The value of voice
I was asked by a client, just the other day, why do you want to use voice in the e-learning - what's the value?
Well, I knew the cost, but it took a few minutes to recall the actual learning value in terms of retained knowledge, user engagement etc. So I thought I might share my answer with a wider audience and give a few thoughts along the way as to how voice can best be deployed within e-learning.
Research carried out in 1974 by the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare backs up what all good teachers have always known: people learn best when we "Tell, Show and Do".
The research demonstrated that people generally remember:
- 10% of what they read
- 20% of what they hear
- 30% of what they see
- 50% of what they hear and see
- 70% of what they say as they talk
- 80-90% of what they hear, see and do
So, utilising multiple senses when teaching not only stimulates the learner it also improves knowledge retention in both the short and long-term. The same study demonstrated the correlation between the method of instruction and the ability to recall facts and methods of work:
| Recall 3 hours later | Recall 3 days later | |
| Telling (when used alone) | 70% | 10% |
| Showing (when used alone) | 72% | 20% |
| Blending of telling and showing | 85% | 65% |
Unfortunately the study didn't investigate the ultimate combination of tell - show - do , but I figure the values can only improve.
Now, these stats plainly can't be taken as a guarantee of recall in all learners, but there seems to be a clear correlation between the stats and what I have experienced over the last twenty years of instructional design and classroom delivery.
So it's with these points in mind, and countless anecdotal examples of success, that I would always recommend, where viable, that e-learning access as many of the learners senses as possible, by telling them how to do something, showing them how to do it and then allowing them the opportunity to try it themselves. Whether we are teaching soft skills, such as recruitment interviewing or practical tasks, such as creating Excel pivot tables, I will pretty much always recommend that we deploy tell - show - do using professional voice artists to deliver key instruction.
Yes, professional voice artists. They may cost more than you sitting in front of your £15 microphone connected to your computer - probably around £300 for 10 minutes recorded output, but believe me - they are worth every penny. Don't believe me? Well take a listen to an example I've put together to illustrate the point:
- First the snippet with no voice - the words appear on screen
for you to read. Take a look.
Seen enough? Close the window, or wait and it will close itself. - Next we'll add the voices, but rather than actors, we'll use
computer generated voices - yes, astoundingly I have had clients
show me work produced by competitors where a computer generated
voice has been used. Take a
look.
Heard enough? Close the window, or wait and it will close itself. - Now let's see how it looks with a non-professional recording -
some of my clients have asked to record their own voices, to add
authenticity, which is fine in an introduction or as a scene
setter, but usually grates after a short while. Take a look.
Heard enough? Close the window, or wait and it will close itself. - And finally, what I consider to be the most appropriate use of
voice, from professional actors recorded in a studio by a sound
engineer who knows what he's doing. Take a look.
Heard enough? Close the window, or wait and it will close itself.
Hopefully those four examples have given you an appreciation for the difference a quality voice can have to the value of the e-learning.
So what voice is the right voice - well that's a much trickier question to answer. Technically a bass male voice will usually compress more than a female voice - so from a pure bandwidth perspective - go for a bass male, but given that most e-learning is now delivered over fast broadband or intranet connections this is now less of an issue.
There is research out there that suggests various voice types are more appropriate than others for certain tasks, for instance the female soft Scottish accent is reported to be more trusted than the London or South-East accent. Likewise, the Geordie or Yorkshire male voice is better for delivering middle-management know-how than a Welsh or midlands accent. An Oxbridge accent from a mature male is, unsurprisingly, more attractive to senior management while across the UK, most learners will resent the imposition of a US accent within e-learning and yet accept the vocal talents of an east-coast Australian male. Quite why these foibles exist is not for me to comment on, all I know is that, as always, you need to know your audience well, if you are going to select the vocal talent.
As a bit of fun, I thought I'd create a few ringtones using the vocal talents of one or two of my voice artists. My friends liked them, so I thought I'd share them with you. Just right-click the links, save them and use them as you will (.m4r files are ready to use with your iPhone):
And yes, the last one really is the voice of Tony the "Frosties" Tiger!
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John Lawton
John has over twenty years' experience as a training project manager, over a decade's experience creating bespoke classroom training and fifteen years' of e-learning development.
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