One of the most difficult elements of screencasting is getting good audio. I implemented a technique in my last video that I thought worked quite well. I’m calling this the Self-Dub technique. Here’s what you do. Whether you write out a script beforehand or not, it doesn’t really matter. Just record the screencast while simultaneously narrating. After the screencast, proceed through each of the sentences … more »

[Audio clip: view full post to listen] Download MP3 Download the PowerPoint PowerPoint in Zip file (in case you have trouble with the above) Length: 60 min. A while ago, our chapter held a half-day eLearning event, and I presented a version of my Developing a Personal Voice in Audio presentation (similar to what I presented at the STC Summit in Dallas). The recording has … more »

When you present at the STC Summit, you’re supposed to submit a proceedings paper describing your presentation. Given that only a fraction of my followers are members of the STC, and an even smaller fraction are attending the Summit, I’m providing my proceedings paper here: “Developing a Personal Voiceover in Audio” (PDF). (It’s allowed under the STC copyright agreement.) As you know, I wrote about this … more »

[Audio clip: view full post to listen] Download MP3 Length: 25 min. The sixth sin in my ongoing series on the Seven Deadly Sins of Blogging is being unfindable. (The other sins include being fake, irrelevant, boring, unreadable, irresponsible, and inattentive). Admittedly, lack of findability seems more a sin of omission than commission. Being unfindable seems like a sin bloggers commit against themselves. I’ve written … more »

Audio / Video – The New Adventures of Mr Stephen Fry

At the next STC Summit, May 3-6 in Atlanta, Georgia, the STC will record and distribute every one of the 120+ sessions, making them available to all conference registrants for free and to others at a cost. Because this is the first time the STC has attempted to record the Summit, I asked Lloyd Tucker, STC’s Director of Education and Membership, if he could share … more »

Did you see the STC’s call for proposals for the next annual conference in Atlanta? Last year I presented on podcasting. The 55 people who commented on my session rated it higher than average (the rating was around 4.6 as opposed to the 4.3 average). I think my presentation was good, but most people wanted me to connect it more to technical communication. They wanted … more »

I listened to a podcast nearly two weeks ago that I’m still thinking about it. Oliver Sacks, a popular neurologist storyteller, just published a book called Musicophilia that explores the brain’s love/obsession/affinity with music. In this Science Friday podcast, he shares extensive details about the book. Sacks explains that unlike other areas of the brain that are localized in specific regions — for example, memory … more »