How to Sound Conversational In Voiceover

There is a huge demand for voiceover that sounds natural. So here are ten tips on how to make your voiceover natural and conversational.
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[@alexithymia3095]

I find it so interesting that all these tips feel so obvious, but people typically do not sit and think about it. Thank you for putting perspective on this, it was incredibly helpful!

[@NaturallyRPVoiceover]

You're so welcome!

[@jodylebel2780]

I knew about lead-ins but I didn't realize I could/should insert them throughout for a more natural read. Brilliant.

[@NaturallyRPVoiceover]

Thanks Jody - obviously not a technique for all projects, but exercises that loosen up the rhythm and prevent delivery from becoming too consistent/rhythmic can certainly help!

[@mysterydismantold3784]

You totally nailed the voice over. Awesome work man..

[@NaturallyRPVoiceover]

Thanks a ton!

[@iamthebot99]

what a great tip! the LEAD INS and where to speak from- will help me very much! thank you

[@NaturallyRPVoiceover]

My pleasure!

[@thegreatwarri0r501]

Pretending to talk to an interested friend helped me a lot. Thank you for sharing this knowledge!

[@NaturallyRPVoiceover]

Glad it was helpful!

[@AncientInsights1]

That was useful. Thanks

[@LL-lb4jh]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and wisdom. I will "think differently" the next time I'm doing a voice over - putting your tips into action.

[@NaturallyRPVoiceover]

Glad to hear you found it of some use.

[@The-Perfect1]

Simply the Best! Love your channel. It's really precise and informative. Thank you Chris!

[@NaturallyRPVoiceover]

Thank you so much! Appreciate it!

[@wisdomarchives12]

Very helpful. Thank you. Subscribed.

[@chrisgtester1981]

Thanks very much!

[@paullawleyjones]

Tip #3 is a real gem. Cheers mate!

[@bradglenvoices]

Great tips, I am looking forward to checking out your other content. Thank you!

[@NickFieldMedia]

Thanks for this. I was brought up speaking the Queen's English at a time when every advert was an announcer-style read, so when it came to doing voiceovers myself, sounding conversational is not an easy task! Really good tips here; will check out more of your vids.

[@NaturallyRPVoiceover]

Thanks Nick, gald you found it useful.

[@amanda_studio]

beautiful summary! loved it. complete, inspiring.

[@gretchenalyceknapp1179]

Very helpful. Thank you.

[@abigailvoices2151]

soooo super helpful, thank you, best explanation yet!

[@stephenjjeffery]

Bro, great video and tips. Thanks a ton

[@FaulksDigital]

So much value here, thanks for sharing! I found your examples at the end to be particularly helpful!

[@NaturallyRPVoiceover]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@JosephericDsouza]

Now that's experience well shared. THANK YOU SO MUCH

[@joshuakingtl]

Thanks a lot, this is really educative and relieving to know

[@NaturallyRPVoiceover]

Glad you found it useful Joshua.

[@soulfulkush]

Great Content Man!... Keep It Up!.. I don't usually comment but when I see someone in initial stage with great content, I can't stop myself from giving them a high five for the effort they have put. May the force be with you!..😍

[@NaturallyRPVoiceover]

That's extremely kind - thank you! And if you ever have any suggestions about future content you'd like to see, let me know.

[@jimwalsh2001]

Thank you.

[@NaturallyRPVoiceover]

Thanks Jim!

[@TadkaWithStyle]

Hi you were excellent ...subscribed..love from India

[@NaturallyRPVoiceover]

That’s very kind, thanks!

[@jeffmetzler8998]

Fantastic tips. THANKS

[@NaturallyRPVoiceover]

My pleasure Jeff.

[@thomaswojahn]

Thank you - this is very helpful.

[@NaturallyRPVoiceover]

You are welcome!

[@snehakamra7973]

That is a great content and thank you so much for sharing. It's been a little while that I have started exploring the voice over industry and your tips are very helpful. Came across your video for the first time today and you got a new subscriber! 🙏 Namaste from India

[@NaturallyRPVoiceover]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Dracomies]

This was incredibly helpful! I've been watching all of your videos and I've learned a lot from what you posted. I really appreciate what you have here. This is amazing and a lot of the videos are things that I wish we had more of. Really fantastic work.

[@NaturallyRPVoiceover]

Thanks so much - appreciate the feedback! Do let me know if there's anything in particular you'd like me to cover in future videos.

[@Dracomies]

@@NaturallyRPVoiceover Sure! As a director what do you see as dos and don't for a character demo reel and a commercial demo reel. And can you go over ones that are not as...obvious....or factors that actors may not think are hurting their chances, etc. Also what are your own personal dos and don'ts for auditions, ie. big slates, huge gaps before speaking, super quiet recordings, reverb, etc.

[@NaturallyRPVoiceover]

@Dracomies thanks for these. I've never been involved in the direction of a demo, and I'd say that's the territory of a coach and/or producer, who has that experience. Re: audition specifics like slates etc - it's whatever the client asks for, never leave dead time, and know what you're doing technically first and foremost. I'd recommend signing up for a free trial at Gravy for the Brain who have a huge wealth of resources on exactly those subjects. I may cover some of these as part of new videos for sure though - thanks for the suggestions!

