If you’ve spent any amount of time in the world of voice-over, you’ve heard this direction more times than you can count: “Just sound natural.”
It sounds simple. It sounds reasonable. It sounds like the opposite of pressure.
And yet, for many actors, that single note can instantly tighten the throat, flatten the performance, and send the read straight into that strange, lifeless place we all recognize but struggle to describe.
The truth is, “sounding natural” is one of the hardest things to do well in voice-over. Not because actors lack talent, but because the medium itself works against what natural actually means.
Let’s unpack why.
Nothing about voice-over is natural
You’re alone in a room, often a very small one. You’re speaking to no one. There’s no eye contact, no physical exchange, no shared energy. You’re performing scripted language that was written, edited, approved, and revised by a committee. Then you’re asked to make it sound not only like you believe what you’re saying wholeheartedly – but that you *perhaps* just thought of it!
That’s not natural, that’s skill.
In real life, our ‘delivery’ is not usually critiqued. We don’t speak in perfectly structured sentences, we interrupt ourselves, we change direction mid-thought, and we go on tangents. We get animated and emotional. We use tone, gestures, and facial expressions to help us communicate. There are (usually) no time constraints when we are talking. In voice-over, your message must be conveyed using only your voice without the assistance of any of those visual or physical cues.
So when a read sounds unnatural, it’s often because the actor is doing exactly what they were trained to do: honoring punctuation, respecting the copy, delivering with clarity. All good instincts, but left unchecked, they create something polished instead of personal.
Natural has become shorthand for about ten different notes.
Sometimes it means “stop announcing.” Sometimes it means “less energy,” or “more confidence,” or “don’t try so hard.”
And sometimes, it simply means: I don’t believe you yet.
Casting directors and clients rarely say all that out loud. They say natural because it’s faster. But actors hear it as a vague instruction, then attempt to remove effort instead of redirecting it.
That usually leads to a read that’s quieter, flatter, or emotionally vague, which is almost never the goal.
Natural does not mean casual. It does not mean low energy. And it definitely does not mean indifferent. What it usually means is specific.
It’s about being, not doing.
To ‘sound’ natural, one has to ‘be’ natural – it’s like when a laid-back person tells you about how they’re so laid back, instead of simply being laid back. Or someone telling you how fun they are, instead of just showing you by actually being fun.
A natural read should feel like it’s coming from a real person with a point of view, talking to another person for a reason. It has intention. It has shape. It has active listening, even if no one is physically there. You should have an objective that’s deeper than the words on the page.
Natural is so hard because actors are hyper-aware of themselves on the mic.
In everyday conversation, you’re not thinking about how your voice sounds. You’re thinking about what you’re saying, who you’re talking to, and why it matters. In the booth, that awareness flips inward. Suddenly, you’re monitoring tone, pacing, breath, pronunciation, mouth noise, objectives – and whether you sound like everyone else who’s trying to book the job.
Actors are a very self-critical bunch. But self-assessing in the moment is the absolute enemy of natural voice-over behavior.
The more you listen to yourself while you’re speaking, the less you are actually ‘in it’- meaning connected to your copy and the circumstances around it.
If you’ve ever had a moment when you’re still reading the script but self-analyzing, ‘Oh, I should’ve said it more like a question,’ you are no longer a human being having a spontaneous thought. You will sound like someone just reading, demonstrating speech. That’s where auditions start to feel careful or contrived instead of connected.
This is especially true for trained actors.
Stage and on-camera training often rewards projection, clarity, and commitment. Voice-over, particularly commercial voice-over, rewards restraint. It asks you to mean it without showing it. To trust that the mic will catch what you don’t push.
That adjustment can feel like under-acting. It can feel risky. And risk is uncomfortable, especially in auditions where you only get one shot or if you’re being live-directed. I did a few network spots for State Farm years ago, where at the session, the eight clients in the room kept saying, ‘Less. Give us less.’ to the point where I thought I would get replaced because it sounded like I was barely saying or meaning anything at all. But that’s what they wanted.
And here’s the paradox: the reads that book most often feel like the actor is barely trying. Not because they aren’t working, but because the work is happening underneath the words. It’s not a ‘performance’ per se, it feels effortless because it’s just you being your authentic, grounded self.
The issue of imitation.
Many actors feel they can learn what natural sounds like by listening to current spots. That makes some sense, as voice-over actors are often very talented mimics. But when you chase a sound instead of a behavior, you end up with a copy of a copy. The rhythm might be right, but the thought process is missing.
Natural isn’t a vocal style. It’s a mental one. One of the most useful shifts an actor can make is to stop trying to “sound natural” and instead try to talk to someone specific. Not an audience. Not a demographic. One person. With an opinion.
That comes from understanding the situation, the relationship, and the moment before the line starts. Who are you? Who are you talking to? Why are you saying what you’re saying? Why is someone listening to you, or resisting you? What just happened to compel you to speak? Any of my students will tell you I harp on this all the time.
When those answers are clear and specific enough, you will find your objective and your voice will ground itself. Choices appear, pacing changes, emphasis becomes intentional, and silence starts to mean something. You stop performing at the mic and start using it as a conduit of emotion and intention.
And yes, that takes practice.
It takes listening back to your work, not to judge how you sound, but to notice when you’re present versus when you’re reciting. It takes letting go of the idea that natural means “safe.” Often, the most natural reads are the ones with subtle edge, confidence, or restraint that feel slightly uncomfortable at first.
But uncomfortable is usually honest.
In today’s voice-over landscape, where authenticity is prized and audiences are highly attuned to anything that feels forced, natural has become the gold standard. Not because it’s easy, but because it’s honest, and ultimately believable.
So the next time you get that note, don’t try to relax your voice. Focus your attention outward. Find the person. Find the thought. Find the real problem you’re trying to solve. Find your objective underneath the copy. Let the mic do the rest.
Sounding natural isn’t about doing less. It’s about doing the right work without shortcuts and trusting that being is enough. This is a concept I work on extensively with my students and clients, and it’s one of the most common hurdles I see in voice-over performance. If this resonates, it’s a conversation worth continuing – because sounding natural is rarely accidental.
P.S. If you haven’t yet taken our introductory voice-over class, where we go over everything one needs to know about getting started in the voice-over industry, sign up here!
Jason Yudoff is a SAV Coach, scriptwriter, and longtime voice-over professional with thousands of sessions to his credit, specializing in audition technique and authentic performance. His work emphasizes intention, specificity, and truthful communication, preparing actors at all levels to compete effectively in today’s voice-over market.
For comments or inquiries: jasonyudoff@suchavoice.com
