For Voice Over Clients

Eye Health for Voice Over Actors

June 19, 2019 by Debbie Grattan

While voice over work may not be at the top of the list of professions with on-the-job hazards, we still have a few potential risks to think about. Our eye health is one of them.

Like millions of other folks in this digital age, we’re typically staring at the computer screen for extended periods every day. We might start to get headaches, feel pressure behind the eyes, get dry eyes, blurry vision or neck and shoulder pain. All these are symptoms of what is known as digital eye strain. Voice over actors can have a higher risk of eye strain due to dim lighting and proximity to our computer screens. We’re frequently in dark recording booths looking at a bright screen, and we may sit closer than an arm’s length away from the screen to view it properly.

Being aware of what digital eye strain is and how it affects us can help us avoid it. So can developing new habits to maintain good eye health both in and out of the recording booth.

Digital Eye Strain by the Numbers

Voice over actors aren’t the only folks at risk for digital eye strain. The condition can occur to anyone who spends a notable amount of time in front of the TV, computer or other digital device.

A report from The Vision Council noted nearly 60% of American adults experienced one or more symptoms of digital eye strain.

32% reported eye strain
27% reported dry eyes
28% reported headaches
28% reported blurred vision
35% reported neck and shoulder pain

Voice over talent would align with the 80% of adults who say they use digital devices for more than two hours each day, and we may even match up with the 67% who say they use two or more devices at the same time.

Even when we’re not officially at work, we could be checking our phones, watching TV or continuing screen time in other ways. Nearly 80% of adults say they use some type of digital device in the hour before going bed, and 55% percent use them within the first hour they’re awake.

How Voice Over Actors Can Avoid Eye Strain

Keeping our eyes healthy can start by adjusting our work environment and habits to reduce the risk of eye strain. These tips can help immensely.

Give Your Eyes a Break

Eye strain tends to occur when you’re in front of the computer for an extended stretch of two hours or more. You can start to experience what’s known as focusing fatigue, which occurs when eyes tire out from constantly focusing on the screen.

Avoid it by implementing what doctors call the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, look away from your screen to focus on something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This gives the focusing muscle a chance to relax.

You can also focus on something in the distance for at least 10 seconds, then focus on something up close for at least 10 seconds. Alternate between the two 10 times. This exercise helps ensure your eyes’ focusing ability doesn’t lock up during extended screen time.

Blink Frequently

We tend to blink much less frequently when we’re reading from a computer screen than we do when we’re reading off a printed page. Blinking keeps our eyes lubricated, helping us avoid irritation and dryness.

Make a habit of blinking 10 times every 20 minutes to keep eyes moistened. If you’re still having dry eye issues, lubricating eye drops may be helpful. Just make sure you pick those designed to lubricate the eyes. Those meant to get the red out only decrease the size of the blood vessels without necessarily easing irritation.

Pay Attention to Lighting

Staring at a bright screen in a dark recording booth can increase the risk of eye strain, due to the contrast between the dimness of the booth and the brightness of the screen. This causes your eyes to put more effort into focusing and more strain on your vision.

You can decrease the risk of eye strain with several tactics:

Reduce the brightness of your monitor, adjusting it to more closely match the level of illumination in the booth.
Increase the contrast, which makes dark text on a light background stand out better for easier focusing.
Increase the font size, which can also make it easier for your eyes to focus.
Add a small light source, such as a mini USB lamp, to even out the lighting.
Eliminate any glare, which you can usually do by turning the screen away from any light source shining directly on it. If you wear glasses, you can get lenses with an anti-reflective coating to protect your eyes even further.

Adjust Your Work Setup

The layout of your voice over workstation has an impact on your eye health. You want your monitor to be at least 20 inches away from your eyes, with the center of the screen angled about 15 degrees below your eyes. This makes reading it more comfortable and ensures you’re not craning your neck.

If you’re reading from both a screen and a printed page, put the printed pages on a stand next to your screen so you can look back and forth with ease. Use a small light on the printed page if needed, ensuring that it doesn’t create a glare on your screen.

Your overall posture plays a role in your eye health, as well. Sit up straight, and keep your chair at a comfortable height that lets your feet rest easily on the floor.

