- Practice! The best way to get good at something is to practice it. Read to your friends, read to your family, read to your pets, read to an empty room. The more you practice, the easier and more familiar it will feel.
- Sloooow down. Feeling nervous makes you read too quickly, and the people listening won’t have enough time to absorb the information. You should always read a little more slowly than you think you should.
- Don’t forget to pause and breath. This will help you slow down and help your voice sound more natural. It will also communicate to listeners where the punctuation marks are. Use a short pause after a comma and a slightly longer pause after a period mark. And if it’s a question, make sure the end of your sentence tilts up!
- If you’re not sure how a sentence should sound, try emphasizing different words. (If YOU’RE not sure how a sentence should sound; If you’re not SURE how a sentence should sound; If you’re not sure how a sentence should SOUND, try emphasizing different words!)
- Just before you read for a recording, read through the material one more time, silently to yourself.
- Feel free to mark your own notes for any troublesome words—like how to pronounce an unfamiliar word or name.
- Try to convey the emotion of the text. If you’re reading something happy, smile! People listening will be able to hear it in your voice.
Best of luck, and don’t forget to have fun!
Jobe
J. Jobe 