This year, I decided to learn how to run. Frankly, my waistline needed it. Now, you might think such a simple skill was something I’d figured out years ago, not long after I learnt how to walk.

I thought that too.

But it turns out I’ve been doing it all wrong. Who knew running was more complicated than simply putting one foot in front of the other? I certainly didn’t.

A bit like voiceover, perhaps?

Sure, you can jump straight on the treadmill; there’ll plenty of energy and enthusiasm. But it will be clumsy, exhausting and you’ll be left gasping for breath.

Getting precisely nowhere.

So I did the obvious thing and Googled it. Before long, I had the Couch to 5K app on my phone and Olympic gold sprinter Michael Johnson working his magic in my ear.

I figured; if you're going to train, train with the best.

It’s a shame that not a lot of marketeers or producers think that way when hiring voice talent. Cutting corners might save a few quid off the budget, but the benefit quickly fades when a cut-price VO can’t go the distance. 

And if there’s one similarity between running and VO, it’s the breathing.  

Over nine weeks Johnson coaxed and cajoled me with his easy-on-the-ear suggestions. Soon I was running with style, tempo and cadence. 

A bit like my voiceovers.