Home > About NLS > Other Writings > Art and Science of Audio Book Production > Narration Skill

NLS Other Writings

The Art and Science of Audio Book Production

Issued September 1995

Narration Skill

Narration skill, as with skill in other arts, has many elements. Foremost among these elements are a natural sensitivity to the meanings of words and phrases and the ability to recognize nuances and shadings in the written word. These are the most basic elements necessary to achieve good narration, and there are no substitutes for them. Among other essential elements of good narration are a talent for using voice, speech, and language and a native ability to blend language sensitivity with talent. These elements combine with experience, training, and education to enable what is termed narration skill to emerge.

Knowledge of speech arts and the ability to apply that knowledge form the cement that bonds voice, speech, and language together in verbal performance. Good narration requires an ability to achieve a level of verbal performance that conveys the style mood, tempo, and sense of the text to the listener. Equally important is the ability to maintain consistent narration style throughout a recording session and to maintain continuity of that style from session to session.

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Posted on 2006-02-24