H1: Conversational Contractions

Video Review – Details you want to know

A contraction is when we shorten two words into one. Examples: “Will not” to “Won’t”, “Do not” to “Don’t”, “They are” to “They’re”.

Also, if you really want to make a script less formal, you can even drop letters from the end of certain words (“Going” to “Goin’”, etc.)

Should I ALWAYS use contractions?

NO! For some scripts and clients, this won’t be appropriate.

However, you can probably do it a lot more often than you think!

How can eliminating certain filler words add to the casualness of a script? (8:08)

In our Goodfellas example, instead of saying “It doesn’t happen that way,” Ray Liotta says “Doesn’t happen that way.”

Sometimes, eliminating entire superfluous words can make us sound even more relaxed and easygoing in our delivery!

When should we probably NOT use this technique? (10:56)

Audiobooks tend to need to be read as-is, especially if you’re working with a publisher. If you’re working directly with an author, you might be able to have a conversation up-front about whether this might be appropriate.

Also, when narrating eLearning or material for a high-profile, large corporation or medical organization, you’ll want to talk to them initially about whether this would be acceptable for them.