Try Computer Glasses

If you wear glasses, you can look into customized computer glasses that are designed to work at the exact distance you sit from your computer screen. These can be particularly helpful if you have bifocals or progressive lenses that would normally make you tilt your head to get just the right focus through a specific band on your lens. All that head tilting can eventually lead to a sore neck, back or shoulders after extended periods.

Computer glasses instead give you an entire lens that’s adjusted for optimum viewing of your computer screen. You can also get an anti-reflective coating to cut down on glare, along with photochromic lenses that darken to shield your eyes from harsh indoor or outdoor light.

Just put the custom glasses on when you work at your computer, and then switch back to your regular glasses when you’re done. My husband normally wears progressive lenses, and he has a pair of custom computer glasses that he says makes a huge difference in his comfort and ability to see the screen clearly from any angle.

Additional Eye Care Tips for Voice Over Actors

It’s important to pay attention to eye health even when we’re not at work, and a few tips can help. Getting regular eye exams is always a good idea, as is wearing sunglasses to protect our eyes from bright sunlight. Regular exercise and a healthy diet likewise contribute to good eye health.

Even though our voice may be our greatest asset as voice over artists, our eyesight is equally important both on the job and off. Not only are these tips are easy to follow and add to our daily routine, but they can make a big difference in the long run.

How Your Mindset Can Shape Your VO Career

January 16, 2019 by Debbie Grattan

Many factors come into play for building a successful voice over career, and one of the most important is your mindset. And your mindset goes much deeper than, say, having a positive or negative attitude.

I’m talking about the attitudes and beliefs outlined by Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck, who has done extensive research related to two main types of mindsets: the fixed mindset and the growth mindset. Each mindset comes with its own set of beliefs that shape the way individuals approach their VO careers – and their overall lives.

The Fixed Mindset vs. The Growth Mindset

Folks who have a fixed mindset believe they were born with a certain amount of intelligence, talent, and skills, and those traits are fixed in place. No matter what they do or how hard they try, there’s no way to increase those traits.

On the opposite side of the fence is the growth mindset. This mindset assumes the intelligence, character traits and creative abilities we harbor at birth are just a starting point, and they can all be strengthened and enhanced throughout our lives.

More on the Fixed Mindset

Because people with fixed mindsets think the hand they were dealt is as good as it gets, their mission in life becomes proving they were dealt an amazing hand. Every success confirms they have the winning hand, while every failure is a blatant sign of deficiencies.

The Fixed Mindset:

Views success as validation of their inherent traits
Views failures as proof of deficiencies
Avoids challenges as they may result in failure
Gives up easily in the face of obstacles
Sees effort as useless since they’re already born with what they need
Ignores constructive criticism
Feels threatened by the success of others

More on the Growth Mindset

Those with a growth mindset believe hard work and targeted efforts can bring about significant changes in our level of intelligence, talent and skills – or even in our personality traits. Failures are not seen as proof of deficiencies but rather as valuable lessons that help stretch existing abilities to even higher heights.

The Growth Mindset:

Views success as the reward for their hard work and efforts
Views failure as valuable lessons
Thrives on challenges and pushes to higher heights
Persists in the face of obstacles
Sees effort as the path to mastery
Learns from constructive criticism
Feels inspired by and learns lessons from the success of others

How a Fixed Mindset Might Approach a VO Career

Someone with a fixed mindset may go into a career as a voice over artist with high hopes of proving their innate talents and skills in the area. Since they were born with all the talent they need, they may not be interested in advanced training or putting intense effort into sharpening their skills.

They’ll instead sit at a microphone, send out audition after audition, knowing they’ll eventually be hailed as the highly talented and amazing voice over artist they feel they are. They may land a job or two, but then notice the majority of auditions they send get no response whatsoever.

Rather than trying to figure out why some auditions get no response, they look at the ones that do – then go for jobs that are similar to those they’re already landing. They may discover they have a strong, inherent talent for political voice overs, for instance, but notice they get no response when they send out auditions for commercials or e-books.

So they focus solely on political voice-overs, responding to calls for auditions, and also contacting companies directly to offer their services, whether the company called for an audition or not.

While they may have failed to land voice over jobs outside a specific niche, that’s perfectly fine with them. They’ll stick with a category in which know they excel and it’s easy to prove it again and again.

What a Growth Mindset Might Do

A person with a growth mindset may enter a career as a voice over artist with the same aim of success, but they’re likely to prepare with voice training, learning the necessary software skills, and taking a few marketing classes to help spread the word about their new adventure.

