If you’re sending your presentation instead of speaking in front of an audience, but feel that adding a voice explanation would help get the message across better, record a voice-over. Here’s how to do it.
preparation
Before you start talking in PowerPoint, you need to make sure that you are properly prepared.
Set up your microphone
First you need a microphone. Most modern computers have a built-in microphone that gets the job done, but investing in a USB microphone will greatly improve the audio quality of the narration.
The built-in microphone will be selected as the default input device, so if you plan to use it for PowerPoint narration, you don’t need to take any extra steps to set it up. However, if you plan to use a USB microphone for narration, be sure to set it as your input device.
To do this in Windows, right-click on the volume icon located on the right side of the taskbar. From the menu that appears, select «Open Sound Settings».
The Sound Settings window will open. Here, scroll down to the «Input» section and check the «Select input device» box.
If you are using a USB microphone, it will appear here. Select it to set it as your input device.
The steps for Mac users are extremely similar. The only difference is that you have to go to «System Settings» and select «Sound» instead of right-clicking the volume icon like in Windows. From there the steps are the same.
Take notes and rehearse
With your microphone set up, you’re ready to start recording, right? Well, not quite. While you may not be physically standing in front of the audience making this presentation, you still need to treat it as if you were. This means going through the basics — taking notes and rehearsing your delivery.
One thing you can do to help you write successful storytelling is to write a screenplay. As with a live presentation, you don’t want it to sound like you’re reading straight from your cards. Practice reading the script a few times to make it sound natural and flowing.
If you’re confident about your delivery, it’s time to start recording.
