How To Voiceover On Powerpoint

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Many people think of Microsoft PowerPoint as live presentation software.

  • I will tell you a method on how to add audio to PowerPoint for all slides. Users can add any music or voice over audio in their PowerPoint slides on Windows PC/Laptops. I have shared two ways to insert audio/voice over on any PowerPoint or Google Slides. You can use this method to even add your recorded voice to the background of PowerPoint.
  • Open PowerPoint File Open the document that you would wish to add voice over to PowerPoint. Go to the 'Insert' 'Audio' option, and a drop-down menu will appear after that. Then, you can choose 'Record Audio'.

But using a slide deck can also be a great way to make an educational or informational video. By adding voice over to your PowerPoint slides you can share your presentation with a much wider audience.

Click Record Narration – in PowerPoint choose Slideshow then from the menu choose Record Narration. Adjust settings – you should adjust the microphone level to ensure that the quality of your audio is good.

Of course, PowerPoint has a built-in presentation recorder and, while it works in a pinch, it has some pretty serious limitations.

So, what's the best way to record a voice over for your PowerPoint presentation?

I'll show you.

The Easiest and Fastest Way to Record and Edit Voice Over for PowerPoint!

Audiate makes recording and editing your voice as simple as editing text in a document.

Here's what you'll learn:

Why record voice over for PowerPoint?

Remote work, at-home schooling, Zoom meetings until we can't see straight — 2020 changed everything we thought we knew about work, education, and training.

And, 2021 looks to be much the same.

📚 Recommended Reading: 5 Asynchronous Communication Examples For Better Remote Work

All of those in-person meetings, workshop sessions, employee trainings, classroom lectures, and presentations will almost certainly be remote.

But that's not the only reason to record your presentations.

At some point, we will return to some semblance of what we knew before. When that happens, many experts believe at least some of the changes may be more permanent. The advantages of a recorded presentation with audio narration will remain.

So recording your PowerPoint presentations just makes sense, and the reasons to do it go beyond the unavoidable necessities of this year or next.

Recorded PowerPoint presentations are more flexible

While live meetings and educational sessions have their place, they require everyone to be in the same place at the same time (even if the place is virtual). That's fine if all your employees, students, or other audience members are in the same or relatively close time zones.

But what if your company has employees all over the world? That 2 p.m. ET meeting at your company's headquarters happens at midnight for your employees in Sidney, Australia.

And, what about employees, students, or others who have to share technology or who may not always have access to high-speed internet or the privacy necessary to meet at the appointed time?

By offering your presentation asynchronously (just a fancy word for 'on-demand'), you give people the flexibility to consume your content when it's convenient or easier for them. Plus, because they can consume it at their own pace, they have more opportunity to absorb and understand the information.

That doesn't mean that synchronous (just a fancy word for 'live' or 'in-person) meetings, training sessions, classes, etc. aren't important or useful. It just means that giving your audience more options gives them more ways to consume and get value from your content.

Forget PowerPoint's built-in recorder — there's a better way

The first thing you'll probably notice when you decide to record voice over audio for your PointPoint slides is that PowerPoint has a built-in recorder. Just click the record presentation button and you're off to the races.

Sure, that works to an extent. But it's not the BEST way to do it. And, later when you want to make small edits or changes, you'll be really sad you did it that way.

PowerPoint's built-in recorder doesn't allow you to edit mistakes or verbal flubs. All you get is that single-take, live recording of your presentation. You have to remember what you want to say, advance your slides, and do your best to avoid stumbling — just like if you were doing it in a meeting or in front of a live audience.

But creating on-demand recorded presentation content offers you the opportunity to create something that has a little more polish on it.

Quick-and-dirty recordings work in some cases, but for others — especially anything that will be consumed outside your company or organization — you want to show something a little more professional.

By recording your voice over separately, you can ensure that your recordings are professional and more engaging.

The Easiest and Fastest Way to Record and Edit Voice Over for PowerPoint!

Audiate makes recording and editing your voice as simple as editing text in a document.