When the auditions they send out get no response, they may seek advice from voice over pros or additional training to improve weaknesses in their performance. While it may take some time to land a single gig, they’re learning a lot along the way.

The first audition they sent out is drastically different than the much-improved 36th audition they sent out, and their work keeps getting more refined and on target with consistent effort and hard work.

Over time, their career may be filled with ups and downs, but each down is a chance to look at how far they’ve come and where they want to go next with the development of their VO career. They learn new technology and techniques as the needs arise, keeping their skills aligned with current trends.

When they see others succeed in the same field, they get inspired and are eager to learn more about how the person is making it work. It reinforces that they, too, can enjoy success if they put in enough effort and work.

Mindset, of course, is just one of the factors playing a role in the outcome of a voice over career. Other factors are totally outside our control, and they can be working for or against an individual at any given time.

Someone with a fixed mindset may be more prone to giving up if they keep hitting a brick wall, then moving on to try something new. Someone with a growth mindset may keep pushing their limits to overcome the challenges that appear to block their path.

Tips for Cultivating a Growth Mindset

While the fixed or growth mindset can both lead to positive outcomes in different ways, the growth mindset can be an asset in certain situations to help increase the likelihood of success. Our mindsets are formed at an early age, but it’s never too late to change them.

Developing a growth mindset is possible for anyone, and a few tips from InformED may help:

Trade the word “failing” for the word “learning”: Everything is a learning experience, no matter how it turns out.
Admit, and even embrace, your imperfections: Acknowledging weaknesses can lead to overcoming them.
Focus on growth over speed, keeping in mind it can take some time to learn or master a new trait.
Focus on learning over approval: If your main goal is to get approval, you diminish your potential for growth.
Make a new goal every time you accomplish an existing one: Those with a growth mindset tend to constantly set goals to keep themselves active and growing.
Become friends with the word “yet”: Instead of simply saying you haven’t mastered something, tell yourself you just haven’t mastered it – yet.

Just like any other goal you set out to achieve, cultivating a growth mindset is going to take time, effort, and practice. Yet the small changes in thinking can result in larger changes in your attitudes and behaviors that notably improve your likelihood for success, whether it’s with a voice over career or any other path you choose.

Looking for success with your next voice over project? Contact Debbie today.

Millennial Speech Patterns Voice Over Artists Should Avoid

November 20, 2018 by Debbie Grattan

One of the keys to success for voice over artists is keeping up with the current trends, whether it’s with the latest voice over recording technology or new video styles. But just because a trend may be widespread or hugely popular, it may not be something we choose to embrace. A major case in point is a trio of millennial speech patterns VO artists would be wise to avoid.

Vocal Fry

When you hear a voice that’s creaky, choppy, breathy and delivered in its lowest register, you’re listening to vocal fry. This millennial speech pattern is often found in women, like the Kardashian clan and Katy Perry, although men can engage in it, too.

When voice is normally produced, the vocal cords naturally close to create vibrations. With vocal fry, the vocal cords remain relaxed with minimal air passing through them, resulting in a low, creaky sound. Johns Hopkins says vocal fry is not damaging to the health of your voice or vocal cords, although it can be rather painful on the ears.

Some folks find vocal fry grating, while others perceive it as a mark of being bored, lacking intelligence, or less educated, less competent and less trustworthy than those who speak without it. Unless your audience is made up entirely of a millennial audience that would eagerly relate to a voice over artist using vocal fry, you are probably better off avoiding this creaky pattern of speech.

Vocal Fry Examples:

Upspeak (Uptalk)

When you’re making a statement, traditional speech patterns automatically lower inflection at the end of a sentence. When you’re asking a question, the inflection rises at the end. That’s not the case with upspeak. Also known as uptalk, this speech pattern uses a rising inflection no matter what’s being said. While upspeak has been around for years, it has really taken off with the millennial set.

Britney Spears has been pegged as a famous uptalker, but she’s not the only one who has hopped on the bandwagon. In fact, a Forbes article notes that upspeak has become so prevalent that people under 40 may not even notice when it’s happening. Yet those over 40 most certainly will.

Those that notice the speech pattern of rising inflection often perceive it as coming from someone who is hesitant, timid or unsure of themselves. In severe cases, the speaker may be perceived as being less than serious – or even less than intelligent.

