Every talent worth their weight wants to improve themselves. However, investing in coaching can be a crapshoot, especially if you don’t know what you’re looking for.

The worry is, “What if I don’t learn anything new?” Or, “What could I possibly learn that I don’t know already?”

To add to this, what may have worked for a friend or colleague may not be what works for you. Knowing who to spend your hard earned dollars on, as a talent, can be elusive.

So, how do you determine who to work with to train and produce your voiceover demos?

  1. Do your research.

Determine who might appear to be the top 6 to 8 acting/voiceover coaches out there.
Look for private coaching, rather than seeking workshops alone. You need one-on-one training to better determine your greatest assets and abilities, and what might best challenge you as an individual.
Group coaching is fun and encourages community, which is wonderful! However, if the only training you’ve ever had is in a group, you’re inadvertently positioning yourself to be at a disadvantage. Nothing you do as a voiceover will be done in a group.
You need custom-tailored training that understand you, the work you’re attempting to land, and how you might stand out as a professional. Additionally, when it comes to voiceover, you need to get used to working from home, all by your lonesome.
Developing your ability to self-direct, which may have gone completely unchecked until now, requires you master a handful of techniques, rather than leaving everything to chance.

  1. Listen.

If your end goal is to have your voiceover demos produced by the best, you need to listen to quite a few demos this coach/producer has created. The proof is in the pudding!

  1. Location is relative.

Gone are the days when you were limited to only work with local options. Granted, wanting to be in the same studio with your potential coach may seem the most comfortable to you at first, however, if it keeps you from the best training from the best coaches and demo producers, you should probably reconsider. Otherwise, you could be shortchanging yourself from receiving the best possible opportunities.
Advances in online options (such as Skype and ZOOM) make training from home simple and manageable. Look for coaches who offer these options, even if they are local, or you’ll have access to local projects alone. Besides, using these online options are shades of things to come as you establish yourself as a professional voice talent. These are common tools all voiceovers and actors utilize on a weekly, if not daily basis.

  1. Get 3 to 4 quotes.

You can’t possibly compile a budget until you know what you’re getting for your money. How much do they charge for coaching? Start there.
Keep in mind that choosing the cheapest option for anything let alone career coaching, training and demo production, can, as the saying goes, end up costing you twice if you only pay for the cheapest possible option. You’ll ultimately have to start all over to correct misinformation and the endless small business missteps imparted to you based on the random whims of so-called “experts” rather than based on real stats and substance can be a fail unto itself.

  1. Take a leap of faith.

No getting past it. The truth is you don’t know what you don’t know, you know? Do your due-diligence, then invest no less than 3 to 6 one-hour private sessions before determining whether this coach/producer is a good fit. Stay committed.

  1. Communicate.

If you aren’t discovering anything new about the industry, about yourself, about your potential coach/producer with every conversation and coaching, then move on. Simple as that.

  1. The best coaching is private and offers technique training.

Coaching isn’t practice. If the only training you’re receiving is simply practicing the same thing over and over again, then you’re not challenging your comfort zone.
Developing and maintaining performance agility, on the other hand, demands you continually challenge your comfort zone. It’s how you learn to trust your impulses and create with every take.
You need a simple, do-able process you can apply as a workflow. Especially considering nearly all of your auditions, on- or off-camera, will be done from home.

  1. Apply yourself.

You need to DO the work if you expect to garner any results. Ideally, your coach recorded each session for you to review, and to offer a deeper comprehension of the techniques imparted, not solely to listen to what you have done.

Once you’ve found a coach/demo producer that you’re happiest with, be sure to go back for a refresher in 6-8 months to recharge, refresh, and re-align your goals for the very best results.

What makes a coach great is the ability to continually inspire.›

 

Copyright © 2018 by Kate McClanaghan. All Rights Reserved.

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