How to record voice over for PowerPoint

So, if we're not going to use PowerPoint's built-in recorder, what ARE we going to use?

Let me introduce you to TechSmith Audiate — the easiest way to record and edit voice over.

When I say Audiate is easy, I mean it's almost ridiculously easy.

Here's how you do it.

1. Start with a script

Whether you've created a new presentation or you're recording one you've given a thousand times, creating a script ensures you know what you want to say exactly when you want to say it. It helps you avoid meandering off your topic or forgetting important points.

If you already have your slide deck, you can use that as the outline for your script. Then, just fill in with what you would normally say to your audience if you were presenting live!

If you don't want to write a full, word-for-word script (which, I highly recommend you do), even having a bulleted list of your talking points is much better than trying to do it without anything at all. And, it'll save you a ton of editing time later.

2. Record your audio

It wasn't that long ago that the thought of using an audio recorder/editor seemed pretty daunting to most people.

It's not hard to see why. Even the easiest ones can be clunky and difficult to use. They can have all kinds of tricky settings and the user interfaces can be overwhelming to anyone who's not a professional audio producer.

But that all changed with TechSmith Audiate. Audiate is, quite simply, the easiest way to record a voice over and edit the audio.

It has an intuitive and easy-to-understand interface that will have you recording your audio in seconds.

Just select record and you're on your way.

And, it transcribes your audio as you record, so you can edit your audio files just like editing a text document.

When you're done recording narration, just click Stop and Audiate will finish up your transcription.

3. Edit and export your recording

As noted above, now you can go through and edit out your mistakes and any hesitations.

No more hunting through a waveform to find that flubbed word. Audiate shows you exactly what you said and where you said it. You just highlight the word or words you want to delete, and Audiate does the rest.

Audiate also lets you quickly and easily find and remove all your umms and uhhhs. It can even remove them automatically.

If you plan to add captions to your video (which you should for so many reasons), go through your transcribed audio and correct any mistakes or anything that Audiate may have misheard so that the text matches what you actually said.

I've been making videos with voice overs for a long time and I'm quite comfortable with more complicated audio recording software. But when I'm recording voice over, I will always choose Audiate. It's just so simple and powerful.

You can cut and paste single words or whole sections of your audio to move them around as needed.

If you want to add more or re-record a section that didn't come out the way you wanted, you can do that right in the same file. Just click Record again and Audiate will add your new audio to the end of your current file. Then, just cut and paste it where you need it to go.

That's it. You've successfully recorded your voice over audio!

Click the Export button to save your recording as a .WAV file and you're all set.

Oh, and don't forget to click File and then Export Script. That will let you save your text file as an .SRT file, which Camtasia can use to add captions.

Now it's time to add the audio to your video.

Pro tip: Edit your video in Camtasia (you'll thank me later)

TechSmith Camtasia is a powerful, but easy-to-use video editor. Even if you have never made video, you can quickly learn to create professional-quality videos.

But that's only part of why you should make your PowerPoint slides video with Camtasia.

Import your slides

Camtasia can actually import PowerPoint slides for your use and insert the audio after. No more recording your screen while you run through your slides.

Just click File > Import > Media or, in the Media tab, click the Import Media button and navigate to select your PowerPoint files.

While Camtasia can't pull in slides from Google Slides or Apple Keynote, if you built your slides in either of those applications, you can save your file as a PowerPoint presentation and Camtasia can import that file.

To import your PowerPoint file, choose the Media tab in Camtasia and then Import Media. Select your PowerPoint file and import it.

Then, do the same thing for your audio recording.

Add your slides to the timeline

Once your slides and audio are in the media bin, add the audio to your timeline.

Then, just add your slides to the timeline where appropriate. You can adjust the slide timing and the amount of time they're visible to ensure they make sense of what's being said in your audio.

Once everything's in place, you're ready to produce.