Again, if an audience is largely or exclusively millennials – or made up of people you know aren’t turned off by uptalk – you may be able to get away with it with your voice overs. Otherwise, it’s a good idea to end a declarative sentences with a period, instead of a vocal question mark, to portray confidence and smarts.

Upspeak / Uptalk Examples:

Shotgun Speech

When you fire a shotgun, the pellets come out fast, furious and in a torrid burst. You get the same thing with pattern known as shotgun speech. Shotgun speech occurs when someone speaks suddenly, quickly and in a rapid outburst of words. While this millennial speech pattern may be common on college campuses and TV shows like the “Gilmore Girls,” it’s not typically something you want from your voice over artist.

Speaking too fast makes the audience work too hard, and, as Inc. points out, audience members are intrinsically lazy. Make them work too hard to keep up and understand what you’re saying, and they’re likely to tune out altogether. Shotgun speech can likewise be perceived as signs of nervousness and lack of self-confidence. It’s also a symptom of anxiety.

Fast talking cannot only weaken your voice since you’re not taking in enough air to support it, but it can muddle your diction and a make what you’re saying nearly impossible to understand. Unless you’re recording a voice over for a cattle auction or other fast-paced event, fast talk is not the right talk to draw in a crowd.

Shotgun Speech Example:

I had a real challenge finding good examples for this last category. So, I’ll keep on the lookout for clips that would be good to use. I included that last Fed Ex video because it’s a bit of a classic, and a fun one to watch again after all these years. Not actually shotgun speech, I’d probably call his style “machine gun speech.”

Although vocal fry, upspeak and shotgun speech may be speech patterns you hear all the time, there’s no guarantee they’re something your listeners want to hear on your voice over projects. Unless those patterns align with your brand and please your audience, they may be trends you’d be much better off avoiding.

For more on a related topic, be sure to read my post, “The Most Annoying Speech Patterns You Hear All the Time Now”

A Scary Thought for Voice Over Artists and Other Solopreneurs

October 18, 2018 by Debbie Grattan

With Halloween heading our way, you may be expecting goblins, ghouls, ghosts and other scary costumes. But there’s something even more frightening that could sneak up on you at any time of the year, and you may never see it coming.

This is something we first became aware of a couple of years back, when our health insurance provider mentioned the subject in an email notice. And we decided to write a blog post about this topic now, after reading about the very scary situation that fellow voice over artist, Paul Strikwerda has been dealing with over the past six months. Be sure to read his post, “Losing My Voice” to get his full harrowing story and why it relates to this post.

Unlike the very direct threat to health and career that Paul has been dealing with for the past several months, the threat I want to talk about is a threat for which you may think you are fully covered by your health insurance – but in reality you probably have very little or no protection against it. And, because of that exposure, you are vulnerable to a potentially catastrophic financial event.

Real-Life Tragedy

Radiologist Dr. Naveed Khan found out about this high-cost exposure the hard way, as told in a story published in the October MASA newsletter. Khan was taking his first ride on an all-terrain vehicle in Texas, eventually taking the wheel from his pal. While driving in circles in the sand, the ATV tilted and then tipped over on its side, landing on Khan’s left arm.

Although lightheaded, the 35-year-old doctor was able to extricate his arm, tie a jacket around his massive arm wound, and right the ATV to drive back toward the street to call for help. His 911 call resulted in an ambulance ride to the emergency room of the nearest hospital, but his wound required immediate treatment from a more advanced trauma center if there were any hopes of saving his arm.

This resulted in a helicopter ride to the nearest trauma center, which was more than 100 miles away. After immediate emergency treatment, Khan was forced to endure weeks in the hospital and a grand total of eight surgeries to try to save his arm.

Obviously, you would expect the medical bills for an accident like this to be in the tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. But, that is why we buy health insurance, right? To protect us from big financial setbacks due to one bad accident. Well, in Dr. Khan’s case, his health insurance did cover most of the costs involved in his accident. However, there was one bill which was not fully covered.

The bill for the air ambulance flight alone came to $56,000, which Khan’s health insurance carrier initially refused to pay. His carrier, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, eventually covered about $12,000 of the air ambulance bill, leaving Dr. Khan responsible for the remaining $44,000.

