Choosing a voice usually goes wrong in the same way: samples read different texts, in different studios, and the loudest or most familiar one wins. A small change in method gives you a decision you can explain to the rest of the team.
The method
Same lines for every voice
Send the same paragraph to everyone, ideally from your real script, with the same direction.
Hide the names
Rename the files A, B and C so reputation and familiarity do not colour the first impression.
Listen where your audience listens
Phone speaker for a phone line, laptop for a web video, headphones for a course. A voice that is flattering on studio monitors can disappear on a phone.
Score three things
Fit to the audience, clarity of each word, and pace. Score each before you talk, then compare.
Test the hard words
Check how names, numbers and acronyms were handled. A good read that mispronounces your brand is not a good read.
Pick two and change one thing
Ask the finalists for the same lines with one direction change, such as “a little warmer” or “slower”. How a voice takes direction tells you more than a third sample.
Before
Voice B is nice.
After
Voice B: fit 4, clarity 5, pace 3 (a little fast on the last paragraph); handled the product name correctly; asked for a slower second read.
Why it works: Scores are only a way to keep the discussion concrete; the scale and the numbers are your own.
Before you decide
- Every voice read the same lines.
- Names were hidden.
- You listened on the right device.
- Three scores were written down.
- Hard words were checked.
- Two finalists got a direction change.