voiceover

A Mouthful of Medical

My Favorite Things...In Voiceover

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

Big Words.

What comes to mind when you think of Medical Narration?  Clinical terms and complicated words that are hard to pronounce, perhaps?  Words such as Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (a disease of the lungs caused by inhalation of very fine silicate or quartz dust) and Choledocholithiasis (stones in the gallbladder) are a mouthful and require precise, accurate pronunciation, but there’s more to medical narration than just big words.  Not only does it require communication of scientific information and complex topics, it may also require empathy, trust, confidence and warmth, depending on the project.  Medical narration is made up of its own set of sub genres, unique to healthcare.  Here are a few of my favorites….

 

Medical eLearning.

Students, doctors, nurses, physical therapists, epidemiologists, x-ray technicians and all other clinical professionals may benefit from eLearning, whether they’re seeking a degree, certificate, or continuing education credits.  Asynchronous medical eLearning allows students and professionals to learn on their own time, in between shifts, at night, or on the weekends.  As an instructor at Southern New Hampshire University in the Public Health Program, I appreciate the many hats my students wear while they pursue their degrees, and I am so glad this option is available to them.  Medical eLearning requires a narrator who is professional, supportive, detail oriented and knowledgeable.  

 

Patient Education.

Patients need to understand their plan of care in order to successfully participate in their treatment, and patient education videos help to make that happen.  Recently, I needed to watch a video for an at-home sleep study.  The narrator was clear, encouraging and helpful.  They made what could have been a complicated and confusing process, simple.  Patient education videos promote shared decision making, help communicate important medical information and engage patients in treatment.  These videos need a narrator that is approachable, friendly and trustworthy.  

 

Pharmaceutical Information.

Have you ever read the fine print on the package insert that goes with your medication?  Yes or no, there’s a lot of important information there, and it’s required by the FDA.  This info includes contraindications, precautions, adverse reactions, and drug interactions.  It requires a trustworthy, knowledgeable, and present voice to relay this information to the user.  

 

Notes, Podcasts and Clinical Trials, Oh My!

There are many other subgenres of medical narration.  Medical notes are delivered from the clinician’s perspective and document progress, consultation, procedures, therapies, and other patient interactions, and require a direct, confident and authoritative voice.  Medical podcasts require intros and outros that engage the listener and set the tone for the topic of discussion.  Clinical trials bring to life medical advancements, discoveries and technologies.  Trust, authenticity and empathy are important voice qualities in narration for clinical trials.

 

And there’s so much more!  Like other forms of voiceover, medical narration tells a story, and the audience informs the purpose and tone.  Medical narrators are the voice of the clinician…and if they do a good job, the listener will pick up on their excellent bedside manner.  

 

To hear my take on medical narration, check out my medical narration demo.  

 

Until next time!

 

XOXO

 

Sarah

Museum Narration: Musings and Insights

My Favorite Things...In Voiceover

 

A red, yellow and blue striped flowing background with 6 headphones hanging from the ceiling.

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Be honest.

…There are certain aspects of your job that you love more than others, right?  It doesn’t matter whether you’re a teacher, engineer, farrier, or a voiceover artist, there are parts of your job that hold a special place in your heart.   Now, this isn’t to say that you don’t like other aspects of your work, it’s just that certain areas make you feel, well…warm and fuzzy.    While I can’t speak for other people or professions, I can say this is true for me, in voiceover.  Honestly, I find most areas of voiceover to be fun and interesting, but there are a few genres that I hold dear, one of which is museum narration. 

 

Museum Narration.

What do I like about museum narration?  Well, if you’ve read my previous blogs,  you know I’m all about telling a story, and museums do just that.  They are filled with stories about history, art, music, sport, science, and even cryptozoology!  (I’ve been to the International Cryptozoology Museum, it’s a very unique place!)  There’s so much to learn at museums, and narration offers additional engagement, freedom for visitors to explore at their own pace, and accessibility for people with visual impairments.  So how exactly can this be achieved?  Let’s look at a few specific types of museum narration.  

 

Audio Tours.

