If you’ve ever searched how to talk without moving your lips, you’ve probably run into a ton of bad advice.
The problem is, most beginners don’t realize it’s bad. They’re doing their best to learn and just follow what they find online.
But here’s the truth: search engines like Google don’t know good ventriloquism from bad. They rank pages based on keywords—not on the quality of the instruction.
That means videos and articles with poor technique can show up first. And when beginners copy those mistakes, they either never learn the right way, or they have issues trying to correct the flaws.
As head of Maher Studios, I think that’s a problem. If someone doesn’t know how to do ventriloquism correctly, they shouldn’t be teaching it.
It’s time to take a stand.
Why This Article Had to Be Written
People are learning ventriloquism from search engines. That sounds fine—until you realize search engines don’t know if something is being taught the right way.
They just show you what has the right keywords. That means someone who says the words “ventriloquist mouth position” a lot might rank high, even if their technique is bad.
Now beginners are watching and copying that. And since they don’t know any better, they trust it. They think, “This must be right—it’s at the top!”
That’s how bad habits start. And once a bad habit becomes part of your show, it’s hard to fix later.
I’m writing this because I care about the art.
Maher Studios has trained ventriloquists for generations. It matters to our legacy that people learn it the right way—from day one.
What People Think Works… But Doesn’t
One of the biggest mistakes I see is something called the “forced smile.”
If you’ve ever watched a video where the ventriloquist smiles big and freezes their face when the puppet talks, that’s what I mean.
It locks the lips in place, which might stop them from moving, but it’s not real lip control, it’s just hiding the problem.
This fake smile might seem like it works. That’s why people copy it. They think, “Hey, no lip movement! I must be doing it right!” But they’re not.
They’re learning to freeze their face instead of learning control.
And that’s a big difference.
I’ll explain why this causes problems—and show you better examples—in the next sections.
Why the Forced Smile is Bad Technique
Let’s be clear: using a forced smile is not ventriloquism.
It’s a shortcut. And like most shortcuts, it leads to the wrong place.
When someone holds a fake smile while the puppet talks, they freeze their face. That might keep their lips from moving, but it also stops their face from reacting.
You can’t show surprise. You can’t laugh. You can’t look annoyed or confused.
You go from a natural talking expression to a fake expression just so your character can talk.
It isn’t natural!
And that’s the problem—because ventriloquism is about creating the illusion of a real conversation between two characters.
A frozen face makes it obvious that only one of you is real. It breaks the illusion. Audiences may not be able to say what’s wrong, but they can feel it. Something just doesn’t look right.
That’s the risk of bad technique. It gets in the way of your performance.
Shari Lewis & What We Can Learn
This forced smile habit isn’t new. Even some famous ventriloquists used it, but that doesn’t make it right.
Shari Lewis, known for Lamb Chop, was a household name. But if you watch closely, she often used a stiff smile when she performed.
Her lips didn’t move, but her face didn’t either. It looked un-natural. Watch some of the video below.
Do you notice the forced clenching of the teeth and smile?
Now, I respect Shari. She made big contributions to ventriloquism.
But that doesn’t mean her technique was perfect. It shows how common this habit is, even among well-known names.
And it’s a good reminder: just because someone is famous doesn’t mean they’re using the best method.
It also doesn’t mean it is right.
What You Should Do Instead
Now let’s look at ventriloquists who use proper lip control—without freezing their faces.
Watch performers like Jay Johnson, Ronn Lucas, or Ken Groves. When their puppets talk, their faces don’t lock up. They stay relaxed. They move. They react.
You’ll see surprise, laughter, eye rolls, even confusion—all the things that make a conversation feel real. That’s because they’re not hiding behind a fake smile.
They’ve learned real control. Their lips stay still, not because they’re forced into place, but because they’re trained.
They’ve practiced how to hold their mouth position so it looks natural. They’ve worked on their breathing, sound substitutions, and most of all, expression.
And that’s the key. A ventriloquist should look like part of the conversation, not like a frozen statue.
When your face moves naturally and your lips stay still, the audience forgets about the trick. They believe the character is real.
That’s the goal.
Take a look at what I mean by watching Jay in the video below:
Or this clip of Ronn Lucas:
Why Bad Technique Hurts Your Performance
Some people say, “If the audience doesn’t notice, what’s the big deal?”
Others say, “Edgar Bergen moved his lips …” and point to that as if technique doesn’t matter.
Here’s the answer: people may not say anything—but they still feel something is off.
When your face is stuck in a smile, the timing feels weird. The reactions feel fake. The conversation feels flat.
You lose the fun, the rhythm and the emotion.
Ventriloquism isn’t just about keeping your lips still. It’s about building a connection between you and the puppet.
It’s about telling a story.
Bad technique gets in the way of that. And once it becomes a habit, it’s hard to fix later.
That’s why I’m pushing so hard on this point. I don’t want beginners to waste time learning something they’ll have to unlearn.
I believe you should learn to do it right, the first time. It’s not that hard, but bad skills will slow down your progress and result in wasted effort.
What’s Next: Learning to Do It Right
If you really want to learn how to talk without moving your lips, it starts with proper technique.
Not a fake smile.
Not a frozen face.
You need a relaxed, natural mouth position. You need to train your muscles the right way. You need to understand how to control your voice and your lips—without looking like you’re hiding something.
That’s what I’ll cover in the next article on this blog.
I’ll walk you through exactly how to speak without moving your lips—the right way.
You’ll learn how to practice, what to watch out for, and how to build real skill over time.
Whether you’re just starting out or trying to break a bad habit, this will help you move forward with confidence.
Let’s build your foundation the right way.
https://learn-ventriloquism.com!
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