Top 4 Ways To Improve Your Timing By Susan Berkley
Have you been told that you have a good voice but when you read out loud, you feel as though you read too slowly? If you're self-conscious about your reading speed, here are four things you can do to improve your sense of timing..
1. Practice With A Stopwatch
In voiceover there is no such thing as "feeling" you are too slow or too fast. The stopwatch never lies, even though internally it may feel as if your time is off. Depend on the clock, not your gut. Developing a keen sense of timing is really important in this business. A :60 commercial has to be :60, not :61, :58 or even sixty and a half! Professional voiceover artists must know how to read exactly to time and shave or add seconds on command. Tape TV and radio commercials and time them. Then transcribe the copy. See if you can match the announcer's timing. If she reads the commercial in :28 seconds, keep practicing until you can do the same.
2. Compress The Space Between Words Or Lines
Since you haven't yet learned to "feel" timing, you can train yourself to "see" it. Imagine that the space between the words is getting smaller and smaller and you'll tend to read faster.
3. Stand Up And Gesture Freely
It will increase vocal energy level. Use gestures to pump up the energy level. Don't be afraid to look like a maniac.
4. Mark Your Script
Before you begin reading, know exactly where you intend to pause and for how long. Mark these pauses on your script. This is also where you will breathe. Do not pause anywhere else!
One more thought: when reading copy you shouldn't be thinking about your voice at all but concentrating on the person you are talking to.
Thanks again to Susan Berkley the Goddess of the Voice Arena!
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