One – you will retain more clients! Two – you will earn more money! Three – your business will grow!
The Voice Matters
There was some disappointing news posted this week from one branch of the military regarding eLearning. They have decided to dramatically reduce the amount of eLearning they use for a few different reasons. A primary reason was that the learners were not engaged because of the VOICE used for the narration. I did some research and managed to find a few non-classified trainings for this branch of the military as well as for a government agency and some corporations. I was horrified. Yes, horrified. That is not an overstatement. The modules themselves were well designed and user friendly. The VOICES were awful. I can’t blame them one bit for dumping the bulk of their eLearning program.
And hey you, yeah you, production companies that create local and regional radio and television commercials, if you want your customer to be happy and sell more of their product or service, hire a professional talent who is adept at sounding conversational and natural, not like they are reading a script. I cringe when I am driving down the road listening to those commercials with voices of folks who, though I am certain are perfectly wonderful people and fabulous at their primary jobs, do not know how to deliver a script.
It was almost painful to listen to some of the eLearning modules I found. I had to turn one of them off after 20 seconds. No kidding. The narrator was reading the script in monotone. It was obvious that it was recorded on subpar equipment in a room that was not a controlled studio space. Additionally, the editing left a lot to be desired. There was constant mouth noise, big breaths between sentences, and room noise. These are all things that could be avoided by hiring a trained voice talent who has a controlled recording space, knows how to deliver the script to hold the interest of the listener, and can edit the recording to the high level of quality you should require for your projects.
Cost vs. Reward
Yes, I am aware that it is cheaper (or may cost you nothing at all) up front to use the person that sits down the hall from you and have them record in the empty conference room. However, they are not professionally trained voice talent. Not to mention, the audio quality of a professional studio (including the professional home studios that many full-time talent use) is leaps and bounds better than the echo chamber of a conference room or office.
And, yes, I know that there are a lot of you out there that do know the value of, and use, professional voice talent. Thanks for that. You are greatly appreciated. Not only by the voice talents out here, but more importantly, by your clients.
Hire professional voice talent. You’ll be rewarded with repeat clients, a much improved bottom line and a thriving business!
Dana Rizzo is a professional, female voice talent. Voiceover is her livelihood. Her voice can be heard internationally in a variety of e-Learning niches including corporate trainings, college courses, medical courses and training, as well as explainer videos and television and radio commercials. Dana has been a professional voice talent for seven years following a career in education. Her demos and other work can be heard at www.danarizzo.com. She can be reached at dana@danarizzo.com.