Professional eLearning Voiceover Checklist: Everything You Need Before Recording

1. Is Your Script Final?

This sounds obvious, but it's the single most important question to answer before recording begins.

Every amendment made after recording has started creates additional work. Even small wording changes can require new recording sessions, editing and quality checks.

Before sending a script for recording, ensure that:

• All stakeholders have approved the content
• Product names and terminology have been checked
• Legal and compliance reviews have been completed
• Statistics, dates and figures are correct
• The latest version is clearly identified

A finalised script helps keep projects on schedule and avoids unnecessary revisions.

2. Have You Chosen the Right Voice?

The best eLearning voice isn't always the most dramatic or distinctive voice.

Successful eLearning narration is usually clear, engaging and easy to listen to over extended periods.

When selecting a voice, consider:

Who will be taking the training?
Is the content formal or conversational?
Does the audience expect a particular accent?
Will learners be listening for long periods?
Does the voice reflect your client's brand, audience and learning objectives?

The narrator becomes the voice of the course, so choosing the right talent can have a significant impact on learner engagement and how learners perceive your client's content.

We can often record a short snippet of your script with a shortlist of voices, so you can make a more informed decision.

3. Have You Prepared Pronunciation Notes?

Every organisation has terminology that may not be immediately obvious to an external narrator.

Product names, client-specific terminology, internal acronyms, technical terms, place names and people's names can all cause uncertainty.

Providing pronunciation guidance before recording helps avoid delays and reduces the likelihood of revisions later.

Even a simple phonetic guide or short audio reference can be extremely helpful - we prefer the latter, as phonetic guides can be quite time consuming to create correctly.

4. Do You Know How Long the Recording Will Be?

Many organisations underestimate how much audio their script will generate.

As a rough guide, a professional voice artist typically records around 130 words per minute for eLearning content in English, depending on the style and complexity of the material.

If there is the possibility of making multilingual versions then we recommend you assume some 'bloat' will occur when translated to other languages. So if animating before recording then assume a slower speed - and be very wary of AI guide tracks, as they often narrate faster than a human voice would or could (due to lack of breathing and word stresses).

Understanding the expected running time can help with:

• Course design
• Learner attention planning
• Budgeting
• Platform requirements
• Accessibility considerations

It's worth calculating this before production begins.

5. Have You Considered Future Updates?

Most eLearning content will need updating eventually.

Regulations change. Products evolve. Procedures get revised.

Thinking about future updates during script development can save considerable time later.

For example:

• Can frequently updated information be separated into standalone sections?
• Are dates and statistics grouped together?
• Could certain modules be updated independently?

A little planning now can make future amendments much easier to manage.

6. Have You Planned Your File Naming and Script Structure?

A little organisation before recording can save a considerable amount of time during course assembly.

Many eLearning projects require dozens, hundreds or even thousands of individual audio files. Without a clear naming convention, locating the correct recording later can quickly become frustrating.

Before recording begins, think about:

• How audio files should be named
• Whether filenames need to match slide or screen numbers
• How future updates will be managed
• How developers will import files into the authoring platform

For larger projects, it can be helpful to structure scripts in a simple two-column format. One column contains the required filename, while the second contains the text to be recorded.

Providing filenames within the script helps reduce ambiguity, simplifies production and makes it much easier for developers to integrate audio once recording is complete.

It also makes future updates easier, as individual files can be identified and replaced without affecting the rest of the course

7. Have You Planned for Accessibility?

Accessibility should be considered from the beginning of any eLearning project.

Voiceovers often play an important role in making learning content accessible, but they should be supported by appropriate design choices.

Consider:

• Closed captions
• Transcripts
• Clear pacing
• Appropriate pauses
• Readability of on-screen content

The goal is to create learning experiences that work for as many people as possible.

8. Are You Using a Voice Partner That Can Support Future Revisions?

One consideration that's often overlooked is what happens when the course needs updating in two, three or five years' time.

Many eLearning projects are initially recorded using freelance talent sourced for a single project. While this can work perfectly well, future updates can become more challenging if the original narrator is no longer available.

Maintaining consistency across a training programme is much easier when the same voice can be used for future amendments and additional modules.

Working with experienced professional voice artists who record regularly for long-term clients can help ensure continuity throughout the life of your clients' training programmes.

For agencies and learning developers managing content for multiple clients, this can become an important consideration.