card-num-090-500x385

Dyslexia, And The Palindromic Poem. The Wha?

Hey there!

I often hear people talk about dyslexia potentially being a speed bump in their pursuit of a performance career, especially when it comes to reading a script.

I was researching this the other day, and I came across something that was simply heroic.

And I wanted to share it with you.

It’s not a cure, not a treatment, but actually a new form of written composition that spotlights and turns around the condition and how we look at it.

Whether you suffer from dyslexia or not, I’d like to challenge you to engage in it in the comments below…then share how you feel.

Here’s a sample.


(Click/tap ↑↑↑↑↑↑ that red YouTube button to subscribe to my channel. You’ll get notified when I release new videos.)

Hope this helps!

David

All Episodes

One Step At A Time

Five Ways To Have An Excellent Coffee Date With Me

Five Ways To Have A Crappy Coffee Date With Me

Taking Advantage Of The Wisdom Of The Tribe

How To Be A World Class Complainer

The False Nobility Of The Struggle

Watch Out – The Rules Are Going To Change

“Show Me The Secret, Daddy!”

Coaching vs Consulting vs Facilitating

The Perils of Live Performance And Why Jeremy Kappell Should Not Have Been Fired

Let’s Welcome To The Stage…Failure!

Don’t Confuse Price With Value

Whiteboards In The Hallways

Go Wake Up Your Luck

Playing and Planning

The Two Things Most Talent Try to Accomplish Way Too Soon

10,000 Hours To Become Good At Something? Not Really.

The Curse of Knowledge

The Trick Charlie Munger Uses To Make Better Decisions

Everyone’s A Customer, Not Just Your Customers

“What do you mean, you’re a ‘process guy’?”

Pay Attention To Your Storytelling, Not Removing Your Breaths

How To Conquer FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)

The Problem In Every Commercial Script

The Job In Every Commercial Script

The Secret In Every Commercial Script

How To Pick Your Stage Name

Voice Over Is REALLY Hard. Until It Isn’t.

Helping Make Resolutions Stick

ACX Jobs: They’re ALL SAG-AFTRA-Friendly

Non-Union? You Can Still Open An AFTRA H&R Account. What?

Who Says You Need To “Feel Like It?”

Are You Engaged?

Your Day Job Might Just Be Worth Keeping For A Bit Longer

Want To Learn Something Really Well? Teach It To Others

Don’t Confuse What Works With What You Like

The Lost Keys And The Microphone In My Elevator

My Insane Backup System Plus Two Helpful Tips

What Open Loops Are And Why They Work So Well

Two More Things For Which You Can Use Open Loops

Three Things Not To Say Or Do…When Trying To Learn Something New

Front Burner and Back Burner Project Management

How To Properly List The Accents and Dialects You Perform

My SAG-AFTRA Presentation On VO Demos (Part 1)

My SAG-AFTRA Presentation On VO Demos (Part 2)

A Simple, One-Word Decision-Making Question To Ask Yourself

Ready, Shoot…Aim

How You Can Use The MVP Model As A Performer

How Lazy Can You Be?

Avoid The Struggle Porn

The Robocall Equivalent Of Unsubscribe

Saying Goodbye To A “Failure”

Making Your Links Irresistible

HTTPS Is Not Just For Banks – It’s For You

The Threat That Made Me Create a New Page For LAME

The Resource You Must Guard Most Carefully

How New Media Is Using The Oldest Ad Model Ever

“You Could Be Hit By A Bus!”

Killing Customers With Kindness

I Found Out What She Was Podcasting About

How I Answered Voices.com’s Inquiry

Turning Mountains Into Molehills

Motivation: Your Three Big Needs In A Cool Little Package

Go Ahead. Multitask. But Try It Like This.

The Prodigy Game Doesn’t Deserve This Treatment

I Don’t Want To Go Blind

What Fair Markets Are, And Why Voices.com Isn’t One

Trevor’s Three A’s From Apple On Killing Customers With Kindness

Getting Ready vs. Getting Started

You’ll Never Believe Who Got Rejected By Harvard

There Is No Failure, Only Feedback

Who Is Your Most Dangerous Adversary?

73 Videos In, My First Hater Appears

If You’re The Smartest Person In The Room, Do This ASAP

Your Glasses And Crucial Laptop Positioning Info

One More Insanely Over-engineered Piece Of Gear: My UPS

The Crazy Backward Way IKEA Prices Their Stuff

Voices.com Complained To YouTube That I Violated Their Privacy

The Gig Economy: RIP?

