Almost every new voice actor can't get beyond this simple hang up.

When you're new, and trying to make a good impression, you can get stuck really easily. Understanding how to fix the one dimential read will really help you to move forward as a voice actor.

Almost every new voice actor can't get beyond this simple hang up. - 5:43

Hello and welcome to another edition of The Gift of Gab. Today, we're gonna talk about one of my favorite subjects, guys. We're going to talk more about emotions. I've got my horns on, you know it's gonna be a good one. Stick around.

Alright, guys, the headphone horns are on, and we are talking about emotions now. You know, if you follow my material, you know that this is one of my favorite things to talk about when it comes to voice-over performances. Why? Because this is the crux of what we do. This is what it's all about, seriously. Emotions are the key to everything. Everything we do stems from this one simple concept. And today, I have a very specific message, a very particular message, for beginners especially, but for all of you to an extent, and it's quite simple, really. And again, the horns, the horns are here for a good reason.

And it's a simple message: Stop being so happy. Seriously, just stop it. Stop attacking your copy with the bright, brilliant, ridiculous smile all the time. I know that sometimes that might sound counterintuitive, but hear me out. It's 2023, okay? We are not in the era of the big smiley, cheesy announcer reads anymore. Everybody knows that. So, stop being so happy. That is my biggest piece of advice to new voice actors, right here, right now.

There is a whole wide world of emotions out there ready for the taking, and you don't just want to sound like this person who is standing at the mic with a giant smile plastered on your face, who is the human equivalent of the waving inflatable outside of a car dealership because that's ridiculous, and no one relates to that sound anymore. No one is motivated by that sound anymore. Were they ever really? I mean, I don't know. I don't think so. It's so passé.

And notice what I said earlier: stop attacking the copy that way, stop attacking the audience that way. It's too much, it's just—it's all too much. Take it down a notch, take it down a bunch of notches. I'm not saying to not smile, I'm not saying to not be friendly, I'm not saying to not be approachable, but create subtleties. Are you using emotions to really create human environments with your voice? Are you creating human connections with your voice? Are you aiming for something more than just "I'm so happy to be here" because you should be?

You should be creating a connection that your audience really, truly can feel and that they can relate to. It's not enough anymore to just be this big, friendly, smiley, happy voice. We have to be more than that—caring, concerned, empathetic, right? There's so much to choose from. Do your research, do your homework. There are so many great studies on the emotional connection and how actors can tap into it and the sorts of techniques that we can utilize to better familiarize ourselves with the broad scope of emotions that human beings tap into every single day. That's today's homework, okay?

Lose the big, cheesy smile. Find me something else. Make a real, meaningful connection. And if you have to, get out your headphone horns because they help. They're pretty great. Thanks so much, guys, for watching. As always, I appreciate you. And if you want more tips like this, book a class with me. Now's the time, right? This is the kind of stuff that I help people with. If you're struggling to connect with copy, if you're struggling to connect with your audience, if you're struggling to connect with people, let me help you. This is what I do. Let's make a better performer out of you this year. Take care. Thanks so much for watching. Bye.

704-674-8294 / GabrielleNistico.com / gabby@voiceovervixen.com

Gabrielle Nistico, Gabby Nistico, The Voiceover Vixen, The Business First VO Coach, #VoiceoverVixen #VoiceOnFire #BusinessFirstVOCoach Voiceover, Charlotte, North Carolina, Voiceover Demo, Voiceover Coaching Advice, Working Actors, Los Angeles, New York, audio, coaching