Writing For Sound

30-second narration is 65 words
Find the story angle
Use words simple words
Words audience may not know
Rehearse copy aloud
Print a hard copy of your text
Use Target Words
Use phonetic spelling
Words can be misheard

A 30-second narration

It all depends of course on how fast you read, and in general, it is always better to read slower. But if read at a moderate pace, about 65 words is all you need for a 30-seconds announcement. Most beginners have a tendency to read way too fast and not even realize it. 

As an exercise, try reading a bit of copy VERY slowly, adding emphasis and inflection to key words. Then, return to a moderate middle ground – not to fast, and not to emotional.

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Use simple words

Words meant to be heard rather than read need to be simpler. For example, instead of saying “it ended with disastrous results”, you might say “it ended badly.” Be careful though, changing words changes meanings, and in the end, accuracy must prevail.

Find the story angle

Find the angle in the story that raises interest or curiosity, and put that into the lead. A good lead should be interesting enough to make listeners want to hear more. Be careful, though, it’s easy to overplay this approach. 

Vary sentence length.  In broadcast style, a long sentence would be about 15 words. In contrast, in printed text, a long sentence might be 30 words or more.

When you have long sentences, break them into smaller ones. Also avoid sentences that are all the same length. A mix of longer and short sentences works well in broadcast style.

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Avoid words your audience may not know or understand

Speak to them at their level. If you can, get your point across with simpler words versus more complex words. Avoid technical terms because they might not be understood by a wide audience.

Using technical jargon is like speaking a foreign language. Certainly there will be people who will understand it, but it’s likely that that audience that does understand it will be smaller than the general listening audience.

A good program finds the middle ground; using language that is accessible to a wide range of listeners, but not so simplified that it reduces the value of the discussion. If you know your audience is tuned in to and expecting a certain level of technical language, then go ahead and use that.

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Read your copy aloud

When you voice your copy out loud it affects your breathing, often causing you to think about where you will take breaths. Reading aloud also will also help identify which words and phrases are difficult articulate, which might cause you to rewrite certain passages so they flow better.

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