In web based elearning as in any media production the primary objective in preparing a script for a narrator is enabling as smooth a read as possible. Every mistake on a script or every place where something is unclear will almost certainly result in a bobble by the narrator. Every bobble by the narrator extends the amount of time and increases the dollar amount that they and the audio studio will charge. At a minimum of $300 per hour you can understand why we want to make the process as efficient as possible.  To that end we’re providing a few suggestions for you to keep in mind as you prepare the script.

•  Read it aloud to yourself. This is the best way of catching mistakes before they get to the narrator. An error we see frequently is the use of extra or missing words. Spell-check doesn’t pick them up and they’re hard to see when you are proofing silently.
   
•  Don’t use slashes: Replace them with the word you want used so the narrator does not have to stop and decide whether it should be “and”, “or”, “and-or” , “slash” or “stroke”.
   
• Provide phonetic pronunciation for foreign words. We recently received a script with 7 Japanese words that were repeated frequently. Luckily the engineer was familiar with Japanese pronunciation and we were able to muddle through. Even so that omission probably cost 20-30 minutes of narrator and studio time.
   
• Tell the narrator how acronyms are to be pronounced. For example, do you want SKU pronounced “S-K-U’ or “skew”?
   
• Same for letter number combinations. Is BA62 to be pronounced “B-A-six-two” or “B-A-sixty-two”?
   
•  Limit parenthetical comments. Recognize that a narrator has to use intonation to signal to the learner that “we’re taking a short side trip here”.  Keep them short and use very few. Parenthetical comments that are too long and too frequent can make a sentence very hard to read sensibly. If you feel that you need more than one in a sentence chances are you need a new sentence.
   
• Use bulleted copy rather than long sentences with semi-colons. Here’s a recent example:

“These improvements can include reduction in material costs from the use of alternate materials or reduction in scrap; reduction in labor and service costs by locating service personnel in lower cost labor markets and increasing the use of labor saving technology, such as automated voice response systems; improvements in quality through programs such as Lean Six Sigma; reduction in inventory through improved forecasting and sharing of demand data throughout the supply chain; and reduction in life cycle and maintenance costs from preventive maintenance programs.”

This is a perfectly fine sentence but the narrator would have a much easier time of it if it were formatted like this:

These improvements can include reduction in material costs from the use of:

• alternate materials or reduction in scrap
• reduction in labor and service costs by locating service personnel in lower cost labor markets and increasing the use of labor saving technology, such as automated voice response systems  
• improvements in quality through programs such as Lean Six Sigma
• reduction in inventory through improved forecasting and sharing of demand data throughout the supply chain
• and reduction in life cycle and maintenance costs from preventive maintenance programs.
   

I'm going to interrupt the Partner/Vendor series a bit here to write about another subject.

KMi has done a lot of work in developing online compliance and ethics courses. In fact, the production of a series of web-based business ethics case studies is where I got my start as an online training provider way back in the early 90's. It would not be inaccurate to say that to say that KMi owes its existence as one of the best eLearning development companies precisely because of those early case studies. But that's another subject for another day.

We are preparing to launch a marketing push with our partner, Integrity Works Inc. in connection with the release of the 2009 Ethics Resource Center National Business Ethics Survey. (NBES) In getting ready for our efforts we've been researching earlier surveys. Here's a quote from the 2007 NBES:

This year, more than half of the employees surveyed are reporting misconduct (56%). The three most common types of misconduct reported include conflicts of interest (23%), abusive or intimidating behavior (21%), and lying to employees (20%). The statistics are more troubling in “negative” work  environments. ERC describes a negative work environment as one where employees feel:

• A lack of satisfaction with information from top management and/or supervisors
• A lack of trust that top management, supervisors, and/or coworkers will keep promises or commitments
• The company rewards employees who are successful, even if it is through questionable means

The number of strong ethical cultures, ones where the above characteristics are absent, is on the decline. Only 10 percent of U.S. companies have strong ethical cultures. ERC attributes this to low management awareness of misconduct and few successful ethics and compliance programs.

I'm willing to bet that this grim outlook will be even worse when the 2009 NBES comes out in late October. We've seen it coming for years.The problem is not economic hard times, although the recession does exacerbate things. The problem is that US companies have relied too much on compliance and too little on ethics; too much on CYA and too little on changing culture; too much "check-the-box" and too little on changing behaviors.

Our role in helping a company develop a "strong ethical culture" is admittedly only one part of a larger effort. That said, really well done, really engaging custom elearning solutions on ethics, as opposed to generic library stuff, can go a long way in creating such a culture. Taking the time to make content relevant to employees, speaking their language, understanding their day-to-day dilemmas communicates management's seriousness of purpose in a uniquely powerful way.

If you'd like to join in on this conversation post a comment below or contact me directly at jvcopeland@kmionline.com