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Stop It!
In This Chapter
What Are You Doing to Sabotage Yourself?
There’s a simple fact of life that is true for all of us from time to time. I’m referring to those things we do, often unconsciously, that prevent us from moving forward in life and business. These could be behaviors or attitudes based in fear or things that have simply become habit. Whatever they may be, they can have the very deleterious effect of stopping us dead in our tracks.
So, what’s the solution?
It’s quite simple, really. Just stop doing whatever it is that you are doing that holds you back. OK, it’s often not quite that simple. You cannot change a behavior, habit or fear until you are aware that it exists. Only then can you begin work on reversing or stopping it.
There is nothing in this chapter that is new or hasn’t been said before. In fact, several things listed here have been covered more than once in this book. What follows is not intended to be negative or offensive in any way. These are simply things that may or may not exist in your life. So, you can look at this chapter as a summary of behaviors and practices to be aware of, recognize, and perhaps modify or eliminate if you feel that might be necessary in order to improve your situation or condition.
This chapter of “do’s and don’ts” was inspired by a short comedy bit performed years ago on Mad TV by comedian Bob Newhart, titled simply “Stop it.” Bob was known for the way he looked at common situations from an off-beat perspective. Go to youtube.com, search for “Bob Newhart Stop It,” and watch one of the longer versions. When you stop laughing, come back to this chapter and find out how many of these common behaviors might be holding you back. Then get to work and just stop it!
Be Real—Stop Acting
All acting is about creating a believable reality of the moment. Believable “pretending” is OK as long as there is authenticity. But if your presentation is artificial in any way, or if you are “trying” to be real, you are acting. The best acting is not acting. To be real in the moment of any script… Stop Acting!
Just Talk—Stop Announcing
On rare occasions, the character you create for your voiceover performance may be an “announcer.” An announcer has a specific, detached, and slightly over-the-top delivery with an energy that is not conversational and may have the tone of a circus ring master.
The majority of voiceover work today requires a believable, relaxed and conversational delivery that connects with the listener on an emotional level. An announcer style might be excited and energetic, but it is generally not the type of sound that most people easily connect with.
To be conversational, your energy must be consistent with your telling of the story, you must be speaking to someone—not at them, and your tone of voice cannot be over-the-top. To be conversational, you must Stop Announcing and just talk to your audience.
Be the Professional—Stop Apologizing
Why do you say “I’m sorry” when you flub a line or stumble over a word in your script? You didn’t do anything wrong. You just didn’t get the words out correctly. That’s no reason to apologize!
An apologetic attitude is generally nothing more than a bad habit. But it’s a habit that can keep you from reaching your goals. Every time you say, “I’m sorry,” the perception of you as an expert and a professional is slightly reduced in the mind of your client. That apology can also reinforce a sense of doubt of your own abilities. Experts know what they are doing and have no reason to apologize—no matter what happens.
To be seen as a professional, Stop Apologizing and be the pro.
Ask the Questions—Stop Assuming
How many times have you accepted and delivered a job, only to discover that you didn’t fully understand the story, or the meaning of some words. Or perhaps your interpretation turned out to be completely wrong? Or you negotiate a fee for your work only to learn that you won’t be paid for six months, if at all, simply because there was a misunderstanding or because you didn’t have a clear agreement in writing. It happens to all of us at one time or another!
The reason these things happen is because we make assumptions. We tend to assume that we know how to correctly pronounce a word, or that our interpretation is what the client has in mind, or that our agreement is understood. It doesn’t matter if our assumptions are correct most of the time or not. What does matter is that if we allow ourselves to make assumptions, eventually we will suffer the consequences.
This is an easy predicament to solve. All you need to do is have a policy of asking a lot of questions. Ask about pronunciation, interpretation, character, attitude, payment terms, conditions for use, and so on. If there is even the slightest hint of something you do not understand or about which you need more information, ask questions to get clarification. The best way to get your questions answered is in person or by phone. But in today’s electronic marketplace, that is often not practical, which leaves email or texting. Whatever works! Just ask lots of questions.
Be a professional... Stop Assuming and ask the questions.
Own It—Stop Caring
Of course you care about your work and doing the best job you can with your auditions and paid projects. That goes without saying! That’s not what I’m talking about.
