VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Philip Banks · Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2012 2:00 am Post subject: I have no idea ...at all!

There are real advantages to being completely ignorant; it makes you ask more questions and accept nothing! By asking genuine, probing questions of those who seek to guide, advise, coach and mentor you there appears to be more ignorance and ill-informed opinion exposed than knowledge, more ME and less YOU. When asking for help and getting a positive response it has to be about YOU.

As in life so in voice over work, the thing people fear the most is the truth, from themselves, about them from others and to others. This way lies madness, delusion and dead ends. When asked a specific question you would be amazed at how many people with a good command of English suddenly communicate in soft focus, filtered lighting and plenty of stage make-up. What do you do? Let 'em! In the critical parts of your business ...DON'T LET 'EM! Keep asking the same question and each time make sure it contains more detail until you get a specific answer. If people become evasive or antagonised they either don't know the answer to your question or do not want to answer your question. How do you deal with that? Simply say, "look, if you don't know or would prefer not to answer that's ok" or if you need an answer "I need you to be honest with me, I'll accept your answer no matter what" and then repeat the question.

Have you ever watched "Who wants to be a millionaire?" A contestant is asked a question he is unable to answer and he chooses an option to phone a friend in the hope the friend will be able to answer the question. How many times have you heard the person on the other end of the phone repeat the question to the contestant slowly and thoughtfully? LOADS! How many times has that person ever go on to answer the question correctly? I'VE NEVER SEEN IT HAPPEN!

Ask
Listen
Ask
Silence
Knowledge
Acceptance

Ask a question.
Listen to the reply, it probably will NOT be an answer
Ask again and be specific
Silence the evasive person or listen in silence to the honest answer.
Knowledge is power and either way you now know something.
Acceptance is the key to progress so accept what you have just learned.

Double your income in the next 12 months ...See above and do it. Most of you won't.

Yonie · CM Joined: 31 Aug 2011 Posts: 906

I feel like I've just been shouted at by my father. It's eerie. He was usually right in those cases, too.

jsgilbert · Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2012 8:17 am Post subject:

And yet I see how so many people will repeatedly ask the same question over and over again, simply because they are waiting to hear "the answer they want to hear".

Benefits to being "ignorant"? I'm not quite so sure. Benefits to be willing to learn. That is where the golden key is.

I've found the truly ignorant tend to not ask questions, which is of course, why they are ignorant. The truly smart people are the one's who know there is always so much more to learn. They are the ones who ask questions.
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ccpetersen · Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2012 9:07 am Post subject:

Unfortunately, sometimes we get the truly ignorant answering questions... which is a good takeaway from Brother Philip's Sermon on the Mic Mount. Wink

(Thanks PB!)
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Bish · Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2012 9:35 am Post subject:

... and there may be significance in that being Philip's 6666 post! Devil

I love a good argument. To me it's the same thing as Philip's talking about here. When I argue, I'm not trying to badger the other party into my way of thinking... I really want to hear a rational argument that supports what they believe. I actually feel as if I've benefited when I "lose", because I've possibly been previously labouring under a misapprehension, and now I have a new, and better, way of looking at things.

The trick is to be open to the fact that the other person's point of view may actually be based on a more appropriate (more experienced, wider, whatever) set of decision points than your own.

It could also be based on rainbows and unicorn tears... but you still have to listen to hear that and call them on it... or walk away.
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Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.

jsgilbert · Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2012 10:06 am Post subject:

CC, hit the nail on the head when it comes to the "truly ignorant answering questions".

and not really an argument from me. I don't disagree with what Mr. Banks says here, perhaps just a little bit with the pot he used to cook it up in.

Then too, the word ignorant can mean lacking "general knowledge" or lacking "specific knowledge".

When I got started in voice over, there were very few places one could turn to for answers, be they someone's version of the events or a mere fabrication. Sadly it might seem that the things we could benefit from knowing still seem to often be out of our grasp and though there are myriad sources for information these days, few are worthy of paying attention to.

Wouldn't it be nice to know when one were auditioning for something (I'm not talking the average lunacy of online gibberish) whether they were 2nd or 3rd choice or 55th or 92nd choice? Wouldn't it be nice to know if your auditions were even being heard?
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j.s. gilbert

js@jsgilbert.com
www.jsgilbert.com

"today is the first day of the rest of the week"

Lee Gordon · Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2012 5:33 pm Post subject:

Scott Lyle · Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2012 6:14 pm Post subject:

Suddenly I feel the urge to move to Nome...maybe Juneau.

My kids can tell when I'm serious by how softly I'm speaking. That's especially how I heard the last line of Philip's post.
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“Real freedom is freedom from the opinions of others. Above all, freedom from your opinions about yourself. ”
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