High Cost of Emergency Transport

Khan’s story is a tragic one, but the Medical Air Services Association (MASA) says it’s not at all uncommon. Americans have a one in 12 chance of needing life-saving care within our lifetime, according to Mutual Aid Ambulance Service, and a one in four chance of needing an ambulance for non-emergency transport. Stats from the Association of Air Medical Services note that more than 550,000 people across the U.S. end up using air ambulance services each year.

The odds that you or someone in your immediate family will need emergency air transportation are much higher than you may think. Yet, up until now, health insurance providers do not include coverage for this potentially massive expense.

Air ambulances are not regulated as healthcare, but instead as part of the aviation industry. That gives them the freedom to charge what they want. Insurance companies have caps on the amount they are required to reimburse, if they reimburse you at all.

The cost of emergency transportation is not cheap, regardless of the type of vehicle, and non-emergency medical transport isn’t much cheaper. Most health insurance policies don’t cover the bill for either one and, if they do cover part of it, your deductibles or premiums may increase.

MASA notes what you can expect to pay for different emergency transport services:

$2,400: Ground ambulance
$30,000+: Helicopter transportation
$20,000+: Medically equipped non-emergency air transport (with payment required before liftoff)

Medical evacuations while on vacation are another high-cost area, with Allianz Travel Insurance outlining typical costs at some popular vacation destinations.

Typical Costs to be medically evacuated in other countries:

$15,000+: Mexico
$50,000+: France, German, other European countries
$90,000+: Russia
$100,000: South America
$220,000: Australia, Asia, Middle East

Keep in mind these are only the costs for getting you to the hospital in the country you are in at the time. They don’t include the cost of treatment or the cost of getting you back home to the U.S. If you’re traveling home on a stretcher on a commercial flight with a medical escort, you would need to purchase eight airplane seats to accommodate the stretcher, along with paying about $25,000 for the nurse traveling with you.

These costs can be particularly devastating to voice over artists and other self-employed professionals, with a high enough medical transportation bill having the ability to wipe out our savings – or even drive us into bankruptcy or financial ruin.

Peace of Mind Solution

Thankfully I can get these scary thoughts out of my own mind now and we have covered this exposure thoroughly with a supplemental coverage. As my husband became aware of this gap in coverage a couple of years ago, he investigated several different options. He ultimately came across a company that offers emergency medical transportation coverage for our entire family of four, whether we’re in the U.S. or outside the country, for only $60 per month.

The monthly premium is reasonable, particularly for the generous amount of coverage we receive. Any and all emergency transportation costs for anyone in our family is 100% covered by this insurance, with no deductibles involved. If we have the need for emergency transport, we don’t have to worry at the time of the accident about who to call or how much it’s going to cost. Whatever emergency transport bills we receive afterward will be forwarded to MASA and they pay them on our behalf. Having this type of coverage replaces the potentially frightening scenarios in the back of my head with total peace of mind.

For more information, please visit their website: https://www.medairservices.com We receive no benefit or financial reward for recommending this company.

While we like when Halloween is filled with scary goblins, ghoul and ghost costumes, we can definitely live without the real-life scary thoughts. Hope this helps bring awareness to the issue so that we can all have a very safe and happy Halloween.

SOURCES:

Voice Over for Podcasts: Creating Podcast Intros and Outros

August 22, 2018 by Debbie Grattan

Podcast popularity is on the rise, which can be both good news and bad news for podcast creators. The good news first. A notable 44 percent of Americans age 12 and older have listened to a podcast, and 80 percent of podcast listeners tune in to an average of seven shows a week. As we’ll explore in this article, there is some great potential voice over for podcasts opportunities for voice talent in this rapidly expanding niche.

As more people are listening, however, more podcasts are being made. As of March 2018, the number of podcasts available on Apple Podcasts alone was more than 550,000 – with more being produced daily. Google just recently introduced a standalone podcast app for Android devices. The bad news is that competition is fierce, which means you need a way to make your podcast really shine.

More good news comes here. An easy way to make your podcast stand out right from the start (and increase monetization opportunities) is with a professionally voiced podcast and intro and outro. Read on to get the basic gist on what the intro and outro are designed to do and why having a voice over artist do it can be so beneficial.

Voice Over for Podcasts: The Intro

Your podcast intro is your show’s opening that introduces your show and you as the host. It’s designed to set the mood and tone of your entire show based on the music and words in your intro.

