speak their language ”, the more likely it is that you will succeed. == Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BB
S1 E175 · Wed, June 23, 2021
0175 – Your Written Direction
2021.06.24-0175 – Your Written Direction The written direction The script should match the content, and the audience, and the reader and their tone. Let’s go through that!: · The script should match the content – it would sound odd to have a script about a modern music festival with formal, business-like language – unless that was part of a deliberate creative · … because the target audience is likely to be young people who will better connect with the script if it’s written and presented in ‘their’ language and style. · … and the reader is also likely to be young … · and their tone, pace and projection will also fit with the content. And the punctuation of the script should also match those criteria. So if the direction for the presentation is calm and serious, but the punctuation is made up of several exclamation marks – then the reader will be trying to cope with confusing and conflicting commands. On any voiceover script there should be a comment by the writer how they see (or hear!) their copy being delivered: the kind of voice, the pace and ‘attitude’. == Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on
S1 E174 · Tue, June 22, 2021
0174 – Proof Reading
2021.06.23-0174 – Proof Reading Proof reading Done your script? Now proof read – read it out to test it out. Yes, if you or someone is going to read it out loud then that’s the process you have got to go through first – to hear it in your ears and not just your head. Check for the things we’ve been talking about: grammar, spelling and flow (so, the pace and the rhythm of the piece). Layout One of the skills you will need to develop is knowing how to work with scripts that are unhelpfully structured, too formal, badly or confusingly written or simply badly placed on the page? Really..?! Being greeted with a chunk of text is like being shouted at. It’s easier to mark up a script, and to read, if you can easily spot where sentences start and finish. It helps with basic things like breath control and intonation. White space is your friend, my friend! So consider basics like paragraphs rather than run-on sentences. Also, new sentences on new lines and double-spacing of lines and plenty of margins so the voice-over or presenter to make additional notes or changes. That will help them read more fluently, and so lead to better communication. All this will allow the reader to mark up the sentences into the different thoughts and ideas within it. == Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skil
S1 E173 · Mon, June 21, 2021
0173 – Unintended Scripted Jokes
2021.06.22-0173 – Unintended Scripted Jokes Unintended jokes Ambiguity offers the audience a rich source of humour at the newsreader’s expense. Orchestra musicians at the Royal Opera House are threatening to strike next week, if the management turn down a 10 per cent no-strings pay rise. Teams of traditional dancers from various parts of Kenya exposed themselves to world scouts’ delegates in a grand performance. About 50 students broke into the college, smashing glass and chanting, ‘No cuts, no cuts’. A porter had his hand injured. A good pre-read and rehearsal should help you spot these and other problem areas. With experience you will be able to sight-read by spotting these several words ahead of actually reading them, and to employ diversionary tactics! But it’s better if you check and rehearse … and mark-up your copy well before you read it on air. == Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ program
S1 E172 · Sun, June 20, 2021
0172 – Typo Tragedies
2021.06.21-0172 – Typo Tragedies Typos I was once left a story to read on-air “ A woman has died after falling from her house ” after a slapdash colleague had meant to write “ horse ”, but the first sentence looked entirely plausible at first glance. It wasn’t until the second line (“ the animal had to be put down ”) that the mistake became obvious (and I had to find the original source material to double-check that the “ animal ” was indeed a horse). = Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who m
S1 E171 · Sat, June 19, 2021
0171 – Sing-Song Scripts
2021.06.20-0171 – Sing-Song Scripts Sing-song scripts Sentences of varying length will help you avoid a sing-song rhythm and incorrect intonation (with the emphasis on the repetition of a beat rather than where it’s meant). That means that longer sentences like this one, are often made up of a series of phrases which can be subtly read as a ‘unit’, as long as the correct intonation is kept. Read this story and see if you can spot a problem. A fire has torn through a factory in Manchester. Thirty firefighters were sent to the scene this morning. It broke out on Henderson Driveway at one am. Police say one person has been reported missing. Each sentence has exactly the same number of syllables, 13. That will make it difficult to read in anything but a repetitive sing-song voice, with a push on the final word every time. Better to re-write it to vary the sentence length and structure. In fact as I was writing this book I spotted another great example: At least ten police cars are outside Marks & Spencer in Walton on Thames tonight. The force says it's trying to work out what happened there this afternoon. Police tape is up on Church Street and forensic officers are on the scene. Unconfirmed reports say two air ambulances were called out. Surrey police are promising to issue an update as soon as possible. == Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalis
S1 E170 · Fri, June 18, 2021
0170 – Similarly Spelt Words
2021.06.19-0170 – Similarly Spelt Words It may be that the writer has incorrectly spelled a word, or that you know from your own experience that your eye-to-mouth co-ordination on some words always catches you out. I am always worried about reading “was arrested by an uninformed police officer” rather than “a uniformed police officer” (or something similar) because I have ‘word-blindness’ when it comes to those two similar spellings. Here are some more to watch out for, and maybe highlight on your script if you think they could cause a problem: •“though” and “through” •“trial” and “trail” •“us” and “U.S” • “naturist” and “naturalist” •“county” and “country” Some of these can be re-written on a script: “tho” and “thru”; “uni-formed” and “unin-formed” and so on. == Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and
S1 E169 · Thu, June 17, 2021
0169 – Rhyme Time
2021.06.18-0169 – Rhyme Time Rhyme-time These are invariably unintended and are only realised when a script comes to be read aloud: Mr Grimes said at the time he didn’t mind the fine, Defence Counsel Simon Gee said the jury had to set the men free on their not guilty plea. One defendant, a stocky Croatian, yelled no justice was done in this nation. For disturbance in court, the judge said he ought to serve six further months on probation. == Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who m
S1 E168 · Wed, June 16, 2021
0168 – Can I Quote You?
2021.06.17-0168 – Can I Quote You? Quote marks It is rare that you will have a direct quote in a script, news or otherwise, but if you do, it indicates that the words must not be changed. That’s usually for a legal reason: He said he had “absolutely and categorically” no knowledge of the attack on his colleague. Or to distance yourself the reader personally from the words you are about to say: And called the judge “a complete cow”. A quote may be in a script to make the line more dramatic or ironic than it would be had you used ‘reported speech’. Compare how you might say these two almost-identical sentences: He told the court he hadn’t been in the bar at the time, and was at home “watching the season finale of Queer Eye”. And He told the court he hadn’t been in the bar at the time, and had been at home watching the season finale of Queer Eye. == Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as di
S1 E167 · Tue, June 15, 2021
0167 – Problematic Punctuations
2021.06.16-0167 – Problematic Punctuations Punctuation A good script should be properly punctuated… to be read aloud! So that may not stick strictly accurately to the grammar and structure were taught at school, but whatever works to help the reader make sense of the sentence, where to place inflection or where to pause. All the dots and dashes are there for a reason: to help the reader read correctly so they can better communicate with their audience. Commas Not only do commas indicate a slight pause, and a full stop/period a longer one, but they also help marshal groups of words to create order and avoid misunderstanding. Woman without her man is nothing. Some scriptwriters even mark their copy with the actual word “(PAUSE)” to show where the reader needs to take a second. Also make sure that your punctuation matches the tone of the content. So if it’s a calm and collected, smooth and aloof script, then filling it with CAPITALS or exclamations!!! – will create a cacophony of dichotomy in the mind of the reader. The words’ meaning and how they’re being directed in the reading, will be confusing and conflicting. == Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. </p
S1 E166 · Mon, June 14, 2021
0166 - Problematic Pronunciations
2021.06.15-0166 – Problematic Pronunciations Pronunciations Check any word of phrase you are not familiar with, or with which you just know you will trip up over: · The engineering company Thales is actually pronounced ‘tar-les’ and not ‘thayles’ · The word bombardier is ‘bom-ber-DEER’, but when it refers to the French locomotive company it is ‘bom-BARDY-AY’ · A colleague once referred to the city of Middlesbrough as ‘middles-BRUFF’ rather than ‘middles-BURRA’. It may be that you can omit the word or name (at least until you have checked it out), if it doesn’t alter the sense of the story: “ The Prime Minister’s aide, Gugulethu Mseleku, said that …” simply becomes “ the Prime Minister’s aide said that …” We all have words that we personally find undue difficulty in getting right. My bêtes noires include: · “ rural ” (those two r-sounds so close together) · the worry of starting to say “ country ” and realising it should be “ county ” and ending up with the rude hybrid. So if you have similar script-traps, watch out for them, change them if you can, and if you can’t, highlight them in a script so there’s extra concentration with their pronunciation. It is often best if you can, to put any potentially awkward word at the start of a sentence rather than the end. Doing this gives you a beat’s pause to mentally rehearse it: a stumble at the end of the sentence may disrupt your flow more obviously. If in doubt, and the word cannot be avoided, say it with conviction – and then go and check what it should have been! == Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship p
S1 E165 · Sun, June 13, 2021
0165 – Initially Speaking
2021.06.14-0165 – Initially Speaking Initialisations Beware of initials of organisations that are said as individual letters: · The RMT Union · The BBC And initials which are said as words (acronyms) · NICE, NATO, AIDS And abbreviations which make no obvious logical sense, but we know how to say them, almost instinctively. It would look odd to see “ missus ” in a script rather than “ Mrs ” for example! There are also initials which may look as though they are a word! So put a full-stop, or hyphen between letters said as acronyms for example U.S for ‘United States’, so you read it as U.S and not ‘us’! Acronyms could also be written actually as words, so save confusion · Nice, Nato, Aids... And here’s an odd one, but it’s caught out a colleague. The country, the Democratic Republic of The Congo, is often written as ‘DR Congo’. You usually need to say “ The Democratic Republic of The Congo ” and not, as he did “ Doctor Congo …” == Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with for
S1 E164 · Sat, June 12, 2021
0164 – (Talking In Parenthesis)
Brackets / parenthesis In broadcast scripts, words or phrases in brackets are usually not to be read out loud: · A direction to a presenter “(TURN TO CAMERA 1)”, (READ WITH PASSION”) · Additional information “(Source: Metropolitan Police)” · A guide to pronunciation “ Henry St John-Stevens (pron: SIN’jn stevens) says it’s a great opportunity .” Words in brackets are usually omitted from automatic timings of a script or show. == Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a sugge
S1 E163 · Fri, June 11, 2021
0163 – All About Alliteration
0163 – All About Alliteration A little alliteration (try saying that out loud!) may occasionally be acceptable, but sometimes several similar sounds spoken aloud sound stupid, while a series of superfluous hissing s and c sounds sound senselessly sibilant. == Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021 Peter Stewart Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voic
S1 E162 · Thu, June 10, 2021
0162 – How To Say ‘100’
0162 – How To Say ‘100’ A copywriter once showed me a script: “ This bed is now only 126.99 that’s down by 259.06! ” And said: “If it’s the price you’re selling it’s ‘a hundred and 26-99’, not ‘one-hundred’, because ‘a-hundred’ sounds cheaper than ‘one-hundred’... And if it’s the saving you want to promote, say ‘one-hundred’ because it sounds bigger.” == Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We lo
S1 E161 · Wed, June 09, 2021
0161 – Cut The Number Of Numbers
0161 – Cut The Number Of Numbers “ The current estimate of £200m is around £50m lower than this time last year ” “ The current estimate of 200-million pounds is around 50-million lower than this time last year ”. England opener Dom Sibley says he should have scored five Test centuries and is "greedy" for "more big runs" in the final two Tests against Pakistan. The 24-year-old former Surrey man averages 39.50 with the bat for his country and has scored two hundreds in 10 Tests since making his debut in November 2019. He made 8 and 36 in the first test and ahead of today's start of the second test admits international cricket is a big learning curve. == Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training f
S1 E160 · Tue, June 08, 2021
0160 – Put The Best Word On The Beat
0160 – Put The Best Word On The Beat “The mood between the Prime Minister and the President as gone from bad to worse today, because of the new trade war.” “Police say the body of a man has been found in the remains of city hall that caught fire at the weekend”. “ With radio … people tend to listen with half an ear. So… the first few words of a news item may easily slip by unnoticed. Avoid putting key words right at the beginning .” “ Broadcast Journalism ” Routledge https://www.amazon.co.uk/Broadcast-Journalism-Peter-Stewart/dp/1138886033 == Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advi
S1 E159 · Mon, June 07, 2021
0159 – Where To Put The Word You Want To Emphasise
0159 – Where To Put The Word You Want To Emphasise As Mervin Block and Joe Durso say [1] , such a construction creates tension and interest. In the English language it’s what we do in conversation: “I’m going into town to buy some new red shoes” “because I want to buy some new red shoes, I am going into town” “I’m going in to town because some new red shoes is what I want to buy”. “The proper place in the sentence for the word or group of words that the author desires to make most prominent is usually the end…[and that principle] applies equally to the words of a sentence”. "I said to the gym teacher: 'Can you teach me to do the splits?' He said: 'How flexible are you?' I said: 'I can't make Tuesdays.'" I also referred to: “ Writing News for TV and Radio ”, Bonus Books, 1998 == Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview
S1 E158 · Sun, June 06, 2021
0158 - Cut Clichés And Keep Familiar Words
0158 - Cut Clichés And Keep Familiar Words Shakespeare often made fun of pompous speech. “ An honest tale speeds best being plainly told .” (Richard III) And when the first English dictionary was published in 1604 (“ A Table Alphabeticall of Hard Usual English Wordes ”) its compiler Robert Cawdrey appealed for plain language: “ Some men seek so far for outlandish English, that they forget altogether their mother’s language, so that if some of their mothers were alive, they were not able to tell, or understand what they say, and yet these fine English Clearks, will say they speak in their mother tongue; but one might well charge them, for counterfeyting the Kings English.” [1] [1] " The Listenability of Consumer- Information Phone Scripts ", William H. DuBay 2007 http://www.impact-information.com/impactinfo/Listenability.pdf == Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Pet
S1 E157 · Sat, June 05, 2021
0157 - Say Who Says Something, Before Saying What They Said
0157 - Say Who Says Something, Before Saying What They Said “It’s the best new podcast mic that has been released in 10 years… that’s what newpodcastmics.com said in a recent review…”. “ Newpodcastmics.com said in a recent review that it’s the best new podcast mic that’s been released in 10 years…” “My YouTube videos are showing growth signs” “My YouTube videos are showing signs of growth”. == Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It
S1 E156 · Fri, June 04, 2021
0156 – Don’t Use An Introductory Phrase Or Clause
0156 – Don’t Use An Introductory Phrase Or Clause “So I can rise up the Apple podcast charts, I’m going to ask you to leave a review” “I’m going to ask you to leave a review so I can rise up the Apple podcast charts” . “In this video you will discover how to make at home – and with only three ingredients and a few minutes in a microwave, and it’ll taste unbelievably great – a chocolate cake in a mug”. “In this video you will discover how to make at home a chocolate cake in a mug. It only has three ingredients, takes a few minutes in a microwave, and it’ll taste unbelievably great.” == Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training
S1 E155 · Thu, June 03, 2021
0155 – Keep Words Short And Relatable
0155 – Keep W ords Short And Relatable As well as keeping sentences short, keep words short. Most people use short words when they talk in ‘real life’, so if you’re trying to emulate this style then think of doing the same. Clarity is the key, without resorting to baby talk. If you’re used to saying, and people are used to hearing words such as phone, TV, fridge and plane , then why start using telephone, television, refrigerator and aeroplane ? == Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing
S1 E154 · Wed, June 02, 2021
0154 – The Easy-Listening Formula
0154 – The Easy-Listening Formula American broadcaster Irving E. Fang researched what makes broadcast copy easy or difficult to understand. He devised the Easy Listening Formula , which is based on the length of words in a sentence. The idea is to add up all the syllables in a sentence, then subtract from that the number of words. If the final score is higher than 20, the sentence contains too many long and abstract words that would make it hard to understand, and it should be cut down. == Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressure
S1 E153 · Tue, June 01, 2021
0153 – Multi-Syllable Sentences
0153 – Multi-Syllable Sentences The Schools Minister Nick Gibb says allowing students in England to use their mock exam results is an extra safety net for a small group of pupils. This follows a decision by the Scottish government to reinstate grades estimated by teachers because of the complaints that a calibration method had unfairly impacted on disadvantaged students. Nick Gibb said the changes to the system in England would help address this. == Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love acc