[@Dracomies]

@@NaturallyRPVoiceover I actually really really respect this answer. Thanks for letting me know!

[@chrisgtester1981]

@@Dracomies No worries at all. I'm definitely not interested in passing off 'hand me down' knowledge about some subjects - if you can't walk the walk, don't talk the talk! There are great resources I am always happy to point to - and hopefully that gives a bit more weight to the advice I DO give. Many thanks!

[@alexl2475]

Another good person to listen to for conversational voiceover is Jane Horrocks. I think because her accent is so distinctive.

[@robertrock2000]

*I am a new voice actor* with a burning desire *to take my skill to the next level*. My question is: How do I act in a more realistically *resonant and compelling* way when reading -- that is, in a situation where the script isn't memorized? By the way, thank you for an amazing video. I will be frequently reviewing it.While my voice acting realism with memorized scripts is relatively good, there is a problem: *This acting realism does not happen to the same degree when I'm actually reading the script out loud*. It happens when I'm beginning to memorize or have memorized the script. These two modes of acting (memorized versus reading) feel very different in my mind. In fact, I find that when *I've realistically acted a memorized script, and I then try to act it while reading the result is not as good as if I'm not reading.*I've noticed that after I've analyzed the script and eventually memorized it* the more I let go and imaginatively live the story *without reading*, (living the character and feeling his intentions as he interacts with other character(s)), I find that I'm even beginning to feel the characters' sensations bodily (breathing, tension or relaxation etc...), which helps me act with realistic vocal variations (in my pace, pitch, power, and emotional tone etc...). However, I find it very difficult to achieve the same level of acting while I'm reading the script out loudSo again my question is: How do I act in a realistically resonant way when reading or when the script isn't memorized? My challenge seems to be (and I could be wrong): I have difficulty being fully immersed in or connected to "the theater of my mind" (as I've heard voice actors call it) as I read.As I said, I'm a new voice actor with a burning desire to take my skill to *the next level*, and I would deeply appreciate any feedback you can give. Thanks

[@NaturallyRPVoiceover]

It''s a pertinent question. For the vast majority of voice work, that level of actorly immersion isn't required and it's often a more technical exercise. You're very much a 'cog' in the mechanism and have to be able to fine tune and calibrate depending on other factors outside of you. You also don't have the luxury of 'putting your attention on the other person' in quite the same way. For more character based work, I think practice makes it a lot easier. The technical aspect of taking the script of the page as quickly as possible gets easier and more assimilated into the process. But often, I'll actually read the line, and then deliver it while not looking at the script but recalling it in the short term. This places my attention within my imagination/the receiver/the audience that bit more, and not so much on the physical act of reading if that makes sense? When in doubt, working with great performance coaches on this is second to none - but I'll definitely make a video on this challenge in due course!

[@paulhogan2930]

More examples, please.

[@chrisgtester1981]

Thanks Paul - will definitely be featuring more examples in a future video.

[@ahmedwaheed5090]

I am Arabic voice over artist 🤗 Thanks 👍

[@RapunzelinOttawa]

05:32 . . . "authoritive voice"? :)

[@matthewleitch1]

Interesting that the final read-through, while delivered conversationally and very well, still sounds like advertising b******t because of the words that are said.

[@adamspeaking373]

1:30 minutes in the ad he plays is NOT conversational. 😄 It’s not authentic. Because no one talks this way. No one talks in such a dramatic way to their friends. I don’t think most voice talent even know what “conversation” means. 😂

[@adamspeaking373]

In addition, clients definitely don’t know what conversational means either. They often ask for “conversational” but I know they really want. They just want a slower paces more natural sound. They definitely don’t want a “conversation” though. A real conversation sounds like two cohosts bantering back and forth on a podcast, or two friends in a kitchen talking while cooking dinner. “Conversational” is an overused term that is rarely what the job really calls for. Every once in a while it is, but not very often.

[@NaturallyRPVoiceover]

@@adamspeaking373 hi - happy to agree to disgree on this. The sample I use is 1) unprojected, 2) varies rhythm/hesitancy and 3) doesn't overtly hit key words, and in that way alone differs from the more announcer-type reads. I believe that in certain contexts, such a delivery would be very 'real' - but thats ultimately subjective. I'd agree that 'conversational' has become a catch all phrase, just as 'non-announcery' was before it. It's the voice talent's responsibility to decode what a client wants, and that's frequently about knowing what NOT to do. Hence suggesting a variety of different ways in - I'm not suggesting you try and use all of them, but if a VO doesn't instinctively know what the client actually wants when they request a 'conversational' read, then they've got something tangible to try.

[@TwiztedHumor]

I hate that manipulative shit so much, in your given example. Its horrible. But other than, nice, thanks for the good video.

[@innercynic2784]

Even "conversational" doesn't sound conversational. It comes across as scripted and about as moving as a morning hangover. Nobody talks like that unless they're dreaming or talking to themselves. This has to be my biggest pet peeve about this movement because its gotten to the point where even conversational sounds fake and manipulative.

[@grantikos]

One can speak quietly to a friend using one's diaphragm. A throaty voice sounds just plain awful.