Here are three examples of podcast intros that I recorded in the past year or so:

Defining Success Podcast – Intro

Board Room Podcast – Intro

Enneagram Podcast – Intro

The most effective podcast intros are short and to the point. You don’t want to waste your listener’s time with a long-winded description of what’s coming up. Tease them with just the high points, enticing them to tune in to hear more.

It’s also essential to match the voice and music in your intro to the content of your podcast. For instance, if your podcast is all about serene living, you probably don’t want a gruff, deep voice and heavy metal music as part of your intro. Using royalty-free music in your intro and outro is an excellent way to upgrade quality without the cost.

Keep in mind the branding you want your information to have, and make it consistent. The audience will come to identify the voice and music of your intro with your content, and it should make them excited to hear what you have to say.

You can think of your mission statement as the reason you’re doing your podcast, and create your intro based on that. Because your intro needs to be consistent for each show, it’s better to use your mission statement as your guide, rather than the specific content of each episode.

That said, here are elements to include and not to include as part of your intro.

How to Create a Podcast Intro

Podcast Intro elements to include:

Name of podcast
Episode number and title
Music or sound effects
Name of host
Podcast tagline/quick overview of what your podcasts are all about
Summary/intro of episode

Elements NOT to include:

Entire rundown of your show
Extraneous information that has nothing to do with your show or what you’re about to discuss
Bad garage band music
Anything that detracts without adding value

Voice Over for Podcast Intro Benefits

Using a voice other than your own for your intro can set up your content as a separate and valuable entity. Think of being introduced at a conference, or in front of any group. Someone else making the introduction can toot your horn better than you can yourself.

Hiring a voice over pro to record your intro can likewise lend credibility to your show, along with a layer of professionalism and sophistication. Your audience is welcomed by a voice that aligns with your brand, with a polished, perfectly-timed reading. Voice over artists who have been in the business for some time can also help you perfect your opening script to make it as smooth and flawless as possible.

What is a Podcast Outro?

Your podcast outro is the closing that wraps up the podcast and, when done right, leaves the audience with a lingering good feeling. This is the ideal place to include a tagline that you’d like to leave listeners with; something that is a core message of your podcast in general.

Here are a couple of podcast outro examples that I recorded in the past year or so:

Defining Success Podcast – Outro

Board Room Podcast – Outro

Like your podcast intro, your outro is part of your overall branding of content that keeps your listeners loyal. A call to action can also be included at the closing, asking audience members to invite others to listen or share the content. Make sure you provide easy ways for them to do so, with a mention of your website’s name and link address.

Short and to the point is again the way to go, with a small handful of elements to include and another batch of elements to leave out.

Check out this handy dictionary of podcast terms for more useful definitions and descriptions.

Podcast Outro elements to include:

Thank you to the audience for listening
Website address for more info, host contact info, or to get the show notes
ONE call to action (CTA)

Elements NOT to include:

Entire summary of your show
Extraneous information that has nothing to do with your show or what you’ve discussed
Addresses for every single social media page you have
Multiple CTAs that confuse or overwhelm audience that usually result in no action

Voice Over for Podcast Outro Benefits

Using a professional voice over for your outro gives you the same benefits as you get with the intro. You essentially book-end your podcast with credibility, sophistication, and professionalism.

Having someone else’s voice promote your show, and branding with your closing CTA, can be significantly more effective than you doing your own closing self-promotion.

The voice over for podcast intros and outros I’ve done have been varied and enjoyable, giving me a chance to align my voice with a variety of different brands. Not only do I get to work with dedicated podcast creators who have intriguing topics to share on a regular basis, but I also get a firsthand listen at some of the more than 550,000 podcasts out there. Make your podcast stand out from the crowd with a voice over podcast intro and outro.

Contact Debbie for more info or a custom audition today.

Resources:

https://www.thepodcasthost.com/presenting-your-podcast/introducing-ending-episode-podcasting-intros-outros/

https://www.podcastinsights.com/podcast-statistics/

http://www.edisonresearch.com/infinite-dial-2018/

Your Voice Over Success Requires This Key Soft Skill

July 12, 2018 by Debbie Grattan

The journey toward your voice over success and a fulfilling voice talent career requires many skills, talents and qualities. And one of those qualities is becoming more elusive than ever in this digital age of instant everything. It’s the quality of delayed gratification and it is truly a life-changing skill if mastered and utilized in your everyday existence. So, let’s dive into this topic and if you make it all the way to the end of this post, you’ll get a special reward.

