Audio Essay Draft

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the podcast. I thought it did a good job emphasizing the issue of adult literacy. You're pacing was consistent and good throughout, and I did not get lost whatsoever. There were a few things I would touch up going forward. First, your first added audio clip was long. I would trim it down, so the listener doesn't lose attention. Also, your voice is a bit monotone throughout the draft. It might be good to have some inflection and show you are interested in this topic.

You have a good voice for this kind of thing! I thought this was really strong. The research was well done and the added audio was really informative and added to the overall impact. My only suggestion is maybe to cut the outside audio down a bit, because the first one goes on for a really long time, and it would be good to hear more from you. Good job!

The tone of the narration is working well. There are some small background sounds behind the narration to clean up—a slight whining noise. The transition into the first audio sample is working well. The clip itself is long and you can trim it down to the core concept and/or break it up into smaller pieces. This may also help with the transition out of the clip back into the narration. Some of the narration is a bit hot in terms of capturing making some pops and other glitches. The duration and links with the second Ted Talk speaker are working well, though the last segment might be trimmed a bit. You may want to add some background music or other audio samples to add transitions. You will also want to smooth out the volume levels between the various clips. I'm not sure the NPR clip at the end is the best fit for the project. Or, maybe it needs to be trimmed to the key piece of information. The topic is working well and the narrative tone is strong.

I found your audio essay informative! You speak at a nice pace and integrate the sound clips well. I agree, I think the sound clips could be shortened just a bit.