Audience
You're always talking to *someone*
My very first voiceover mentor used to ask questions at the end of a read: “Who were you just talking to? Where did you go? Were you in love with that person? Why did you run away from that feeling?”…it used to blow my mind. He was so thoughtful, IN IT, and fully committed to each actor’s choices. And god help you if you didn’t have a specific answer to his questions. That was your downfall. Your lack of prep and your lack of dedication to the story you were telling would not be forgiven easily.
I carry that with me.
And now years later as a coach, here’s something I hear all the time, especially with actors who are competent, trained, and technically solid.
They deliver the copy to adults.
And only adults.
Not children.
Not characters.
Not “the audience.”
Just… adults.
And it sounds fine! Professional. Clean. Totally acceptable. But it also sounds like it’s aimed at no one. And I’ve come to realize that “adult” is not an audience. When an actor chooses someone to talk to, the goal is to get that actor to sound as “natural", “conversational”, and “neutral” as possible. But that almost always translates into reads that are:
evenly paced
emotionally careful
vaguely informative
low-risk
Nothing is “wrong” but nothing is alive either. Because no one listens as an adult. You are SO many things, and could probably make a list 2 miles long of how you could identify today.
People listen as someone who is:
tired
distracted
skeptical
already convinced
quietly overwhelmed
trying to decide if they trust you
trying to decide if they like you or are attracted to you
When you flatten the listener into “adults,” your delivery flattens with it. And I think here’s what most actors miss: audience isn’t just about demographics. While yes, shifting that can make a read come alive, the root of “audience” is about where the listener is when they hear you.
The same copy lands very differently if the person listening is:
already on board
unsure and comparing options
annoyed they’re being marketed to
relieved they finally found a solution
When you change that, everything changes:
pacing
emphasis
tone
breath
intention
Not because you’re “acting more” but because you’re oriented.
Most commercial copy doesn’t exist to be delivered “accurately.” 9 times out of freaking 10, an actor will shoot me a read they’ve done and it sounds FINE but forgettable because THEY forget that they don’t need to be “right”. They need to
reassure
clarify
normalize
reduce friction
give permission
If you read it to adults, you’ll sound competent. If you read it to a specific person in a specific moment, you’ll sound human.
That’s the difference between:
“Here is the information.”
and
“I get where you are. This helps.”
So, hey I need you to stop asking, “How should this sound?”
That question almost always leads actors back into performance habits.
Instead, try this:
Who is listening?
What just happened before this message reached them?
What do they need emotionally not logically?
You don’t need a backstory or lore or to invent trauma. You don’t need to “heighten.” You just need orientation and once you know who you’re talking to, the delivery adjusts on its own.
A Small Challenge: Shift the audience, not the copy
This isn’t a warm-up, it’s an awareness exercise.
Step 1
Pick one script you’ve already read before.
Don’t choose something new. Just grab something recent in your inbox.
Step 2
Read it three times.
Same copy. Different listener.
Take One:
You’re talking to someone who already wants this.
They’re relaxed. They’re on your side.
Take Two:
You’re talking to someone distracted or skeptical.
They didn’t ask for this message.
Take Three:
You’re talking to someone who needs reassurance.
They’re unsure, tired, or quietly overwhelmed.
Don’t “perform” the difference, just change who you believe is listening. This is key.
Step 3
Listen back without fixing anything.
Notice:
where you slow down
where clarity improves
where warmth shows up
where intention sharpens
That’s not technique. That’s orientation.
The Point
Strong voiceover isn’t about sounding adult, polished, or correct. It’s about speaking to someone real even if they only exist in your imagination for 15 seconds.
When you stop delivering copy at people and start talking to someone, your reads stop sounding generic and start sounding intentional.
And intention is what gets remembered.