You Have to Personalize the Copy

 There are many people who can read copy well. The most important skill however is to be able to personalize copy. Making the copy sound like it's a collection your own ideas that you are relating to a friend is the key to good communication or getting cast for a voiceover job. This requires an ability to make subtle change-ups in tone of voice and cadence that sound like your "Day Voice" and not like an announcer reading copy or a salesperson with a canned approach. The ability to persuade comes from staying in the tonal bandwidth of natural conversation between friends. The directions on many commercials will say over and over, “Not announcery!” 

In voiceovers and in any kind of public speaking people simple do not like being talked “at”. None of us do. We expect people to reason with us, share convictions in an unforced way that allows us to absorb what is being said. This approach makes us feels like the presenter or voiceover person trusts our judgment.

This is just another version of the age old warning that the meaning is never just in the words. Over 90% of all communication has nothing to do with the actual words you are speaking. The tone of voice is just about everything. If someone say “Don’t take that tone of voice with me!” It becomes crystal clear that you have miscalculated the tone of voice required for effective communication. The point is, whether someone is angry or not, EVERYTHING is about tone of voice and how you say it. Becoming proficient in the art of voice acting is a great way to start a new career or become a much more effective communicator both personally and professionally. Think before you speak and consider how you say it