1.
You must make proper sense of the script. Seemingly
obvious, this is nevertheless a consistent problem with talent
of all abilities, in markets of all sizes. And anyone who claims
to read cold better than they read when they have worked with
the script in advance is fooling you and themselves.
Sense
in human conversation is determined by which words and phrases
you choose to emphasize. It happens spontaneously when you are
in conversation, because you know where you are going when you
make a comment. But when you are reading what someone else has
written, you do not know where you are going.
So,
when you read cold, instead of truly expressing an idea or making
a point you are forcing the audience to watch while you figure
out what the point of the story should be. It robs you of power
and authority, and dishonors the time that viewers have chosen
to invest in you.
2. You must find something you personally want or need
to communicate. The stakes attached to communicating
each story must be high for you. It must be important to you
for viewers hear whatever it is you have to say. As your need
to be understood intensifies, the viewers' need to understand
will go up in response.
