No matter who I work with. No matter what I work on. I ask these two question: What do you want them to do? How do you want them to feel?
Writing copy? I ask the questions.
Voicing a script? I ask the questions.
Picking out a music bed or even the sound effects for the project? I ask the questions.
Meeting with a friend or colleague who's trying to help their employee succeed. I ask the questions.
Concrete Action First
I start with what do you want them to do first, because if you’re selling something, it’s usually easier to say the result you want. Just is. It’s the concrete thing that will help you achieve your goal (which needs to be the solution to your customer’s goal too.)
Abstract Thoughts Second
Then, I ask how the customer or listener or viewer or end user wants to feel. This is the branding, the tone, the mood, the big picture, the customer service part. Now, just because I ask this part second does NOT make it any less important, it’s just less concrete and sometimes more difficult to emote.
So, for example, in this article...
How do I want you to feel? That I am an expert in my field.
What do I want you to do? Subscribe to my email community (and score five fantastic voice actors you should add to your roster…including yours truly).
Bonus
For each answer to those two questions, you should ONLY have one answer per question. In a perfect situation, just focus on one thing. One thing they should feel. One thing they should do.
Stay well,
Kelly
Voice Actor, Mom, Mismatch Sock Wearer
Not into reading...listen to this article on the podcast: Real Talk with Kelly Wilson