From Print to Audio

Social media as an addiction.
I'm going to add plenty of punctuation to create pauses and make should I'm going at a comfortable pace for people to listen to.
I'll make sure not to include too many numbers so I don't distract from my argument. In my script, I'll keep my sentences short and sweet. I'll make sure to continuously speak out loud what I'm writing in my script to make sure it sounds natural.

I really resonated with the tip to consider how your listeners read when composing the essay. I normally like to read in sections so I plan to divide up my audio essay into something that is easy to listen to with different topics in short parts that grab the readers attention. Also, I plan to make my essay more simplistic rather than throwing in super complex words so that I don't make it seem too formal. The phrasing of sentences is very important when it comes to an audio essay so I plan to be super careful of not constructing this like a research paper and instead focusing on engaging my audience. 

Reading this article made me think about the difference between the ways I deliver information verbally versus written. In writing, my sentences tend to be drawn out and long which wouldn't work verbally as I would quickly get out of breath and my listener would quickly lose interest. So, instead of typing out my script I am going to take advantage of google doc's text to speech tool. I'll gather all of my necessary information and jot down the main points of my audio essay, but instead of then typing out my script I'm going to read it out loud. This way I won't end up with super long or awkwardly worded sentences. Instead (hopefully) the piece will flow better for those listening to it. 

This article made me consider a lot of factors of audio essays that I hadn't thought about before. I'm going to make sure I put effort into finding my "radio voice" to ensure that I do not sound monotonous. I will also make a mental note to not use numbers to keep my listener's attention. I will also remember to not sound as if I am writing an essay, but as if I am actually giving a talk or having a conversation with my listener. 

I also think I need to narrow my topic down and make sure it answers a fundamental question so my audio essay can be more interesting for my listeners.

This article demonstrated to me that having long-winded sentences is not suitable in the audio format. This sentence structure confuses the reader and makes the reader lose focus quickly. Instead, it is better to use short and concise sentences. The article indicates how having the secondary sources embedded before the narrator speaks. These sound bites are supposed to introduce an idea and make for smooth transitions. I will have my sound bites appear first as an introduction to then transition into my next talking point.

The article mentions how an audio essay is supposed to convey one to two points or a single question on a topic. I will not include too many points that might make the audio essay to convoluted for the listener to follow along. Lastly, the article talks about how your voice is key in an audio essay. It is important to not make too many unnecessary sounds such as "um" or "uh-huh." Also, I need to try to have a more relaxed, conversational tone that does not sound completely scripted. This speaking style will help to engage the listeners throughout the audio essay.

This article opened my eyes to many aspects of audio reports that I had not previously considered. A particular point made in this article that I found to be interesting was that reporting statistics and numbers in an audio essay can be very confusing to the listener. Prior to reading this article, I had gathered certain statistics related to my topic and had planned to include them in my report. However, I am now considering maybe only including one or two statistics and providing more elaboration with words rather than numbers. 

I also found the "Write for your voice" section to be crucial to this assignment. The point made in this article about only writing in a manner that you would normally speak is something that will guide me when I am writing my script. In conclusion, this article provided numerous helpful tips that are applicable to this assignment. 

This article opened my eyes to many aspects of audio reports that I had not previously considered. A particular point made in this article that I found to be interesting was that reporting statistics and numbers in an audio essay can be very confusing to the listener. Prior to reading this article, I had gathered certain statistics related to my topic and had planned to include them in my report. However, I am now considering maybe only including one or two statistics and providing more elaboration with words rather than numbers. 

I also found the "Write for your voice" section to be crucial to this assignment. The point made in this article about only writing in a manner that you would normally speak is something that will guide me when I am writing my script. In conclusion, this article provided numerous helpful tips that are applicable to this assignment. 

This article made it evident that it is important to be very conscious of how you're writing a script that will be read aloud. Most of the tips in the article are things that I would not necessarily think of in the writing stage. For example, I think that speaking out loud and then writing what you say is an invaluable approach. I also thing that splitting up ideas so that only one fact is used per sentence is much easier to follow. I will keep all of this in mind as I write my essay.

I learned that sentences should be shorter, and information should be presented in more sentences than it takes with writing. A larger amount of shorter sentences is better than a few longer ones. Also, I think that the tip about sentence fragments sounding natural and thus being okay, is valuable. I'll also edit my audio essay by listening to the script, not just reading it. I also thought the suggested 50/50 split between quotes and narration was helpful. 

I am writing on how the internet affects the antivax movement.

I learned that numbers and statistics can mess up the reader's attention. Now that I think about it, I think that it is understandable, but I hadn't considered it beforehand. I think it's really important that I narrow my story enough to make it succinct, but I also don't want to misrepresent the argument or only place one side of the story. I also need to keep the script in a conversational tone. If I wouldn't say it, I need to make sure not to write it. That way, my podcast will seem conversational and not mechanical. One thing that I think I've been good at is making sure to include a good split between the script and the clips.

