Narrating your eLearning is about more than just delivering information, it’s about engaging your learners. To get the most out of your time narrating, you need to make sure you’re focused on the things that will improve the conversationality of your narration and connect your learner to the message and intent of your e-learning project.
Site
RSS
Apple
Data updated on 14/07/2026
Recent rankings
Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.
Shared links between episodes and podcasts
Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.
Discover shows related to DIY Narrator: For Instructional Designers Who Narrate eLearning, based on actual content similarities. Explore podcasts with similar topics, themes, and formats, backed by real data.
There is no related content for this show.
No links shared by this podcast
Rise of the Robots! AI Voices in eLearning
Episode 35
Thursday, May 27, 2021 • Duration 11:01
Ok, I'm just going to start by saying I'm obviously biased in my opinion about where AI can (should?) live in the eLearning narration world.
Full disclosure, in the last year (2020) around 50% my income was from eLearning Narration work. There was a HUGE surge in people needing to produce virtual training, especially in the upskilling/certification world.
Not necessarily in the world of corporate learning, that was honestly pretty steady compared to 2019, for me at least.
That said, I try to keep my eyes on future advances in technology related to voice and learning, things that might impact my future as a voice talent. In the last couple of months I have seen a handful of articles touting the "benefits" of AI voices in eLearning narration.
It's mostly been focused on saving money and speeding up production. No one seems to be talking about how the learners feel.
Or how effective it is at accomplishing the real goal... learning.
Setting my bias aside, I want to hear from you in the community.
What do you think?
Is it a handful of companies producing AI voice avatars simply targeting an industry that uses voices and is often very budget conscious?
Or...
Are we a decade or less from the rise of AI in eLearning and the end of eLearning voiceover for DIY and Pro alike?
Knowing full well, we can't predict how good these robots will get, I still feel we're a long way off from a robot expressing empathy or urgency in their read.
Let me know your thoughts. Shoot me an email or look me up on LinkedIn.
Do you need narration?
Episode 34
Friday, March 19, 2021 • Duration 16:05
You Need To Practice – Part 2
Episode 33
Saturday, March 6, 2021 • Duration 11:30
Don’t Fear the Silence
Episode 32
Friday, January 8, 2021 • Duration 13:58
Keep Yourself Engaged
Episode 31
Friday, December 18, 2020 • Duration 13:18
Why “Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How”?
Episode 30
Thursday, December 10, 2020 • Duration 19:49
The Best Way to Improve Your eLearning Narration
Episode 29
Thursday, December 3, 2020 • Duration 18:32
Is A VO Too Pro?
Episode 28
Friday, February 28, 2020 • Duration 12:54
One major complaint, gripe, or observation I've heard a number of times is that professional voice talent can sometimes sound too professional.
When you've heard it, you may have said something like this:
"They just sound too professional!"
"They don't sound like us."
Traditionally, a voiceover talent performing eLearning has a very distinct sound. It could be described as "professional." But more often, I'd probably describe it as steady, deliberate or precise... but on the less-nice side maybe even dull, droning, or boring.
The thing is, that "professional" sound that pops into your head is something that you should be trying to avoid. Your learners want to hear someone who sounds like a trusted coworker, not someone who sounds like they're doing an impression of a VO.
Listen in to the episode to learn tips to avoid the "too professional" sound in your own eLearning narration by keeping your narration casual and engaging for the learner.
2020 Super Bowl Commercial Breakdown
Episode 27
Monday, February 3, 2020 • Duration 12:22
Home Studio Setup with Neil Zielsdorf
Episode 26
Friday, July 26, 2019 • Duration 39:32
This episode is a change of format for DIY Narrator! In this episode, I'm joined by Neil Zielsdorf.
Neil is an Instructional Designer for Amazon who has recently moved into a new house. As a result, he's been incrementally setting up a room in his home to be his new workspace for recording eLearning narration and videos over a green screen.
We had a great discussion about sound reflections (echo), acoustic treatment, and attempting to keep the sounds of a household out of your space.
In this conversation, we cover a number of approaches you can take to improving the acoustic quality of a room. Everything from bass traps, acoustic foam, and moving blankets to DIY acoustic panels and weatherstripping.
As an added bonus, we had a quick conversation about VR and AR as well as how voice over fits into that format a bit differently than your typical eLearning narration.
If you want to get in touch with Neil, you can reach him on LinkedIn.
Links
We talked about a number of things in this episode. Here are some links if you want to check any of them out!
The DevLearn Las Vegas Hotel Room EpisodeSamson Q2U micAudio Technica ATR-2100 USB micPurple Panda Lavalier (Lav) micThe Impulso AppBooth Junkie Acoustic Panels