Loud and clear: How to make an impression and career by using your voice

Speaking well is an art and the talent is needed in a variety of roles, say experts

In meetings, presentations or conversations, an impressive voice guarantees attention. Voice is a career – used by those radio jockeys, public service announcers, storytellers and artists. 

“I think we have stopped looking at audio professionals as voice artists. They are not voice artists anymore. They are content creators who also have a good voice and clarity in terms of speech,” says Abraham Thomas, chief executive officer of Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd, which operates radio network BIG FM.

“You may not have the deepest baritone or the strongest voice but if your content is relatable and real people get attracted to it, then you are there. How authentic, how imperfect you are and how you can strike a chord and connect with the audience are dealmakers. It’s about being real and that is the core strength for an audio professional today,” he says.

How does one train and make one’s voice effective and commanding? Practise, says Raëll Padamsee, who teaches speech and drama. She is the managing director and chief executive officer of ACE Productions, a film company in Mumbai.

“We do a whole lot of things such as speech exercises, diction and pronunciation. …what we teach is communication skills and public speaking where voice modulation is important and it's also crucial to know how to throw your voice,” she says.

One exercise Padamsee recommends is MRR: "Mirror, rehearse, record your voice several times before you get it right, at least five-six times until you nail it correctly.”

Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan, an author of children’s books and a “voice over talent” in Campbell, California, has lent her voice for documentary films and trains people in the skill. “Speaking skills can be cultivated and a voice can be trained to be used for professional purposes. But to be a voiceover talent there’s more to it. It is not just about your voice. It’s about how you use it,” she says over email. 

“The key talents required for voiceover are believability and communication ability. The voiceover professional is a straightforward, compassionate, intelligent storyteller. The recorded voice is the voice actor's calling card, which is distinctly different from the live voice unless a director has specifically requested a conversational narration. A voice talent should be able to read copy successfully and often swiftly. You have to be able to get a point across, relate a feeling, and nail it the first time. So it’s as much about how you read as it is about vocal type,” she says.

Is it a financially viable profession? “I’ve made $400 for a two-minute film but have also worked on social documentaries that were much longer for less. A narrator can make a few thousand dollars for a 200-page audio book,” says Srinivasan.

Gurdip Wadhwa Sial, founder of Gcorp Media Studio, is a Mumbai-based content and audio producer who runs training programmes for aspiring dubbing artists. Her company conducts a beginner course (of a class comprising 6-8 people) that introduces the basics of voice. The fee is Rs 2,500 per person. There is a month-long course of two classes weekly and charges Rs 25,000 per person. About remuneration, Sial says a voice artist may expect to earn Rs 5,000-15,000 for a television commercial; Rs 5,000-20,000 from e-learning platforms and Rs 2,000- 8,000 from a corporate audiovisual project.

By stressing on certain words or parts of a text, you can shape a conversation or give a particular message: That is the power of voice.

“There are three important attributes of voice: Stress (volume), intonation (rising and falling tone), and rhythm (pacing). By combining vocalics with public speaking skills, we can colour our words with the meaning and emotion that motivates others to act,” says Jamshed Qamar Siddiqui, an associate editor at Aaj Tak Radio who takes care of podcasts. 

Siddiqui says his role model is Ameen Sayani, the legendary radio show host who died in February, for his voice had “honesty”. His says aspiring voice artists must work on clarity – “where every talaffuz, which means pronunciation, articulation, the way of saying a word, is crystal clear. Speech should be natural and lucid.”

Speaking well strengthens confidence and personality, so issues like lisp, stuttering, hoarseness or monotone should be acknowledged and treated. “Speech therapy offers tailored solutions, which include exercises to improve articulation, fluency techniques for stuttering, and vocal exercises for voice disorders. It's necessary for people to seek assessment and treatment from speech-language pathologists who can provide tailored guidance and strategies to address their specific needs and enhance their overall communication skills,” says Dr K K Handa, chairman of ENT, head and neck surgery at Medanta hospital in Gurugram. 

Institute/Course	Features	Price in Rs
Raëll Padamsee’s ACE Productions	Intensive speech and drama (10 hrs) courses, summer workshops	7,500-29,700
Voice Over Training by Deepak Agnihotri	1-1 classes in training in voice over, Dubbing, Acting, Voice Modulation.	18,000 - 20,000
R. K. Films & Media Academy	3 months training in voice culture, conducted by Munish Jolly	30,700
Viva Voice Academy	Online voice training Module, 1 to 6 months	25,000-1,00,000
Himanshu Khanna's voiceover training	Online and offline group Workshop/Mentorship	7,000-10,000
Voice Bazaar by Anil Mani	3 hours /30 sessions, online programme	20,000

 
Source: Market research