Take your video a step further

But, you can do more if you want. Use Camtasia's callouts and other features to add arrows, highlight important information, or otherwise enhance the video experience for your viewers. That's something you definitely can't do in PowerPoint.

When you're ready to add your captions, click Modify and Add Captions to import your captions file. Drag it to the timeline and Camtasia will automatically put the captions in the right spot in your video.

When you're satisfied that your video is done, you can save the file locally or upload it to any of Camtasia's huge array of destinations, including YouTube, Google Drive, Vimeo, Screencast.com, and more.

And now your video is ready to be shared with the world.

AND, if you ever need to edit or update your video, you can just go back into Camtasia, replace whatever slides need to change, import whatever new audio you need to use, and you're ready to go. If you had recorded in PowerPoint, you'd have to do the whole thing over again.

That's not a huge deal if your presentation is five minutes or less, but what if it's 30 minutes? An hour? Being able edit portions of your video rather than the whole thing will be a lifesaver.

Tips for getting great audio

Unless you're a professional audio engineer, getting good audio can seem intimidating.

Check out this post on recording voice overs for a whole bunch of great information on ensuring your voice over is great.

But, here are a few tips to get you started.

  • Start with a script. You'll speak more confidently and you'll stay on point.
  • Use a better mic. Your computer microphone will work in a pinch, but if you really want the best audio (or, if you plan to make more videos), invest in a decent USB microphone. You can get a nice one for way less than you probably think and it'll make a huge difference.
  • Hydrate. Your voice sounds better when your vocal chords are nice and hydrated. Plus, you'll reduce off-putting mouth noises, etc. And no, coffee doesn't count.
  • Similarly, keep water handy while you're recording. Take a sip when you need to. You can edit out that part later.
  • Speak slowly and clearly. I know that when I'm nervous, I tend to race through whatever I'm trying to say. Whenever I record voice over audio, I have to remind myself to slow down and enunciate.

Recording PowerPoint voice overs is easy — with the right tools

Sure, PowerPoint has a built-in recorder, but as my grandfather used to say, always use the right tool for the job.

By using TechSmith Audiate and then editing your finished video in Camtasia, you can create a better overall experience for your viewers.

And, because you're using the right tools for the job, you'll have better control over what they see and hear.

How To Voiceover On Powerpoint

The Easiest and Fastest Way to Record and Edit Voice Over for PowerPoint!

Audiate makes recording and editing your voice as simple as editing text in a document.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it hard to do voice over for PowerPoint?

Not at all. With the right tools you can easily add voice over to PowerPoint slides and turn your presentation into a truly engaging educational or informational video!

What tools do I need to record voice over for PowerPoint?

Not much! A decent microphone and a quiet place to record will go a long way in ensuring your recording sounds great.

Should I record my voice over using the PowerPoint presentation recorder?

While the PowerPoint's built-in recorder works in a pinch, you'll save your self a lot of time and hassle by using a standalone audio recorder like TechSmith Audiate.

How To Voiceover In Powerpoint Online

What software should I use to edit my presentation video?

We highly recommend TechSmith Camtasia. It's super easy to use and can import PowerPoint slides directly!

Related Posts:

In this blog, we will talk about the top reasons for using PowerPoint voice over recordings and the benefits of hiring professional voice talent for these recordings.

Then we will go over the mechanics of narrating a voice over for your PowerPoint presentations.

Whether you are delivering an educational lecture or trying to close a deal, presentation matters.

The success of your presentation rests on the knowledge you impart and, more importantly, what your audience takes away from the encounter.

When you cannot meet in person or deliver a face-to-face presentation or lecture, Powerpoint voice over recording can be a valuable tool.

PowerPoint, a part of Microsoft Office, has an estimated 500 million users creating as many as 30 million presentations each day.

PowerPoint is a market leader in presentation software making it highly accesible. Recording a voice over for your PowerPoint presentation is relatively easy to do.

Still, whether it is because they are unaware of the feature or simply forget it is there, PowerPoint's voice over recording feature is not being used to its full capacity.

