Ok, I'm just going to start by saying I'm obviously biased in my opinion about where AI can (should?) live in the eLearning narration world. Full disclosure, in the last year (2020) around 50% my income was from eLearning Narration work. There was a HUGE surge in people needing to produce virtual training, especially in the upskilling/certification world. Not necessarily in the world of corporate learning, that was honestly pretty steady compared to 2019, for me at least. That said, I try to kee...
May 27, 2021•11 min•Ep 35•Transcript available on Metacast Mar 19, 2021•16 min•Ep 34•Transcript available on Metacast Mar 06, 2021•12 min•Ep 33•Transcript available on Metacast Jan 08, 2021•14 min•Ep 32•Transcript available on Metacast Dec 18, 2020•13 min•Ep 31•Transcript available on Metacast Dec 10, 2020•20 min•Ep 30•Transcript available on Metacast Dec 03, 2020•19 min•Ep 29•Transcript available on Metacast One major complaint, gripe, or observation I've heard a number of times is that professional voice talent can sometimes sound too professional. When you've heard it, you may have said something like this: "They just sound too professional!" "They don't sound like us." Traditionally, a voiceover talent performing eLearning has a very distinct sound. It could be described as "professional." But more often, I'd probably describe it as steady, deliberate or precise... but on the less-nice side maybe...
Feb 28, 2020•13 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast Feb 03, 2020•12 min•Ep 27•Transcript available on Metacast This episode is a change of format for DIY Narrator! In this episode, I'm joined by Neil Zielsdorf. Neil is an Instructional Designer for Amazon who has recently moved into a new house. As a result, he's been incrementally setting up a room in his home to be his new workspace for recording eLearning narration and videos over a green screen. We had a great discussion about sound reflections (echo), acoustic treatment, and attempting to keep the sounds of a household out of your space. In this con...
Jul 26, 2019•40 min•Ep 26•Transcript available on Metacast Jul 12, 2019•11 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast 024: AKA Method Acting for the Instructional Designer This episode picks up where last episode ended: My presentation at the Learning Solutions conference. Last episode, I talked about the Bad and Incomplete Advice you've been given and some pitfalls that can cause your narration to be not so conversational sounding. This week, we're going cerebral! Time to get in your head and figure out what you're thinking about when you're sitting down to narrate. I bet I can guess what you're thinking about...
Jun 07, 2019•11 min•Ep 24•Transcript available on Metacast 023: Learning Solutions 2019 Presentation - Part 1 Note: I accidentally pointed the last post to the wrong file! This is a duplicate/new post to make sure everyone gets the right file downloaded. You might not have noticed, but in case you think you already grabbed this episode, that's what's up. First, a story: Once upon a time, there was a guy who had a podcast and was speaking at a conference. He thought, "Hey, I'll record my session and release it as a podcast." He bought a cool lavalier mic...
May 02, 2019•13 min•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast We should rethink the word "Authority" when it comes to eLearning Narration. Episode 22 of the DIY Narrator Podcast is here! Time to talk about sounding like an "authority" in your eLearning Narration. I'll be honest, I don't like the word "authority" as part of the direction for narrating an eLearning script. To me, "authority" too strong or negative. In my head, I see the grumpy professor standing behind a lectern and regurgitating information. Expecting you to sit quietly and take notes. Not ...
Mar 07, 2019•11 min•Ep 22•Transcript available on Metacast Yer gonna wanna listen to this one! This week we continue with the question “Who’s it for?” and dig into how you can adjust your narration style to sound more conversational with the intent of appealing to and connecting with your audience. If you haven’t heard Part 1, check it out! And if you have heard the episode on how I failed by not answering the question of “Who’s it for?”, be sure to check it out here. I guess you could call that Part Zero. Oh, be sure to listen all the way through to he...
Feb 22, 2019•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast "Who's it for?" You already ask yourself this question when you begin working on a training module. It should impact every element of your eLearning: the outline, the visuals, the length, the language, and the method of delivery. It should also impact your narration in a number of ways. This week, we're talking about scriptwriting and pace. I did touch on pace a bit in Episode 19, so be sure to check it out as well. In the next episode, we'll move onto how the conversationality of your narration...
Feb 07, 2019•10 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast It's been too long since the last episode, but it was all for good reason! Apart from being crazy busy over the holidays, I spent a lot of time thinking about where I wanted to take DIY Narrator in 2019. I think you're going to like it. Also, near the end of 2018, I took on my first project with a brand shiny new client and quickly proceeded to make one serious mistake that caused a bit of extra work on my end and some unnecessary stress on their end. I want to tell you that story in this episod...
Jan 17, 2019•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Video is BIG in L&D. But I don't have to tell YOU that. All you have to do is think about the last time you visited YouTube and you'll realize how engaging and effective video content can be when done well. Or how ineffective it can be when done poorly. Specifically, I'm talking about poor audio quality. Knowing how effective video can be for training, I wanted to discuss how you can get started taking steps to improve your audio quality. With how great cameras are getting on phones these days, ...