Delayed Gratification Explained

Delayed gratification is the capacity to wait for a reward that promises to be bigger and better than the instant gratification you’d get from a lesser yet immediate pleasure. The concept of delayed gratification was explored years ago in The Marshmallow Experiment, as James Clear brings up in his discussion on the topic.

The Marshmallow Experiment involved bringing a child into room where a marshmallow beckoned from the table. The researcher told the child he was going to be left alone with the marshmallow for a set period, during which time the children were given a challenge.

If the children could refrain from eating the marshmallow until the researcher returned, they would get a second marshmallow to enjoy. Kids had to pick between:

Immediate pleasure from a single marshmallow
Delayed gratification with double the rewards

Results were mixed, and the children’s lives were subsequently tracked over a 40-year period. The kids that were able to choose delayed gratification ended up more successful in many things across the board, from SAT scores to social skills and reactions to stress.

Where Delayed Gratification Fits in with Your Voice Over Success

Delayed gratification plays a huge role in your voice over success, as long-lasting positive results do not come instantly. The promise of the big reward of a full-time voice actor career is down the line, but only for those who have the capacity to wait it out while paying their dues.

Those dues can be pretty hefty. Starting any business as a solopreneur involves a lot of moving pieces that need to be put together to complete the puzzle. These include setting up a website, creating your branding and marketing plan, strengthening your talent and skills with training, putting together a voice over talent demo, finding agents to represent you, constantly seeking out audition opportunities, and otherwise doing all those things to get a new business up and running.

Sometimes it may feel like the only reward at the end of the day may be the ability to finally move away from the computer and get some sleep. But the bigger reward of living a dream job is only possible for those willing to wait for the delayed gratification.

Things Fighting You Along the Way

For the younger generations now in or near the workforce who grew up in the digital world, delayed gratification may seem like a totally foreign concept. That concept gets even harder to grasp, for people of any age, with the number of distractions in society today.

Even when you’re at work at your computer, emails urge you to check out the latest sales at your favorite shops, the instructional YouTube video you’re viewing ends with links to dozens of other intriguing videos, one article you’re reading links to a handful of others, and social media alerts exclaim that three more people commented on your latest post.

Add personal responsibilities that may include daily chores to complete, errands to run, children and pets to tend to, and that thing called eating dinner, and sticking on the patient road toward delayed gratification can feel like an impossible feat.

With so many things calling for your attention, and so many tasks that need to be tackled when you’re first launching a business, the whole process can feel overwhelming. Overwhelming can turn daunting and even frustrating when there’s not a lot of early success at the beginning of a career.

The choice between delayed gratification down the road and the instant gratification of throwing up your hands in despair as you go to watch TV can be a tough one indeed.

Why Stick it Out

Don’t give up. Even if you’re used to instant results, instant gratification, and pretty much instant everything, challenge yourself to stay the course for the delayed gratification that hard work, passion, and dedication always brings.

Even if your own delayed gratification doesn’t bring the voice over success as you envisioned, putting all that positive energy out into the universe is going to bring on rewards. Perhaps all your hard work will lead to new relationships, new ideas, or a new path that results in a career even more exciting than the one you imagined.

Whatever the case, I’ve found the success that comes from the pain of sticking with it over the ease of distraction is worth the wait. You can even train yourself into a pattern of delayed gratification by setting up smaller, daily rewards – like the delayed gratification of finishing everything on your to-do list if you stay focused on your work throughout the day.

Remind yourself that you do have the capacity to wait, and the rewards will definitely be worth it. There’s no reason to sell yourself short with one marshmallow now when you can double your rewards down the road.

Now, on a little tangent (and I’m putting this at the end so that I don’t distract you from finishing my post), last weekend I got to finally see Hamilton in Chicago. And, as I was doing my final edit on this blog, the song “Wait For It” kept going around in my head! So, for a little entertainment and reward for making it all the way to the end of my post, please check out this awesome 360-degree video of the original Broadway cast. Be sure to grab the screen and rotate to see everyone around you.

VERSATILE

EXPERIENCED

PROFESSIONAL