When we think of the narrative voice in eLearning, we immediately tend to think of the voice-over that is the voice that reads the training contents in the form of a podcast or a presentation. We must choose the most suitable voice that keeps the attention of learners alive, but if the contents are written in the wrong way, not even the best actor will succeed. Therefore, before thinking about the physical voice, it is good to think of another type of voice, that of writing content. Let's see how.

Why the tone of voice in an online course is important

An educational content, in the classroom or online, faces a problem and communicates a message that must be understood, internalized and metabolized by learners. To achieve this, the message cannot be a simple list of things to know and do, because in a few lessons it is possible to lose the student's involvement.

In a frontal lesson, the trainer can understand from the unmistakable body language that something is wrong. To remedy it can vary activities, use body language himself and a bit of humor to recapture the attention of learners.

In an online course it is not possible to act in real time. It is here that the tone of voice in writing intervenes, a process that must be carefully planned. We can define the tone of voice as "a way of speaking by writing" that allows the trainer to convey emotions, in addition to notions. The goal, as always, is to make the information meaningful to the student and involve him in every phase of the online course.

Only in this way, we have the certainty that the educational objectives are achieved.

Analyze the beneficiaries of an online course to decide the narrative voice

The first thing to do in writing an online course is to keep in mind the analysis of the target and the training needs that each trainer will surely play in the course design phase. Depending on the target, you can decide what kind of tone to use to create a connection with the students and adapt your writing style accordingly. With company executives the tone will be more professional, while in a specially designed for millennials or young new hires you can choose a more informal and reassuring tone. The tone varies according to age, the function covered, the interests and the way learners learn.

Concrete examples that define the tone of voice for an online course

How do you concretely embody a tone of voice in an online course? There are some small tricks that influence the tone of the course and how it is perceived by the students:

• Addressing the audience. If the target opts for a personalized course, it is better to show that you are addressing a person and not the community.
• The lexicon. If the target has a high professional profile it is better to stay on the same wavelength. This does not necessarily mean choosing a researched vocabulary: using the verb "to do" is almost always better than using the verb "make" and "sell" is preferable to "market".
• Form of the active or passive verb. To empathize with the trainees, regardless of the function they have, it is always better to use active forms. The passive form is true that gives a sense of competence, but at the same time creates a distance.

Is the purpose of eLearning not to involve the target with situations that you encounter in real working life?

The tone of voice in eLearning is fundamental because it replaces non-verbal communication and interaction that occurs with a frontal course. To choose the right tone of voice for an online course a trainer must analyze his target and plan in detail the way in which to address the learners, the words and the tenses to use. The strength of an online course lies in the emotional involvement of students in useful, easy to understand and closely related to their interests. That's why the tone of voice is so important.