Finding Your Voice: Insights from The Voice of America’s Most Watched TV Networks and Shows
Spoken with Authority’s Coach and Facilitator Lynne Adrine had the opportunity to interview Joe Cipriano, The Voice of America’s Most Watched TV Networks and Shows.
For over 30 years, Joe has been the iconic voice of Fox, CBS, and NBC, as well as the announcer for game shows, the Emmys, and the Grammys. As one of America's most recognized voices, he’s been a part of just about every facet of entertainment.
Joe also teaches his Online Promo Masterclass, is the Co-Founder of the Don LaFontaine Voice Over Lab at the SAG/AFTRA Foundation, and is the author of Living on Air: Adventures in Broadcasting.
Joe and Lynne have been friends for decades, starting with the beginnings of their careers in Washington, DC. Joe was an FM DJ and Lynne was a local TV news producer, working with Ann Gudelsky -- the woman who would become Joe's wife and lifetime partner. Lynne went on to work as a senior producer with the major broadcast networks, then served as director of a Washington graduate program in broadcast and digital journalism for the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. She served on the advisory boards for the Freedom Forum’s Power Shift Project and other #metoo-related initiatives. She continues on the board of directors for Journal-isms Inc., as well as her work with the Spoken with Authority team.
During their conversation, Lynne and Joe discuss building confidence through intention; authenticity, practice, voice presence, vocal quality; making a memorable connection, and focusing on the audience you want to reach. This interview is filled with tips and insight that can be learned from a voice-over professional. These applications can transform communication outcomes in daily conversations, pitches, meetings, and formal presentations.
Below are highlights from their discussion. You can watch the full 30-minute interview here.
Authenticity - You Have to Be You (listen at 05:30)
Lynne Adrine:
Sometimes our clients are so wedded to the content they need to present and think that’s going to carry the day whether they’re just talking to a group or they have the ubiquitous slides. They lose track of the fact that their voice is the thing that’s important. That’s why they’re asked to present in person whether it’s on Zoom or in a room.
Joe Cipriano:
Absolutely. You’ve hit right on something that I talk about all the time because in voice over, a lot of people that are coming up listen to the voice over talent that are working and they try to imitate them. And that’s not the way to go because there’s already somebody doing that. But what you’re saying about authentic voice and being yourself and always bringing that through. That’s something that I always teach. No matter what you’re doing, I could be doing a drama spot or I could be doing comedy or it’s a reality, and there are all these different tones and deepness of voice or going up with high energy. You always have to have you in there. You have to be yourself. I always say nobody else is doing that…that’s what makes you unique.
Parallels Between Public Speaking and Rollerblading (listen at 09:50)
Joe Cipriano:
My wife and I will sit at the beach and read or just watch people rollerblade on the bike path in Santa Monica…You’ll see someone who is obviously very new to it and they’re working so hard at it. They’re putting so much energy into trying to just move along. And then the next person comes by who is really skilled in it and it’s completely effortless and they’re moving at such an incredible pace. It’s the same thing with speaking and being up in front of an audience if you can settle into the fact that “I got this.”
And you get to that point where you’ve done this and knowing practice is very, very important. You practice, practice, practice in front of a mirror, videotape yourself on your phone, rewrite your script after you go over it…and then you’re like those rollerbladers that can go seemingly 30 miles an hour and they’re putting no effort into it whatsoever.
Making a Connection - Storytelling (listen at 14:31)
Joe Cipriano:
I practice just about everything. When it comes to voice over or speaking in front of a class, I prepare and I want to have a complete understanding of the material so that part of it I don't even have to think of.
It’s then about connecting and how can I connect these ideas and these skills that are teachable. It’s how I connect that to my audience.
Lynne Adrine:
I totally agree. We have that with our clients, but we also try to emphasize storytelling. And it's interesting hearing you because you’re actually doing this from two perspectives. If you get a script. That’s your script. You got to work with that. You got to figure out how to deliver it, nail it…the material is what you already know, but connecting with the class…What story do you tell with your classes?
Joe Cipriano:
I find that, people that are in my situation learning about voiceover, they love to hear, first of all, how you do it…how did you do it and the stories of the people that you meet along the way, that all of these relatable stories. I’m a very positive person and I’m a never-give-up kind of person and those are two very important things to have when you’re going after a career in voiceover.