When you care about whether or not your client will like you, or you care about whether or not your booth sounds OK, or if your performance choices are right, or if your client is ethical, or if you are going to be paid, you are setting yourself up for failure.
Amateurs and hobbyists care about how they and their work are perceived by others. Professionals don’t care!
A professional actor is confident with their skills and expertise. A professional knows they are more than just “good” at what they do— they are an expert. A professional doesn’t care about what people think of them. A professional knows that when they do an amazing job for their clients, they will get repeat business and referrals.
If you truly want to be perceived as a professional voice actor, you need to learn how to Stop Caring and own the session.
Be Proactive—Stop Guessing
Do you guess at the pronunciation of a word or do you look it up? Do you guess that your interpretation is going to be OK, or do you seek the advice of your coach or client? Do you guess at how your work will be used, or do you ask specific questions to get accurate information?
When you are guessing, you are making assumptions. Go back and re-read Stop Assuming and apply those concepts to your work and Stop Guessing and do what you need to do to be proactive.
Be Accepting—Stop Judging Yourself
When you flub a line or make a mistake, do you kick yourself by loudly proclaiming to the world how much you suck? When you can’t get the edits to sound right, do you begin to think that you might be better off working in a flower shop?
Self-judgment can be debilitating. And if you self-judge in front of your clients, it can result in loss of future work. Your clients expect you to behave as a professional. The occasional frustration with a word, a line of copy or with the client’s direction is to be expected, but a continuing pattern of destructive self-judgment is considered unprofessional.
You need to know that you are OK and that what you do in the booth is on track to meeting your client’s needs. This is not life and death… this is voiceover.
Keep your cool in the booth. Stop Judging Yourself, accept your shortcomings for what they are and move forward.
Change Your Thoughts—Stop Negative Thinking
Self-judgment is just one form of negative thinking. In fact, most of your bad habits have their roots in negative thinking. You’re not good enough, you don’t have the right equipment, you’re not a good negotiator, you don’t know how to use your software, you hate balancing your books. These are just a few of our typical negative thoughts. If not dealt with, they can take on a life of their own.
Negative thinking will stop you in your tracks, preventing you from making those necessary calls, negotiating the talent fees that you deserve, and even performing to at your best. A negative attitude is the result of negative thoughts. It will be picked up by those around you at an unconscious level, and can easily result in unhappy clients who would prefer to not work with you in the future.
If you truly want to work as a professional voice actor, learn how to maintain a positive attitude and turn your destructive, negative thoughts into constructive, positive thoughts. If you are going to take your voiceover work seriously, you must control, and ideally Stop Negative Thinking! As Norman Vincent Peale once said “Change your thoughts and you will change your world.”
Just Be You—Stop Performing
Remember the definition of a voice actor? A performer who creates compelling characters in interesting relationships.
In order to be compelling, an actor must be real and believable and the audience must experience an authentic representation of the moment in time being portrayed by the actor. If the actor is doing anything less than representing the honesty of the moment, he or she is performing.
Now, of course, we all know that when we stand in front of the microphone, we are “performing,” but that doesn’t need to mean that we should sound like we are performing. To be an effective—and compelling—voice actor, the direct opposite is true. We must sound like the “real thing.” We must be true, honest, authentic, and usually conversational in our delivery. To be anything less is to be standing in our way of creating the reality of the moment.
Learn how to create a compelling reality of the moment and Stop Performing! When you live the moment, you will be real.
Do It Now—Stop Procrastinating
Do you put off making those cold calls? Do you wait until the very last minute to record your auditions? Do you tell yourself you’ll take that voiceover workshop later… when you can afford it?
Can you really afford to put off getting the training you need, recording those auditions, or making the contacts you need to bring in business?
Procrastination is another of those bad habits many of us have to deal with. A wise individual once said, “Hard work pays off later, laziness pays off now. I’ve always been one for being in the moment.” Must have been an actor!
Or, look at it this way: The best part of procrastination is that you’ll never be bored because you have all kinds of things you should be doing.
If you are going to be successful at anything, you need to learn how to manage your time and do the things that need to be done, when they need to be done. And that usually means now… not later today… not tomorrow… now!
