Notes for Readers

Every Reader will have his or her own style and we know that our listeners appreciate this variety.  Regardless of individual style, however, it is important that all Readers deliver a quality recording.  Here are some tips to bear in mind:

  • Remain silent when recording is going on or about to start. Try not to make any sound while a colleague is recording. Although your mike isn’t on, you can probably be heard in the background through the one that is.
  • Read through your next piece while your colleagues are recording theirs. Then you won’t be taken by surprise by unfamiliar names or words or obscure phrasing or bad grammar or spelling, and you won’t have to pause your reading while you wonder what to say. And it’ll give you a chance to consult your colleagues on it between recordings.
  • While you are recording, try not to shuffle your bits of paper or knock them against the mike or boom.
  • While recording, speak to the mike, not to your bit of paper. If it helps, reposition the mike (not while recording!) to make this easier.
  • When you are recording, speak clearly and naturally and not too fast, like the TV newsreaders.
  • Try to keep your speech at a constant volume while you are recording. Don’t worry, this won’t make it monotonous: you can still vary the pitch, speed, emphasis and expression. Especially, try to avoid sudden loud bits or soft bits. Beware of a natural tendency to drop at the ends of sentences; you may find it useful to counteract it by a slight lift at those places. If you want to interpolate or append a comment or aside, still keep a similar volume.

Good luck!