You can work on, honing your talent and getting better and better and better all the time. But it’s always going to be the most persistent person or people that make it. It’s the last ones standing. After possibly years of rejection that then find success in the field.
There’s always a story. So when you’re breaking down a script and whatever it may be commercial or narration, even a promo, a 20-second promo, but it still has a story arc to it…so it’s a matter of finding what the story is.
Finding All of Your Voices (listen at 18:49)
Joe Cipriano:
Don LaFontaine was one of the most famous trailer voices in the world. He’s the person who coined “In a world…” He was a producer. He wrote trailers and promos for movies. He actually wrote that line, “In a world…”
People joke about “in a world…” and they laugh. But when they’re in the movie theater and they’re facing the screen and all of this is happening and this big voice comes in and says “in a world…” nobody laughs, you know, it is setting the stage very quickly to transport this group of people into this movie.
When I started out, my voice was very high, and a lot of my successes in my career were doing comedy promos for the Fox Network and CBS Network that were very, very high energy and high pitch. And I remember Don saying to me, “You work hard at getting your voice up there. When we're just talking, listen to your voice. Your voice is down here. You should explore that voice and find all of your voices.”
I thought, wow, that is really interesting.
I found that NBC was looking for a drama voice for their promos and I thought, “I'm going to do what Don said.” I started working on my deep register voice and pulling in close to the microphone. I got the job and I became the drama voice of NBC for about two and a half years.
Joe’s Tips for Vocal Health and Quality (listen at 20:45)
Lynne Adrine:
Let’s talk about voice quality and protecting your voice.
Joe Cipriano:
If you’re doing a presentation, the night before you shouldn't go to a rock concert.
Exercise is really important. Your vocal cords are a muscle.
You have to drink a lot of water, and it should always be room-temperature water.
We always talk about using your diaphragm and not speaking from your vocal cords. You want to bring the air up from your diaphragm. An easy way to practice that is to lie flat on the floor on your back, and while you're there, just concentrate on your breathing. You'll notice just because you're in that prone position that your stomach goes up and down. And you automatically start breathing through your diaphragm. And it's a matter of learning what that feels like and then bringing that into your presentation when you're speaking. If you're speaking only from your throat, you're going to end up with a sore throat.
On Finding and Owning Your Unique Voice (listen at 22:03)
Lynne Adrine:
Another thing that I’ve noticed being more aware of voice quality, and also when I was working with my students from Syracuse to broadcast journalism students, is the idea that there isn’t is in a perfect voice. Sometimes the quirky voice can be the memorable voice. People think that, oh, I don't have the right voice to do a presentation because my voice isn't melodious, but the idea of different voices is appealing to me.
Joe Cipriano:
Absolutely! A quirky voice can be something that is so interesting and draws you in. And we want to find out more about this person or you just engage with this person a little bit more. People sometimes have an idea in their head that they want to sound like so and so. If you look at the voiceover world, there are all types of voices all across the spectrum. And every voice is working. Any kind of voice can work.
Joe’s Advice in the Lead Up to Your Public Speaking Opportunity (listen at 28:02)
Exercise. Get plenty of sleep. Hydrate. Not over-taxing your voice in one way or another. It’s a matter of thinking ahead, “how can I protect the instrument that I need the most and that I’ll be using tomorrow?”
What is that checklist inside your head before you get to the stage, get to the podium, sit down in front of the computer and begin… And understanding that it’s normal to have butterflies and to have a little bit of stage fright before you go on.
But you’ll notice that because you are prepared and you know the material, you have that confidence. And what you’re doing automatically takes over - you almost don’t notice it - the concern and the butterflies just dissipates.
Looking for strategies and support for improving, optimizing, and finding your authentic voice? Want to learn more about the skills, techniques, and confidence for voice over work? Learn more about the Promo Masterclass with Joe Cipriano.
Our newest book, Presenting Now, is full of advice on vocal quality, vocal presence, and vocal authenticity.
Learn more about our group training, The Power of Voice, for folks at your organization.
Interested in 1:1 coaching? Check out our leadership communication and executive coaching engagement options.