Poh-tato…Pah-tato, Toh-mayto… Ta-mahto
Poh-tato…Pah-tato, Toh-mayto…Ta-mahto
What’s in a word? A lot more than the simple surface level definition we tend to think of first. Words attempt to convey much more than the letters they contain. Each hard letter is representative of sounds that allow us to hear the words spoken out loud or even in our minds as we read them to ourselves. Words express emotions that we bring along with us from our past as well as emotions that we are attempting to get across to other people. Even our listeners have emotions that taint and nuance the words they hear from us.
Bring in the accents, and sometimes it doesn’t even seem like we’re speaking the same language. Take the United States, for example. We certainly have our major regional accents from the deep South, up North, back East, and out West. Then we’ve got the Texas drawl, the Native American, the African American Vernacular, the R-less Boston, the Maine, Cajun speak, the High Tider (North Carolina coastal), the Midwest, the Appalachian, and many more. Some of these leave out certain sounds all together. Others change sounds or add sounds. Some use different words to mean different things. Some have added completely new words to our collective vocabulary. So…it matters who you’re talking to, who you’re trying to reach with your message, and what you’re trying to convey. If you’re trying to show with a few words that someone is from Boston, you probably don’t want them speaking with a Texas drawl unless maybe they were kidnapped from Boston at birth and then raised in Texas. If that’s the case, then some explanative narrative becomes vital.
Add in moods and feelings, and a simple line is suddenly not so simple. I’m tired. I’m hungry. I’m mad. I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I’m sad. People say I’m grumpy, but I’m not. The mood of a speaker can be crafted to convey or hide a wide variety of feelings. In audiobooks, moods can be used by narrators to show someone is lying or to foreshadow a future event or to pull a perpetrator from hiding or to add in any number of complexities. Striking the right balance of complexity often yields very real characters or voices that are relatable. And in marketing, relatable is a purchase, a like, a connection, a five star review, …or a new follower. In other words…in marketing, relatable is engagement. And engagement is what we’re all after…that back and forth, give and take relationship with our clients.
For Voice Over Artists, these words string together into scripts. Scripts of only a few words sometimes written to convey messages, feelings, emotions, moods, and power, all while persuading listeners (often in 30 seconds or less) to consider a donation, to make a purchase, to sign-up for something, to commit to a cause, to click a button, and the like. When put together, the mechanics and artistry combine for a commanding performance for clients and their listeners. With so much on the table and so much at stake, is it any wonder words must do double duty?