S1 E152 · Mon, May 31, 2021
0152 – Keep Sentences Short
0152 – Keep Sentences Short “I have invited her onto the podcast this week in order for you to be able to literally hear for yourself the changes she’s in the process of making” becomes “I’ve invited her so you can you to hear the changes she’s making”. “Scientific advisers to the government have calculated that a short so-called ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown over the October half-term break could save thousands of lives” becomes “Scientific advisers to the government say a short lockdown over October half-term could save thousands of lives” == Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their
S1 E151 · Sun, May 30, 2021
0151 – Length Is Not Important
0151 – Length Is Not Important One problem is often that people write the same way they used to write essays at school or university, or are too used to writing in a business setting – reports, and presentations and so on. Another is that they write to be read with the eye, not read with the mouth. Put those two factors together and you have scripts, whether for news or voiceovers, which are often unwieldly and overwritten, too formal and too formulaic. So don’t write to be read, talk to write… to be spoken . Or to put it another way, instead of writing to talk. Talk to write: say it out loud as you commit it to the screen. And always ask yourself “would I really actually say that?” And that includes contractions: “It has been announced that those who have not been given the vaccination will not be able to visit restaurants.” == Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read
S1 E150 · Sat, May 29, 2021
0150 – When We Write For The Eye And Not The Ear
0150 – When We Write For The Eye And Not The Ear Here are some of the scripts I refer to in today's episode: The new three-tier system for coronavirus restrictions has come into force in England. We are used to hearing information in conversations in a certain pattern – a rhythm and a structure. Therefore, scripts should mimic that style if we are to read them aloud with ‘conversational conviction’. In short: write the way you talk. So, let’s help you, with my copy about ‘copy’, that you can copy. == Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone sh
S1 E149 · Fri, May 28, 2021
0149 – If A Script Is Easily Understood By The Reader, It’s More Easily Understood By The Listener
0149 – If A Script Is Easily Understood By The Reader, It’s More Easily Understood By The Listener Big-buck, big-brand broadcasting businesses have brilliant creatives and productions. But there’s also elearning, internal videos, podcasts. And with calls for more voices, the scripts come from more sources, and that’s where problems creep in. A bit like everyone thinks they are a photographer because they’ve got a camera on their phone, or can be a voice-over because they’ve been talking since they were a toddler… a lot of people think they can write a script because, well, they’ve been writing since kindergarten. If the script is easier for you or someone else to understand, then it will be easier for them to vocally explain it to someone else, with the correct intonation, pace, pause, projection … and a variety of all of those. It’ll help them communicate . Sometimes a script is awkward to read, because it’s poorly written. That sounds very judgmental, but occasionally it’s not just the rhythm that is incorrect, or the length of a sentence, or too many awkward words, but the actual structure of the sentence. It may be that it looks OK on paper, but when you come to read it… it’s not ‘good to go’, because it just doesn’t flow. == Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has pre
S1 E148 · Thu, May 27, 2021
0148 - Why A Good Script Can Help Your Presentation
0148 – Why A Good Script Can Help Your Presentation So, why is a good script important in helping you get a better voice?: It will be clearly laid out Sentence structure will be clear The sentences will be short-to-medium There will be an understanding of rhythm in the sentences For voice-over scripts, they will have clear ‘production direction’ Any awkward words will be clearly signposted and explained And many more! And yet, a lot of scripts are simply ‘not great’! == Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion t
S1 E147 · Wed, May 26, 2021
0147 – How Better Writing Leads To Better Reading
0147 – How Better Writing Leads To Better Reading How a script is written can make a huge difference to how you read it. So first we’ll look at preparing your own script, and then we’ll look at how to mark-up someone else’s and how to identify what you need to inflect and why, where you need to pause and so on. Not every presentation needs to have a specific word-for-word script. Obviously a signed-off commercial campaign needs to have one, so too a news bulletin or documentary voice over: partly for fluency, legalities, timing and so on. But if you are presenting a webinar, or radio show or YouTube channel you may feel more comfortable adlibbing around a page of notes, or working with more basic bullet points, and we’ll discuss those skills later. == Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice
S1 E146 · Tue, May 25, 2021
0146 – How To Say Acronyms, Dates, Numbers and Scores
0146 – How To Say Acronyms, Dates, Numbers and Scores Acronyms Acronyms are sometimes spelt out and sometimes read as words. There is AEE union, the Association of Engineering Employee (“ A-double-E ”), but then again there is the teaching group “ BECTU ” (“BECK-too”) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is more commonly known as ‘AIDS’, the office of president is ‘POTUS’. Dates In most parts of the world, the format is day > month > year, but in the US it’s month > day > year, so the 5th of March 2021 becomes March 5th 2021. (There’s often the omission of the “ of ” too, you note.) And the year > month > day format is used in other countries such as Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hungary, Lithuania and Iran. [1] In some countries and cultures you might say 2019 as “ twenty-19 ”, in other countries it might be “ 2-thousand 19 ” or “ 2-thousand AND 19 ”. If you haven’t been told specifically, and the script is recorded, then provided alternatives. Numbers and phone numbers First of all, as far as English-speaking countries go, in the US, saying “ zero ” is more common than in the UK where “ oh ” is how you say the ‘the number before one’. And different countries have different ways to say phone numbers. Although “ triple seven ”, “ seven seven seven ”, “ seven seventy-seven ”, “ double-seven seven ” or “ seven double-seven ” may be a matter of personal taste (although a brand may prefer their number is said in a specific and constant style), the groupings of numbers may differ. So the number 07747123456 may be broken up into different smaller groups of digits depending on local practice. (“12 34 56” or “123 456” for example.) Sports scores Reading scores for a sport that you’re not familiar with? How do you say: · In tennis: 15-0, or 2-4, 4-2 · The football/soccer score: 0-0 [2] · What about the results of a sailing regatta [3] , cricket match, Australia Rules football, American Football, bowling, darts or a golf tournament? All have their peculiarities. [4] [1] https://brilliantmaps.com/how-to-write-the-date-in-different-countries/ <a href="about:blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"
S1 E145 · Mon, May 24, 2021
0145 – Word Blindness
0145 – Word Blindness We all have words with which we have ‘blocks’ when it comes how to say them. This may be because of a fear of pronouncing them incorrectly and looking daft or because you simply find them awkward to say. In the first category, there’s where you put the stress in the word ‘laboratory’ (it’s not the same as in ‘lavatory’ – which I’m always fearful of doing). There’s an obvious fear of mixing up the initial syllable of ‘country’ when you mean to say ‘county’, and there can be spoonerisms [1] with the title of the group in a county in the southeast of England who used hounds to track foxes, which went by the name of “ The West Kent Hunt ” [2] , and the name of the former British cabinet minister Jeremy Hunt [3] . In the second, and in 2020 it was often a mouthful to say “ coronavirus restrictions ” and I try and avoid saying the word ‘rural if I can change it in a script. [1] A spoonerism is an error in speech in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched between two words in a phrase. Spoonerisms are named after the Reverend William Archibald Spooner (1844–1930), Warden of New College, Oxford, who was notoriously prone to this mistake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoonerism [2] This BBC radio presenter made the error though (CAUTION ADVISED): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzXJfkJbrT4 [3] These BBC presenters made the error though (CAUTION ADVISED): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWbYid8-nyA and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRd9rMCM_MA = Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021.</p
S1 E144 · Sun, May 23, 2021
0144 - How To Make A Word Easier To Say
0144 – How To Make A Word Easier To Say Writing a pronunciation phonetically One of the easiest ways to write a word phonetically is to break it down into syllables, clearly indicating any inflection and run-on sounds, for example aluminium is written as al-you-MINNY’m’ – with the run-on indicated at the end of the word with the ‘m. Be careful if you write that a word “ rhymes with …”, as in doing so you may be presuming to know how their accent pronounces that other word! Let’s take the name of ‘Peter Bough’. It’d be pointless to write: ‘Bough’ (rhymes with ‘bow’) . Err, hold on, is that ‘bow’ as is ‘bow of a ship’ (or ‘bough of a tree’), or ‘bow’ as in ‘tie a bow’? Actually, it might be ‘bough’ as in ‘buff’. Be careful to use ‘k’ for a hard ‘c’ sound, to differentiate it from the soft ‘c’ sound. As you will note from those examples, CAPITALISE parts of the word which need to be lifted or emphasised, so ‘Westminster Abbey’ is ‘west-MIN-ster’ and not ‘west-min-ster’ or ‘WEST-MIN-STER’) where all the syllables are equally emphasised == Through these around-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC region
S1 E143 · Sat, May 22, 2021
0143 – Saying An Awkward Name Is Not A Game
0143 – Saying An Awkward Name Is Not A Game People’s names Like places, these can often be awkward to pronounce: are Smith and Smyth said the same way, or is that second one ‘smithe’? What about Cholmondeley (actually pronounced ‘chum-ly’), or the surname Death (which is often said as Dee-ATH). “Eyewitness John Montmorency (pron: MONT-mor- ENSY) says at least a dozen police vehicles are at the scene…” The acclaimed British actress Julie Hesmondhalgh has such an unusual name, her IMDB page tells people how to pronounce it:. [1] [1] https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0381420/bio == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. If you're wondering about how to start a podcast, or have had one for a while - download every episode! And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted
S1 E142 · Fri, May 21, 2021
0142 – The BBC’s Official Pronunciation Test - The Answers
0142 – The BBC’s Official Pronunciation Test See how accurately you would have read this script, I’ve borrowed from one of the BBC’s online training courses: “Police in Fife say they’ve seized heroin worth £30 million in a raid on a house in the Kirkcaldy [1] area. Other officers are searching a barn near Kingussie [2] where a 27-year-old man was arrested earlier today. More arrests have been made at Machynlleth [3] and Pwllheli [4] in Wales, Puncknowle [5] in Dorset, Ansty [6] in West Sussex and at Maghaberry [7] in Northern Ireland.” [1] kur-KOD-i [2] king-OO-see [3] muh-KUN-luth [4] pu-THELLY [5] punnle [6] ANN-sty [7] m’GAH-bree == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and prod
S1 E141 · Thu, May 20, 2021
0141 – The BBC’s Official Pronunciation Test
0141 – The BBC’s Official Pronunciation Test See how accurately you would have read this script, I’ve borrowed from one of the BBC’s online training courses: “Police in Fife say they’ve seized heroin worth £30 million in a raid on a house in the Kirkcaldy area. Other officers are searching a barn near Kingussie where a 27-year-old man was arrested earlier today. More arrests have been made at Machynlleth and Pwllheli in Wales, Puncknowle in Dorset, Ansty in West Sussex and at Maghaberry in Northern Ireland.” Pronunciations, tomorrow! == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, an
S1 E140 · Thu, May 20, 2021
0140 – Quirky Ways Of Saying A Word
0140 – Quirky Ways Of Saying A Word Local and regional pronunciations As far as local pronunciations go, any regional TV or radio station should have a written guide (and perhaps an audio one as well) to unusual names and places in their area, thereby reducing the possibility of newbies falling headlong into pronunciation bear-traps and taking the station’s credibility with them. Listeners may not care (or know) if you mispronounce the name of the city of Vienna in Georgia, USA (it’s ‘vye-enna’) if it’s not in their neighbourhood, but they will if you call your local town of Leigh as ‘lee’ rather than ‘lie’. Getting the name of a place wrong, especially one in your own area or your own country (the UK places of Bicester is ‘BIS-ter’ and Towcester is ‘TOE-ster’), insults your listeners as well as damages the station’s credibility and your own. Never assume that you know how something is said. Check it out and get it right. It is much less embarrassing to be wrong in front of two or three colleagues in the newsroom when you ask for advice, than in front of several thousand listeners on air. (Although who’s to say that your colleagues are correct with their pronunciation...?) Once you have found how to say a word, say it several times to give your eye > brain > articulators an opportunity to work out the workflow. == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills
S1 E139 · Tue, May 18, 2021
0139 – Pronouncing Foreign Words
0139 – Pronouncing Foreign Words Foreign names Foreign names can be quite awkward to come across, but with the increasingly global village, they are much more likely to appear. A produced commercial script should have been past so many people to sign it off, that a pronunciation is supplied. If it’s not, perhaps in the case of a news story, a call to native speaker of that language (or maybe the country’s embassy or consulate) might be helpful. Alternatively, there may be some occasions where you can omit the name of a foreign dignitary and use their title only. As the last resort, if you are not sure, take a deep breath, say the word confidently as well as you can and carry on. If it really is unusual, the listener probably knows no better. Of course, the question could be asked, why you had not spotted the name before going to the studio! Take the first chance you get to check it out. A basic although not infallible rule of thumb (certainly before you have a chance to get a definitive guide) is to Anglicise a pronunciation: say it with your accent rather than that of a native speaker. Therefore, it is ‘PA-riss’, rather than as a French woman might say, ‘per-REE’. Sweden is not ‘SHVAY-d’n’ and so on. Watch out for the classic pitfalls of Tanzania (‘tan-zn-EAR’ – not ‘tan-ZAY-nia’, to rhyme with ‘Albania’), and Arkansas (‘AR-kn-sor’ – not ‘ar-KAN-sas’, as in, well, ‘Kansas’). [1] Having said that (I said it was only a rule of thumb!) many foreign words have entered the English language, some of which we do say how a native might. We pronounce ‘parfait’, ‘par-fay’ whereas an Anglicised version might actually make sense as ‘par-fayt’. (Well, George Bernard Shaw is quoted as saying the UK and US were “ two counties divided by a common language ”…) Or there could be ‘local’ pronunciations from different countries which might confuse you: Football manager Jose Mourinho’s first name is pronounced the Portuguese way (‘josay’), not as many thought when he first came to prominence, as the Spanish do (‘hosay’). [1] CAUTION ADVISED: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNKn5ykP9PU == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND V
S1 E138 · Mon, May 17, 2021
0138 – Pronunciation Guides
0138 – Pronunciation Guides Pronunciation guides Pronunciation guides are available online: use a reliable one such as ‘ The Oxford BBC Guide to Pronunciation’ [1] . For BBC staff, the Corporation has its own Pronunciation Unit whose staff are on hand to answer questions especially on newly-emerging names. For that of a foreign politician who is suddenly in the news, the experts are able to quickly carry out brief research of person, their country of origin and language to see what the ‘root’ of their name is, as well as see whether that person has ever explained how they prefer their name to be pronounced (is Jose Smyth, a “ ho-say smith ” or a “ jo-zay smythe ”, or any other combination?). The Unit will then call their colleague back to pronounce the name down the phone, as well as sending them a written guide (such as this, below) for future reference. [1] Available on Amazon etc ‘ The Oxford BBC Guide to Pronunciation ’ is, according to its blurb, “ the ideal source for finding out how to pronounce controversial or difficult words and names. Expert guidance is given on how to pronounce 15,000+ difficult words and names, using both the International Phonetic Alphabet and simpler respelled pronunciations ”. == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skill
S1 E137 · Sun, May 16, 2021
0137 – Misheard Words
0137 – Misheard Words Communication confusion A particular problem in clear communication may occur for your listener if they mishear one word for another which could make sense – but have a very different meaning. Depending on your accent: “Can” may sound like “can’t” – “The president said he can/can’t support the bombing” “Facial” is very similar to “fatal” – “The driver received facial/fatal injuries” “Million” can sound similar to “billion” – “… will cost seven million/billion pounds” == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dia
S1 E136 · Sat, May 15, 2021
0136 – Why English Is Such A Tough Language To Learn
0136 – Why English Is Such A Tough Language To Learn VOICE BOX Our Strange Lingo [1] The Chaos I take it you already know Of tough and bough and cough and dough? Others may stumble, but not you, On hiccough, thorough, lough and through? Well done! And now you wish, perhaps, To learn of less familiar traps? Beware of heard, a dreadful word That looks like beard and sounds like bird, And dead: it's said like bed, not bead— For goodness sake don't call it deed! Watch out for meat and great and threat (They rhyme with suite and straight and debt). A moth is not a moth in mother, Nor both in bother, broth in brother, And here is not a match for there Nor dear and fear for bear and pear, And then there's dose and rose and lose — Just look them up - and goose and choose, And cork and work and card and ward, And font and front and word and sword, And do and go and thwart and cart — Come, come, I've hardly made a start! A dreadful language? Man alive! I'd mastered it when I was five! [1] Quoted by Vivian Cook and Melvin Bragg 2004, by Richard Krogh, in D Bolinger & D A Sears, “ Aspects of Language ”, 1981, and in “ Spelling Progress Bulletin ” March 1961. Attributed to T S Watt, 1954. “ Brush up on your English with Hints on Pronunciation for visiting Foreigners ”, from The Manchester Guardian. http://spellingsociety.org/uploaded_misc/poems-online-misc.pdf == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broa
S1 E135 · Fri, May 14, 2021
