#elearning #narration #Voiceover #VO #audio #production #theroyaltreatment #LMS #contentdeveloper #education #onlineeducation
You are almost finished developing your eLearning project. The content created meets all the goals your team was assigned. The graphics and script for the course match up perfectly. The deadline is fast approaching. All that’s left to do is record the script and upload it to your Learning Management System.
The new person in the office volunteers for the task of recording narration. When the recording is delivered you get the feeling it was recorded near an airplane engine inside a bowl of Rice Krispies. The voice on tape is full of distracting breathes, mouth noises, and the performance does not flow like you heard in your head………and the deadline just got closer.
In a near perfect world your eLearning course will be engaging, memorable, entertaining, and educational. The learner connects with the voice narrating your script rather than checking their email, texting, or playing Candy Crush. The narrator delivers the jokes you sprinkled in and is getting that desired chuckle. The learner is unaware they are being motivated to learn because the narrator was talking ‘TO” them and not “AT” them. But, that’s not the voiceover file you received….is it?
You need to partner with a professional voiceover talent to give your script THE ROYAL TREATMENT. Here are some of the benefits you get:
1. Conversational and Inviting
The last thing a learner wants to do is listen to another boring briefing or course online by a narrator that sounds like they moonlight for your GPS. Conversational narrations invite the learner to be engaging. People are greatly influenced not only by what is said but also by how it is said. If a person speaking to you has a voice that is pleasant, warm, friendly, and kind, is it not true that you are more inclined to listen favorably than if their voice is cold or harsh?
2. Experience and Training
Voice Actors, like myself, have invested time and money honing their craft. We have spent years (decades) behind a microphone and/or on stage from radio, television, theatre, singing, and narrations. We have experience not only in the booth but outside the booth. Those skills that were developed enables us to interpret your script for its intended audience.
3. Technical Skills and Professional Environment
Most offices are not equipped to record quality vocal tracks. Cubicles and conference rooms are not sonically treated to absorb sound. The office person used to record the voiceover may lack the skills to edit, mix, and master an audio file. The microphone on your computer (and some USB mics) are not the best tools to use. Professional Voice Actors have invested in high quality audio gear and a sound treated environment. In addition, being able to deliver a superior recording by editing, mixing, and mastering in the format you need is an added value.
4. Commitment and Availability
A Professional Voice Actor is dedicated to the craft of delivering high quality audio and performances ALL DAY, EVERY DAY quickly. This is not “Other Duties and Assignments” for us. This our business. We stay abreast to industry trends. We never stop practicing and training. We are constantly evolving so that we can always be there for YOU.
A voice may be the last thing a developer thinks about when putting an eLearning course or project together. However, it is the most important element to consider because of the impact it has in the final production. A recording artist I worked with once told me that “Anybody can write a record, but a great song lasts forever.” Why work so hard on a project only to have the end result sound amateurish? The VOICE can make or break a project. So, give your eLearning project…..
THE ROYAL TREATMENT!!