Karl Brown Voice Over

What is e-learning?

E-learning, or elearning, is a powerful way to learn using a course that’s always available online. It’s a great alternative to traditional classroom-based learning, and can greatly cut the costs to a business.

Many businesses and organisations use e-learning to roll out new information or make sure new starters have the same quality of learning as existing colleagues. Once you’ve got the course together, you can send a link out and let people complete it at their own pace at their own desk. You don’t have to worry about finding a room big enough to teach a class; you don’t have to take time out of everybody’s diary at the same time; and you don’t have to hire someone every few weeks to come and teach.

How can a voice over help?

There’s no single best way that people learn. It’s down to each learner. Some people like to read. Some people like to do exercises and tasks. Some like to watch a video, and some will have the audio playing in the background while they’re doing something else.

Using a real, human voice encourages people to listen and absorb information. A trained voice over artist makes the script engaging. They use vocal inflections, tone, pacing, and other skills to encourage active listening and stop people from zoning out. You’ve probably done it when someone’s talking and they’re not engaging you – your mind starts to drift off. Insisting that your e-learning provider uses a trained voice will cut the risk of that happening, and make sure your money’s working hard by getting the audience up to speed more quickly.

I write e-learning courses, how can a voice over help me?

You want each course to work for the client. Ultimately, the course needs to make or save them money, as well as make you money. A trained voice talent engages the listener. People tend to zone out when they get bored, and using a flat, monotone untrained voice is one of the quickest ways to get people to disengage. Professional voice overs have a lot of presentation skills at their disposal, letting us control the pace of delivery, the tone, the inflections, and how we emphasise key information – all skills that boost engagement and encourage active listening.

A trained voice can also help with your script. If we’re not able to make it sound good – if it sounds a little clunky – then we’ll ask if there’s a slight tweak we can make. Most people don’t write for the spoken word so it’s really easy to make prose that flows on the page, that sounds a little off when you hear it.

Why does this matter to e-learning providers? Because if people are engaged, they learn more effectively. If people learn the information quickly and enjoy the course, you’re likely to get better customer reviews and more returning customers. A win-win for you and the client.

OK, I’m sold. How much is it going to cost?

I charge per word for e-learning work on a sliding scale:

• First 1,000 words = £.030 per word (minimum spend of £250 applies)
• Between 1,001 and 5,000 words = £0.20 per word (no minimum spend)
• 5,001 words plus = £0.15 per word

This covers recording time, the cost of running my studio, as well as editing the audio and splitting it into separate tracks.

Every job is different, though, so give me a call (07761 593 745) or send me an email and I’ll work with you to give you a quote that works.