For Your Health: Not Perfect. Just Better.

Celebrate Your Isolation!

Mr. Wonderful Is Actually More Wonderful Than I Thought

Let’s Finally Close The Digital Literacy Gender Gap

The Guaranteed Way To Completely Avoid Criticism

The Two Things People Judge About You Within Seconds

Prioritizing…Nashville Style

Are You Committed? Or Just…Interested?

Audible Retail Samples: Why They Suck And Why It Doesn’t Really Matter

How To Voice Copy That’s Set In Italics

Dyslexia, And The Palindromic Poem. The Wha?

Increase Your Chances Of Being Seen And Heard On Facebook

Jamie Has Some Thoughts About Fiverr

Is Simply Discouraging Distracted Driving Enough?

“Young People Are Just Smarter.”

The Real Purpose Of The “Can You Hear Me?” Phone Scam

Beware Of Overkill

Laying Down The Perfect Slate

An AMA Preview: The Word “Ethnic” – A Slur, Or An Essential Adjective?

10 Rules of Profitable Self Discipline from Napoleon Hill

AMA (Ask Me Anything): Here Are The Answers (Part 1)

AMA (Ask Me Anything): Here Are The Answers (Part 2)

AMA (Ask Me Anything): Here Are The Answers (Part 3)

AMA (Ask Me Anything): Here Are The Answers (Part 4)

AMA Answers Part 5 Plus A Medical Warning

Last AMA Answers (#6): Gear, Services and Success

A 7-Word Reminder: “Don’t correct people when it matters little.”

Do You Have A Plan? And Is It The Right One?

What’s Your Next Big Move? Are You Ready?

Build Your Future On Your Own Platform, Not Someone Else’s

I’m Leaving Facebook: Why Groups and FB Live No Longer Spark Joy

Time To Accept That I’ve Failed At Something – Happily

Crowdfunding Without The Internet: Pulitzer And The Statue Of Liberty

The Amazing Power Of Recognition And Badging

Might We Have A Possible Cause For Alzheimer’s?

Why Podcasting And Radio Are Out Of Whack

Value Enthusiasm, But Value Persistence More

Ten Ways To Make Money With Podcasts Besides Ads

One Quick Question To Find Out How Important Something Actually Is

The Workflow For Producing These Videos (So Far) Part 1

Why Not Wade? And…Why Not You?

Audiobook Narrators: How Paymasters Work, And The One I Recommend

Why Gen Z And Millennials’ Love For Audiobooks Is Crucial

American Idol: It’s All About Story, Not Just Singing

Less Beating Yourself Up, More Talking Yourself Up

Resist Oversharing. Instead, Start A Dialogue.

Vocal Care: It’s All About What Works For You

3 Biases You Should Be Aware Of

3 More Biases You Should Also Be Aware Of

Wow. People Really Grokked Biases. Let’s Tackle Fallacies.

Three More Fallacies You Need To Watch For

What’s Your Imprint?

Fallacy Follies, Volume 3

Two Last Big Creativity-Crippling Fallacies

Fail Sooner To Succeed Sooner

A New Lead Source For Performers: Voice Assistants And Smart Speakers

A Great Way To Handle Trolls and Haters

Quantity Does Not Usually Equal Quality

Is Facebook Truly A Monopoly? No More Than Microsoft Was.

Fear Of The Unknown, Or The Day Before My Surgery

A Strange Aspect To Performing That Should Be Cause For Protest, But Isn’t

Want To Grow? Don’t Go It Alone.

How Am I Doing? I’m Gobsmacked. That’s How Am I Doing.

Why I Give My Agents 10% Of Everything

Not Just Explainer Videos, But Video That Explain Things Spectacularly

Mental Floss To The Rescue: Skills You Can Pick Up On YouTube

What’s Better Than Willpower? Grit.

Regarding Apple’s App Store: Be Careful What You Wish For, Pepper

Of COURSE You Wonder What Porter’s Five Forces Are. Who Doesn’t?

Don’t Waste Your Time: Talk Shows Aren’t Meant To Be Fair

Sooner Or Later, I’m Really Going To Tick You Off

Just Because You Can Do Something Doesn’t Mean You Should

Wait, What? Audacity Records In The Background?!

Enjoy Your First Booking. Pay Close Attention To The Next Three.

Pattern Interruption And The Musicality Of Voice Over

Do You Still Have A Landline? Is It POTS? Wait, What’s POTS?

