Why is it important to avoid a monotone voice? When we speak in one tone, it doesn’t keep the audience engaged – it makes it easier for your voice to drown out in the background. It also makes it harder for the listener to figure out what is important.
The tonality in one’s natural speaking voice – and in voice-overs – should indicate what is essential when they are speaking. If the tone is too flat, it indicates that what you’re talking about is not important.
Let’s go through some ways to avoid being monotone when reading a voice-over script so that you’re able to put some meaning and expression in your words.
Pitch Variation. Pitch variation means varying the high and low tones of your voice while speaking. We use pitch variation to express emotions, attitudes, and thoughts through changing the intonation of our voice. You can practice pitch variation both when reading words or scripts aloud, as well as in natural conversations with others. Try and identify your baseline pitch and practice going higher and lower around that pitch. Practice varying those pitches while you read. You want to highlight the most important words that you’re trying to get across, so try and lift those words in your tone so that the listener knows that’s important.
Put some physicality behind your voice and move your body. A lack of movement in your body can lead to your voice being more monotone. When you’re reading a voice-over script, try to put some kind of physicality behind it. Many voice-over actors talk with their hands when they are behind a microphone. Try moving your arms and hands around when you speak – almost like directing your voice with your hands. If you’ve ever seen a voice actor being filmed while they’re voicing an animated character, you’ll likely see that they get their whole body into it. If the character is running on screen for example, they may be moving their arms like they are running behind the mic. With commercial and narration reads, you don’t have quite so over the top, but moving your arms and hands while you’re reading will help put more energy into your voice and help to vary your pitch.
Give each sentence its own cadence. Once you have your pitch variation down, start to listen for repetitive cadences in your sentences. If you’re reading all your sentences with the same repetitive beats, you are not connecting with your scripts. Repetitive cadences will come across sing-songy, which is the repetitive rising and falling of the same inflection of the voice. If all of your sentences sound the same in cadence, you will lose the attention of your listening audience quickly. Each sentence should sound different in cadence than the sentence before. This will keep your listener’s attention, as each sentence will come across as a new idea with its own pace and rhythm.
Go over the top and bring it back down. This is an exercise I like to use if I’m finding myself reading a script a little too flat. I call it “reading it like a crazy person”. I’ll read the script fast and very over the top, like I’m extremely excited to tell somebody something. This helps me naturally pick out what is important while I’m reading and brings up the energy in my voice. I’ll then follow it up with a more natural read of the script. Once I bring it down to the natural read after the “crazy” read, I find that I’m still holding the emphasis of the tones and the energy in the script.
Once you start to get out of monotone or more of a flat style of reading, you’ll hear your scripts come to life. It’s also something you can take into regular life: start studying the way that you talk to others and see where your tonality can help you get across excitement, emotions, opinions, or an explanation of something. It’s all about practice.
Start working these steps into your voice-over scripts and over time you will naturally have more relatable reads that really grab the attention of the listener.
Check out our free PDF with pro-tips from real working voice-over actors here!
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