Kia ora, my name is Rachel Simon and I'm a voice over artist from Aotearoa New Zealand. I enjoy doing all sorts of voice over work, but probably some of the most important work I do is for online learning. I really believe having the right voice over for your e-learning content can be a fundamental building block in forming the long-term relationship you want to build between you and your learner.
The right voice over for e-learning content can make such a massive difference to your final product and here's 3 simple reasons why.
1. Students can feel isolated - it's your responsibility to break down barriers
Online learning is often independent learning.
This means the learning materials have a dual role to play. Firstly to provide the content to enable a learner to meet the learning outcomes of the course, and secondly, to be rich and engaging enough to hold the learner’s attention. You need to make them feel committed to the materials and inspired by them.
These days videos and animations are a core part of most online courses - these are highly engaging pieces of content - but the visuals are not enough. An appropriate voice for the subject can be the building blocks for forming that trust and assurance required to keep engagement up and anxiety down.
2. You need to position your organisation as a figure of trust in this space
If a learner is going to engage with your online learning content they have to trust you know what you are doing.
You're an expert in your field and looking professional is one thing, but don’t undermine it by sounding unprofessional. And don’t assume the content matter expert who crested the course is the best person to voice or present the course. They may know everything about it, but that doesn’t mean they know how to present it.
E-learning is very different to face-to-face learning.
3. It’s not hard to get professional voice over done quickly and economically these days, so there’s no excuse.
Using a professional voice over artist can seem like a daunting and expensive task - but it doesn't have to be!
These days many professional voice artists have their own home studios and are experienced in managing the sound engineering also. You can dial in to recording sessions to ensure the vibe you are after is captured - it's super easy.
This means a quick and affordable voice over files to accompany your video content can be done painlessly, without the hassle of dealing with an agency and a studio. Also once you find a freelance voice over artist you like, who provides the tone and delivery you want, they can turn around content incredibly quickly for you.
So there's really no excuse NOT to use a professional voice over artist for your e-learning courses.
In conclusion – don't compromise your product and your learners by using poor voice over.
A voice actor is crucial, offering much more than just a voice to talk over the top of a
video. Professional voice actors understand what you require to connect with your learners, resulting in higher learner engagement. Choosing the right voice over actor for your organisation and project will provide the right level of emotion and tone that will help to lift your content to a professional and appealing level.
Sound like something you'd be interested in? Feel free to contact me to discuss it further.
