Barb Lyon
Voice Artist

When it comes to voiceover work, one truth stands tall: fail to prepare, prepare to fail. If you’ve ever been in a session that felt rushed, bumpy, or full of preventable hiccups, you already know how quickly confidence can slip. But when you show up calm, focused, and ready, you don’t just deliver a read, you deliver an experience that makes creative directors, executive producers, and instructional designers want to call you again and again.

A few years ago, I was working with a client on a project, a video I believe, and it was patched. We had just finished up and we were chatting away, and he had a question that surprised me: what challenge did I want to conquer next. That came out of the blue. It’s kind of a weird question to get from a client, no? I surprised myself with what came out of my mouth next.

This weekend Friday (our Australian Cattledog) and I competed at two trials. First up was Rally. We've earned our way into the Excellent Class, and have to qualify 3 times to earn the title. This weekend was our title run! Now, Rally is a timed event, but you're also scored on execution. We are not a fast-working team. But that's ok, they only look at time to break a tie and determine placements (first, second, etc.).

“Barb went above and beyond for our project, and remained extremely professional throughout the whole process. We really appreciated her patience and ability to adjust to our client’s specific needs, as well as always being open in her communication and feedback.” Now, doesn’t that just make your day? I’ll be honest, hearing that was like being showered with rainbows! It was a real affirmation of the professionalism and care I bring to every voice over session

Whether it’s a brand anthem, a training video, a thought leadership piece, or a B2B product showcase, the success of a corporate narration depends on more than a polished voice. It’s about interpreting the story beneath the surface. It's the unspoken tone, intention, and pacing that makes a video truly connect.

I just found out that those early recordings, my voice, may be used to train AI voice models. What?! Ten years ago, no one was thinking about artificial intelligence in voiceover. I certainly never signed anything allowing my voice to be used that way. And yet, here we are. My voice is in the can, and apparently fair game for a use I never consented to: AI voice training and possible cloning.

As voice actors, especially in the eLearning space, we’re often handed a script with little direction. Over the years, okay, decades, I’ve learned that if you pull out the nuggets of info buried in the client’s document, you don’t have to “just read it”. You can record with a deeper knowledge that really shapes the sound of the module. It’s all part of delivering expert narration that’s not only polished and professional, but also compassionate, clear, and engaging.

On the surface, AI seems adequate. It will give you the words in your document. No more. No less. But when you're producing a high-stakes corporate video narration, a K–12 eLearning module, or a regional commercial spot, you need more than “technically adequate.” AI doesn’t understand tone, storytelling, or emotion. It lacks intuition, imagination, and intention.

Welcome to Script Happens, my little attempt at blogging where I invite you to join me in celebrating the wonderful, weird, and often unpredictable world of voice over. I’ve been behind the mic long enough to know one thing for sure: there’s nothing quite like the variety of scripts that land in your inbox. And sometimes? Things don’t go exactly as planned.