If you’ve been in any live recording sessions directed by clients who aren’t necessarily voice-over professionals, then you’re likely to have received your fair share of vague or confusing feedback. But what your clients say goes – they are the client after all – so you’re stuck on the spot trying to figure out how to follow a direction like:
- “That was a perfect take! Let’s just do one more, you know, try something different.”
- “Can we do it again faster, but also calmer?”
- “Great. Let’s try it again with more energy but slow down the pace.”
- “That was good, but I think we need to try it smoother. Like jazz or the skin of a baby seal…”
Ok, I was kidding about that last one. But the other three I’ve definitely been on the receiving end of. And the answer is always, “Of course, I can do that!” You’re the professional. It’s your job to translate the direction into exactly what your client wants to hear.
But that’s not always easy. I’ve found that one of the biggest misunderstandings in these types of confusing directions is the conflation of speed and energy in vocal performance.
Contrary to what you might think, speed and energy are not synonymous. Saying something faster doesn’t give it more energy. And slowing something down doesn’t inherently bring the energy level down either.
Let’s unpack this a bit…
It’s not always about getting out of the blocks fast!
Speed
Speed is how quickly you speak. That’s all. It is not related to energy level or even to volume. You can speak quickly in a loud and boring monotone voice. You can also play a character that’s whispering directions slowly to someone with a lot of energy.
Energy
Energy is the intensity you bring to the words themselves. It’s not at all related to speed. Yes, this may seem counterintuitive, but it’s an important distinction for a voice-over artist to understand, and it’s crucial to an expert delivery. Energy and speed are NOT the same.
Speaking with energy is much more interesting than simply barreling through the script. Of course, if you’re in a time crunch and recording a 15-second commercial, you need to be able to speak with both energy AND speed in order to get the right read.
But this isn’t really a reading exercise. Practice makes perfect after all.
Let’s try it.
- Say this sentence as quickly and as boring as you can. Completely devoid of energy. “This product will change your life and give you the salary you’ve always desired.”
- Now, say the same sentence slowly and deliberately, with energy dripping from each word. “This product will change your life and give you the salary you’ve always desired.”
Hear the difference? Awesome. You’re coaching yourself quite well! If it’s hard for you to hear the distinction between speed and energy in your own voice, listen to the audio version of this post above.
Being able to master the separate skills of speed and energy will bring a lot more variety and professionalism to your voice-over work. Good luck fellow voice-over artists!
Caroline Cole is a writer, voice over artist, and yogi based in Dallas, TX. Follow along on IG (@carolinecolestories) or Twitter (@ccolestories).
