How to change your mentality

[Emorgan_Voiceovers]

As a lot of VO folks have done, I started, and still am, in radio. A friend and very good VO talent told me the hardest thing to do is to get rid of the radio mentality. In other words, as soon as you turn the mic on, your brain just goes into radio mode voluntarily. I think it is not voluntarily, it was trained to do that. My question is: what is the best way to retrain your brain? I have moved from on air to the production dept. and that helps some, but it has been a struggle to change that frame of mind. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Eric

[Chrisrice]

Step one: take off your headphones. A lot of radio peeps (and I was one too) crank up their headphones so they can hear themselves with all the processing. Take them off and you'll be less likely to shift into radio mode.

[Emorgan_Voiceovers]

Absolutely! I never wear headphones unless I am on air and I recently took myself off the air. Actually, even when I was on air, I will turn the phones up just enough that I can set them aside and hear my talk cue. I never listen to myself. But definitely good advice.

[John Bigl]

hello, Emorgan_Voiceovers !!!

perhaps you may want to consider joining your area Toastmasters, the public speaking and leadership group.

Toastmasters International - Home

a couple theater and media folks at my group have mentioned that i pine for a mic while giving a speech. either thru a different projection of my voice or physical mannerisms they've seen other 'on air' folks do. which they suggest hinders my ability to 'speak' in a non-radio setting.

i was never mindful of that 'till it was mentioned by folks who have an understanding of where it comes from.
so, now that i'm aware of it, and thru involvement w/ Toastmasters, i'm slowly beginning to retrain the radio brain.

it is very much like what chrisrice said about taking off the headphones.

and it is loads of fun, too.


Be Well

[jsgilbert]

My suggestions are to take improvisational acting classes. They will get you to loosen up and approach things differnetly. The other thing I would suggest is that for every audition and every job, think of a very specific person you might have occasion to say the copy to. This should be a real person and not some imaginary friend. Picture that person, whether your wife or husband or father or best friend's 9 year old, sitting next to you or in whatever postion the copy might dictate. For example, if the copy were to say "Good morning honey did you sleep well?", you might envision your boy/girlfirndd or spouse lying next to you in bed and it's first thin in the morning. Or perhaps your daughter had nightmares and you're waking her up to go to school. The copy will usually dictate the where and the when and you can figure out a good who to plug in.

And, if you're afraid to take off the cans, ask the engineer to get you out of the mix, so that all you hear back is talkback direction. Eventually you'll be able to ditch the cans. Learn to trust yourself and the meters and you can work by yourself at your home studio without cans. On longform work it can be a little bit annoying having to go back and pick up a line with a popped p or some other problem, but even doing critical listening through headphones while you're doing v.o. doesn't mean you'll catch everything.

[billelder]

I always try to exchange clothes with someone in the room. That'll change your mentality big time!

To me, the most important thing is understanding the copy and what its trying to convey. I'll bet it's not as bad as you think, even though your mind is telling you one thing. Plus, part of that radio confidence is what allows us to address the mic and make the words our own. A comedy mentor of mine once told me that the most important thing was reading a script and not make it sound like you're reading a script. Pretend like you're playing a character.

[Bob Bergen]

Ditto to everything JSGilbert said!!!! You have to approach it as an actor, not a broadcaster/announcer. Improv is THE best training anyone can do. Acting technique will help as well.