Educational Voice Over: Teaching With The Power of the Human Voice

With so many diverse and exciting technologies and applications geared toward educators and those they teach, voice over work within the learning industry is ballooning, with more and more voice artists working exclusively in this area.

From explainer videos to interactive games for students to use outside of the classroom, there is no shortage of need for voice overs in educational media, whether it’s incorporated as an interactive element (such as a character), narration, or more..

In this article

1. The Global Market for Educational Voice Over Work is Significant
2. Educational Voice Over Jobs
3. Educational Voice Over Talent
4. Selecting Voice Over Talent for E-Learning Narration

The Global Market for Educational Voice Over Work is Significant

According to the Voices global market report, educational voice over work currently accounts for 5% of jobs in the voice over industry and with the rise in the use of technology, that number can only be expected to experience growth as well.

Educational voice over work, can also be referred to as part of the e-learning industry. The e-learning industry encompasses everything from independent courses that may be offered through educational institutions or even online modules that can be used for internal training purposes.

Educational Voice Over Jobs

Educational voice over jobs aren’t just provided by public school boards. Voice over artists specializing in servicing the education industry also work for textbook publishers, private schools, testing agencies and a wide array of nonprofit organizations. This work may involve narrating how-to videos for struggling students, providing a set of recorded instructions for standardized tests, providing unique voices for an educational audiobook

A number of websites designed for specific areas of study incorporate voice over as an auditory learning tool. The addition of voice over as an auditory learning tool can help to increase information retention for a wide range of learners. Since some people are auditory learners, voice over recordings reach auditory learners in a special way and help them to grasp concepts and internalize information better.

Educational Voice Over Talent

While there’s a diverse range of voice over artists capable of obtaining employment in the education industry, anyone with teaching experience has an immediate advantage, as these individuals have experience using their voices effectively to capture the interest of students in their care.

Voice over professionals fluent in other languages may also be able well-positioned to find work, as language learning programs need clear voice overs in Spanish, German, French, Chinese and other languages. There are opportunities for bilingual talent to read scripts for ESL students, those being students who speak English as a second language. The same kind of work is available in non-English speaking countries to assist those who need assistance learning the official language(s) of their new country.

Selecting Voice Over Talent for E-Learning Narration

When selecting a voice for your e-learning platforms, you will want to make sure that you are keeping your audience or target demographic in mind, along with other a few other key components that have been gathered from the Voices 2018 trends report.

• A voice that sounds like a peer – This is important because studies have shown that learners learn best from voices that sound authoritative but also ones that sound like their peers. It is much easier to create a relatable bond with a familiar-sounding voice in the same age range. This also may include utilizing a voice with the accent of the region the learners may be in (ie. Australia).
• A natural sounding voice –  While there are many text-to-speech online tools available to use for your e-learning module, it is always best to hire a voice actor to do a professional read of your material. This is because most people learn best from a voice that is natural and less artificial sounding. It is easier to create a connection with a human voice and be more likely to engage with the content that is being shared.
• A voice that creates a connection –  This last criteria can be a little harder to pin down. Essentially when you are listening to a voice actor read your education material you want to feel engaged. Think about the learners and how long they may be required to listen to the same voice. You want it to be a voice that you can learn from and not tune out.

Ready to hire a voice actor? Find your perfect eLearning voice today.