LOL! They called it "what if I suck?" - that's too funny!
Here's a couple little things that could be useful. It's stuff I learned in school - and I've used these myself when doing some recordings for radio adverts and phone systems ("please press one").
Btw, if it's helpful, I could record a few examples of these things to show you what I mean, if you like. You'll be able to hear the difference; there really is one.
- You should speak as loudly as if you're having a normal conversation, or better yet, place the mic an inch further and read the text as if you're adressing a classroom full of people. (don't shout though, obviously) The recording will sound "intimate" even if you do that, it's all in the way the mic captures the sound.
- Even if you read the text without emotion (neutral tone) you should try to smile a little bit as you speak. If you're reading it with emotion, then smile more.
It sounds weird, I know... but trust me, you can always pick up a smile in someone's voice and it can make all the difference in the world.
- One little thing that can help you "pretend" you're reading this to someone is to read it in front of a mirror; it's easier to smile at yourself, too.
I know this sounds incredibly vain - staring at yourself, but the point isn't actually to admire your looks here.
- Sit up straight, or even better, stand up. This will help your breathing for one and sometimes also help your voice come out better. Mind you, it's mostly for the breathing - like a singer.
The last thing, well... it's not really something they teach you in school, but most people I know did this (I did too) and personnaly I find it helpful. I print the text I need to read, then mark all the pauses with a red slash then I add accents over the words that I think need to be accentuated in the text. It's also useful because it forces you to read the text out loud once to figure out the accentuations - like a practice run.
Of course, myself, I used to go through pronounciation exercises and several practice runs before I read something - but that's usually cause they *paid* me to read the thing, so it had to be this close to perfect.
If this is useful, then great. But I don't claim to be an expert at anything, just someone who's actually done this sort of work in the past. Mind you, my lil sound byte on Anna's thread is not my best work ever -- it's WAY harder to do this in English than it is in French for me.