Increase Your VO Accuracy, And You’ll Increase Your VO Profits

Age Range Isn’t Really A Valid Metric For VO

What Is The Overton Window?

How To Stop Jealousy From Killing Your Progress

Even The Bible (And Game Of Thrones) Has One-Star Reviews

How Much Is Enough To Make Per Hour?

With Royalty Share Plus, ACX Makes Hybrid Stipends Official

Wait, Vices Can Be Good For Your Health?

What A Lovely Thing To Discover: Praise From CourVO

I Figured Out What I Provide: The Onboarding Performers Don’t Get

You Don’t Need Permission To Care Or Contribute

It’s Not Just You. It’s The Superstars, Too.

Do You Sometimes Think Irrationally? Maybe. Here’s How To Stop It.

The Struggle Of Announcer-y Versus Non-Announcer-y Voice Over

How My VAs Support Me And My Team

What Exactly Is “The Cloud?”

The Often “Most Difficult” Concept I Teach

Please Unsubscribe From This List. But Don’t Do This One Destructive, Lazy Thing.

Don’t Mistake The Joy Of Knowing For The Joy Of Doing

Why Giving Yourself Some Simple Homework Can Be Life-Changing

One Weird Trick I Do That Makes My Note-Taking Superhuman

The Worst Thing About The Biggest Money-Making Entertainment Category

What Can We Grab From A Schedule This Strict?

Get Better At Executing Today’s Plan By Starting Last Night

How To Create Useful, Organized Audition File Names

Where To Find Related PDFs For Audiobooks on Audible

I’m Halfway Finished. What Have You Valued Most? What Can I Do Better?

Our Digital Attention Span Is Incredibly Brief

“Serves You Right!” She Actually Has No Idea How Right.

Create A Safe Environment For Self-Improvement

Why I Use One Single Channel For Crucial Communication

The Even Cheaper AT-2020 USB Plus Microphone?

Fred Willard (and Billy West) On Quickly Creating Authentic VO Characters

Leo Makes Your Searching Spectacular

On Asking For Things Performers Can’t Do

How To Battle The Urge of “Efficiency”

One More Best-Of-Breed Way To Brilliantly Complain

Changing Audacity’s Sampling Rate To 48,000 Hz

10 Words Of Encouragement When You’re Stuck

Seek/Give Mentorship That’s Appropriate To The Journey

Two Cases Where You Might Not Want To Simply “Follow Your Passion”

Having Fun With Headphone Volume

Please Stop Rushing To Perform

Something To Consider: Everyone’s Internal Menu

One Crazy Key To Creativity: Pure, Unadulterated Boredom

For The Sheer Joy Of It

The Most Commonly Consumed Media Is…!

What’s Dangerous For Us To Care About

Please, Clever Copywriters…Stop Using This Term

Wait, Wait…What? They Actually Listened?!

Why You Should Take The Same Classes Twice

How Your Character’s Menu Informs Your Performance Choices

What Shouldn’t Be Your Metric For VO Success

Someone Awesome Who’s Also Rising To A 365-Day Challenge

Union Or Not, Start With Union Rates

O. M. G. Look What Matt Zurbo Did!

So Where Will That Huge Facebook Fine End Up?

The Root Words of “Typecast”

Avoid That One Obvious “That Worked” Sound We Make

Why Union Members Can Audition For Non-Union Work

200 Auditions. 1 Booking. A Ghost. Really?

I Can’t Do One Thing I’m Asked To Do Every Single Day

One Of Your Secret Weapons: Agility

Do Networking Events Make You Anxious? Let’s Fix That.

Project X Is Just About Ready. I’m A Bit Giddy.

The Difference Between Mansplaining and Advice?

Too Late, Melissa. You Already Are.

Help Me Solve A Lovely Mystery!

