Many thanks for considering recording a short monologue for The Cycling Europe Podcast.
Please find below a few guidance notes.
They are not rules, just a few pointers that you may find of use and that will hopefully help you record something that is both interesting and clear.
Monologue Content:
- 100% your choice.
- It might be about a country that you cycled in or that you live in, a ride that you have embarked upon, an aspect of cycling that you specialise in or anything cycling related. It doesn’t have to connect with ‘Europe’ but if does, great!
- Aim to talk for around 5-10 minutes.
- You may want to write a script prior to recording. If you prefer not to read from a script, it’s probably a good idea to have a few notes in front of you.
- At the start of the monologue, don’t forget to introduce yourself.
- At the end, don’t forget to add any contact information (website, social media…) if that’s relevant.
Monologue Recording:
- If you have a digital recording device, great! If you don’t, use your mobile phone audio recording function. The quality of most modern smartphone audio is excellent.
- Whatever device you are using, avoid holding it in your hand when you record. Put it on a table and don’t touch it after you have pressed ‘record’.
- Avoid echoey rooms. A room with lots of soft furnishings is best.
- Natural background noise (birds, running water, people chatting in the distance…) is fine. Try to eliminate unnatural background sounds (your dishwasher, your neighbour’s chainsaw…)
- Avoid windy days if you choose to record outside.
- Before you record the monologue, have a practice first.
- When you record, do it in one take. If you make a mistake, pause, go back to the start of the sentence or the section and start again. Mistakes can easily be edited out.
Monologue Sending:
- You will probably find that the audio file you have created is too big to email. It’s best to upload to Google Drive or Drop Box or something similar and send me the link so that I can then download the recording.
Once I’ve edited your recording, I’ll send you a link so that you can hear how it sounds before it gets published in the podcast. If there’s anything you don’t like, just let me know and we’ll make the necessary changes.
If you have any questions, feel free to call me for a chat: 0(0 44) 79 70 27 85 69.
Good luck with the recording!
Best wishes & happy cycling…
Andrew P. Sykes
@CyclingEurope