If you’ve been to a museum, you’ve probably seen the headsets that can be used to peruse exhibits with an audio guide.  Nowadays, these tours also come in the form of mobile apps.  Audio tours that come to mind for me are the Holocaust Museum, the Sixth Floor Museum and the Biltmore Estate.  I used these audio guides to explore the museums in my own time, as a tourist.   As an audio guide narrator, you’re speaking to one person with clarity, confidence and genuine interest in the subject at hand. So, are you interested in how museums are improving their technology and the overall audioguide experience? Check out this article by MuseumNext, which looks at how museums are using audio guides to attract and engage new visitors.  

 

Audio Description.

Next, there’s audio description.  Audio description is a different form of narration than an audio tour or guide.  According to the Audio Description Project, audio description in a museum describes the size, shape, color, texture, and details of an exhibit for a person who has low vision or a visual impairment.  The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston offers an audio description tour, as does the Mystic Aquarium, among many others!  Want to learn more about the importance of audio description in museums?  Check out this article from Vocal Eyes.

 

Museum Exhibits.

Apart from audio tours and audio description, exhibits themselves can have a narration component.  I recently narrated letters from the 1700 and 1800’s as part of two different exhibits for Strawbery Banke and the American Independence Museum.  These letters help bring the words of Colonial Americans to life and enhance the overall experience for the visitor.  Voiceover is just one tool that museums are using to engage visitors in specific exhibits.  MuseumNext has a fun article about six museums that are going above and beyond to increase engagement with their audiences and communities.  

These are just a few examples of the ways museums use voiceover to help tell stories and connect with visitors.  I, for one, love being a part of that experience!  Next time you go to a museum, keep your ears open for how they’re using narration.  Interested in collaborating on your next museum narration project?  Contact me and we’ll talk!

Until next time!

XOXO

Sarah

Social Media: A Reluctant Love Story

Adventures in Voice Acting

Photo by Prateek Katyal on Unsplash

Anxiousness.

Social media makes me anxious.  It’s the features, the look, the hashtags.  I’ve never understood how to use it – how do you know when to post, what to post, and why am I posting it?.  Facebook came out after college, and since I’m not one to pay attention to new tech, when it became mainstream, I ignored it.  I eventually created an account at the encouragement of friends, but I never post. Why keep it?  Well, I use it for the groups that I am involved with – voiceover and my virtual gym – so I can stay in the loop.   Don’t get me wrong – I’m not being critical of those who love Facebook – I admire people who are active on it.  My inner introvert just comes out and screams, “hide!” when I think about posting or replying to someone else’s post.

What about other social media platforms?  LinkedIn is more my speed.  I feel safe in the professional environment, and I understand the boundaries.  Still though, I struggle with what to post about myself or related professional content.  Mostly I “like” and reply to others’ posts and share my own content when I feel inspired, which is rare.

I have a confession – I love Instagram.  It’s my guilty pleasure.  I have a private page where I post photos of my children, animals, and flowers, and follow friends, all things Bravo (don’t judge me) and my favorite podcasters.  Still, I don’t understand the difference between stories and static posts.  How do you know when to use which?

As to the others?  I like Clubhouse, but I am hardly ever able to jump into a room.  Forget twitter – that is a scary, dark place.  Tik-Tok just makes me feel old.

 

Excuses.

What is it about some social media (Facebook in particular) that gives me pause?  The idea of having something in writing in perpetuity is scary.  I also hate conflict and miscommunication, so there’s that.

There’s something else though – internal dialogue.  I’ve thought of myself as a non-technical person for my entire life.  I was one of the last in my peer group to get a cell phone, smart phone, and I was a hold out on texting.  So that means, I told myself, I must be “no good” at technology.

There’s evidence to the contrary, however.  I’ve learned to edit audio and I’ve set up my voiceover booth, so that’s something.  Tech may not be my favorite thing in the world, but it doesn’t mean I’m not good at it.  I suspect that my inner introvert has been using this excuse as a reason to avoid social media…. Back to that later.

 

Authenticity.

A few weeks back, I was on a zoom with other VO artists and the team from Celia Siegel Management  for our weekly, VO Brand Mingle.  The discussion evolved into how it’s important to be your authentic self and to put yourself out in the world in creative ways, because it will not only help you as an artist – it will also help your business.  I found this seemingly logical concept to be insightful.  I wondered, how am I putting my authentic self out there?   Aside from this blog and an occasional post on LinkedIn, I’m really not.