Speeding Up The Playback On The Audible App

Why Those Other Casting Sites Usually Aren’t Worth It


Raw YouTube Captioning

hey there it’s David H Lawrence the 17th
and from time to time I will have a
client a potential client for voice
overs say to me hey I’m Dyslexic and
it’s been a struggle for me is it going
to be something that will prevent me
from being successful as a voice over
talent I mean you got to read scripts
you got to look at breakdowns and you
not just read scripts but you really
have to be precise about your work and
my experience with dyslexic clients has
been a lot more positive than a lot of
people would think because if you just
slow down and maybe set your scripts in
that dyslexic font that they have
there’s a font specifically for dyslexic
so I’ll talk about that in a future
video he can really help I have one in
particular who is doing fantastic and
she’s told me time and again that just
simply slowing down helps so I was
researching this the other day and I
came across something that was simply
heroic and I’m gonna try not to get
emotional as I do this um I wanted to
share with you it’s not a cure it’s not
a treatment it’s actually a pretty cool
new to me anyway form of composition
you know novels and articles and poems
and prose this is called a dyslexic poem
and it’s not you know the poem itself
obviously isn’t dyslexic here’s here’s
what that means and I think whether you
suffer from dyslexia or not you’re gonna
find this amazing and I’m gonna
challenge you at the end of this video
to engage in writing a dyslexic poem if
for no other reason than for you to be
affected by it the way I was so there
was a girl in the UK she was 10 years
old and I read an article about how she
managed to really encapsulate the
misconceptions about dyslexia
in this poem that she wrote and it was
says nine lines long and her teacher
whose name is Joan Brodus shared the
poem and I I read it and I burst into
tears so
the poem is actually a palindrome and so
the actual phrase for it is palindromic
poetry not dyslexic but palindromic
poetry that means it can be read
forwards or backwards a line at a time
and you’ll see what I mean here’s here’s
how it goes
dyslexia I am stupid
no one would ever say I have a talent
for words I was meant to be great that
is wrong I’m a failure
no one would ever convince me I can make
it in life
now read
so if we read up here’s how the poem
goes
I can make it in life no one would ever
convince me I am a failure
that is wrong
I was meant to be great I have a talent
for words no one would ever say I am
stupid
it’s amazing
you know you read it in one direction
and it’s the sad description of someone
who is really suffering
with this condition but you read it in
the other direction and all of a sudden
life is awesome
so
común um I would like to challenge you
I would like to challenge you even if
you’re not dyslexic I would like to
challenge you to in the comments below
create a palindromic poem
just even if it’s short even if it’s
five or six lines but understand that
when you do this you’re also reinforcing
the enabling belief that you can do this
sort of work that you can be great that
you are important not that you’re not
that you can’t that you couldn’t that
you’re not good enough
so wherever you’re watching this video
please head over to vo to go go comm and
find the page where this video is if
you’re there already great in the
comments below
see what you can come up with with a
palindromic poem I’ll share some of them
and the world will see them and I would
love to hear what you have to say about
this if you have any comments about it
if you’d like to subscribe to my youtube
channel please feel free my head is
right there or there’s a subscribe
button somewhere on the page if you want
to see the latest video I’ve done click
on that frame and YouTube will play it
for you I’m David H Lawrence xvii I hope
this helps thank you for watching and
I’ll talk to you tomorrow.

8 Responses to Dyslexia, And The Palindromic Poem. The Wha?

  1. Chris Ansoff March 31, 2019 at 11:09 am #

    David, This was amazing! Can you please print out the poem here? That was so powerful. I would like to share it with others. Sorry not to have a poem ready but I will try working on one. Thank you for posting this!

  2. Chris Buckner March 31, 2019 at 6:58 pm #

    Yup, totally cried. That was powerful and awesome. Thanks for the video David.

  3. Rebecca Yavner April 1, 2019 at 9:09 am #

    Wow… wow… Very powerful. Thank you for showing us this David. Notice, I did not say reading…

  4. Edloe April 1, 2019 at 3:03 pm #

    Don’t have a comment about the poem. Do have a comment about your new logo. It’s great! Takes me back to the old days; I’m 75, so I not only remember radio, I used to almost live inside of it, reveling at what I was hearing. So, kudos kid.

  5. Melissa Kay Benson April 4, 2019 at 6:45 am #

    I came back to this discussion because I wanted to see if anyone else wrote a palindromic poem. I tried. I guess I’m not as smart as that nine year old!! LOL. ALSO I’ve been meaning to tell you that, like Edloe, above, I like your new logo too, David.

  6. Sheila April 4, 2019 at 1:13 pm #

    AMAZING!!!! THIS WAS /IS AMAZING! I LOVED IT BRILLIANT!

  7. Carla Parkes April 14, 2019 at 1:32 pm #

    The poem reads:

    “I am stupid

    Nobody would ever say

    I have a talent for words

    I was meant to be great

    That is wrong

    I am a failure

    Nobody could ever convince me to think that

    I can make it in life”

  8. Carla Parkes April 14, 2019 at 1:33 pm #

    I will try to write one too. This is an amazing young girl. Thank you David!

Leave a Reply