Unfiltered Thoughts

2022.12.26 – 0725 – Live Event Announcement SkillsLive Events Announcements (‘Voice of God’ aka VOG)These are the announcements made at an event (maybe a conference, ball or theatre), signposting what the delegates, guests or audience need to know or need to do. The voice-over is often not on the main stage, but disembodied, that is, never seen and ‘behind the scenes’ and from a loudspeaker in the ceiling, hence the name ‘Voice of God’.  Announcements may be along the lines of: “Welcome to this year’s International Award Ceremony. Please take your seats for the event starting in five minutes”, then “here are the nominees for Voice Of The Year…” and “And here is tonight’s entertainment, star of everybody’s favourite comedy show Dewayne Devatto”. You may also give out information such as safety announcements, when the next workshop or conference session is starting, where the fire escapes are… you get the idea. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.12.25 – 0724 – Reading Cast Lists This is the part of the cast list for an episode of the world’s longest-running continuing drama, BBC Radio 4’s “The Archers”:Pat Archer ….. Patricia Gallimore Susan Carter ….. Charlotte Martin Justin Elliott ….. Simon Williams Toby Fairbrother ….. Rhys Bevan Brad Horrobin ….. Taylor Uttley Stella Pryor ….. Lucy Speed Writer, Nick Warburton Director, Julie Beckett Editor, Jeremy Howe In this situation, with agreement from a studio director, you may be able to adlib slightly with the list to make it an easier and more understandable listen:Pat Archer was played by Patricia Gallimore Susan Carter, Charlotte Martin and Justin Elliott by Simon Williams.Rhys Bevan played Toby FairbrotherTaylor Uttley was Brad Horrobin and the part of Stella Pryor was Lucy Speed The writer was Nick Warburton, it was directed by Julie Beckett and the editor was Jeremy Howe. That, of course, also with the change in tone for each character and actor name, and with a final downward inflection at the end of the list to show completeness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.12.24 – 0723 – Reading Lists Lists (or ‘strings’) and creditsLists are boring so it is your job to make them sound less so.  We’re talking about maybe a news story on the selling points of a showbiz star’s home that’s up for sale or a roll-call of credits at the end of an audio drama. You have to read the uninspiring script in an interesting way, rather than simply rattling it off. “It has eight bedrooms, six bathrooms, a heated garage and stables, a gym and home cinema, and an underground walkway to another separate home on the property.” In this situation you need to add variety and interest by using some of the various elements that we have looked at already:·        alter the pitch slightly on each item. That’s not simply going up and then down a range but finding an almost random variety. “Almost random”? Yes, it would be daft to go from a high pitch to a low one for example. ·        vary the rate and even a pause or two to help highlight some of the more unusual features. So, it could go “eight bedrooms” and the inflection upward on “six” and stay up in pitch on “bathrooms”. You’d want to lift “heated” as that is the unusual part about the garage and so too “and stables” expressing some surprise, then perhaps speed up through “a gym and home cinema” as these are perhaps to be expected in such a property, and then draw out the next “and”, followed by a slow and low reading of the final phrase because it is unusual.  This subtle ‘mix-up of movement’ will help engage the listener’s interest, changing the copy enough to make it more dynamic and easier for the listener to understand.  Many lists are short, often three items because of the accompanying satisfying rhythm (“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”, “Friends, Romans, Countrymen”, “Faith, Hope, and Charity”… itself a ‘list of three’!), so when you have such a string, the first item could be read in a ‘standard’ way, the second with an upward inflection (offering difference and a suggestion that there is more to come), followed by a slight pause and the third item with a downward inflection to show that the list has ended. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.12.23 – 0722 – Possible Hazards in e-Learning Narration Possible trip-upsWatch out for:·        Jargon and unfamiliar terms and phrases – check each pronunciation as well as acronyms, dates and so on as well as any equations that you may need to read and then say it simply and confidently. Bear in mind that if the copy is heavy on technical terminology or with complex sentence structure (such as a read for a legal, technical or pharmaceutical company) then it will take you longer to reach fluency with those tricky, unusual and multi-syllable words.·        Long sentences and poor punctuation – look for the phrasing and moving from one idea to another to help you with your intonation and breathing·        Repetition of words – look again at the section on intonation and when you lift or subdue words  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.12.22 – 0721 – Explainer and Training Video Narration
Explainer videos by their definition are structured in the classic problem > solution style, often featuring the owner of the business or a member of staff (or an actor appearing to be a member of staff!) and 30-120 seconds. Like all of these e-learning formats, you have to sound as though you understand and care about the problem and the product, but you don’t need to ‘sell’ anything as you might have to in a commercial as the audience is already interested in what you’re telling them – they have usually sought out the information. Your voice style will be one of a trusted guide, friendly and knowledgeable and talking one-to-one, as most of these videos will be watched alone.
