7 Guidelines for Voice Over Work Out Routines 2

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

My VO pals and I had our first small group workout of 2011 last night. Per the advice and the encouragement of our professional voiceover coaches, about a half-dozen of us get together every other week to run scripts, provide each other feedback, and of course,  drink wine and nibble on delicious little snacks.

Our 2.5-hour workouts supplement our formal training in numerous ways:

• They help us remain fluent in the techniques we’ve learned in classes.
• They present the opportunity to tactfully give and receive feedback.
• They provide a forum to talk shop and share ideas.
• And they nurture community.

At our coaches’ recommendation, the lot of us decided we would meet every other week, hosts rotating (use doodle.com to help you schedule your group’s first session). And each participant is asked to bring multiple copies of at least three scripts.

In order to respect one another, our group also decided to set forth some basic guidelines prior to its first workout last August:

1. Arrival/refreshments. 15 minutes
2. Establish ground rules for feedback during readings. 5 – 10 minutes
3. Vocal/facial warm-up. 10 minutes
4. Improv games. 20 minutes
5. Script readings and feedback. (Suggestion: two-to-three per person, with at least one dialogue)
6. Sign-up for rotating host schedule.
7. Wrap-up.

Some parts of the above agenda require less time than they did on day one. However, all seven collectively guide our sessions, making them an incredibly fruitful resource.

Are you in a voiceover work out group? How did you find each other? Do you have guiding principles for your sessions? Comment away!