0135 – Pismronunciation Errors
0135 – Pismronunciation Errors Some speaking errors may be because of a lack of understanding of the language (maybe if English is a second language), not having seen it written down, or having seen it but not heard it. [1] [1] A colleague once pronounced the English city Middlesbrough as ‘ middles-BRUF ’ as they’d never heard it said before (it’s ‘ MIDDLES-brer ’). == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we
S1 E134 · Thu, May 13, 2021
0134 – “Where’s My Demmyster?”
0134 – “Where’s My Demmyster?” PRONUNCIATION You may have superb articulation, with every twist of the tongue and every placement of the palate and location of the lips perfect in every way, but how you say an individual, specific word is incorrect. [1] Pronunciation is linked with articulation, but also includes the subtleties of the light and shade of stress and intonation within a word (which we’ll help you with in a later chapter). And as we will see, better pronunciation is also affected by your ability to read and understand what a script is about. A mispronounced word can be embarrassing. It can make you look stupid (even if you are far from it) and you and the business you work for may lose credibility and listeners or viewers. I’m sure we all have a friend who we silently (or perhaps openly!) laugh at because they always mispronounce a word. Perhaps we even deliberately start a conversational topic in the hope that they will say it. I was once on a marketing course where the presenter, a late-middle aged man, kept referring to the car-maker ‘pyoo-zho’. [2] When I was a young child, a teacher with our class of 8-year olds, asked us where on a car the ‘demmy-ster’ was. [3] There are many examples. [4] Speaking as a witness to the first two examples, I can vouch that the credibility of both of those people suffered a bit of a dent as they were unable to realise their mistake. [1] ‘ Pronunciation ’ is how a individual person might say a single word. ‘ Accent ’ is more the style of pronunciation of almost all words. [2] You may know the company better as Peugeot – more commonly pronounced at ‘PER-zho’. [3] If you haven’t got it yet, the teacher had mispronounced the word she was reading, which was actually de-mister. [4] Ee-moo?! NPR’s ‘absurd’ pronunciation starts new emu war in Australia dlvr.it/RfDCnP == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes
S1 E133 · Wed, May 12, 2021
0133 – Verbal Fluidity
0133 – Verbal Fluidity Verbal fluidity A little fluidity in your speech sounds more melodic than the almost-stuttering caused by giving stress to very single letter, down to, literally, the last ‘t’. The Prime Minister said she wanted to go ahead, but we don’t know the President’s response. You would be unlikely to sound the ‘ m ’ in “ Prime ” as doing so would cause a stop between that sound and the following sound, also an ‘ m ’. So, run them on to say “ priminister ”, but not “ pry minister ”. One is ‘articulatory fluidity’ the other is ‘articulatory sloppiness’. You are likely to sound the ‘t’ in “ wanted” for intonational reasons (it seems as though this is new and important information, and careful pronunciation helps to highlight its significance), but “ but ” and “ don’t ” are likely to lose their specific ‘ t ’ sounds. These deliberate ‘slurs’ of some sounds and misses of others (‘elision’), helps smooth and speed the flow of syllables. The way we speak and what is ‘acceptable’ and understandable has changed over the decades: sounds have become looser and the style more informal. But the main thing to remember again is that if you want to communicate or to appear credible, you need to be understandable. == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter ha
S1 E132 · Tue, May 11, 2021
0132 – Diction For Communication
0132 – Diction For Communication Diction for communication Times and expectations change, so exacting and over-clear clarity of every single syllable is usually unnecessary. It can make you sound at best old-fashioned and at worst pedantically petulant. Heck, even the Queen has changed how she speaks! [1] , [2] So even though there are few calls nowadays for a cut-glass pronunciation such as Celia Johnson in the 1945 film “ Brief Encounter ” [3] , appropriate diction is still important for successful communication. How often do you hear of “ N/A chess ”, “ hoe-moaners ” and “ pea-stalks ”? [4] What about when the amount of money spent on the London Underground is cut and we are told that the “ investment on the chewb has been re-juiced ”? And what day comes after Monday? Is it, as you often hear, “ Choose-day ”? Some people may insist that you pronounce a word ‘super-correctly’ but it’ll be up to you or a studio director or producer to decide whether you have been sloppy or simply moved with the times if you say “ FEB-you-ree ” rather than “ FEB-roo-arry ”. I’d personally go with the former, although I do wince when I hear “ kloze ” for “ clothes ” and “ nooz ” for “ nyooze ”. It’s also the case that some people don’t fully pronounce the k in “ asked ” so rather than “ arse-k-t ” it comes out more as “ arsed ”! == [1] https://www.english.com/blog/queens-english/ [2] A fascinating article on how American English has altered since WW2, especially amongst broadcasters: https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2015/06/that-weirdo-announcer-voice-accent-where-it-came-from-and-why-it-went-away/395141/ [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E79g3robJWw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oEw--3QdXM <a href="about:blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"
S1 E131 · Mon, May 10, 2021
0131 – The Voice Over Wannabe Who Faked His Audition Tape
0131 – The Voice Over Wannabe Who Faked His Audition Tape “I’ve been chewing a lot of gum, and I’ve only found one with an all-day flavour … pop it in your mouth in the morning and it’ll be pepperminty right through til nightime. The name? ‘Five Gum’ – find it in a cool black pack. Five Gum – for all day flavour.” == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcast is London-based an
S1 E130 · Sun, May 09, 2021
0130 – Overcoming Articulation Issues
0130 – Overcoming Articulation Issues Some articulation issues may be because of a physical problem with the tongue or palate. Winston Churchill, actors James Stewart, Julia Roberts, Bruce Willis, and James Earl Jones, and singer Carly Simon all had similar problems which they overcame. [1] Whether it’s rhotacism (unusual pronunciation of the letter r, or too much emphasis on this sound), a lisp (the sound produced when s and z are pronounced like a soft ‘th’ sound), stutter (repeating sounds frequently when attempting to pronounce them), or cluttering (running words together rapidly), you can usually overcome them and reach your goals with the help of a good therapist, time and concentration. Or use it to your advantage (such as the UK TV and radio personality, Jonathan Ross). Once again, how you sound is unique to you, and adds to the rich texture of conversational sounds. How awful if we all spoke the same way with no nuance. But you personally may feel that you may be better understood or accepted if you lose some of the sharp corners of how you speak… or indeed may want to add some of these ‘diction tricks’ into your style to give more colour or characterisation, or when acting on stage or in an ebook narration, or when speaking to a certain audience. [1] Famous people and speech differences: http://tinyurl.com/msfw53 == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “Jour
S1 E129 · Sat, May 08, 2021
0129 – More Of The Most Common Articulation Alterations
0129 – More Of The Most Common Articulation Alterations Distortions – either in vowels or consonants, sometimes down to a regional accent Omissions (or deletions) – when certain sounds are not included Syllable errors - weak syllables are left out of the pronunciation == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This podcas
S1 E128 · Fri, May 07, 2021
0128 – Some Of The Most Common Articulation Alterations
0128 – Some Of The Most Common Articulation Alterations Here then, are some of the most common ‘sound-alterations’ to ‘standard English’ articulation. Substitutions - Swapping sounds (or, when reading, ‘letters’) for other sounds Additions - Including extra sounds, where they don’t exist Affectations – ‘putting on’ a pronunciation because of a misplaced sense of ‘coolness’ or ‘authority’, and sometimes those pronunciations becoming recognised new words or spellings. == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware tha
S1 E127 · Thu, May 06, 2021
0127 – The US Waitress Who Didn’t Understand My UK Accent
0127 – The US Waitress Who Didn’t Understand My UK Accent VOICE BOX It is well acknowledged that we often adapt our diction or pronunciation to fit in with those around us. If you’ve ever spent time in another country or another area of your own you may have started to speak in a similar way to those who were born and raised there. A friend of mine who moved to the north of England speaks with a southern accent until she talks about the bathroom, when ‘barth’ is replaced with ‘bath’ with a much shorter vowel. Most of us may change diction or pronunciation even just for a few minutes or hours, to fit in with a social group. The way you speak to a manager may differ from how you speak with your friends in a bar. And on other occasions you may have to put on a fake pronunciation to be understood. When in a restaurant in the U.S, a waitress asked me if I’d like a pre-meal drink. I asked for water in my ‘BBC-English’ accent. She didn’t understand and asked me again, and then a third time before I realised what the problem was. When I deliberately pronounced it “ wah-ler ”, she understood… Research commissioned by Santander in 2020 found that nearly half (46 per cent) of people questioned admitted they changed their voice to make themselves sound more well-spoken. 30 per cent of people changed their voice on the phone because they wanted to sound intelligent, and over a quarter (28 per cent) just wanted to make themselves sound posher. For just under one fifth (17 per cent) it does not seem to be much of a choice as their regional accent comes through more on the phone and over one in 10 admit their voice changes depending on who they are speaking to. Brits seem to be putting on their phone voice for anyone and everyone, including strangers (18 per cent), clients (16 per cent) and even work colleagues (12 per cent). Although over a fifth automatically do it if they answer a number they do not recognise. When it came to best celebrity voice, David Attenborough was voted the favourite, closely followed by Joanna Lumley and then Idris Elba. Scots are the people most likely to change their voice on the phone to others with 46 per cent of Aberdeen residents admitting to doing this, closely followed by Brummies (45 per cent). People in Sheffield seem happiest with their normal accent, as 60 per cent say they do not change the voice when they are on the phone. People in Norwich feel the pressure to sound intelligent the most, as 52 per cent of people here who change their voice admit that’s their intention, whereas the lovely people of Sheffield feel proudest of their roots as 21 per cent say they try to sound more local on the phone. The research also revealed that 46 per cent of people use their fingerprint to access banking and payment
S1 E126 · Wed, May 05, 2021
0126 – Don’t Be A Dick With Your Diction
0126 – Don’t Be A Dick With Your Diction DICTION If ‘articulation’ is the process of moving the jaw, tongue, lips and palate to produce different sounds, ‘diction’ is the use of those different ‘packets of sound’ to create understandable words. Don’t be a dick with your diction Again, as I have said several times, I’m not saying you must or should change the way you speak, I’m just putting these ideas out there to be of some help if you want to change. And remember it doesn’t really matter how you sound, as long as your target audience understands your ‘message on the mic’, and ideally acts upon it. That is, what you say and how you say it causes them to, say, trust you, buy from you, or be moved by you. Some mis-articulations are because of a physical impairment. It is not the role of this book to advise on issues such as dental work, a cleft palate, nasal issues, stroke recovery and so on, and for those issues you should obviously consult an appropriate medical professional, such as a speech or ENT specialist. Now we know how to form individual sounds, we need to combine them to create recognisable word s and with them build sentences so we can communicate. It should also be said that deviations from what has in the past been referred to as ‘proper’ or ‘standard’ English are now properly recognised as accents often reflecting someone’s culture, heritage, age and upbringing. It is certainly not the point of this book to rule on how you should speak, but to give advice on achieving that ‘standard’ sound, should you so wish. It can also help, as I’ve said before, to know more about the area in which you are hoping to make a living or a successful hobby. It’s a bit like armchair chefs who read cookery books, or those who read about car mechanics: you may not intend to make every recipe or strip an engine down – but it’s useful to know what’s going on under the bonnet / hood all the same. Remember, when we use our voice it is in anticipation of communication, to entertain, inform or persuade. If the receiver doesn’t understand the message you are trying to deliver, or that message is ‘scrambled’ because of their preconceptions they make about you because of how you sound, then you have been unsuccessful. That may be their fault rather than yours, but it’s still unsuccessful communication. == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random
S1 E125 · Tue, May 04, 2021
0125 – Ten More Great Accent Tips
0125 – Ten More Great Accent Tips Some other accent tips · Vocal fillers of other languages may also be important · You have to have a good ear… and a good mouth · Listen to authentic, native speakers, speaking in an English accent · That a character’s voice is more than just their accent · Just focus on one accent at a time · Practice and get confidence by using your newly-learnt accent on people who don’t know your real one Some more resources: · “ How To Do Accents ” by Jan Haydn Rowles and Edda Sharpe · “ Accents and Dialects for Stage and Screen ” by Paul Meier · “ The Accent Kit ” app (iOS and Android) · “ The Real Accent ” app (iOS and Android) == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultan
S1 E124 · Mon, May 03, 2021
0124 – Accents Are Not Just How A Word Sounds
0124 – Accents Are Not Just How A Word Sounds Accents are not just how the words sound All accents have a character. Think of a soft projection of highland Scottish, a harsher New-Yorker, the slow drawl of someone from a southern U.S state, the almost operatic excitability of an Italian speaker. Of course, everyone is different but there are ‘cultural averages’ and is partly to do with the melody or song of the accent. Italian has one kind of melody and ‘bounce’, German has another, so you can’t change the sound of the vowels and consonants… but still speak with the same rhythm and emphasis as your native language. The whole flow has to change. You may get an idea of how the words move, if you move. Watching the behaviour of people speaking in their native tongue: their body language, posture and overall ‘attitude’ to get a literal feel of the language. == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal im
S1 E123 · Sun, May 02, 2021
0123 – How A Rat Can Help You Learn A New Accent
0123 – How A Rat Can Help You Learn A New Accent Unsurprisingly, you can learn other accents via mimicry: simply listening and accurately repeating how a native speaker speaks, including the subtle nuances. And there are some resources to help you do that. There are several short texts (including “ Arthur The Rat ”, “ Comma Gets A Cure ” and “ The Rainbow Passage” ) which are contain all of the phonetic constructs in the English language – every consonant and vowel structure, and when one sound moves into another. The stories are used for example by speech therapists when they are analysing a patient and the word formations that they may have difficulty in saying. And they have also been recorded by differently-accented people around the word to create a huge database of various voices which you can listen to and learn from. Go to https://www.alt-usage-english.org/audio_archive.html and https://www.dialectsarchive.com/dialects-accents to choose a story, and an accent, male or female, and age that’s appropriate to the character that you will be playing, and mimic the sounds as you follow the texts. So for example you can hear a middle aged German man read about Arthur The Rat, in English with a German accent. It’s a great resource and hopefully avoids you creating a fake, stereotypical or offensive caricature-type accent. == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “Jo
S1 E122 · Sat, May 01, 2021
0122 – How Different Languages Have Different Pitches
0122 – How Different Languages Have Different Pitches VOICE BOX Language experts [1] say that our speech is made up of a huge number of frequencies – base tones and overtones. It’s claimed that every language has a different range, for example British English moves between 2,000 and 12,000 Hz and French much less so between 125 and to 2,000 Hz and Russian between a wide 125 to 12,000 Hz. It’s thought that a new-born baby can recognise the entire range of human speech sounds, but by around eight months it starts to narrow that range to its native language or languages. Some linguists say the critical period for picking up a language completely fluently is at around six years old, others believe the cut-off period is in the teens. By adulthood it is almost impossible to pick up a new language without some trace of an accent. This is partly because their brain can no longer hear the entire range of frequencies, or pitch, that make up the ‘new’ language and so their mouth can’t reproduce the right sound. [1] “ Can technology help you lose an accent?” https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20190506-this-technology-could-help-you-lose-your-accent?ocid=twwl == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio
S1 E121 · Fri, April 30, 2021
0121 – Learning Accents
0121 – Learning Accents Learning accents We looked at vowels and consonants earlier and how they are formed, and it’s true to say that accents are usually down to how you sound the vowels. Yes, consonants are sometimes pronounced differently from your native tongue, but they are much more likely to be the same. There are vowel sounds in some languages that do not exist in standard English. So it’s not a matter of making the same sound but in different situations, you have to first perfect a whole new sound if you want to emulate say Chinese or some African languages. Other languages as we saw earlier have sounds that are much more like English, although where you place your tongue or use your larynx and to what degree will be different. Although an ‘American’ will sound more similar to a Canadian or Australian, think how different a native speaker of French or German sounds. So it’s not just down to the accent, but the native language itself. There are some places that will help you create these different mouth movements and sound structures: · https://www.internationalphoneticassociation.org/IPAcharts/inter_chart_2018/IPA_2018.html - will play you the different sounds and how to mimic them by the placement of your tongue or palate and so on · https://seeingspeech.ac.uk/ipa-charts/ - shows you an x-ray of what happens in your mouth as you make these sounds == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on
