Whether or Not to Read Aloud in Reviewing My Content

Wednesday, December 31st, 2008 | Technical Communication, Writing Theory & Practice

I recorded some voiceover for more Captivate tutorials yesterday, and I made changes to the scripts as I went. Some things just sounded bad when I said them aloud, and others required some tweaking. This reminded me of how reading something out loud makes it easier to find problems with writing.

When I was a writing tutor at Utah State University, our standard practice was to have visiting students read their writing out loud if they had brought any with them (sometimes they came for help choosing a topic, organizing material, and so forth). To anyone not familiar with that technique, we explained that reading aloud helps the writer discover all kinds of ways that the text could be improved. I had never read my writing aloud before I was a tutor, but after I tried it, I could speak of the benefits from personal experience.

The fact that I came across problems in my voiceover scripts, therefore, was no shock to me. It made me think, though. I wondered if I should start reading my technical content out loud to find places where it needs improvement. It would certainly help me revise the text so that it’s a little more conversational or natural.

The dilemma is that this adds time to the review process. People can generally read faster than they can talk. (Have you ever attended a class or presentation where someone read something aloud from a slide, and you finished reading it mentally long before the other person did?) I don’t think I have the time it would take to read everything I write out loud while I’m reviewing it. I’m fairly pressed to deliver—what is a deadline but the technical communicator’s ever-present companion!

So I’ll have to think about whether to start reading my content aloud. I know the benefits, but I don’t think I have the time. What are your thoughts?

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