When you are marking copy, make sure you do not change the meaning or context of the story. However, most  stories  may  be  marked  in  more  than  one  way without changing their meaning. How you mark them will depend on your personal style. DELIVERY The way you speak or imply the meaning of a word may change the whole context of that story. You, the announcer,   are   the   most   important   element   in   the information  process.  The  fewer  barriers  introduced  in transmitting  the  information,  the  clearer  the  information is received and understood by the receiver or listener. Variety The announcer should have a voice that conforms easily to the spirit and intention of the assignment. No matter what the subject or script, the announcer must inform the listeners of his sincere belief in the content and the natural excitement (vitality) of the occasion. All meanings  should  be  clear.  Being  bored  should  not detract from natural vitality. All the slight changes in mood and feeling, directed by the words and situation, have to occur as effortlessly as they do in speaking with a  close  friend.  Discreet  changes  in  the  voice  appear naturally when they are truly felt by the announcer. The human voice is able to reflect all conceivable traces of mood and meaning. Subtle natural changes in vocal pitch, time, quality and force make this possible. Speech  without  thoughtful  distinction  tells  only  a  shade of  the  full  mood  and  meaning  and  may  express monotony  or  give  inaccurate  information  to  the  listener. The  announcer  should  feel  the  mood  and  know  word meaning if he is to show sincerity in his voice. Articulation In conversation, we naturally drop sounds and slur words. The reason for working on articulation is to make the sounds of words clear, so that the announcer may be understood. Clean  articulation  is  the  most  difficult  aspect  of voice and diction. Its intent is not to eliminate accents and  regionalities,  but  to  enable  the  announcer  to communicate with everyone. The  following  are  a  few  drills  and  methods  for dealing with some common articulation problems. MUSHY   SOUNDS.—   If   your   speech   sounds sloppy, chances are, you are not opening your mouth enough. Have another person watch you read or use a mirror. Notice if your lower jaw moves. If it does not, this could be the cause of the problem. Announcers who tuck their chin into their chest to make their voice deeper are  creating  articulation  problems.  Read  your  copy overemphasizing  the  lip,  tongue  and  chin  movement required  to  make  each  sound,  then  reread  the  copy normally. Keep your script at eye level and keep it up while reading so you cannot tuck in your chin. The same theory applies to the announcer who does not move his lips. Read the copy, overemphasizing each lip movement, then read your copy again normally. Another solution for mushy sounds is the “pencil method.” Place a pencil sideways to the back of your mouth and firmly between your teeth. Take your script and slowly read it through, articulating all the words. Then reread your script again normally. This will help you correct any mushy sounds. DROPPING SOUNDS.—  The ends and the middle sounds of words are commonly eliminated in speech. You should pronounce carefully each syllable of each word,   overstating   each   sound.   Then   say   the   word normally. Examples: stand-ing/standing (not “standin”) work-ing/working (not “workin”) help-d/helped (not “help”) mix-ed/mixed (not “mix”) spa-ed/sped (not “speh”) tah-t/tot (not “tab”) nah-t/not (not “nod”) mos-t/most (not “mos”) de-vel-op-ment/development  (not “development”) gov-ern-ment/government  (not “govment” or “government”) syl-a-ble/syllable (not “sylble”) NEW  ENGLAND  “R’’.—  Announcers  with  this problem change the “R” sound in “car” to an “ah” sound (cah). The “ah” sound is easier to say since it does not involve  moving  the  lips  or  the  tongue.  Read  several words with “Rs” in them, being careful to hit the “AH UR” sound. Try the following example: Example: Parker parked the car outside the card store. SOUTHERN VOWEL DISTORTIONS.— Some people  from  the  South  have  a  drawl  that  makes  their speech difficult to understand. They hold the vowel (a, 13-18