S1 E120 · Thu, April 29, 2021
0120 – Speaking’s Most Important Body Part
0120 – Speaking’s Most Important Body Part What is the most important part of the human body when it comes to speaking? Arguably the ears: we need to be able to hear sounds and process them before we can reproduce them. And similarly, we all adapt to be able to process different people’s voices. So, scientists say, it is amazing that even though my vocal anatomy is different from yours, if we met we would both be able to hear and understand each other. We are able to calibrate our brains to process the different sounds. == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how w
S1 E119 · Wed, April 28, 2021
0119 – The ‘Global Accent’
0119 – The ‘Global Accent’ A global accent With around 2 billion speakers (either as a first or second language), English is the most understood language in the world. Spread by traders, invaders and slave owners, explorers, teachers and preachers through the printed word and, literally, the word of mouth, it’s now mostly learnt via American TV and films (rather than, unfortunately, through the culture of its motherland). It is though the language of entertainment, information and business. It is therefore understandable that many international businesses require an international voice for their brand. Audi, Airbus, Renault and Samsung have adopted English as their official language of business across countries, and other companies use it on corporate commercials or internal elearning. Enter the ‘global accent’. This is an ambiguous, amalgamated, amorphous accent that combines characteristics of the major English-speaking dialects, and not immediately recognisable as being any single one. The aim is for it to be easily understood by as many people as possible. It’s sometimes called a ‘neutral English’ accent, or a ‘General American’ (or ‘GenAm’) accent. [1] Many voice directors believe such an accent from ‘anywhere’ is accepted by ‘everyone’ in multiple markets; others that an all-encompassing accent reduces regional relevance. [1] It’s also the accent often needed by those hired to teach English as a second language in a school abroad. = Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of book
S1 E118 · Tue, April 27, 2021
0118 – How Advertisers Use Accents To Sell Us Stuff
0118 – How Advertisers Use Accents To Sell Us Stuff VOICE BOX Marketers know exactly how to manipulate our feeling towards different accents. Call-centre switchboards are so sophisticated that they often route calls from different geographical locations or from customers with specific enquiries, to operatives with certain accents. So a bank customer from Alabama might get an adviser with a similar Southern accent, even though the call centre may be at the other end of the country. That’s if they are after a loan and the bank wants to appear friendly and helpful. If they’ve defaulted then a staff member with an accent that’s perceived as more aggressive, perhaps one from New York, may handle the call. A study in the UK [1] found some people, for example in Manchester, like hearing adverts in their own accent, while in cities such as Bristol or Birmingham they prefer voice-overs who speak with a south-east England accent. The 15 most trustworthy accents in the UK: https://www.countryliving.com/uk/news/a34435560/most-trustworthy-accent-uk/ The effects of accents on trustworthiness and overall credibility. (Video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSp9ghRymgk&feature=youtu.be 1943: Should a woman or even a Yorkshireman be allowed to read the BBC news? No chance... https://twitter.com/BBCArchive/status/997887608330928128 and https://twitter.com/BBCArchive/status/998506068669059072 [1] https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/may/13/birmingham-bristol-accents-advertising-government == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more
S1 E117 · Mon, April 26, 2021
0117 – Voice Morphing
0117 – Voice Morphing Voice morphing There’s is nothing wrong in having two or more speaking styles: a ‘personal voice’ and a ‘professional voice’. Linguists refer to ‘style shifting’: a kind of chameleon camouflage in which we unconsciously or deliberately alter our speaking style depending on who we are talking with and factors such as our perception of the relative social class of us and them, and what we want from the interaction. We all do it all of the time: one to use with friends [1] , one for talking with our parents (or our friends’ parents [2] ), one with colleagues, one on air and so on. This ‘voice morphing’ may include more of your parents’ accent when home for the weekend, a higher tone when talking to strangers, a softer voice when at the doctor’s surgery. It’s ‘dressing up’ the voice: a tie for formal occasions and jeans for the familiar. And with each voice you are telling your listener a different message. So it may be that you wish to consider to toning-down or limiting your natural, heritage-rich accent while broadcasting, but it be exotically exuberant, ‘loud, proud and personal’ in other situations. The overarching consideration should always be, will the audience (whether on broadcast or social media or the stage) understand what you are saying? Will you be able to clearly communicate? Is the diction appropriate for the project and the audience? Only interfere with your natural speaking style if it is a barrier to the understanding of your message. On the radio of course there are no ‘second chances’ to hear something again if words aren’t immediately understandable. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJmqCKtJnxM [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gZCoQ0NNg4 = Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: <a href="https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart" rel="noopener noreferrer" t
S1 E116 · Sun, April 25, 2021
0116 – The Story Of Bailey And The Beach
0116 – The Story Of Bailey And The Beach Bailey was brought up in New Zealand and so spoke English with that fantastic accent. She was a great newsreader and applied for a job at a radio station in the south-east of England. The news editor didn’t mind the slightly different inflection, Bailey was perfectly understandable and her slight accent added a certain point of difference to the sound of the station. Just because her vowels in ‘short e’ words like ‘dress’ or ‘bed’ sounded more like an ‘i’ (and gave ‘driss’ and ‘bid’) was no reason to deny her a job: the context of any story would clear up any momentary confusion on behalf of a listener. That was until the bulletin one day included the item: “Now let me tell you of a really dirty beach in our area. Police were even called this weekend because of what some partygoers were getting up to. And now the council’s threatening to close the beach down. This report from Johnny Johnson…” Your accent may be your ‘trademark’, part of your on-air persona, but if it is heavy it may cause a problem for you. Ethically, that may be their problem , but professionally it could be yours . == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as divers
S1 E115 · Sat, April 24, 2021
0115 – How An Accent May Make Or Break Your Career
0115 – How An Accent May Make Or Break Your Career If you are working for a regional radio or tv station then having a pronounced accent from outside that area may cause you problems, particularly if it’s from the ‘wrong side of the river’ in a neighbouring state or an area with whom there’s some historical, sporting or religious antipathy. [1] Presenters with an accent from a foreign country may have an added problem, certainly for broadcast stations who will want to reflect their listeners. Would your delivery sit well in a show on a classical music station, a rock or country station? What about a youth chart-based station or news and documentary station? Or one in another country? Of course, a station programmer may decide to break the audience’s expectations and go with a well-spoken Brit on a New York-based rock station, but it’s unlikely… Of course, pan-global broadcasters on podcasters and YouTube don’t have such concerns of geographical borders and sensibilities. [1] In some situations, it may be an advantage to have an accent that comes from an area well away from the region in which you are broadcasting. So a Scottish accent (forgive the generalisation – there is obviously more than one!), in Surrey, south east England for example. == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel
S1 E114 · Fri, April 23, 2021
0114 – The Accent That Killed
0114 – The Accent That Killed When the Tribe of Gilead defeated the Ephraimites in The Bible, they used accent as a means of identifying surviving Ephraimites trying to escape. People were asked to say the Hebrew word " Shibboleth ", which means ‘stream’. People from Gilead pronounced it with a ‘sh’ sound, whereas Ephraimites did not, so anyone who said " Sibboleth " was killed on the spot. According to the Old Testament 42,000 people failed the test. [1] [1] Non-native English speakers can have problems with certain words and sounds. A common mistake made by French people is pronouncing the word "focus" as "fuc-us". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0D_IyB_39s == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vo
S1 E113 · Thu, April 22, 2021
0113 – All About Accents
0113 – All About Accents ACCENTS Accents are wonderful things. None of us think we have one, but we all do! They are what helps make us who we are, reflecting our family history, heritage and where we grew up. They are the product of the dominant speech patterns of those around us, picked up almost by osmosis, as to fit in to a group. We emulate or mimic the sounds from the community and culture around us, including from TV and movies. Accents are wonderful [1] … as long as the people you want to communicate to, can understand you. As I said before, if they don’t like your accent or don’t understand you (or in some cases don’t want to understand you… [2] ) that may be their problem rather than yours, but if it means you don’t get as much work, you may consider softening it a bit. The reality is that a thick accent can hamper work prospects, and research [3] shows that employers still favour standard versions of British and American accents over non-native accents for more prestigious or “higher status” jobs. [1] Tennis player Alexander Zverev loves this reporter's Yorkshire accent https://www.theguardian.com/sport/video/2018/may/31/i-didnt-understand-a-word-alexander-zverev-loves-reporters-yorkshire-accent-video [2] From 02:41 CAUTION ADVISED: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMDg4oVAR8E [3] http://www.journals.aiac.org.au/index.php/IJALEL/article/view/1020 == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: <a href="https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart" re
S1 E112 · Wed, April 21, 2021
0112 – Six Tongue Exercises – Including The One You Won’t Be Able To Resist Trying
0112 – Six Tongue Exercises – Including The One You Won’t Be Able To Resist Trying VOCAL YOGA - Peter’s PT for the tongue These exercises stretch your tongue, releasing tongue root tension to give you a more resonant voice and gain fine control and make the most of the tongue’s ability and agility. · Stick your tongue out (sorry mum!) Curl it back to touch your chin, then up towards your nose, then left and right. Do this action three times. Then combine all four points in a circle your touch with the tip of your tongue, first in a clockwise direction three times, and then in an anticlockwise direction. · Take the phrase “ here you are ”. Open your mouth and place the tip of your tongue behind your bottom front teeth. Say the phrase several times and feel how your soft palate opens up, and there’s a wave effect across the middle of your tongue. · We all need to get to know ‘Lady Luck’. Say her name a few times, really extenuating the l’s with your tongue curled right back. · OK now let’s bootcamp the back of the tongue with the help of my friend Inga. With the tip of your tongue behind your bottom front teeth, say her name several times. · Clean your teeth with your tongue. Really stretch your tongue to the back teeth, then work it around your mouth across the front of all of your teeth and then across the back. And my favourite exercise to give your tongue a warm-up and a work-out: · (listen to the episode to find out!) == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio
S1 E111 · Tue, April 20, 2021
0111 - Face Yoga
0111 - Face Yoga VOCAL YOGA - Peter’s PT for the face Pull a face! - Make an exaggerated expression and then release, and express again. The Lion – a scary face, baring your teeth and angry eyes The Clown – full and bright, with your mouth wide open The Lemon Eater – tight and acidic == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? This
S1 E110 · Mon, April 19, 2021
0110 – Getting’ Lippy With It! Pucker Up For Some ‘Lip PT’
0110 – Getting’ Lippy With It! Pucker Up For Some ‘Lip PT’ VOCAL YOGA - Peter’s PT for the lips · Humming – yes something as easy and straightforward as this can help loosen your lips and free up your facial muscles ready for a voice session. · Lips trills – like humming this is an opportunity to wake up your resonators especially after a night’s sleep. Simply make a shiver-type noise that a child would as they push a toy car around (‘ brrrrrrr ’). You may need the power of quite a bit of air behind to get your lips trilling, and then see if you can swoop up and down with your notes. · Ask the question “ Who’s he ?” in an exaggerated way, putting the lips forward on OOO-sound and then stretching them into a Joker-type grin for the EEE-sound. Do this several times. · Remember the song “ Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo ” from the Disney film Cinderella? [1] Say the title three times quickly. Then add in some more sounds: Bibbidi Bobbidi Babbidi Bebbidi Boo – again three times. Then Bibbidi Bobbidi Babbidi Bebbidi Bubbidi Boo … [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJy8kdNNrvI == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation
S1 E109 · Sun, April 18, 2021
0109 – Morgan Freeman’s Favourite Voice Exercise
0109 – Morgan Freeman’s Favourite Voice Exercise VOCAL YOGA - Peter’s PT for your throat · Here’s how to reduce tension in the back of your mouth and throat, and create a better resonance in your voice. You will notice that when you say ‘car car car’, the back of your tongue touches the roof of your mouth. Now say ‘ga ga ga’ and the tongue moves down a bit. And when you pronounce ‘ha ha ha’ it clears away completely to allow a breathier sound. Take a breath and repeat the ‘car’ sound until you are comfortably out of air. Repeat this five times and then do the same workout with the ‘ga’ and ‘ha’ sounds. · A simple yawn can also work wonders: you naturally drop your jaw, extend your soft palate and bring in oxygen, the ‘wake-me-up drug’. Actor Morgan Freeman says “If you’re looking to improve the sound of your voice, yawn a lot. It relaxes your throat muscles. It relaxes your vocal cords. And as soon as they relax, the tone drops. The lower your voice is, the better you sound.” [1] · Better still is the ‘yawn-sigh’ when you open your mouth as if to yawn, then slide through your vocal range from pip-squeak to a rumble-grumble. The advice is to only do this a few times and never at the start of the day or the start of a warm up exercise. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFxKt1sexVc == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on
S1 E108 · Sat, April 17, 2021
0108 – Tension-Busting Jaw Exercises
0108 – Tension-Busting Jaw Exercises VOCAL YOGA – Peter’s PT for the jaw · Beware of clenched teeth which may be a sign of stress. The most relaxed position for your jaw is with the teeth slightly apart. Open your mouth slightly and carefully move your lower jaw from side to side. Do this slowly and gently and just six times a side. · Be like a cow chewing cud. Pretend to do this, or loosen your jaw by chewing gum or a toffee before you go on air or start a shift. As this will increase saliva production, finish your sweet about half an hour before the mic goes live! == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pre
S1 E107 · Fri, April 16, 2021
0107 – The 1941 ‘Radio Announcer’s Test’ To Help With Speaking Skills
0107 – The 1941 ‘Radio Announcer’s Test’ To Help With Speaking Skills The Radio Announcers Test [1] This was created by Radio Central New York in 1941 to test new announcers’ speaking skills. It covers a variety of vowel and consonant sounds and you can either say it line-by-line, in just one breath without sounding rushed or out of breath, or read line 1, then 1 and 2, then 1,2 and 3 and so on. Potential staff would be graded for clarity, enunciation, diction, tonality and expressiveness. · One hen · Two ducks · Three squawking geese · Four Limerick oysters · Five corpulent porpoises · Six pairs of Don Alverzo's tweezers · Seven thousand Macedonians in full battle array · Eight brass monkeys from the ancient sacred crypts of Egypt · Nine apathetic, sympathetic, diabetic old men on roller skates, with a marked propensity towards procrastination and sloth · Ten lyrical, spherical, diabolical denizens of the deep who all stall around the corner of the quo of the quay of the quivery, all at the same time. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Announcer%27s_test or a similar one for those more familiar with classical music: https://slippedisc.com/2014/11/the-mike-nichols-tripwire-test-for-classical-radio-presenters/ == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained new
S1 E106 · Thu, April 15, 2021
0106 – Our Amazing and Unique Alphabetised Exaggerated Articulation Exercises
0106 – Our Amazing and Unique Alphabetised Exaggerated Articulation Exercises VOCAL YOGA – Peter’s PT for Articulation Traditional tongue twisters are great to warm up your mouth and to help increase your clarity and overall oral muscularity, because despite their name they also help you develop the better use of your jaw, lips and soft palate too. Our Amazing And Unique Alphabetised Exaggerated Articulation Exercises Start slowly and carefully. Make sure the start and end of each word is crisp, then repeat the phrase, getting faster and faster while maintaining clarity. If you trip over words, stop and start again. · Andrea and Andrew ate eight acid apples accidentally · Betty Botter bought some butter, but she said “the butter’s bitter. If I put it in my batter, it will make my batter bitter. But a bit of better butter will make my batter better”. So ‘twas better Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter · Cheryl's chilly cheap chip shop sells Cheryl's cheap chips · Do drop two dozen double damask dinner napkins in at the Dewdrop Inn · Eight eager eagles and eighteen elegant elephants · Five flippant French friends fly from France for phones for Frank · Granny's grey goose Gus daily grazes on grapes · Harry Hunt hunts heavy hairy hares. Does Harry Hunt hunt heavy hairy hares? If Harry Hunt hunts heavy hairy hares, where are the heavy hairy hares Harry Hunt hunts? · I see the icy eyes of Isis · James just jostled Jean gently as Jack the jailbird jacked a jeep · Kiss her quick, kiss her quicker, kiss her quickest! · Lovely lemon liniment · Many an anemone sees an enemy anemone · You know New York, you need New York, you know you need unique New York · Awful Oliver Oglethorpe ogled an oily owl and an oily oyster. · Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked? · The queen's quack's clipboard contained quick questions. · Raise Ray and Ruth's red roof across the rugged road · Susie works in a shoeshine shop. Where she shines, she sits, and where she sits she shines · Terry Teeter, a tea-total teeter-totter teacher, taught her daughter Tara to teeter-totter. But Tara Teeter didn't teeter-totter as Terry Teeter taught her · An undertaker undertook to undertake an undertaking. The undertaking that the undertaker undertook was the hardest undertaking the undertaker ever undertook to undertake · Valuable Vincent vowed vengeance very vehemently · I wish to wash my Irish wristwatch · X-ray checks clear chests
