Sometimes Reading Your Presentation is OK! (Camtasia Videos)
Disclaimer: This post is about recording Camtasia videos. I am not suggesting that you pack slides with text and then read them to an audience during a live presentation (also a terrible idea when using Camtasia).
You will hear lots of people say “You should NEVER read a presentation!” They say this because most people sound like they are reading when they do this. Are there any times when you should violate this Sacred Presentation Rule?
The answer is a resounding YES! In fact, there are some times when you will be required to read your speech.
My previous day job required me to produce Camtasia videos . These videos were recorded lectures and software demos. Federal law (Section 508) requires a transcript so that meant that either I had to write a transcript of what was said or I had to read from a script.
I thought about it for a while, experimented with multiple ways of creating videos and decided that writing a script and reading it was the way to go. At first the going was rough. I sounded like I was reading and that is is not good. As I practiced a funny thing happened — I quit sounding like I was reading and the content was much better than if I had simply started talking.
Here are a few hints that will help you learn to read aloud without sounding like you are reading.
You have to write for the spoken word. It was a surprise to discover that I could write something that I could not read aloud. This mostly involved cryptic SAS or Teradata options. It was impossible for me to say them one after the other. I had a reviewer tell me that he had a hard time listening understanding the narration when this occured. This was a good lesson to learn. The solution is to rewrite so that you can actually read the script.
Writing helps you focus on the point you are trying to make. Writing and reading allows you to avoid tangents. When you are making a point anything that competes for attention is going to distract and confuse your viewers. My videos are used as training so that would be the “kiss of death.” Make it easy for them to understand and remember your point. Remember, make it obvious!
Practice! This one isn’t fun but it is required. If you don’t practice you will never get this right. If you are using Camtasia to produce your videos then you can use it for practice. You can also use a voice recorder or phone. Read something and record your voice. Listen to it. Make notes on one or two areas for improvement. Read some more and focus on those areas. Repeat until you are happy with the results.
Accept the FACT that you aren’t going to make a great recording on your first take. I had a guy ask me to help him with a Camtasia recording one day. I explained the workflow that I use and when I got to the “Practice” portion he explained that he was great at reading aloud and could do it in one take. I told him that one take wasn’t a reasonable goal. He then told me that it would be OK because he used to work in radio. Long story short — he sucked and people noticed it. No one is above practice! Expecting great results on the first take is unreasonable.
Record each slide individually and then piece them together when using Camtasia. You need to play with your specific workflow but I create my slides and then save them as images using PowerPoint. I import the images and then narrate over them. I alwo record my software demos and then narrate over them at a later time. You don’t have to do it this way. It just works best for me.
Use the notes section in PowerPoint. I use the notes section for my script. I make sure to never record more text than will fit on a printed page (slide and notes). If you really need more than that you can make a copy of the slide and put additional text there. You want to keep the individual recording manageable. Using the notes section keeps your script with your slides. If you are doing software demos then you may want to use screen shots and text to document them. I use Microsoft Word for this but you can use whatever you like.
Learning to read without sounding like you are reading will help your live presentations. I am not talking about reading while you are presenting live here. If you want to learn to vary your voice and add excitement to your live presentations then you should learn to read without sounding like you’re reading. In Toastmasters this is called “vocal variety.” The practice sessions help you develop vocal variety.
These ideas will help you with pod casting as well. Adding excitement and variety to your voice will help you engage your audience. Plus, done properly you won’t sound like you’re reading. Give it a try; I think that you will be glad you did.
Ok, Ok, Jeff. There are times you ‘could’ read a presentation. Good post. But I’m afraid you’ll encourage too many to write and read. And you’re right, 95% look and sound like they are reading. So good tips for them.
Bert
Hi Bert, Thanks so much for the comment. I guess I needed to be a little clearer.
I don’t believe that writing a presentation and reading it in front of an audience is a good thing.
I am talking about Camtasia videos in the post. But it does apply to other things as well. Many pod casts are read. Here is an example of a blogger who provides both written and spoken posts.
In my case, when I do these videos I am required to produce a transcript. I have no choice. In this situation it makes sense to write them out and read them. I didn’t mention it but we are required to have technical reviews of the videos as well. It is easier to get a script reviewed than it is to redo a video because of a technical error. A technical error would be something like me saying, “XXXXXXX works with any version of Solaris 11 or greater” when it really works with Solaris 10 or greater.
I don’t think that writing or reading a live presentation is a good thing. I certainly don’t do that. On the other hand politicians do it quite often. I think that they want to make certain that they don’t misspeak. They should learn how to read better. Most of them are awful. Their speeches are as exciting as bumps on a pickle.
I have found that learning to read aloud effectively does help me during live presentations. I am much more aware of what my voice is doing and can use it to effectively emphasize key points. It also helps me when I have to read a portion of a document during a class or a presentation. Strangely, I do that quite often.