Knowing how to connect with your audience is a crucial element of working in the voice over industry – a skill nobody would advocate more than this week’s guest, Mary Van De Velde. A seasoned professional who has spent years as a radio traffic and news reporter for WGN-AM Chicago, Mary joined co-hosts Stephanie and Julianna for a special live recording of the podcast at VoiceWorld Chicago (hosted by Voices.com). In this episode, they listen to a handful of commercial reads and discuss tips for delivering a message, using inflection in your voice, how to get your best read in front of a client, and why processed audio isn’t necessarily a good idea for auditions. About Mary Van De Velde Mary has 20 plus years in the voiceover business, having done work in both industrial and commercial use from eLearning applications to radio and TV commercials. As a radio traffic and news reporter on WGN-AM Chicago’s morning show, Mary has also recorded numerous commercials and promos, while also doing live reads on a daily basis. In May of 2018, Mary was inducted into the WGN Walk of Fame after 21 years of professional and dedicated service to one of Chicago’s top radio stations. She has a Broadcast Journalism degree from the University of Illinois, where she started her media career working in news at WPGU and the local PBS station. Then she traveled to the northwoods of Wisconsin and worked as a News Director at a tri-state station. Her news career continued in Madison, WI., and the Quad Cities, before she made her way back to the big market of Chicago. She has worked at a number of stations in the Chicagoland area, including the Illinois News Network, Satellite Music Network, WTMX, WSCR, and WMAQ. Mary lives in the western suburbs of Chicago with her husband Steve and has three grown children and two grandchildren. When not in her home recording studio, she’s dancing in a ballroom dance studio, or sewing, running, biking or spending time in the woods of Wisconsin. Visit Mary’s Voices.com profile here: https://www.voices.com/actors/mvan