Podcasts by DIY Narrator: For Instructional Designers Who Narrate eLearning
Narrating your eLearning is about more than just delivering information, it
Further podcasts by Josh Risser
Podcast on the topic So geht’s
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Rise of the Robots! AI Voices in eLearning from 2021-05-27T09:52
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 i...
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Do you need narration? from 2021-03-19T15:56:33
Last week, the wonderful Devlin Peck released a video titled"Does your eLearning Project Need Narration?"- which I thought had some great ideas around necessary application of narration in eLearnin...
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You Need To Practice–Part 2 from 2021-03-06T00:04
A piano, guitar, and the alphabet walk into a bar... Oh wait. That's a different thing. After a bunch of questions, I'm revisiting the concept of practicing your eLearning narration. Many of you h...
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Don’t Fear the Silence from 2021-01-08T23:21:44
Ask any good musician and they'll tell you the trick is the space between the notes. That's what we're here today to talk about. Pauses. We're usually so focused on the words and the performance of...
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Keep Yourself Engaged from 2020-12-18T16:19:15
This month I've been working through a huuuuge eLearning Narration project. I mean, HUGE. Nearly 80,000 words, more than 30 modules, all for one client. That equates to probably close to 8 hours of...
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Why“Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How”? from 2020-12-10T07:01:05
Today, we're talking about finding your intent in your eLearning Narration performance. And I may have just simultaneously written the best and worst headline in the history of the Internet, but i...
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The Best Way to Improve Your eLearning Narration from 2020-12-03T17:38:11
"I still sound like I'm reading!"I've heard that sentiment from a number of people trying to get better at eLearning Narration... Then I realized something.All of these people (possibly even you!) ...
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Is A VO Too Pro? from 2020-02-28T10:00
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...
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2020 Super Bowl Commercial Breakdown from 2020-02-03T19:08:30
With apologies to Eli Manning... Listen to this one before the Cease and Desist letter hits my mailbox.Last night was Super-Duper Football Game night. As usual, the commercials were the true hig...
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Home Studio Setup with Neil Zielsdorf from 2019-07-26T21:51:33
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 res...
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The Magic of The Lead-In from 2019-07-12T08:30:52
Hmm... Title ideas... The secret that Voice Over Talents don't want you to know!These 5 things help you sound more conversational. You won't believe number 4!Don't even think about recording you...
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Nebulous Woo-Woo Stuff from 2019-06-07T16:59:12
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 an...
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Bad and Incomplete Advice from 2019-05-02T14:19:44
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...
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What is Authority in eLearning Narration? from 2019-03-07T11:00:05
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 Narrati...
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021–More on“Who’s it for”–Part 2–Conversational Style from 2019-02-22T04:19:28
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 app...
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020–More on“Who’s it for?”–Part 1 from 2019-02-07T19:10:07
"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 langua...
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019–eLearning Fail! Who’s it for? from 2019-01-17T16:36:01
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 i...
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018–Audio for Training Videos from 2018-12-07T21:31:28
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...
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017–Tips for Getting Into Voice Over from 2018-11-15T17:29:57
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 explor...
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016–Hotel Recording Booth–DevLearn Special from 2018-10-25T05:40:12
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 Seria...
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015–Tips for Marathon Recording Sessions from 2018-10-22T16:16:39
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...
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014–Sibilance from 2018-10-12T02:21:43
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 num...
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013–Storytelling in eLearning Narration from 2018-10-05T19:39:42
“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 diffe...
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012–Control Your Breath from 2018-09-27T18:12:31
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 la...
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011–Announcement and Q&A from 2018-09-20T17:57:24
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 styleMy thoughts backgr...
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010–Save Time Narrating–Part 3: Editing from 2018-09-13T18:55:17
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...
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009–Save Time Narrating–Part 2: Recording from 2018-08-30T17:03:12
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 c...
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008–Save Time Narrating–Part 1: The Script from 2018-08-23T15:57:20
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, des...
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007–3 Helpful Narration Warm-Ups from 2018-08-16T06:01:19
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 ...
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006–Updating Old Recordings from 2018-08-09T06:01:57
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 men...
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005–Working With Multiple Voices from 2018-08-02T06:01:32
It takes two to tango! The live roleplay scenario is a staple of the in-person training world. But when it comes to eLearning, the closest you can probably get is to have two voices acting out a co...
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004–3 Tips to Fix Mouth Noise from 2018-07-26T06:01:30
Say Goodbye to Mouth Clicks!! Clicks, smacks, pops, spaghetti mouth. Doesn't matter what you call it, mouth noise is annoying for the narrator and the listener. They can add hours to your narratio...
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003–3 Common Mic Technique Mistakes from 2018-07-19T06:01:54
Use your microphone properly! You've thought about your performance, your room is tuned up and you just pulled your brand new Yeti from its cardboard shipping vessel. Time to fire it up! WAIT!Sure...
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002–Your Recording Environment And You! from 2018-07-12T06:00:03
Time to improve your room! Wow! Thank you to everyone who shared the last episode. Also, thank you for all the new connections and great messages on LinkedIn. It makes me amazingly happy to hear th...
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001–5 Performance Tips for Engaging eLearning Narration from 2018-07-05T08:00:13
Performance tips for the DIY Narrator! It's finally time for the first real episode of the DIY Narrator Podcast! If you're an Instructional Designer or eLearning Developer who narrates their own eL...
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000–DIY Narration Foundations from 2018-06-28T17:46:32
Narration Foundations for DIY Narrators Thanks for tuning into the first episode of the DIY Narrator Podcast! If you're an Instructional Designer who narrates their own eLearning, you don't want to...
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