Narration can add immense value to any eLearning experience. Not only does adding high quality voiceover add versatility to the existing footage, but also allows it to be utilized for a broader range of audiences successfully. Speech can affect the most primal aspects of learning to improve retention, focus, and comprehension. Let’s take a more in-depth look at the role well-designed narration can play in an eLearning experience.
Memorable and relatable
A good voiceover works wonders for the memorability of the content in a video. Why? Some lessons simply aren’t relatable without voice. We struggle to connect what we’re learning to what else we know, and thus our memory of the lessons are faulty. A good voiceover read can form a story, build connections between concepts in a way more palatable to the human brain. We know that memory improves as we form more and varied connections to the fact we wish to retain. Narration can make that happen.
Matched to learning styles
A good eLearning presentation should suit the needs of any learning style. In education, many experts believe there are between three and ten different manners of learning. Many educational presentations only work for one or two of the manners of learning. By adding voice to your video, you can expand your educational presentation to appeal to all ten. If you’re unfamiliar with the most prominent learning styles, you should be considering, the three most widely studied, which include:
- Visual. Students who learn by seeing. Graphs, charts, diagrams, and standard video content work best for these types of learners.
- Auditory. Students who learn best from hearing. Lectures and discussions work well for these students. They often benefit from the addition of voice to an existing presentation.
- Kinesthetic. Students who learn from experience. Moving, touching, experimenting, and considering the subject. A good voice mixed with additional multimedia can add context to assist kinesthetic learners in connecting the dots.
Adding context
Depending on your audience and the content at hand, adding context relevant to that audience may be the most potent adjustment you can make to your video. With the right voiceover, you can add as much content as necessary to any and all scenes.
This becomes increasingly important under a few circumstances. One: Where you want to guide the audience’s understanding of a particular subject, which they may not arrive at naturally. Two: If the audience is far less likely to have the appropriate context for the material provided, due to demographics, prior education, etc.
Matching your audience
An educational video can be tailored to reach your audience, regardless of their background. For example, a younger millennial audience living in a metro area will have little in common with an audience of baby boomers living in Midwestern suburbs. The same content can be used to appeal to both if you leverage the appropriate script and voice talent read for each audience. Turning a lesson into a relevant story, makes all the difference in broadening the appeal. You will need to identify your audiences and target their interests and points of reference appropriately.
A simple narration opens a ton of doors for any educational experience. Whether you’re looking at breadth of education or age, there’s potential in narration to improve and expand. Be certain you match your voiceover to your goals; it’s not enough to have a voice, any voice, reading any lines. You’ll need the right person reading the right lines to make a positive impact. Invest in having your audio done right, and you’ll see the effect on your audience near-instantly.
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