Pronunciation Is Key to a Successful Script Reading

Doing voiceovers and monologues professionally can be that much more successful if you do so through proper pronunciation. Practicing and being aware of your pronunciation is a great way to cultivate your freelance voice talent. Here are some things to be aware of.

Preparation

Before you perform a script for recording, you should make sure to go through the script several times to practice phrasing and become familiar with the wording. As you go through the script, you should write in the breaks and pauses to help remind you of the ideal phrasing whenever you are actually performing for a recording. These notes can also be helpful in providing you reminders for how specific words are pronounced.

Keep It Simple

When writing in adjustments to your script’s pronunciation, you don’t need to write in the Merriam-Webster dictionary’s intricate marks and symbols to get you through. It doesn’t need to be so complicated as all of that. Letters with lines and dots over them to direct you would just slow you down in your abilities, not make you better.

Get Creative

You can make your own system for marking up words based on what you know will help you. You can mark an asterisk any time you are wanting a longer pause, or you can underline part of a word that you want to linger on as you enunciate. Whatever the system is, it doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to be something that you’ll understand and be able to quickly comprehend as you read through the script for practice and execution.

Use Your Resources

If you’re working on a script that gets a little technical, there may be some words that you aren’t sure how to tackle. Don’t hesitate to go online and search for the proper pronunciation for words such as pharmaceutical names for a medication commercial. It’s better to do that research beforehand to reinforce your professionalism.