The PowerPoint voice over feature allows you to record and embed speech audio clips in your slides, which means that you can playback the entire presentation complete with voice narration solely on PowerPoint.

What are the advantages of using PowerPoint voice over recording?

Easy editing

Pre-recording your presentation allows you to prepare, edit, practice, narrate, and, re-record until you have a seamless presentation.

Once you have the presentation the way you want it, you can replay it anytime you like, making the effort worthwhile in the long run.

It is easy to include visual materials

Good use of graphics is one way to keep your participants' interest. Depending on your topic, you can use images, charts, graphs, or word clouds for example.

By adding narration to PowerPoint slides with images, you can ensure that the graphic is interpreted the way you intend without dragging the presentation down with too much text.

The ability to share content

Since Microsoft PowerPoint is widely used the format is easy to share with students or participants.

Because you are sharing your presentation, the information will correctly reflect what you shared.

Better focus

Using the voice over feature makes you more focused on your presentation and enables you to deliver an authentic experience for participants.

Versatility

The process is similar for both PC and Mac users.

You don't need special equipment (although you might want to consider it if the sound quality or your recording space are less than ideal.

What You'll Need To Get Started:

A well-organized and quiet workspace with room for your script and no background noise is essential.

You will also need a well-functioning microphone, either the one that comes with your computer or a headset, to maximize the sound quality of your voice.

A script that is well-organized, clear, and concise - do not try to 'wing it.'

Scripting and Narration - Best Practices for Your presentation

Whether you intend to record your own voice over or hire a professional voice actor to perform the narration, you will need to keep a few things in mind.

Pace and Pronunciation

Be sure to enunciate every word clearly so that your audience can hear and understand your narration.

Speak in a natural pace, do not try to rush through your slides.

Rehearse your script to make sure that you are not simply reading.

Tone

The old cliché, 'It's not what you said, It's how you said it' holds true in PowerPoint voiceover.

You need to find the right tone for your message and your target audience.

Avoid speaking in a monotone, rehearse the right times to use your voice tone and pitch for emphasis.

For example, if you are describing something very serious, your tone should reflect the gravity of the situation.

How to get roblox xbox items on pc. If you want to inject humor, make sure it is appropriate and that there is a change of tone in your voice to help your audience understand that this is a moment of levity.

When drafting your script, use italics to help you remember to use your voice to emphasize a point.

Use pauses to your advantage

Pepper your script with well timed moments of silence.

One way to do this is to give your audience a moment to read the material on a graph or think about a particular image.

Pauses can also be used to signal an important point and amplify the emphasis you have already indicated with tone - the silence says 'let that sink in.'

Voiceover Power Point Microphone

You need to have a good functioning microphone and may need an upgrade from the microphone that comes with your laptop or desktop.

Run a sound check to assess the sound quality.

How to Produce a PowerPoint Voice Over Recording

You have a good script and a well-crafted visual slide show.

You have checked for the sound quality and rehearsed your narration.

Now you need to make some decisions.

Do you want to record each slide on its own or would you rather narrate the entire presentation in one go?

In part, this decision will be based on the length of the presentation and your comfort and confidence.

Here we will go over the instructions for each option, beginning with basic steps for recording a voice over PowerPoint presentation, then we will look at recording one slide at a time, and then we will cover the instructions for recording the entire presentation in one session.

Basic Steps:

1. Set up your space and equipment:

You need a working microphone, a quiet workspace, your script, and maybe a glass of water to keep your voice clear.

2. Create a New Folder and Presentation:

Create a folder dedicated to the presentation you intend to record and make sure that the folder name is descriptive and clear.

As you record your script, the sound files will be saved as part of the presentation, and having them all together in one folder will help you locate and manage them, especially if you elect to record one slide at a time.

3. 'Record Narration' tool:

Open your PowerPoint presentation and select the 'Slideshow' command in the top navigation bar.

Select 'Record Narration' from the menu.

4. Set Sound Levels and Properties:

In the 'Record Narration' dialog box click the 'Select Microphone Level' button.