I am writing on how the internet affects the antivax movement.

I learned that numbers and statistics can mess up the reader's attention. Now that I think about it, I think that it is understandable, but I hadn't considered it beforehand. I think it's really important that I narrow my story enough to make it succinct, but I also don't want to misrepresent the argument or only place one side of the story. I also need to keep the script in a conversational tone. If I wouldn't say it, I need to make sure not to write it. That way, my podcast will seem conversational and not mechanical. One thing that I think I've been good at is making sure to include a good split between the script and the clips.

There are many things I learned from the article. One of which is that for academic writing, I tend to write my sentences long, complex, and with detail. However, for an audio essay, those aren't going to go well with listeners because those sentences are going to be boring and dry. The sentences will probably have to be shortened and more simple and turned into more digestible bits for listeners to listen to and understand to. In addition, from the article, I learned that it might be best for me to divide my audio script into sections and make the paragraph sections simplistic and not academic-like or formal. Also, another thing I learned was how written text versus verbal delivery are different. Most times, a formal written text can be fine as it is, but if you tried to read it out loud, it can actually be difficult to say in a sentence or harder for the listener to keep interested. 

One of the major items that resonated with me was the section on translating academic writing into a "radio voice". I know that I personally tend to write with more rhetorical flourishes and more obscure vernacular than I would typically speak aloud. Thus, it will be crucial for me to make sure my script is written in a way that sounds conversational. Conversely, the way I truly do speak aloud can tend to be a little too informal, so striking a balance will be key. However, I believe by keeping this in mind and continuously revising my writing by reading it aloud, I will be able to heed this lesson.

One important takeaway I got out of the article was to write short sentences. Instead of writing an essay and reading out loud for this project, I need to use short sentences that can be remembered easily and aren't too wordy. I have a tendency to write long sentences with several clauses but I would not speak to someone like that, and I need to write my audio essay as if I were talking. I also did not realize the importance of ambient background sound, but I will incorporate that into my project as well. I plan to record a few times if I need to and practice achieving a conversational tone so I don't sound monotone. 

​​​​​First off, I am going to speak my sentences slow and clear that is easy to understand for the reader. I think being very animated and stressing the sounds of important words will help get my point across. Another aspect I learned about the project was that I am going to keep my sentences short rather than long ongoing sentences. This way, its easy to understand and interesting. Whenever I listen to the radio, I hate the fact that I can't rewind if I don't understand something or don't have time to look it up because I had already forgotten what it said. Lastly, I want to make more conversational tone so its easy to understand more than being very serious so people aren’t interested.

I am going to scatter the inverted pyramid rather than trying to fit it all in the begging. The one thing I am going to do is add a good hook.

This article helped me realize the difference in how people read far more differently than they listen to stories through the radio or podcasts. The main way I have altered my script is by taking out the dependent clauses as the article suggests in order to avoid confusion for the listeners. The other key point I hope to replicate in my audio essay is to narrow the focus of my topic and not ramble about what is not relevant to the focus of the essay. Attention spans are shorter while listening, so it is essential to not deviate from the topic at hand and lose the listeners. 

At a basic level, ensuring high audio quality is a must. But more deeply, I want to focus on the following main things.

1. Effective quote selection. Quotes were some of the most powerful things in previous audio essays, in terms of using "outside" audio sources they were far and away the best. Carefully choosing these for both quality and content will be critical.

2. Avoiding long sentences. I have a tendency to write very extended sentences, and that plays very poorly in an audio essay.

3. Make sure not to dive too deep. It's a lot easier in print when you can skim, but audio is a constant battle for listener attention. Keeping it concise and interesting is going to be very useful.

This article was interesting and incredibly valuable in the process of developing my audio essay. I was particularly interested in the idea that statistics can be confusing to the listener. Data and statistics have traditionally been something I use confidently to support my arguments, however, I need to adapt my argumentation strategy to include fewer statistics so as to be more effective in the audio medium. I also found the point about using succinct sentence structure to be useful, as I am used to writing longer, more complex sentences. However, I can understand why using shorter sentences would be more effective when the audience is listening to the words rather than reading them. 

Something I am struggling with in my audio essay is when, how many and where to use "quotes." The fact that the article says that the audio essay should be 50% me talking and 50% my "quotes" talking solidifies the number of sound bits I am using in my audio essay. However, a key distinction pointed out by the article tells me that a "quote" that would work in print, might not necessarily work in audio. I think this is true of the sound bit of Taylor Swift's, "Look What You Made Me Do" video. While the audio clip satirically criticizes cancel culture, it does not fit into the flow of my audio essay. I love the point it makes and how witty and understandable it is delivered-- but it does not work in an audio essay.