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 »

One of my goals in creating engaging video tutorials is to develop a warm, personable, natural voice, like the voice of an encouraging friend or mentor. In search of this more personable voice, last year I attended a voiceover workshop in my area. The voiceover coach explained that good voiceover artists start by imagining a situation—in their minds they imagine who they are, who they’re … more »

In a recent design review meeting, I showed some of my screencasts to our team for feedback. We also reviewed some screencasts created by voiceover talents in our audiovisual department and screencasts created by trainers. In listening to my voice in the screencasts, it’s clear that I still have a lot to learn. I’m not even close to the personal, conversational-sounding audio voice that I … more »

At the STC Summit in Dallas this year (May 2-5), I’ll be giving a presentation titled “Developing a Personal Voice in Audio.” I’m moving in the direction of screencasts, focusing on the audio component in this presentation. Here’s the presentation description: Narrated video tutorials — both scripted and spontaneous — are a powerful tool tech writers can employ to help users learn software. But the … more »

I’m rethinking the focus of my podcast, and I’d like to get your feedback. With each of the following poll questions, you can see the results immediately. If you have responses that don’t fit the yes or no answers, please use the comments field below the post. Thanks for the feedback.

Ever wondered what the business model is behind Goog 411 (free directory service)? It’s “a test bed for a voice-driven search engine for mobile phones.”

Ben Minson reflects on the value of having a blog when your day job is technical writing. Blogging can be an outlet to practice your own literary voice, rather than always be trapped in a style guide.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen] Download MP3 Length: 35 min. This is part II of the Blogging, Podcasting, and Screencasting presentation that I gave to the TransAlpine conference in Vienna in June 2009. For more details about the podcast, see the first write-up. If you haven’t listened to Part 1 yet, listen to that first (unless you prefer to arrive en media res). … more »

[Audio clip: view full post to listen] Download MP3 Length: 50 min. This podcast is a recording of the Blogging, Podcasting, and Screencasting presentation that I gave to the TransAlpine conference in Vienna in June 2009. In the presentation, I explore what well-known bloggers, podcasters, and screencasters do to inspire readers to become devoted followers rather than just casual subscribers. Devoted followers stay updated with … more »

[Audio clip: view full post to listen] Download MP3 (to download, right-click and select Save Target As) Length: 40 min. This is the second half of the Blogging for Technical Communicators webinar that I gave to the STC-Rocky Mountain chapter on February 19, 2009. Here’s the accompanying PowerPoint visual. Note: Make sure you listen to Part 1 first. Otherwise you’ll come into this podcast in … more »

How to build a career as an artist | Penelope Trunk’s Brazen Careerist.

WordPress TV launched this week (go to http://WordPress.tv to view it). The concept of WordPress TV is similar to Adobe TV — it’s a multimedia site loaded with a ton of video tutorials and other video content, only WordPress TV is more user generated. Here’s a video introducing WordPress TV:

E-learning voice over demos and voice talent profiles|E-LearningVoices.com. This site has great examples of professional voiceovers with e-learning and training content. Can you make your voice sound like this?