S1 E105 · Wed, April 14, 2021
0105 – Mouth Clicks And Audio Processing
0105 – Mouth Clicks And Audio Processing Mouth clicks and audio processing What is audio processing? After sound is recorded it often goes through a professionally post-production process. This obviously won’t happen if you are going live to say YouTube/Zoom from your phone or laptop, but will happen if you are live or recorded from a professional studio, or if your home studio has a processer as part of the audio chain between the mic and the output (for example, if the sound goes through a good quality mixer, or maybe in the DAW, Digital Audio Workstation, recording program). During this process and so it can be mixed with other audio elements, compression is applied to the audio. This ‘normalises’ the levels of the sound, making the loudest parts quieter and so reducing the overall volume of the entire recording. The audio producer then increases the volume of the recording to the correct level, but this has the effect of emphasising mouth clicks. Therefore, it’s important to try and eliminate them at the earliest stage of the whole workflow. You can edit mouth clicks from a recording, but this is time-consuming and of course won’t help you in a live presentation. == Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as w
S1 E104 · Tue, April 13, 2021
0104 – Cutting Mouth Clicks By Balancing Proximity, Projection And Levels
0104 – Cutting Mouth Clicks By Balancing Proximity, Projection And Levels So the closer you are to the mic when you speak, the softer your voice will be and the input level on that mic channel will be tweaked to achieve appropriate recording level. If you get close and shout then the input level will need to be low to avoid distortion on the playback of the recording. If you move away from the mic and also drop the loudness of your script, then the mic input level will need to be increased. You can see there has to be an optimum level between all three variables. Bearing that in mind, if you get close and whisper you need to turn up the input levels and that will mean that the comparative levels between your speech and mouth noises are similar; if you are further away and speaking louder and the levels are reduced then the difference in volume between mouth-noise and speaking volume is greater and so they are less likely to be heard. In short: greater distance + greater volume = less mouth noise, and if you simply move away from the mic, yes the sound of the click will be quieter, so will the overall voice. So the level has to be increased and you’re back to square one! Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interv
S1 E103 · Mon, April 12, 2021
0103 – Mouth Clicks And Mic Technique
0103 – Mouth Clicks And Mic Technique Mouth clicks and mic technique Whatever the cause, being too close to the microphone will certainly accentuate clicks. It stands to reason, if someone whispers in your ear you are far more likely to hear their tongue, cheeks and lips at work making those word-formations. This could be sensuous in some circumstances but, maybe not when you’re trying to understand an ad, notice the news or follow a thought leader. How your voice is picked up by the microphone is down to three different variables: · Proximity – how close you are to the mic · Projection – how loudly you are speaking · Levels – the input control on that mic. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast
S1 E102 · Sun, April 11, 2021
0102 – Kissing When Speaking: The ‘Lip Smack’ Sound
0102 – Kissing When Speaking: The ‘Lip Smack’ Sound Subconcious vocalisation Finally (although you may be able to think of some more), distracting and unnecessary non-verbal sounds may be the subconscious ‘kiss-sound’ as someone vocalises an in-breathe a split-second before talking. As this often happens in a news-reading situation just before a new story, and because the sound can also sound like a ‘tut’, it could be mistaken for a comment on the item that’s just finished, so impartial broadcasters should be particularly aware of this habit. (In my training sessions I play an example of a broadcaster on a national TV channel who lip-smacks like this before the start of virtually every sentence…) Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. <br
S1 E101 · Sat, April 10, 2021
0101 – Two More Reasons Our Mouth Clicks And Pops
0101 – Two More Reasons Our Mouth Clicks And Pops Mouth-shape pops and clicks We are of course all made slightly differently, and there’s a million varieties in the shape, size and position of all our ‘bits to help us broadcast’ – it’s why we all sound a bit different from each other. So some people will inevitably suffer more from ‘mouth noises’ than others. That may be a click in the jaw (as we just saw), or pops caused by bubbles in your mouth as saliva is caught between, for example, your cheek and jaw… because we’re all made a bit differently. Clicks caused by mouth changes Alterations to the structure of the mouth or its furniture (the teeth and tongue) can also cause unexpected extra sounds. It stands to reason: you were used to managing your mouth muscles in a certain way and now, well, there’s something extra in the way. That may mean the tongue has to move differently, which in turn could create a different and more awkward flow of saliva, which gets caught up in a different place in your mouth and so on. So I’m talking about ‘self-inflicted’ changes such as a tongue piercing, or maybe new or missing teeth, poorly fitting dentures, and also illness, injury or surgery. Again, any unexpected extra oral sounds should be investigated by a doctor in case there’s something going on that you can’t see or feel at this stage. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-hous
S1 E100 · Fri, April 09, 2021
0100 – Clicks From Your Jaw
0100 – Clicks From Your Jaw Tension clicks So far, we have talked about the mouth and throat, but there may also be clicks from tension caused in your jaw. Inevitably, physical and psychological relaxation techniques work well to dissipate this tension, but if you often hear your jaw popping or clicking, it can be a sign of TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorder. This is to do with the your ‘jaw joints’ and can lead to pain or stiffness in your jaw, face, neck, shoulders, or frequent headaches. (again, you see how everything is interconnected...?) It may be caused by misalignment, possibly caused by grinding your teeth (itself a sign of tension). Again, a medical professional will be able to advise further. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to
S1 E99 · Thu, April 08, 2021
0099 – The ‘Glottal Choke’ Mouth Noise
0099 – The ‘Glottal Choke’ Mouth Noise Nervous glottal choke This is nervous tension at the back of the throat which stops you speaking naturally and you can simply stop mid-way through a word, often on a glottal ‘k-sound’, and it’s almost like a small choke. It’s something I have experienced a few times when presenting on stage, and as I say, have put it down to tension. A sip of water can trigger the ‘swallow reflex’ and ‘reset the throat’, otherwise, a hard swallow. As this kind of situation is probably initially at least, rather more mental than physical, ‘tension-busting’ techniques would have helped before-hand and then in the moment, putting the incident out of one’s mind so as not to affect the rest of the presentation. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The
S1 E98 · Wed, April 07, 2021
0098 – Sidebar on Saliva: What Actually Is It?
0098 – Sidebar on Saliva: What Actually Is It? The mouth has saliva – 99 percent water and a variety of electrolytes, including sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate, and phosphates. We make about three pints of it a day. [1] Saliva helps you taste, makes it easier to chew and swallow and washes away food particles. Its enzymes aids digestion and helps prevent tooth decay by neutralizing acids. [1] https://www.thejpd.org/article/S0022-3913(01)54032-9/fulltext#:~:text=Saliva%20is%20composed%20of%20a,such%20as%20urea%20and%20ammonia Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant
S1 E97 · Tue, April 06, 2021
0097 – ‘Wet Mouth’ Sounds: Causes and Solutions
0097 – ‘Wet Mouth’ Sounds: Causes and Solutions ‘Too much hydration’ related mouth smacks – caused by over-salivating It’s odd that our old ‘foe’ tension can cause too little or too much saliva to be produced. As well as helping to lubricate our tongue for its speaking role, we also produce saliva to help chew and swallow food. So, if you eat soon before you speak on air, your saliva glands still might be overly stimulated. Similarly, if you’re on-air and anticipating eating soon after the show ends, you may experience some limited ‘drooling’. This is usually overcome by swallow-reflex kicking in to get rid of the saliva, but that’s all rather awkward if you have to present, and end up swallowing rather than script reading. Extra tension can be overcome with our good friend ‘deep breathing’ and the other techniques we’ve been through before, to calm your nerves. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal
S1 E96 · Mon, April 05, 2021
0096 – Why You Should Take ‘Dry Mouth’ Super Seriously
0096 – Why You Should Take ‘Dry Mouth’ Super Seriously A dry mouth may actually be caused by xerostomia, when the glands in your mouth simply don't make enough saliva. This could be because of: Medications Aging Cancer therapy Legal and illegal drugs And – diabetes and stroke and of course snoring and breathing with your mouth open! Signs to spot: Dryness or stickiness in your mouth Thick and stringy saliva Bad breath Difficulty chewing, speaking and swallowing Sore throat and hoarseness Grooved tongue A changed sense of taste If you've noticed dry mouth symptoms over a while, make an appointment with your doctor. If your mouth is very dry, it can become a ‘holiday haven’ for bacteria leading to gum disease and tooth decay, and so it may also be worth talking to your dentist as well. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast
S1 E95 · Sun, April 04, 2021
0095 – Stopping Hydration-Related Mouth Clicks In The Studio
0095 – Stopping Hydration-Related Mouth Clicks In The Studio During the recording: · Don’t guzzle lots of water · Wash the water around the mouth before swallowing it · Eat green apple slices or sip fresh pineapple juice · Trick yourself into producing more saliva · Wear headphones And after a recording: · Considering running your audio through a processing program Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicating your message, so it i
S1 E94 · Sat, April 03, 2021
0094 – How To Stop Hydration-Related Mouth Clicks From Happening
0094 – How To Stop Hydration-Related Mouth Clicks From Happening Reducing hydration-related mouth clicks and smacks Leave the scary mouth noises to the monsters you may be animating, by doing as many of these as you can before you go into a live or recording studio: · Being well hydrated – as ‘horse’ goes with ‘cart’, ‘air’ goes with ‘water’! Yes, H20: the articulator lubricator! · Brushing your teeth - think of it like cleaning your instrument, to freshen up and get rid of the sticky stuff · Warming up – which goes together with… · Reducing your nerves – preparing yourself physically and mentally will help reduce any ‘saliva-stopping tension’ Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to
S1 E93 · Fri, April 02, 2021
0093 – Hydration-related Mouth Clicks
0093 – Hydration-related Mouth Clicks 1. Hydration-related mouth clicks We’ve all been in a situation in a studio, where we’ve needed some water for vocal lubrication. Indeed, it’s literally called ‘drying up’, when your mouth is as dry as the Sahara, your cheeks are like sandpaper and you’ve a tongue like a Ryvita crispbread. Pops, clicks and smacks are the usually the result of poor hydration and lubrication, and the effect of thick and sticky saliva on the tongue and teeth as you speak. The mucus is sticker and stringier than it should be – a bit like the stretchy strands of mozzarella when you slice a pizza. Another food analogy: some say it’s like speaking with peanut butter in your mouth. It feels horrid in your mouth, and sounds horrid to you in your own headphones, and to a producer or studio director and the listener at home, in the same way as it’s unpleasant to hear someone chew their food. In short, it’s very embarrassing and usually entirely avoidable. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has
S1 E92 · Thu, April 01, 2021
0092 – The Seven Kinds Of Extra Weird Mouth Noises
0092 – The Seven Kinds Of Extra Weird Mouth Noises MOUTH NOISES These are the pops, clicks and smacks that can be heard as someone speaks. They may be amplified by a microphone and audio processing [1] to such a degree it can sound as though you’ve been eating Rice Krispies, or gargling with space dust. [2] The seven kinds of extraneous oral noises: 1. ‘Too little hydration’ related mouth smacks - at a basic level such noises are the slight smack as someone opens their mouth to speak 2. ‘Too much hydration’ related mouth smacks – caused by over-salivating 3. Nervous glottal choke - it could be the more glottal ‘k-sound at the back of the throat 4. Tension clicks – usually in your jaw 5. Mouth-shape pops - there may be a variety of other pops because of how you’re built 6. Clicks caused by mouth changes 7. Subconscious vocalisation - it could refer to subconscious addition of a ‘tut-sound’ We’ll spend some time look at each of these in turn. Why are they an issue? Simply put, they are distracting and unpleasant to hear, and are time-consuming to remove from a recording. If you are a ‘dick with a click’ then you’re unlikely to be used, (or be used again). [1] On rare occasions, clicks are caused by physiological differences in the speaker. [2] Otherwise known as ‘popping candy’: https://www.aquarterof.co.uk/popping-candy Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news prese
S1 E91 · Wed, March 31, 2021
0091 – Relaxing Your Mouth
0091 – Relaxing Your Mouth For your articulators to work properly you must have a relaxed mouth to allow your tongue and soft palate to move freely. Try saying some of the words above through clenched-teeth! Now go to pronounce the word “ go ” (!) and feel how the back of your tongue and soft palate move? An issue that I have noticed when people come to me wanting better articulation or resonance, is that that placement may be semi-permanent during much of their speech. This cuts of the flow of air to the nasal passages and unsurprisingly makes the voice sound very nasal and ‘flu-like’. Obviously, voice without air is no voice at all, but you will have noticed from reading out aloud that list of words how many sounds are obviously air-full (especially the hissing s’s). So, it’s another plea from me about sitting and breathing properly, so you can better create them. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and
S1 E90 · Tue, March 30, 2021
0090 - Relaxing Your Tongue
0090 - Relaxing Your Tongue Of course, there’s more to your tongue than meets the eye – literally. It is longer and has a deeper root than you may imagine and indirectly connects (via the hyoid bone) to your larynx. Therefore a ‘tense tongue’ will affect your voice. So, it’s another reminder to de-stress to sound your best: relax all the tension from your shoulders and neck. And try and monitor the situation and let your tongue lie on the floor of your mouth when not being used. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. The podcast title refers to those who may wish to change their speaking voice in some way. It is not a suggestion that anyone should, or be pressured into needing to. We love accents and dialects, and are well aware that how we speak changes over time. The key is: is your voice successfully communicatin
S1 E89 · Tue, March 30, 2021
0089 – The ‘Wood Man’ Sound
Bilabial sounds are made with both lips W ood M an B a b y S p y From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all asp
S1 E88 · Sun, March 28, 2021
0088 – The ‘Every Fall’ Sound
Labiodentals are consonants articulated with the lower lip and the upper teeth. E V ery F all From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouT
S1 E87 · Sun, March 28, 2021
0087 – A ‘Thought Breath’
Interdental consonants are produced by placing the tip of the tongue between the upper and lower front teeth Brea th e Th ought From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters
S1 E86 · Sat, March 27, 2021
0086 – ‘Top Dad’ But ‘Sad Zebra’
Alveolar consonants are made with the tip of tongue T op D a d S ad Z ebra Bu tt er N ope L ight From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the
S1 E85 · Fri, March 26, 2021
0085 – ‘Should Asia Read?’
Post-alveolar sounds are articulated with the tongue near or touching the back of the throat. R ead Sh ould A s ia From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice an
S1 E84 · Thu, March 25, 2021
0084 – The ‘Yes’ Sound
Palatal is the name given to sounds that come when the body of the tongue is raised against the hard palate (the middle part of the roof of the mouth). Y es From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and
S1 E83 · Wed, March 24, 2021
0083 – Cats Go Singing
Velar sounds are created with the back part of the tongue (the dorsum) against the soft palate, the back part of the roof of the mouth (known also as the velum). C at G o Si ng From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly
S1 E82 · Tue, March 23, 2021
0082 – The Uh-oh Sound
I am fascinated by this area of phonetics!, so let’s take a look how different English-language word-sounds are formed and by what (sometimes very small) change in what articulators: Glottal sounds are made by obstructing the airflow in the vocal tract, the glottis. U h- o h From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins
S1 E81 · Mon, March 22, 2021
0081 – Articulatory Differences in Language And Accents
Not every language makes use of all the potential articulators. You may know people personally or maybe a celebrity whose first language is not English and who perhaps has difficulty pronouncing the letter ‘L’. As an English speaker you will no doubt have trouble with some of the more back-of-throat sounds that our French, Spanish and German friends pronounce like natives (!). Even within a language there will be places where natives pronounce words differently (think of the dialects of a New Yorker, or someone from Yorkshire). It’s to do with the how and where we are brought up and the dominant language we are exposed to. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview s
S1 E80 · Sun, March 21, 2021
0080 – Verbal Gymnastics
So, different sounds of speech are formed in different ways as the articulators do verbal gymnastics inside your mouth. Now say the phrase “My to-do list: quickly send that dog a letter”. And now say it really s-l-o-w-l-y, and concentrate on all the work that is going on in your mouth as you say this series of vowels and sounds. The lips purse, the tongue curls like a wave, tucks in behind the teeth and then arches at the back of the mouth, and air is syphoned through the mouth to create an ‘s’ and held back and then explodes out on the ‘t’ and ‘d’ sounds. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as mus