Use the slider icon to adjust the microphone level to find your optimal recording quality.

5. Recording:

We will now go over the two basic options for recording: one slide at a time or narrating the entire presentation.

Recording Voice Over for Single Slides

Open the PowerPoint Presentation and select the slide that corresponds with the script you are about to record.

On the top menu, select 'Insert Audio' and then 'Record Audio.'

Give your audio recording a descriptive title (something with a bit more information than 'Slide 1').

Take a sip of water, grab your script, and select the icon with the read dot to begin recording your narration.

Deliver your narration and then click on the black square once you are done.

Click on the play button (a black forward pointing arrow icon) to listen to your recording, and if you are satisfied with the result, click on OK to add the audio file to your slide.

An icon will appear at the center of the slide, it is this icon that your audience will click on to play the audio when viewing the presentation.

How to record a voiceover for the entire presentation:

Open the appropriate PowerPoint presentation, have your script in hand.

Select 'Slide show' tab and go to the 'Set Up' group.

Click on 'Record Slide Show' or 'Record Narration' on the Slide Show menu.

Even though you have opted to record a voice over for the entire presentation, you can still record in sections.

In other words, selecting this method does not mean you need to record the entire narration in one sitting.

Just make sure that you start on the correct slide by following the prompts.

In the bottom left corner of the 'Record Narration' window is a check box for 'Link Narrations In' - click this box to check it on (you will need to do this each time you start recording a section of voice-over).

It is a good idea to playback your work after each recording session and remember that you can record over any portion that you are not happy with.

The new recording will replace the old content as long as you remember to save it, of course. How to save a compressed zip file.

Once you are done recording a segment, hit the 'Escape' key or stop icon.

You will be prompted with a query asking if you want to save the timings on the slides.

If you are happy with your work, select yes and remember to save your entire presentation after each completed segment.

Each time you sit down to record a voice over segment, you will need to select a starting point for your voice over recording.

Your options will be to start from the beginning or to start from the current slide, just make sure that you make the correct selection so that the narrative and visual slides align with one another.

It is a good idea to playback some of your presentation early on to ensure that the sound is good, check the tone, timing, and pace and so forth.

It might take more than one recording to get it right, so again, it is a good idea to playback small sections until you are comfortable with the procedure.

You might want to play around with different format options, such as MP4, or a web page, or the default PowerPoint slide show.

One feature of PowerPoint 2010 is that you can export your enhanced slide deck in WMA format which means your audience can view it as a video.

Maybe you don't have the time or inclination to record your own voice overs, or maybe you don't have access to a quiet space, or maybe, like many of us you are not happy with the sound of your own voice or your ability to maintain the correct tone and pace.

Then it is time to consider hiring professional voice talent and a professionally equipped sound studio to get the best, most engaging, and high-quality recording possible.

Consider Professional Voice Over Recording and Voice Talent Narration

If you have made a few attempts and have been less than satisfied with the results, you might realize that it takes a different skill set to get the tone and pace right when you are recording to a screen rather than deliver a lecture or presentation in a face-to-face venue.

Or maybe your recording equipment is not state of the art, or your recording environment is cluttered with white noise or other audio interruptions that are beyond your control.

One other issue is the amount of time you find yourself spending recording, editing, and re-recording.

In any of these situations, it is time to consider hiring a professional, so how do you choose?

What to look for

Look for a voice talent company that has experience.

Whether you are looking for Educational Audio for Schools, Universities, Colleges, Language/Business Institutes, or Corporate Training, or another type of presentation, you want a company that understands the needs of your specific audience.

You want a company with a roster of professional Voice Talents with years of experience recording voice overs for all types of platforms, that can achieve the correct clarity, tone, emphasis and pace that best suits any type of production.

It is important that the company you select is able to assist you in streamlining the production of your voice over PowerPoint narrations while leaving you with creative control over the process.

Besides voice talent, the company needs to have a solid team of audio specialists who can deliver a fine tuned and polished sound quality.

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