Lecture 43
- 2. 1. Working on Vocal Delivery 2. Practicing Your Reporting 3. Reading Naturally 4. Using Body Language
- 3. Working on Vocal Delivery
- 4. Do verbal exercises to warm up your voice. Shake any tension in your arms and legs loose, roll your neck in circles, and scrunch up your face and release it. You can also loosen your jaw by yawning as widely as you can. Then, say each vowel sound and draw them out to relax your throat (for example, a becomes aaaaahhhhhh). Go through the consonants next, focusing on any that you struggle with. Finally, say a few tongue twisters, such as "Theophilus Thistler, the thistle sifter, in sifting a sieve of unsifted thistles, thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb." • Breathe slowly, in through the nose and out through the mouth. • Spend at least 5 minutes practicing exercises before you read, and set aside 10-15 minutes if you are preparing for an audition or job.
- 5. Pronounce each word carefully. Make sure that you pronounce each word fully and correctly. This can help you speak a little more slowly and your voice will sound clear. This can also help reduce the sound of some accents. For example, if you tend to drop the end of -ing words, slow down and make sure you say the whole word (fishin' vs. fishing).
- 6. Slow down your pace In day-to-day situations, you might speak more quickly than you realize. For news reporting, you will need to slow down the pace you speak at and carefully enunciate each word. However, if you speak too slowly, viewers might lose interest. Listen carefully to news reports and try to match the pace. • Most reporters aim for a pace of around 150-170 words per minute. • If you are nervous, you might find yourself speaking faster. Try taking a few deep breaths or meditating for a few minutes before a job if you are nervous.
- 7. While there is no rule saying you can't have a strong accent as a reporter, most networks prefer their newscasters to speak with a neutral accent. Try repeating something the reporter says using the same accent and tone. If you have a regional accent, this can help you start to figure out how to move your mouth to sound more neutral. • If you have a strong accent, it can take some time to learn how to speak differently. Keep practicing by imitating how reporters sound. Use a neutral accent.
- 8. Try for an energetic tone. It can be hard to strike the right balance of sounding upbeat without sounding hyper. A good rule of thumb is to pretend you're telling the news to a friend. You are probably excited to tell your friends news, but you try not to overwhelm them with too much energy. • The goal is to sound upbeat and friendly, not like you had too much coffee before you started reading.
- 9. Stick with the script the way it is written. It will probably sound more formal than you are used to sounding in your everyday conversation, but this is the tone people expect when they tune into the news. When you add comments after you report on a story, stick to the same tone. • Using slang makes you sound less reliable. Stick to formal language. Avoid slang and colloquialisms.
- 10. Stay away from filler words. Words like "um," "like," and "uh" are common in everyday speech but they make reporters sound less confident. If you catch yourself about to use a filler word, take a pause instead. • This can be difficult at first, but eventually it will become a habit.
- 12. Watch the news to listen to how reporters sound. Close your eyes to focus on the reporter's voice and inflection. Using their tone, the reporter tells you what is important, what is sad, what is exciting, and what you don't want to miss. It's not so much what they're saying, but how they are saying it. ● You might notice that the reporter sounds excited, energized, friendly, or confident. Try writing down some words you would use to describe the reporter's voice. You can use these words for reference when you're practicing. ● Look at the reporter's body language. Watch how the reporter's face reflects the tone of the story. Look at where the reporter places their hands.
- 13. Record yourself reading a report to spot your weaknesses Break out the video camera or smart phone and either record video or audio of yourself. Play it back and listen closely. Watch the news and compare your voice to the reporter's. • Try not to criticize yourself too harshly. You are comparing yourself to professional newscasters while you are just getting started. Simply compare to see how you can improve.
- 14. Practice keeping your eyes still while reading from a distance Type up and print a news story that you want to practice reading. Use a font that is 1.5" to 2" tall and in a sans-serif style, such as Arial or Helvetica. This will most accurately reflect the teleprompter type-style. Place the papers on a table across from you and try to read them while moving your eyes as little as possible. • You'll often see a reporter with papers in their hand. You practice this way, too. Practice glancing down at your notes and then conveying the story, rather than reading directly from your notes.
- 15. Be prepared to go off-script from time to time This is called ad-libbing, and you might see examples of it between two stories or at the end of a story on the news. A reporter might give a brief opinion or make a comment about the story. Come up with a few phrases you can use for a variety of situations so that they sound natural. • For a serious story, you can say something along the lines of, "What a tragic event for the neighborhood," or "Let's hope everyone makes a full recovery." Make it clear that you care about the situation. • For a feel good story, you can keep it simple by saying something like, "How fun!" or "That really warms the heart." • It's important to stay neutral for political stories. Good examples of comments could include, "This race is really heating up," or "This has been a really exciting story to follow." These comments still give an opinion while remaining neutral.