S1 E79 · Sat, March 20, 2021
0079 – The Elvis Muscle
The muscle with the longest name of any in the human body is right here connecting with the lips. It’s the levator labii superiosis alaeque nasai and its main job is to open the nostrils and move the upper lip into a ‘snarl-like’ expression, and so it’s sometimes called 'The Elvis Muscle’. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for
S1 E78 · Fri, March 19, 2021
0078 - When It Comes To The Crunch, The Word ‘Crisp’ Is A Great Articulatory Example
Say the word “crisp”. Easily huh? But it’s actually made up five letters, and five distinct sounds, which are each formed in a distinct way. So, now say “crisp” really slowly and deliberately, sounding out each individual part, and realise how various articulators move to create them. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for prese
S1 E77 · Thu, March 18, 2021
0077 – Why Your Tongue Is So Important In Articulation
The tongue is not one muscle but eight. They run in all three directions: from front to back, from the sides to the middle and from top to bottom. Parrots’ thick tongues help them imitate human language (they mimic whatever is in their surroundings so they can show off their skills to a potential mate). Their other speech organs are very basic but they can make similar sounds to us by moving the tip of their tongue to certain points of articulation in their mouth in a similar way that we do. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside br
S1 E76 · Wed, March 17, 2021
0076 – Your Multi-Function Mouth Muscle
Although the teeth, lips and tongue work hard in synchronicity to convert sound in to words, the part played by the tongue is generally unsung. The mouth’s multi-function muscle is an Inspector Gadget of the human body: · Saliva production · Sucking · Eating and drinking · Tasting · Swallowing · Touching · Defending Oh yes and… speaking! From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasiona
S1 E75 · Tue, March 16, 2021
0075 – The Final Articulator Is Right Under Your Nose!
The final articulator is right under your nose! The lips – mainly channel sound in its final moments before being heard by the world, whether it’s the soft breeze of a ‘fooo’, ‘wooo’, the caress of an ‘mmmm’, the buzz of a ‘vvveee’ … or holding a ‘p’ back for a split-second before it explodes. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all as
S1 E74 · Mon, March 15, 2021
0074 – The Articulatory Gymnastics Of Your Tongue
Altering the shape and position of the tongue allows us to create sounds which we form in to words. We will see later in this chapter how the tongue twists and curls, arches and relaxes, and teases the teeth – tucking behind them and slipping between them – to create pronunciation. Even the basic exercise of saying the name of the AA Milne donkey character ‘Eeyore’, you will feel what your tongue does in just two syllables: it arches and relaxes at the back of the throat. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sp
S1 E73 · Sun, March 14, 2021
0073 – Weird Facts About Your Tongue
The strongest muscle in the human body based on its weight, are the jaw muscles (‘masseters’). They can close the teeth with a force as great as 55 pounds (25 kilograms) on the incisors or 200 pounds (90.7 kilograms) on the molars. So relax the jaw when you can, let it drop to a slightly-open rest position (you can keep your mouth closed so you don’t look gormless!) and reduce the tension there and in the whole neck area. (Depending on how you measure ‘size’ and ‘strength’, other strong muscles are the heart, calves, gluteus maximus ‘bottom’ muscles, and the uterus.) From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as musi
S1 E72 · Sat, March 13, 2021
0072 – How The Slightest Change Affects How Your Voice Sounds
You can of course, alter the shape of your oral cavity and its furniture (tongue and lips), and every alteration will change the kind of sound that you make. In fact, even a slight, temporary cosmetic change (such as dental work) will alter how you the sound. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for
S1 E71 · Fri, March 12, 2021
0071 – How We Create Recognisable Language
The shape of your mouth and the position of the tongue in relation to the teeth and lips, determine each sound that we translate into recognisable language. Sounds from the larynx will just remain unintelligible mumbles and mutters unless they are formed into words. Words, and therefore ‘meaning’, are comprised of an often-complicated combination of individual sounds (phonemes), which are shaped by our oral ‘articulators’: Tongue Teeth Lips Jaw Hard palate (the roof of your mouth) Soft palate (the roof of your mouth nearer the top of your throat) In the mouth, several split-second articulatory adjustments are made in unison to complete the ‘dance of speech’. The jaw is raised and lowered, altering the size of the mouth and giving room for the tongue to display its articulatory agility. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio
S1 E70 · Thu, March 11, 2021
0070 – The Tip Of The Tongue And The Teeth And The Lips
Speaking requires a complicated combination of ‘articulatory gymnastics’ to create what, on screen or paper, seems a simple sentence. After our brain processes the hieroglyphic word-forms, we instantaneously and sub-consciously order our diaphragm to send a supply of air across the vocal folds, which are tilted and turned to produce pockets of sounded-air which are sent up the vocal tract. Some of that air is diverted through the nasal cavity depending on what’s needed to create just a fraction of one individual word-sound. The rest is channelled through the mouth. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programme
S1 E69 · Wed, March 10, 2021
0069 - Giving Your Larynx A ‘Wake-Up Workout’
Scrunch your shoulders, stretch and yawn. The latter warms up the throat, particularly important for breakfast newsreaders whose first words uttered that day may be on air! Do not let that be the case with you - sing in the car on the way in to work. Give your larynx a ‘wake-up workout’: gently see how high and low you can go. One of the greatest ‘resonance helpers’ is basic relaxation. Being in this state mentally as well as physically, will enhance your sound by diverting it to the resonance chambers. (You’ll have noticed these more when they perform badly – such as when you have a cold). A good quality microphone that is set to best capture the pitch of your voice and the acoustics of the room in which it’s being used, will also help. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as dive
S1 E68 · Tue, March 09, 2021
0068 - How To Discover If You're A 'Nasal Whiner'
· Here’s how to check if you are a ‘nasal whiner’. Lightly pinch your nose at the bridge (the top bony part) and say “ Sing a song of sixpence ”. When you pronounce the ‘ ng ’ sounds you should feel a slight buzz on your fingertips. That’s just what should happen when you say this sound. Now say “ Ba ba black sheep ”. If you can still feel the vibration on the ‘ ba ’ sounds, then you may potentially have a nasal problem. · Say “ Ahhh, London’s stunning onion dungeon ” a couple of times really s-l-o-w-ly. Pay particular attention to the sounds and how you make them and where they come from. o Now concentrate just on “ onion ” a couple of times. Roll it around your mouth. o And now let’s have a laser-focus on the ‘ gn ’ sound in the middle. Stretch it out. o Now, in our vocal ‘tower of power’ we have a lift/elevator. So get in with me at the ground floor. o Now with that ‘gn’ sound, let’s gently ride on it in the elevator, first down to the basement, and the lower basement and the service basement and the car park… and then up to the penthouse. o Now do the same ‘vocal elevator ride’ with the “ ahhh ” word at the start of the sentence. · Say “ Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear. Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair. So, Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't very fuzzy, was he? ” a couple of times really s-l-o-w-ly. o Pay particular attention to the ‘ zz ’ sounds and how you make them and where they come from. Linger on them and make them rezzzonate… o Stretch out your ‘ zz ’, ride on it, gently riding down then up in tone on the ‘vocal elevator’ a few times. o NOTE: it’s easier and more comfortable to go down in a tone when doing these exercises before you go up. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contac
S1 E67 · Mon, March 08, 2021
0067 - How To Reduce Neck Tension To Help Your Voice
To reduce tension in your neck, carefully drop your head to your left shoulder and hold it there for a few seconds, then bring it back carefully to its normal, central position and hold it, before dropping to the right shoulder, and back. Then drop your chin to your chest and then tip your head back. As with any of these exercises stop if anything feels uncomfortable. Repeat this left, right, back, front routine a few times. Now, drop your head forward and roll it to each position (right shoulder, back, left shoulder), and repeat three times. Then roll your head in the other direction, again for three times. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentari
S1 E66 · Sun, March 07, 2021
0066 – Society's Attitudes To High and Low Pitched Voices
Society seems to usually want a tone that is of a lower rather than a higher register. It is claimed that they are “easier to listen to” and “carry more authority” but there seems little scientific evidence supporting the hypothesis that we are programmed to prefer such a tone. However, it seems to be true that men and women with a slightly lower tone are often called upon as presenters and voice-over artists, in a way that those with higher pitches are not. No longer deep booming voices, but rounded and pleasant and full of character and understanding that is easy to listen to and helps us understand. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occas
S1 E65 · Sat, March 06, 2021
0065 - Pitch Perfect
Your pitch, or register, is your ‘vocal frequency’, basically how high or low your voice is. This is affected mainly by the body you inhabit, mainly your vocal folds but also links with your frame and yes, your breathing and resonance cavities too. Nervousness contracts and tightens muscles throughout your body, including the throat, and that will cause the average pitch of the voice to rise, maybe leading to a strangled sound… As we keep seeing, everything is intertwined! There are some tweaks to your various vocal controls that you can make to give your voice a tone you’d be proud to call your own. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even t
S1 E64 · Fri, March 05, 2021
0064 - Hypernasal and Hyponasal Velopharyngeal Dysfunctions.
Hypernasal speech is the classic ‘ nasal voice ’ when more air is expelled through your nose as you speak, causing additional resonance. The similarly named hyponasal speech or ‘ denasality ’ is when there’s little air getting through your nose while you speak, which reduces the amount of resonance in your voice. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech traini
S1 E63 · Thu, March 04, 2021
0063 - Here's What We Knows About The Nose
Most people have no idea that much of their sound is affected by their nasal cavity. If you want to check out the effect it has on your tone, close your mouth, say a long ‘ nnnnnnn ’ sound and gently hold a finger over each nostril. Here’s another ‘trick’ to discover how much nasality your voice has: say ‘ ahhhh ’ and hold your nose, and your voice should continue almost unaltered. If it does change then you may have excess sound going through your nasal cavity. That may not be a problem at all, and will make your voice distinctive, but if you think it is then you will need to have word with a speech therapist for some one-to-one advice. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ pr
S1 E62 · Wed, March 03, 2021
0062 - How 'Sounded-Air' Through Your Nose Affects Your Voice
Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. You feel the movement that happens at the back of your throat? That’s the velum swishing open and closed to divert air in through one hole (OK, two!) and out through the other. Now imagine that happening with sound leaving the body. Most of the time the curtain is closed, so the majority of the sound is diverted to the mouth , but occasionally it swishes open so we can make the sounds ‘ m ’, ‘ n ’, and ‘ ng ’. Say “ my new song ”, and you will hear and feel what happens. Now pinch your nose and say the phrase again and you may well be forced to stop before you reach the end. We instinctively use the palate to divert air to the nose or mouth to create sounds, depending on our culture and dominant language. You will have heard how differently the sound of a voice is in spoken British English versus say French (which is more nasal), or even between different accents of the same language. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”
S1 E61 · Tue, March 02, 2021
0061 - Use Your Soft Palate To Kick The Can
If you put your tongue-tip just behind your top teeth and trace it back along the roof of your mouth for an inch or two, you will feel your hard palate the ‘roof of your mouth’. A little bit further back (be careful you don’t gag or choke!) and you will feel the texture change. Where it does is the start of the soft palate. It moves and helps you say sounds like ‘k’ as in ‘kick’ (or better, ‘king’) and ‘ng’ as in ‘sing’, and ‘g’ as in ‘gas’ so say “ kicking the can along to the gas station ”. The soft palate diverts ‘sound traffic’ either to your nose (‘ng’) or mouth (‘k’). We just used the soft palate, and the techy term for this is the ‘velum’ from the Latin for ‘curtain’, which is rather lovely, because that’s its job, to open and close to allow sound to appear and disappear. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as
S1 E60 · Mon, March 01, 2021
0060 - Be An Experimenter With Your Resonators
We can help the ‘resonator areas’ (the nasal cavity and oral cavity) to work to their full potential as the sound waves enter (or try to enter) them. And today we'll run a few experiments to hear the different effects that the cavities or resonators have on the sound you make. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. <
S1 E59 · Sun, February 28, 2021
0059 - Making Tweaks To Your 'Voice Recipe'
One of my favourite Bolognese recipes [1] includes garlic, rosemary, basil and bay leaves. Each one of them adds to the overall flavour. In an orchestra, each instrument adds a quality to the complete sound. In the human body each of the elements I mentioned a few days ago, and especially the mouth and nose resonators – and the amount of ‘sounded air’ going through them – adds to the timbre. [1] https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/best-spaghetti-bolognese-recipe From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for ele
S1 E58 · Sat, February 27, 2021
0058 - So What is Timbre (And Mucus!)?
The vocal tract produces lubricatory mucus - 97% water and 3% mucins, non-mucin proteins, salts, lipids, and cellular debris. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4048736/ From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. <p style='color:grey; font-size:0
S1 E57 · Fri, February 26, 2021
0057 - So What Is 'Tone'?
THE VOCAL LIST Your physique plays a large part in shaping our voice. These include: · Your overall frame – often larger people have more resonant voices · Your hormones – we know how puberty affects the male voice, but so too can menstruation and menopause · Lung capacity – which gives us confidence to get to the end of a sentence, which in turn relaxes us · Size, strength and health of the vocal folds – partly to do with your sex · The shape and size of resonators in the chest, throat (larynx and pharynx), and mouth and nasal cavities · And how we have learnt to use those attributes… From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside b
S1 E56 · Thu, February 25, 2021
0056 - So What Is Speech?
If ‘voice’ is the sound we make, then ‘speech’ is manipulation of those sounds by our mouth, tongue and lips to create understandable words. If a listener has to work hard to ‘decode’ your message and understand what it is you are saying, they have less headspace to process the actual content. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hos
S1 E55 · Wed, February 24, 2021
0055 - Off With Their Head!
At this point in the process, you have sound but no actual voice . From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 E54 · Tue, February 23, 2021
0054 - Use It Well
It’s interesting to note that you don’t need a lot of breath for a good voice, just to use it well. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 E53 · Mon, February 22, 2021
0053 - What Happens When You Shout
The folds collide harder when you make a louder sound such as projecting, shouting or singing, and they collide more often the higher your pitch whether speaking or singing. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https
S1 E52 · Sun, February 21, 2021
0052 - Party Balloons
You’ll get an idea of what’s happening in your larynx as you speak if you imagine holding the neck of a blown-up party balloon and letting the air out bit by bit: different sounds are made as you release your pinch. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferr
S1 E51 · Sat, February 20, 2021
0051 - The Guy Who Fractured His Throat!
More on these stories here: https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/lions-frank-ragnow-fractured-throat-injury and https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/profootballdoc/sd-sp-pfd-henry-anderson-throat-surgery-colts-1109-story.html From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 p
S1 E50 · Fri, February 19, 2021
0050 - Your Speaking Pipe
Some of the cartilage of the larynx creates the bump on the front of the throat, commonly known as the ‘Adam’s Apple’, behind which are, stretched across the trachea, membranes or tissues known commonly as the ‘vocal cords’ (or more accurately ‘folds’), just the size of a thumbnail. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acas
S1 E49 · Thu, February 18, 2021
0049 - Factoid: Smell and Swallow
Humans used to be able to smell and swallow at the same time… and even though we lost that ability, we kept another very useful one, which is centred on our throats. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri
S1 E48 · Wed, February 17, 2021
0048 - A Focus on Phonation
You may have used the phrase “ it’s gone down the wrong way ” when you choke while eating, probably as a result of talking with your mouth full! It’s the epiglottis , a flap in the throat that normally diverts air or food/drink down the right tube, closing to stop food from entering the windpipe and the lungs, and opening during breathing, allowing air to flow to and from the lungs. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, p
S1 E47 · Tue, February 16, 2021
0047 - How A Paper Straw Can Help You Be A Better Breather
Breathing in and out through a paper straw in your mouth will force you to concentrate on your breathing. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 E46 · Mon, February 15, 2021
0046 - Vocal Yoga - Take The Hiss
Inhale until you are comfortably full, then slowly exhale with a long ‘ssssss’. Then repeat, increasing the time you’re inhaling and hissing, aiming to go longer with each hiss until you find yourself beginning to run out of breath. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='
S1 E45 · Sun, February 14, 2021
0045 - Vocal Yoga For Breath Control
