Voiceover in Learning

Since the invention of the radio by Guglielmo Marconi, audio became an essential medium in the way we communicate and learn. Marconi's "wireless telegraph" was just the beginning as other names like Reginald Fessenden expanded the use of radio waves in the early 1900s. Today, we have audio as a very popular format in the way of podcasts and audio conversations in social media. This StyleLearn Origins episode had professional voice actor Kerri Acheson and studio owner as well as celebrity voice acting director David Goldberg chat with me about the craft of voiceover.

1895 The Wireless Telegraph

Inventor Guglielmo Marconi invents what he called "the wireless telegraph" which laid the foundation for what we know today as radio.

1900 Reginald Fessenden

Reginald Fessenden was a very interesting character, genius of sorts, and once a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. He was able to transmit voice signals between two towers that were a mile apart. In 1906, he sent Christmas eve greetings to ships hundreds of miles away.

1920s and Beyond

There's quite a large body of literature showing how radio was in use for educational programs at all levels. The screenshot shown here is a report by the U.S. Department of the Interior (since the Dept of Education did not exist for another 50 or so) showing evidence of radio being a very useful medium in distance education.

Ai and Voiceover Today

In our discussion, Kerri, David and I talked about the implications of voiceover done in house by learning and development departments and also how Ai may be influencing the use of professional voiceover today. Listen to the episode and share it with friends.