You’ve spent weeks or months developing your staff training course. The content is accurate, the visuals are looking fab, and the instructional design is coming together beautifully.
Now you need someone to narrate it.
But where do you find a professional narrator? How do you know if they’re any good? And how much should you expect to pay?
If you’ve never hired a voice actor before, the process can feel a little mysterious. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be complicated.
Here are a few things to consider when choosing a voice for your next eLearning or staff training project.
1. Think about your audience first
Before you start listening to voiceover demos, think about who’s going to be taking your course.
Are you training new employees? Experienced healthcare professionals? Customer service teams? People learning complicated safety procedures?
Different audiences respond to different styles of narration.
For example, a workplace compliance course might benefit from a clear, approachable voice that makes important information easy to absorb. Medical training might call for a narrator who’s comfortable with complex terminology and can deliver it naturally and confidently.
And a course designed for new employees probably works best with a warm, conversational style that makes learners feel comfortable and welcome.
The important thing is to find a voice that suits your audience and your material, rather than simply choosing one that sounds nice.
2. Look for a voice actor with eLearning experience
Not all voiceover work is the same.
A voice actor who sounds fantastic in a 30-second commercial isn’t necessarily the best choice for a three-hour training course.
eLearning narration requires a particular set of skills. Your narrator needs to maintain a consistent tone, keep the delivery engaging over long stretches, and make complicated information sound clear and understandable.
They also need to know when not to be dramatic.
Nobody wants to hear the evacuation procedures delivered like a movie trailer. 😬
Look for a voice actor who has experience with corporate training, educational content or eLearning narration. Listen to their relevant demos, not so much their commercial reel.
3. Make sure they can handle your terminology
This is particularly important if your course involves medical, pharmaceutical, scientific, legal or technical content.
An experienced narrator will know how to research unfamiliar terminology, check pronunciations and deliver complex language without sounding as though they’re reading it for the first time.
But even experienced voice actors aren’t mind readers!
If your script contains company-specific acronyms, product names or specialist terminology, providing a pronunciation guide can save everyone time.
And if there are words that can be pronounced differently depending on your industry or location, it’s worth clarifying those before recording begins.
A little preparation makes the recording process much smoother.
4. Listen for clarity, not just a beautiful voice
It’s easy to be impressed by a lovely, rich voice. But when you’re producing training material, clarity matters more than pretty vocals.
Your trainees need to understand and retain information, sometimes while following instructions on screen.
Listen for a narrator who:
- Speaks clearly without sounding overly formal.
- Uses natural pacing and phrasing.
- Emphasises important information appropriately.
- Sounds engaged with the material.
- Can make complicated sentences easy to follow.
A good eLearning narrator doesn’t just read the words. They connect with your learners and help them understand.
Here’s an example of my eLearning narration:
5. Ask about recording quality and the process
Many professional voice actors work from their own recording studios, so you don’t necessarily need to organise a separate studio booking.
Before hiring someone, it’s worth checking what they provide.
Will you receive clean, edited audio? Can they split recordings into individual files for each module or slide? What happens if you need a sentence re-recorded?
It’s also worth discussing a live-directed recording session, where you connect remotely to listen and direct the recording – particularly if your project involves tricky terminology or a very specific delivery style. This might cost extra, but will definitely save time and a few emails!
And don’t forget to discuss revisions. There’s a difference between correcting a recording error and re-recording a section because the script has changed after approval.
Agreeing on these details beforehand helps avoid surprises later.
6. How much does eLearning narration cost?
Professional eLearning voiceover is often priced per word, although some narrators charge by the finished minute, finished hour or project.
The final price can depend on several things, including:
- The length of your script.
- The complexity of the subject matter.
- Whether the audio needs editing and splitting into separate files.
- The number of revisions required.
- Where and how the finished recording will be used.
For example, a short internal induction module is a different proposition from a large pharmaceutical training program containing thousands of specialist terms.
When requesting a quote, provide your approximate word count, a sample of the script and a description of how the course will be delivered.
That gives your narrator enough information to provide a realistic price.
And while budget is always a consideration, remember that the cheapest recording isn’t necessarily the best value. Clear, engaging narration can make a real difference to the quality of your finished course.
7. Where can you find a professional eLearning narrator?
There are several ways to find a suitable voice actor.
You can search online for terms such as “Australian eLearning voiceover”, “corporate training narrator” or “medical voice actor”.
You can also explore professional voiceover agency rosters, ask your video production or instructional design colleagues for recommendations, or contact voice actors directly through their websites.
When you find someone promising, listen to their demos and take a look at the kind of work they’ve done previously. You can listen to examples of my voiceover work here.
You don’t necessarily need to organise an elaborate audition process. If a narrator has a strong portfolio of relevant work, a conversation about your project may be enough to establish whether they’re a good fit.
Ready to find the right voice?
I’m Sumara Meers, an Australian voice actor specialising in eLearning, corporate training, medical and technical narration.
I’ve recorded training content covering everything from healthcare and pharmaceutical education to workplace compliance and professional development.
I particularly enjoy the challenge of making complicated information sound clear, natural and human. (Yes, even the really long fun scientific words.😊)
I record from my professional home studio and work with learning designers, production companies and businesses in Australia and internationally.
If you’re looking for a narrator for your next staff training course, I’d love to hear about it.
Listen to my voiceover demos or get in touch to discuss your project.