Back to my inner introvert.  Let’s call her Jane.  After this realization, Jane and I had to have a talk.  I told her that her negative attitude about social media was no longer serving either of us, and she needed to adjust her point of view.  Jane surprised me, she said OK!  Jane was ready to warm up (a little bit) to social media.  Ok, that’s the end references to myself in the third person (a little bit goes a long way).

 

Having Fun! 

I’ve started an Instagram page for my VO business!  My handle is @sarahmcpheevo – Follow me!  I love Instagram, but my private profile doesn’t seem like the best place to share my VO content, so I’ve started a new one!  I don’t know how often I will post but I am looking forward to interacting with my VO community and having FUN!  It’s ok that I’m not into Facebook right now, maybe I won’t ever be into it, and that’s fine because trying to force myself into it, is not being authentic.

I realize this story will not end like a fairy tale.  Instagram and I will not run off into the sunset holding hands.  First things first, I have to figure out how to take a decent selfie.  I took about a dozen before I found one that was acceptable for my profile picture.  There’s probably a YouTube tutorial I should look up.

Alright, I’m going to save this, post it on my blog, and go share it on LinkedIn.

Xoxo

Sarah

Voice Acting, Learning and Telling Stories

Adventures in Voice Acting

Storytelling, Voiceover, Voice Acting
Peregrine Photography

Looking Back.

I’m someone who tends to focus on the future.  I try to be better about being “present,” but it’s not easy.   I also don’t want to neglect the past…so in that spirit I’d like to share a memory of my first steps into voice acting.  As Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music would say (sing), let’s “begin at the very beginning, it’s a very good place to start,” with a story about my first voiceover.

Kidding and musical references aside, it was part accident and part kismet.  In 2017, I worked full time managing a public health HIV services program, and I was looking for ways to incorporate personal stories to improve health outcomes and reduce health disparities.   I found an opportunity to participate in a digital storytelling (DST) workshop with StoryCenter  and signed right up (after it was approved by work, of course – if you’ve ever worked in a bureaucracy you know what I mean).   In case you aren’t familiar with them, StoryCenter are the founders of the DST movement and have helped over 20,000 individuals tell their stories since 1993; they do great work – you should definitely check them out.

Finding Voiceover.

The DST workshop was an amazing, unique experience.  Here’s a very condensed summary: over the course of several days, participants (with the help of facilitators) write a first-person narrative story, record a voiceover of their story, and select images to appear with the voiceover.   They put it all together in a video, which results in a 2-4 minute digital story.

During my workshop, I went through this process, and without knowing it at the time, I recorded my first voiceover. A few weeks after the workshop, I was at home, shopping online (as one does), and the MP3 file from my voiceover started playing out of nowhere.  I was so confused.  I’m not sure how it happened (I must have accidentally opened the file without meaning to), but as I sat there and I listened to my voice play, I realized for the first time, that this was a field, a profession, and something I wanted to pursue.

Building Community.

Right away I began looking for training.  I have a theater background, so I knew I had the acting chops, but I also knew that voice acting is a craft all its own and I wanted to learn and develop my skills.  So, I started by doing research and took a few local and online classes; I got some good advice, made connections, made mistakes, listened to a lot of podcasts, found good coaching, and found a voiceover community.

Over time, I made friends, learned to edit audio, built my home recording space, and in 2020 (after lots of training and preparation) I had my commercial demo made.  I launched my website in January 2021, and I study my VO skills every day.  I am even working on several additional demos – K-12 narration and medical narration.  I have come a long way from that first voice over in my DST workshop and I will continue to grow and succeed because I am committed to excellence and quality in both voice acting and storytelling.

Telling Stories.

Yes, storytelling.  I see voiceover as a mechanism for telling stories.  Storytelling is an essential communication tool because it paints the picture of the messages we want to convey.  For example, in public health, messages are often framed in terms of statistics, graphs, rates, cases and maps.  While these are important pieces of objective, factual information – on their own they do little to impact individual behavior, thoughts, feelings or opinions.  Storytelling fills in the gray area in between the facts.  It offers a personal, humanized perspective on the public health issue, and puts the message into a real-life context for the listener.

As a voiceover artist, I do not tell my first-person narrative, as I did in my DST workshop, but I do communicate a message, a mission, a purpose and a story.  Thankfully, I am a natural storyteller, as well as an excellent listener, and to be a great voiceover artist, I need to be both.  As my friends at StoryCenter say, “Listen Deeply, Tell Stories.”