Training videos are more content rich with information and instructions for colleagues or clients, who may be paying to watch a tutorial. You will need to sound knowledgeable (who’s going to take advice from someone who sounds unsure?), so that means making sure that intonation and pronunciation are spot on. Projection is minimal, again people will likely be watching this by themselves with headphones on so won’t want to be shouted at. And take your time: by sheer definition, this is new information so tread a careful line between giving people time to take it all in, and not being patronising. That will be affected of course by the content and the context. Brand new information on school exam courses may have to be at a slower pace than new drug protocols for senior anaesthetists. Having said that, as we saw earlier, you can afford to slow down on the new and important phrases and speed up on the old and ‘already known’ content. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.12.21 – 0720 – Sight-Reading Skills For Your e-Learning Narration Sight reading - As the scripts are likely to be quite long, you need to be able to scan once (to check for potential stumble-ridden words and acronyms), and then read pretty much by sight. Why so little rehearsal? Because the scripts can be so long, and dry it simply may not be viable to either rehearse it all or to make too many stumbles in the actual recording as editing time could make the whole project unviable. That also means you need to be fluent, proficient, and able to self-direct and spot any slips and trips (potential and actual). If you have more than five or so ‘pick-ups’ on a page then it’s probably not a good fit for you. Intellect - you need to understand what it is that you are reading so you can say it with a sense of authority and significance and so help engage your listening audience. If you don’t know university-level words and how they are pronounced then you really may struggle. After all, you need to know when you don’t know how a word is said, not just present with presumption. And you need to know the intention of the lines and the sense of the sentence in an industry or trade that you are not hugely familiar with. You don’t need to know the exact workings of the machine or the process that you are describing, but you need to understand the intention of the writer. So, a general education (reading and consuming media so you know a bit about a lot and so are perhaps more comfortable talking about a topic) is also an advantage. Some internal training might not just have long words, but long sentences which means being able to navigate them with the correct intonation, pace, pauses and pitch to make them understandable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.12.20 – 0719 – Stamina and Timing For Your e-Learning NarrationOther skillsStamina - Such reads may be quite demanding: explaining a new procedure to an oncologist or orthodontist may involve complex language; leading people through new regulatory procedures may need careful intonation as your voice will help explain the changes; a series of modules may need lots of preparation, patience and studio time with a read that is consistent and seamless. So you will need to sound not just good but consistently good. The scripts can be long and dense, with detailed, sub-claused sentences and multi-syllable words. So, you need to have the mental focus and vocal health to keep your concentration, ensure that you don’t start to sound ‘flat’, and the last hour sounds much like the first in terms of interest and intonation. Oh, and also to be able not to get frustrated and flustered when you make a fluff. You can correct it, re-focus and move on. The nature of these reads is that there are likely to be different sections, chapters or sub-topics within the script, so you can get a natural pause in proceedings, but they all have to sound similar as they may be heard together rather than unit-by-unit.On this: No annoying lilt or mouth clicks – people will be listening to you for several minutes or maybe even hours, so even though they may not have to love your voice, it certainly shouldn’t grate.  Timing – you may well have to speak to visuals, matching your delivery to changing on-screen graphics. Indeed, you won’t always see a video, and just be working from still images and a time-code. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.12.19 – 0718 – Intonation and Projection For Your e-Learning NarrationIntonation - people need to trust that you know what you are explaining to them, so correct intonation is paramount. A mis-stress can give the impression you are a ‘hired voice’ rather than a knowledgeable mentor. The script is very likely to be a training or explanation. By sheer definition, the point of the script may be to tell the staff about what has changed in a process, and so you will need to be able to identify within the copy what was the situation, and what it is now, to be able to place the correct lift or drop on the significant words or terms.  Projection - consider that you’re just talking to one person, right in front of you, possibly wearing headphones in an office environment, or at home on a tablet or phone. So be careful of projecting too much and instead make the read personal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.12.18 – 0717 – Pace and Tone For Your e-Learning Narration Your e-learning voiceYou will be the ‘brand voice’ of the product or service, so you will reflect those values as well as those of the target demographic.  Pace - Almost by definition, the information being presented is new and may also be complex. Viewers may also have English as their second language. Having said that, be guided by the content and the visuals. Explaining new procedures over a fast-paced soundtrack over quick cuts of F1 drivers may well need a pacier delivery than that featuring new techniques to protect sea turtles.  The most important technique to apply is that you allow each different piece of information appropriate time to be absorbed or understood by your audience. Tone – although the information is new, you must be careful not to sound patronising. Channel the emotion of a trusted guide who understands the content and wants to pass on knowledge and useful information, rather than that of a teacher who is ‘telling’ facts to an audience: you are less standing over someone’s shoulder wagging a finger as they learn, and more sitting beside them and holding their hand.The relationship you have with the listener is hugely important and as people often watch these modules by themselves your tone needs to be more personal than that of a commercial read. Consider for example the tone of a read about ‘history’ or ‘the future’, and whether the content is training or inspiring – all will have different tones. A good style is one that is conversational and energetic, engaging but with an element of authority. You need to be able to present what could be dry material, for people who need to know and others who (perhaps in a ‘captive’ workplace) are disinterested but compelled to watch, so avoid the robotic ‘mono-tone drone zone’. It’s not just about having a nice voice but being able to explain content well, with a sense of context and understanding. With some more formal, corporate reads, you may have to present every single word as it is written: that words such as “to” are pronounced “to” rather than “ter” (“you have got to ensure that…” rather than “gotta”) and similarly with “for”, and not “fer” (“for more information…”) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.12.17 – 0716 – e-Learning Narratione-Learning NarrationFor every industry there is something to learn and the aim is to make it engaging and interesting, understandable and memorable. E-learning and explainer videos may be used in a formal education setting, ‘internal use’ to staff or ‘external’ and online, on YouTube or websites as a video, animation or podcast. They’re things like various courses; online webinars; in-house employee updates on health and safety, medical, diversity and inclusion; new product ranges; explaining to customers how to use a new item and so on. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.