Dec 07, 2018•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast When I was at DevLearn back in October and introduced myself as "voice talent" often their response included some variation of the following question: "My friend/My spouse/I've always wanted to explore voiceover. Do you have any advice?" Lucky for me, I love to talk shop. For a long time, I've avoided this question on the podcast, but I wanted to cover it and get it out of the way! For the most part, those of you in L&D are passionate about learning and teaching and aren't looking for another ca...
Nov 15, 2018•23 min•Ep 17•Transcript available on Metacast The introvert in me needed a break from the amazing networking and learning event that is DevLearn... and what an amazing event it is. The Keynote from Julie Snyder (Executive Producer of the Serial Podcast) was killer (no pun made in poor taste intended), the sessions have been awesome and informative, the Expo is amazing, and everyone is the nicest person I've ever met. Plus, in Episode 15, I promised you a podcast! This week is all about doing the best with what you have and improving the sou...
Oct 25, 2018•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Whenever you have to record a longer project over the course of a few days, a flood of thoughts and concerns may come to mind: How will I make sure tomorrow’s recording sounds like today’s? What if I lose my voice from all of this talking? What happens if my computer blows up? This episode, I’m discussing exactly that. How to best prepare and manage your process during a marathon multi-day recording session. Subscribe! Be sure to subscribe. Find all the links here. Question? If you have any ques...
Oct 22, 2018•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast The hisssssss of sibilance is a killer of a great narration. It's harsh on the ears, distracting for a listener, and just plain annoying. Sibilance in an eLearning narration can be caused by a number of issues, but thankfully, there at least as many ways to address or fix it. However, my philosophy stands: Always attempt to address a problem before it begins and try to relieve it before we ever hit record. Unfortunately, some voices and microphone combinations make it difficult to fix sibilance ...
Oct 12, 2018•11 min•Ep 14•Transcript available on Metacast “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” ― Rudyard Kipling This week I worked on three different eLearning projects that incorporated a story, each in a different way. I wanted to take a minute and share the methods with you. We've all experienced the eLearning where afterward you remember the silly acting and contrived story, but not the message it was trying to convey. So, I had a few thoughts on ensuring the stories you're telling in your eLearning and thr...
Oct 05, 2018•10 min•Ep 13•Transcript available on Metacast Breathe in! Breathe Out! Did you know that you're probably breathing incorrectly? That leads to difficulty working your way through longer passages, awkward breaks to catch a breath, and taking large gasps after long sentences. Those loud breaths will cause you to spend more time editing. Never fear! This episode is all about getting your breath under control and improving the flow of your narration. Topics include: Tips for taking deeper breaths Conjunction Junction! Air Control exercises A hid...
Sep 27, 2018•8 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast Time for a change of pace! This week - Q&A and an Announcement! Questions cover a variety of topics. Topics include: When to use an authoritative/formal vs conversational style My thoughts background audio and sound effects for eLearning Approaches to getting two very different recordings to sound a little more similar. Enjoy! Subscribe! Be sure to subscribe. Find all the links here. Question? If you have any questions for me, please email them over to host@diynarrator.com or send me a message o...
Sep 20, 2018•23 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast Saving time Part Three! WOOOO! DIY Narrator is back! Sorry for the delay in this last episode of the series. I went and got myself sick somehow (I blame my kindergarten teaching wife and daughter in daycare). Wrapping up the time-savings series, we're moving into the final step of the narration process, Editing your audio! I recapped the "Click Trick" covered in the last episode and got into elements of your DAW that you'll want to dig into so you can save some serious time in the future. Plus, ...
Sep 13, 2018•17 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast Saving time Part Two! Continuing the series on saving time that I started last week, this week I'm on to discussing some time-saving tips to incorporate into your recording workflow. There are a couple that will save you some actual talking time and one BIG one that will save you time when you need to sit down and edit the narration. Plus, check the References section below for a bonus video showing off that timesaving trick. References and stuff: Episode 001 - 5 Performance Tips for Engaging eL...
Aug 30, 2018•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Save time and win the bet! Taking on a DIY project (eLearning narration or otherwise) is a bet. You're saying you're confident that you will be able to do the work with significant cost savings, despite the time and equipment investment, and that the end result will be reasonably comparable to what you may have hired someone else to do. So far, we've talked quite a bit about performance in other episodes, but now it's time to talk about saving time. It's easy to get caught up spending days narra...
Aug 23, 2018•13 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast Got Mushmouth? I didn't plan to record this episode today, but I was struggling with this very problem this morning. Sometimes, you just can't get the words out of your mouth in a way that sounds convincing. Today, I was stumbling on simple phrases, sounded like I was reading, and just couldn't get my brain to connect with the script. Warm-ups to the rescue! Honestly, I don't warm up as much as I should. A narrator should warm up every day before they start into scripts. It doesn't hurt to knock...
Aug 16, 2018•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Updates? Pickups? No problem! It's inevitable. At some point, you're going to need to go back to an eLearning project from the past and update the narration. Maybe it's a yearly change, or you mentioned something that's out of date. It could even be a major change to a policy that needs a touch-up. You finish recording the update, listen back and... uh oh... it doesn't sound anything like the rest of the module. You know that the major difference in the original narration and your update will be...
Aug 09, 2018•13 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast 