Do you run out of breath or feel your voice doesn’t have enough support? These exercises will help you get air in, extend your breath for a consistent, confident sound and so support your voice to the end of sentences. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noref
S1 E44 · Sat, February 13, 2021
0044 - Cleaning While Breathing
When we exhale, we are not exhaling all of what we have just in haled: some stays in the lungs. So some people believe it’s a good idea to cleanse lungs of that ‘stale’ air and in so doing, energise the body. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopene
S1 E43 · Fri, February 12, 2021
0043 - This Could Be The Best Sport For Voice Performers
As we have seen you have to be comfortable in letting sufficient air drop in to your lungs after one sentence, so it can power the next. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informatio
S1 E42 · Thu, February 11, 2021
0042 - How Breath Control Will Help You Breathe Less Often And Less Obviously
Breath control will… give the ability to breath less often, and less noticeably, so you can time your breaths to coincide with the natural breaks in your speech. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://ac
S1 E41 · Wed, February 10, 2021
0041 - Get A More Relaxed Sound
Y’know breathing is a reflex, the most natural thing in the world. But panic, such as a new situation or studio, a big story, the number of viewers … stops us breathing naturally. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'
S1 E40 · Tue, February 09, 2021
0040 - How Breath Control Will Help You Get A Stronger Voice
Breath control will… give you a voice that’s stronger and more confident, rather than thin and breathy. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informatio
S1 E39 · Mon, February 08, 2021
0039 - A ‘Belly-Breathing Bonus’!
If your voice has more support it will have more ‘expressive agility’ to make your message more engaging. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 E38 · Sun, February 07, 2021
0038 - Vocal Fry
Using vocal fry (sometimes referred to as ‘scraping the barrel of the voice’) reducing your ability to project and have colour, and using it for too long will cause your voice to tire. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/pr
S1 E37 · Sat, February 06, 2021
0037 - Breath Control For Broadcasters
The slow relaxation of the diaphragm controls your airflow in a measured and consistent way. Such breath control will: · Give you more ‘vocal fuel’ for longer sentences and proper intonation, avoiding mumbling and ‘tailing off’ · Give you a voice that’s stronger and more confident, rather than thin and breathy · Give a more relaxed sound · Give the ability to breath less often, and less noticeably, so you can time your breaths to coincide with the natural breaks in your speech. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 p
S1 E36 · Fri, February 05, 2021
0036 - Breath Control - Introduction
If you practice ‘fast-snatch, fast-release ’, it can lead to gabbled sentences and a garbled meaning, and so we need to be able to control the air as we exhale it. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.c
S1 E35 · Thu, February 04, 2021
0035 - How To Know If You’re An Abdominal Or Clavicular Breather
Sit up straight and place a hand on your abdomen and the other in the centre of your chest. Then breathe in deeply and you should find the abdomen rises and then the chest expands and then on the exhale the abdomen falls and then the chest falls. So, you’re creating little waves with your body as you breathe. Such ‘leading from the abdomen’ helps create calm. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and vi
S1 E34 · Wed, February 03, 2021
0034 - How Diaphragmatic Breathing Will Work Wonders
Diaphragmatic breathing: · Relaxes the larynx which means you can speak for longer without getting hoarse · Brings in more air so you can get to the end of a sentence without running out · Better breathing gives you more confidence leading to a more relaxed body and a slightly lower register · Your shoulders are not rising and falling with each breath, a possible distraction for viewers · Your neck is less tense and so muscles and veins won’t be as obvious, again, noticeable on screen. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and h
S1 E33 · Tue, February 02, 2021
0033 - Breathing Out Is Like Pushing Air From A Lilo
The air comes into the body ideally through the mouth or ideally the nostrils. It is natural to breathe through your mouth when presenting or in general conversation, as it is faster, but air breathed in through your nose is warmed, humidified and filtered before it travels to your lungs. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted o
S1 E32 · Mon, February 01, 2021
0032 - How To Breathe Properly
It’s easy! Even a baby could do it. In fact, they do, and so did we all until many of us ‘unlearnt’ it! From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 E31 · Sun, January 31, 2021
0031 - How To Breathe *Badly*!
It’s the military-type ‘stomach in, chest out’ way of breathing that makes the shoulders rise … and creates a pain in the neck, literally. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_
S1 E30 · Sat, January 30, 2021
0030 - Why Breathing Is The Key Thing
‘Breathing for broadcasters’ – how to do it properly; what ‘breath control’ is and how it will help you on air; how to cut down on ‘breath-snatches’; the various ways breath can help your voice sound richer and fuller; how CO2 can help your on-air COnfidence; breathing exercises; loads more tips and a few ‘voice coach’ stories… and the best sport for newsreaders to do. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspec
S1 E29 · Fri, January 29, 2021
0029 - How To Perfect Your Posture
Here’s how to perfect your posture. Have your feet shoulder-width apart and in line with your hips. Rock slightly on your soles so you feel a good balance between pressure on your toes and your heels. Your feet should feel ‘grounded’, with your big and small toes and your heel feeling in contact with the floor. Your back should not be ram-rod straight (there are natural curves in the back for a reason, to support parts of the body at different parts of the abdomen and torso), but it should still feel upright. Consider that the spine does not connect to the head at the back of the skull, but nearer the middle of its base – therefore there is no need to force your head back to where you might imagine it ‘should be’. Instead, imagine a helium balloon attached to a thread on the top of your head, gently pulling it upright. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (y
S1 E28 · Thu, January 28, 2021
0028 - Make A Stand For A Good Voice
Better breathing leads to less tension and more confidence, which is often the boost you need to get through your on-air miles. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='
S1 E27 · Wed, January 27, 2021
0027 - Reading Off Screen
When you are sitting, your guts, stomach (and your large lunch) are displaced, and pushed into the dome of the diaphragm, restricting its ability to work properly. Standing allows things to settle back into a better place, and so help your breathing technique. If you need to sit and things feel a bit tight, then loosen a belt or undo a button to feel easier… just do it out of sight, and remember to do them up again later. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes,
S1 E26 · Tue, January 26, 2021
0026 - A Quick Shout Out To Projection
With radio and TV we are speaking to people we can’t see and yet they are sometimes many hundreds of miles away. To our prehistoric brain this doesn’t make sense. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See <a style
S1 E25 · Mon, January 25, 2021
0025 - Sitting For a Video Presentation
Sitting close to someone else with that person’s ear maybe two feet away, they may not project their voice quite as much as a sound engineer would like. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:gre
S1 E24 · Sun, January 24, 2021
0024 - The Confidence Shot From Your Chair
The chair you are sitting on can give you a ‘confidence shot’, or a ‘confidence shock’. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast
S1 E23 · Sat, January 23, 2021
0023 - Sidebar: The Coccyx
The coccyx is commonly referred to as the tailbone, is at the bottom of your spine, and is the remnant of the tail that our ancestors had several million years ago. Indeed, other mammals have a similar bone and still have a tail, such as horses. The term coccyx is derived from the ancient Greek for ‘cuckoo’, as the last three or four bones of the coccyx resemble the beak of that bird. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant adv
S1 E22 · Fri, January 22, 2021
0022 - De-stress To Sound Your Best
Consider that altering the settings on your chair is a little like altering the ‘settings’ in your physical stance or sitting position. A notch or two changes the backrest, a turn of the wheel to alter the tilt of the seat, a slight alteration of the armrest … Now review your own position : shifting your feet forward an inch or two, moving your body weight onto your bottom, raising your head a ‘notch’ or two. A series of slight alterations to ‘man and machine’ will relax you, create more confidence, and produce a better sound. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports,
S1 E21 · Thu, January 21, 2021
0021 - Get Air-Care From Your Chair
Most presenting roles happen from a seated position. And you can get a lot of help with sitting and therefore breathing by having an ergonomically adjustable chair. Every model is slightly different, and they can be quite expensive, but get one on which you can alter various parts of the mechanism. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts
S1 E20 · Wed, January 20, 2021
0020 - How Mental Pressure Can Affect Your Voice
Air comes from breathing depends on breathing and muscle control, muscles which are almost always holding your hold body in a state of ‘relaxed tension’. Mental pressures are soon shown as ‘bad’ physical tension (for instance in your stomach, shoulders or jaw), which will affect your posture, breathing, and voice. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio
S1 E19 · Tue, January 19, 2021
0019 - The 'Back Against The Wall' Exercise
An exercise I have used with clients is to: · Have your back against the wall… · with shoulders and buttocks touching it too · Position your feet nearly touching the bottom of the wall, maintaining a good ‘grounded stance’, supporting your body on each complete foot (rather than the ball or the heel) · Now bend the knees and slide down the wall maintaining your posture as best you can. · Then reverse the movement and (if you can!) slide up the wall. On both occasions, try not to use the wall as a support (so don’t push into it), but use it as a guide to your movement and posture. Take this final ‘upright but not uptight’ position of your upper body and spine, to your chair. It’s a reminder of the key position your body needs to hold itself in, to allow easier breaths and so provide vocal support. But don’t stick to it rigidly, you need flexibility and movement… but use this position as your ‘home position’ that you can move slightly from. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills
S1 E18 · Mon, January 18, 2021
0018 - Is Your Spine Fine?
Your spine affects your breathing – and you’re probably already starting to see now how all of your body is interconnected in helping you produce a good voice. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See <a style='co
S1 E17 · Sun, January 17, 2021
0017 - Screaming
Humans known how to breath instinctively, it’s a natural responsive thing to do. Individually since our first few seconds on Planet Earth we have filled our lungs and screamed! But now we’ve got to unlearn all the bad posture and breathing habits we have picked up on that journey from bawling baby to baby broadcaster. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters
S1 E16 · Sat, January 16, 2021
0016 - Proper Posture
Your voice is powered by air. And a good voice is supported by ‘good’ breathing and muscle control. To speak effectively, you use your entire body, not just your ‘voice box’. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Ac
S1 E15 · Fri, January 15, 2021
0015 - You've Been Doing It All Your Life
After breathing, there follows a hugely complex system of linguistic gymnastics involving your vocal cords, tongue, teeth, and palates to form sounds as directed by your brain’s ‘memory bank’ of ‘what sounds in what order, make a sensible sentence’. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. <b
S1 E14 · Thu, January 14, 2021
0014 - A Basic Understanding Of the Mechanics Of Voice
“Human beings live in what is probably the most sophisticated, complex living organism that’s ever walked on the face of the earth. What we can do with our system, or mind, our voice, the sounds we can make, are beyond any other creature. What we have is truly remarkable.” Peter Jacobson From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio
S1 E13 · Wed, January 13, 2021
0013 - Use Your Phone
You may need an audio or video recording app on your phone, and probably an empty house! A word of warning: if you have not heard your ‘recorded self’ before you may be in for a surprise. That’s because we are used to hearing ourselves ‘internally’ because the effect that the various ‘sound-tunnels’ and vibrators in the skills have on the voice that we are producing ourselves. Only we hear us this way. Everyone else hears us the way you will hear you on tape. It feels awkward at first, but it’s a barrier you have to get past in order to improve. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sport
S1 E12 · Tue, January 12, 2021
0012 - Train Like Usain
Professional athletes like Usain know that a good warm-up can make a significant difference in terms of both injury prevention and running efficiency. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey
S1 E11 · Mon, January 11, 2021
0011 - The Exercises
It takes time to get out of a rut and plough a new furrow. You need to identify the muscles and develop them. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferr
S1 E10 · Sun, January 10, 2021
0010 - What’s in the Book 2
If you have some natural talent, and a persevering personality, then this book gives you the plan to develop your best voice and to use it on-air. Understand the voice and how it is created, ‘from lungs to larynx to lips’ How to achieve a better speaking voice with more energy, expression and enthusiasm How to ‘read out loud’ from a script to sound as though you are chatting Script-reading skills – how to engage your audio audience and keep them listening Balancing authority and personality, formality and friendliness The keys to mastering pitch, pause, pauses and projection (without shouting!) Improving on-air delivery with confidence, warmth, and vocal resonance Tips on sounding natural and conversational, rather staid and stilted Achieving on-air impact to increase listener engagement My approach to vocal variety Studio skills such as adlibbing and talking to time, marking up scripts and sight-reading Looking after your voice and a series of ‘quick fix tips’ Breathing and believing – how your mental attitude supports your voice as much as air does All backed up with dozens of ‘audio anecdotes’, explanations and effective exercises And much, much more Instead of feeling nervous and uncertain, you too can use the exact same tactics and techniques that have taken me to presenting on peak-time national radio, to go into the studio confident and calm From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to H
S1 E9 · Sat, January 09, 2021
0009 - Who I Am
I have ‘been there and done’ audio and video presentations for decades. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 E8 · Fri, January 08, 2021
0008 - “Every Fourth Word”
In this podcast series, I’ll explain why the “every fourth one” advice is wrong, and instead show you which words should be lifted and subdued. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://
S1 E7 · Thu, January 07, 2021
0007 - What’s in the Book
You’ll go from just talking to actually communicating . From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 E6 · Wed, January 06, 2021
0006 - How Nerves Affect The Voice
When we come to present a podcast or YouTube video, or step into a studio or onto a stage, what happens? From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.c
S1 E5 · Fri, January 01, 2021
0005 - What is a ‘Good Voice’?
A ‘good voice’ is one that communicates to us, one that shows some personality of the owner. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more infor
S1 E4 · Fri, January 01, 2021
0004 - There is Nothing Quite Like the Human Voice
“The voice is a sound caused by the soul, by means of the repercussions of the air made in the throat with the intention of signifying something.” Aristotle, 385-322 BC From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target=
S1 E3 · Fri, January 01, 2021
0003 - The Preface
You’ve invested in your look of choice, now invest in your voice. From BBC presentation trainer Peter Stewart (@TweeterStewart), GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE is a short, daily guide to help you become a stronger voice communicator on radio and TV, podcasts, video, voiceovers and webinars. It's the audio version of the book Peter's writing of the same name, both focusing exclusively on your vocal image on audio and video channels with two main aims: · To get you a better voice for audio and video channels. · To show you how to read out loud confidently, convincingly and conversationally. Through these under-5-minute episodes, you can build your confidence and competence with advice on breathing and reading, inflection and projection, the roles played by better scripting and better sitting, mic techniques and voice care tips... with exercises and anecdotes from a career spent in TV and radio studios. And as themes develop over the weeks (that is, they are not random topics day-by-day), this is a free, course to help you GET A BETTER BROADCAST, PODCAST AND VIDEO VOICE. Look out for more details of the book during 2021. Contacts: https://linktr.ee/Peter_Stewart Peter has been around voice and audio all his working life and has trained hundreds of broadcasters in all styles of radio from pop music stations such as Capital FM and BBC Radio 1 to Heart FM, the classical music station BBC Radio 3 and regional BBC stations. He’s trained news presenters on regional TV, the BBC News Channel and on flagship programmes such as the BBC’s Panorama. Other trainees have been music presenters, breakfast show hosts, travel news presenters and voice-over artists. He has written a number of books on audio and video presentation and production (“Essential Radio Journalism”, “JournoLists”, two editions of “Essential Radio Skills” and three editions of “Broadcast Journalism”) and has written on voice and presentation skills in the BBC’s in-house newspaper “Ariel”. Peter has presented hundreds of radio shows (you may have heard him on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Virgin Radio or Kiss, as well as BBC regional radio) with formats as diverse as music-presentation, interview shows, ‘special’ programmes for elections and budgets, live outside broadcasts and commentaries and even the occasional sports, gardening and dedication programmes. He has read several thousand news bulletins, and hosted nearly 2,000 podcast episodes, and is a vocal image consultant advising in all aspects of voice and speech training for presenters on radio and TV, podcasts and YouTube, voiceovers and videocalls. Hosted on Acast. See aca

