Get A Better Broadcast, Podcast and Voice-Over Voice

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.

2022.02.03 – 0399 – Pauses As Script Divisions As script divisions to aid understandingPauses 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.

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.

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.

2022.01.31 – 0396 – Pauses As A Signpost To MeaningAs 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.

2022.01.30 – 0395 – When We PauseWhen we use a pauseNot 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.

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.

2022.01.28 – 0393 – Pauses: An Introduction PAUSESThe 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 between 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.

 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.

 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.

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.

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.

2022.01.24 – S2024 – 0389 - How To Talk To TimeA 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.

2022.01.23 – S2023 – 0388 - Talking To TimeOne 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.

2022.01.22 – S2022 – 0387 - Rehearsing Your Read-SpeedRehearsing Your Read-SpeedEver 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 MatchingIf 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

2022.01.17 – S2017 – 0382 - EXTREMES OF SPEED - The Slower ReadEXTREMES 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 1966If 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.

2022.01.16 – S2016 – 0381 - The Speed of T&CsThese ‘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] https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/plusnet-radio-ads-banned-saying-terms-conditions-quickly/1435011 [3] Hear that advert here: https://soundcloud.com/simon-gwynn-737111524/plusnet-radio-ad?utm_source=clipboard&utm_campaign=wtshare&utm_medium=widget&utm_content=https%253A%252F%252Fsoundcloud.com%252Fsimon-gwynn-737111524%252Fplusnet-radio-ad Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

2022.01.14 – S2014 – 0379 - Fast Talking Speed TrapsSome 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.

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 listenerPhrases 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.

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.

2022.01.11 – S2011 – 0376 - The Script’s Too Long Or The Time’s Too ShortIn 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.

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.

2022.01.09 – S2009 – 0374 - Extremes Of Speed: The Faster Read EXTREMES OF SPEED - The Faster ReadUsually, 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.

2022.01.08 – S2008 – 0373 - Changing speed within a storyChanging speed within a storyOn 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.

2022.01.07 – S2007 – 0372 - When You May Change Your Reading RateFor 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 StewartThrough 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_StewartPeter has been around voice and audio all his working 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.01.06 – S2006 – 0371 - Changing Your Reading RateChanging Your Reading RateIf 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 StewartThrough 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_StewartPeter has been around voice and audio all his working 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 Licensehttp://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.

2022.01.05 – S2005 – 0370 - The Average Read RateThe Average Reading RateThis 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 StewartThrough 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_StewartPeter has been around voice and audio all his working 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.01.04 – S2004 – 0369 - Your Natural ‘Read Rate’YOUR NATURAL READ-RATEThere 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 StewartThrough 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_StewartPeter has been around voice and audio all his working 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.01.03 – S2003 - 0368 – The Speed of the ReadWith 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 StewartThrough 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_StewartPeter has been around voice and audio all his working 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 Licensehttp://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.

2022.01.02 - S2/002 - The Speed of the Read - IntroductionA 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 StewartThrough 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_StewartPeter has been around voice and audio all his working 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 Licensehttp://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.

2022.01.01 – S2001 – A Look Ahead To Season 2Audio recording script and show notes (c) 2021, 2022 Peter StewartThrough 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_StewartPeter has been around voice and audio all his working 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 Licensehttp://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.

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 StewartThrough 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_StewartPeter has been around voice and audio all his working 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 Licensehttp://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.

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 StewartThrough 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_StewartPeter has been around voice and audio all his working 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 Licensehttp://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.

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 StewartThrough 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_StewartPeter has been around voice and audio all his working 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 Licensehttp://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.

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 StewartThrough 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_StewartPeter has been around voice and audio all his working 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 Licensehttp://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.

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 voiceo  so, you need to be clearer with your diction·        it is harder to be heard, which can lead to a muffled voiceo  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 thinkingo  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 StewartThrough 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_StewartPeter has been around voice and audio all his working 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 Licensehttp://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.

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 StewartThrough 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_StewartPeter has been around voice and audio all his working 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.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2021.12.25 – 0359 – Volume, Mics and ProcessingStudio 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 StewartThrough 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_StewartPeter has been around voice and audio all his working 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2021.12.24 – 0358 – Volume In CharacterA 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 StewartThrough 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_StewartPeter has been around voice and audio all his working 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 Licensehttp://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.

2021.12.23 – 0357 – Volume VarietyOne 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 StewartThrough 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_StewartPeter has been around voice and audio all his working 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 StewartThrough 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_StewartPeter has been around voice and audio all his working 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 Licensehttp://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.

2021.12.21 – 0355 – Reasons Why Some People Talk More SoftlyThere 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 StewartThrough 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_StewartPeter has been around voice and audio all his working 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 voice successfully communicating your message, so it is being understood (and potentially being acted upon) by your target audience? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2021.12.20 – 0354 - Voice Extremes: The Softer VoiceThe softer you sing, the louder you're heardDonovan, 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 StewartThrough 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_StewartPeter has been around voice and audio all his working 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.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 StewartThrough 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_StewartPeter has been around voice and audio all his working 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2021.12.18 – 0352 – Screaming And Shouting – Part 1Screaming and shoutingIt 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 StewartThrough 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_StewartPeter has been around voice and audio all his working 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. Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.