Do you really want to be a successful voice actor? If your answer is “yes,” then Stop Procrastinating and do it now.
Talk Like You Mean It—Stop Reading
This one is pretty simple: When you are only reading the script, you will sound like you are reading the script. That’s not being real. That’s reading out loud. Unless you are reading to your child at bed time, this approach to voiceover won’t get you very far. Learn how to create believable, relatable characters—even if they are merely an extension of yourself. Learn how to put inflection and variety in your delivery as you speak. And learn how to tell stories in an interesting and compelling manner. In short … learn how to Stop Reading and say the words as if they really are yours.
Admit You Might Not Know It All—Stop Second Guessing Your Client
Second guessing your client is not a good thing! You are making the assumption that you know better than your client. Now, the truth may be that you do know more and better than your client, but they are paying the bills. Don’t forget the basic axiom of business: “The customer is always right … even when they are wrong.”
When your client asks you to deliver their copy in a certain way, it is your job to meet their needs as much as possible—even if means going against every instinct in your body.
If you expect to get repeat bookings, don’t argue with your director and Stop Second Guessing Your Client and accept that they really do know more than you do.
Commit to Your Choices—Stop Second Guessing Yourself
This is almost as bad as second guessing your client!
All acting is about making choices and sticking with those choices until they need to be changed. When you second guess yourself, you are not being consistent with your choices. Your interpretation will vary from one take to another, which will make editing very difficult. Your tone of voice, characterization, and attitude will shift all over the place. And your performance will be perceived as little more than amateur.
Professionals are consistent in their choices. To do your best work, make solid choices, be consistent, and Stop Second Guessing Yourself!
Just Let It Happen—Stop Over–Thinking
In all the years of working with voice actors, there is one common challenge I have identified that consistently gets in the way of great performances. The simple fact is that most voiceover talent over-think their work. They over-analyze and often over-act as a direct result of thinking too much about what they are doing.
Sure, it’s important to wood shed your script so you know the story and can pronounce any tricky words or phrases. But once you’ve done that, about 90% of your work is done. Let it go and stop thinking about it! Just get out of your way and let the words and phrases guide you through your performance.
When you think about how you are going to inflect a line, where you are going to breathe, or how quickly you are going to speak, you will be standing directly in the way of bringing the words to life.
To achieve your best performance, learn how to get out of your way and Stop Thinking and just let it happen.
Let It Go—Stop Worrying About the Words
Focusing on how you are going to “read the words” is a common problem that will take you out of a conversational delivery faster than just about anything else. Learn how to quickly interpret a script on the first read-through. Discover any challenging words or phrases and make any needed adjustments. Once you’ve got it … let it go and know that your delivery will be on track.
Your voiceover work will be much more consistent and you will have considerably more success with your auditions and bookings when you learn how to Stop Worrying About the Words and just let it go.
Be Focused—Stop Wasting Time
Every time you get distracted or put off doing something that will move your voiceover work forward, you are wasting time, energy, and often money. Learn how to focus your energy to increase efficiency and productivity. When you Stop Wasting Time, you will become more focused and more successful with your business.
Know When to Move on—Stop Trying to Be Perfect
Perfection is elusive. In fact, most of the time, it’s not even possible. Your delivery might be exactly what you or your client wants, but it will never be absolutely “perfect.” Yes, you can get very, very close, but perfection is one of those things that just doesn’t happen every day.
Just as a good director will know when to accept a performance that works and when it needs to be adjusted, so must you develop self-direction skills so you will instinctively know when you’ve got what you need and when to move on. You should absolutely strive to do your best whether it’s for an audition or a paid project, but also know that when you strive for perfection, you may never finish.
Learn how to critically listen to yourself and self-direct with skill and expertise. When you Stop Trying to be Perfect, you’ll know when it’s time to move on.
Master Your Skills—Stop Trying
To “try” is to imply doubt. It is an excuse for failure. It is an excuse for a lack of total commitment and confidence. Trying to do something gives you a reason for making mistakes and getting frustrated. The resulting stress will affect your work whether you are aware of it or not. The harder you “try,” the more likely you will fail.
As Master Yoda once said “Do or do not. There is no try.” Master your performing and business skills so they are second nature. To be your best at all times, simply Stop Trying and commit fully!