Get A Better Broadcast, Podcast and Voice-Over Voice

1000 - The End

0999 – The Diction-ary of Voice – V and W

0998 – The Diction-ary of Voice – T

0997 – The Diction-ary of Voice – S

0996 – The Diction-ary of Voice – R – Part 2

0995 – The Diction-ary of Voice – R – Part 1

0994 – The Diction-ary of Voice – P

0993 – The Diction-ary of Voice – P - Part 2

0992 – The Diction-ary of Voice – N and P

0991 – The Diction-ary of Voice – M

0990 – The Diction-ary of Voice – L

0989 – The Diction-ary of Voice – I

0988 – The Diction-ary of Voice – H

0987 – The Diction-ary of Voice – G

0986 – The Diction-ary of Voice – F

0985 – The Diction-ary of Voice – E

0984 – The Diction-ary of Voice – D Part 2

0983 – The Diction-ary of Voice - D Part 1

0982 – The Diction-ary of Voice - C Part 4

0981 – The Diction-ary of Voice - C Part 3

0980 – The Diction-ary of Voice - C Part 2

0979 – The Diction-ary of Voice - C Part 1

0978 – The Diction-ary of Voice - B Part 2

0977 – The Diction-ary of Voice - B Part 1

0976 – The Diction-ary of Voice - A Part 2

0975 – The Diction-ary of Voice - A Part 1

0974 – Whispering Voice

0973 – The Whining Voice

0972 – ‘Vocal Fry’ Voice

0971 – Valley Speak

0970 - Uptalk

0969 - The Unnaturally Pitched Voice

0968 – The ‘Tired’ Voice

0967 - The ‘Throwaway’ Delivery

0966 - Throat Clearing

0965 – The ‘Thin’ Voice

0964 - Stumbling

0963 - Stammering –

0962 - 'Sloppy' Speech

0961 – The ‘Sing Song’ Delivery

0960 – The ‘Sibilant’ Voice

0959 - The 'Script-reading' Voice

0958 – The ‘Quiet’ Voice

0957 - Popping on the Mic

0956 – The ‘Plonking’ Speech Pattern

0955 – Noisy Breathing

0954 – The ‘Nervous’ Voice

0953 – The 'Nasal' Voice

0952 – The ‘Monotonous’ Voice

0951 – The ‘Hoarse, Husky or Croaky’ Voice

0950 – The ‘Gravelly’ Voice

0949 – The ‘Gabbling’ Voice

0948 – The ‘Forced Pitch’ Voice

0947 – Filler Words

0946 – The ‘Ending Pattern’ Voice

0945 – The ‘Choppy’ delivery

0944 – Bunged up voice

0943 – Breathy Voice

0942 – Dry Mouth Problems

0941 – The Boring Voice

0940 – YOUR ‘GET A BETTER VOICE’ SYMPTOMS AND PRESCRIPTIONS

0939 – Emotional Stress After Vocal Injury

0938 – How Emotions And Trauma Affect How You Sound

0937 – Studio ‘Corpsing’

0936 – Breaking News

0935 – Stopping Silly Script-reading Slip-ups

0934 – If It *Does* Go Wrong

0933 – Confidence Vs. Cockiness

0932 – Beta Blockers To Help Studio Nerves

0931 – Look After Each Other

0930 – Earn Your ‘On Air’ Miles

0929 – Gobble Up The Feedback

0928 – Warming Down

0927 – What To Do In The Moment When The Nerves Feel Real

0926 – ‘Park’ Perfection

0925 – Pause and Breathe, Focus and Relax

0924 – Pre-Performance Routines

0923 – Positive Self-Talk

0922 – Step By Step Positive Songs

0934 – If It Does Go Wrong