- by Lon Naylor
A Narration Technique I Use Each Time I Record
When I first starting doing my own narration, I thought doing a great voiceover would be something I could learn fairly quickly. In reality, it can be as difficult as learning to create a good screencast. It can require quite a bit of practice to get as good as a professional.
I recall reading a voice over blog a few years back where the writer recommend that you smile while you narrate. 
He said that smiling while you read your script injects a touch of warmth and charisma in your voice.It can make the entire tone of your voice noticeably warmer. So I tried it and then compared the before and after on the same script and it really made a difference. Here is a sample.
Normal tone
Smiling tone
It’s a Fundamental Voice-Over Technique
It may be hard for you to do this at first, but smiling is at the heart of a voiceover actor’s art and is a technique recommended over and over by professionals.
Maintaining a smile while doing a voice-over changes the whole energy of your voice, and therefore the voiceover. It’s one of the fundamental voice-over techniques to producing a believable voiceover that’s enjoyable to listen to. You can hear the smile—it sounds warm and inviting. In contrast, if you record the same script with your eyebrows scrunched down in anger, your voice sounds colder and harsher. Try it.
When you do your narration it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to be laughing. There are all kinds of smiles.
“There are smiles that represent happiness. There are smiles that represent reflection, and kindness, and thoughtful things.”
The only way to make what you read sound as if you’re smiling, or to make it sound friendly, is for you to actually put a smile on your face. In other words, you don’t need a giant laughing grin. You can even slightly turn up one of the corners of your mouth and still achieve some of the same effects of a fuller smile.
If you Don’t Use a Script
If you’re narrating somewhat freely as you record (without a script), it can be more difficult because your mind is occupied. The advice to smile sometimes falls by the wayside as you focus on the application and the words you’re forming in your mind. However, like almost anything in life, the more you do it, the easier and more natural it gets. At some point, you’ll be able to unconsciously smile while your mind is completely focused on the screencast you’re recording.
Try it and let us know how it worked for you.
