1

How to Create Deliverable 2:Slidecast Intercultural Guide© Karen Thompson ● Department of English ● University of Idaho

English 313: Business Writing

Intercultural  Guide

About Slidecasts:

2

A slidecast is a video consisting of a slideshow with voice-over narration.

Most slidecasts are embedded on web pages from host sites such as YouTube.

Slidecasts are used to:

• Promote products or services,• Provide instructions to users,• Present test results to project team

members who are at different locations.

• These are just a few of the ways they can be used.

3

How to create your Slidecast.• You need a microphone, and the one in your

computer will be fine for this project.

• Your slidecast must be hosted on a site that allows users to play it without having to download the file.

• You will need to decide how you will create the slidecast from the following options. Please note the warnings.

4

Option: PC Users Only

• PowerPoint: create the slideshow, use the PPT recording feature to add voice-over narration, save as a movie file, and upload to a host site such as YouTube or Vimeo.

• MAC users. PPT has a bug in it that will strip your audio out when saving as a movie file. So, you can’t use it. There is no solution to-date.

5

Option: Mac Users Only

• Keynote will work in the same way PPT does for PC users, but it’s not free ($19.99).

6

Don’t  feel  like  buying  Keynote?  See  the  next  slide  for  another  option  that’s  free.

Option: All users.• SlideSnack: sign up for a free account. Create the

slideshow in PPT or any other slideware program. Save as a PDF file and upload to SlideSnack. Use the tool’s recording feature to add voice-over narration.

7

PLUS SlideSnack will host the file.

NOTE: because you must upload a PDF file to SlideSnack, any animations you have used will not work because a PDF file will not preserve animations.

Option: All Users• Screencapture Tools. Strictly speaking, a screen capture tool

creates a screencast, but if you position the capture feature over your slideshow and position it so you can advance the slides as you record, it will preserve the animations and work the same as a slidecast.

• You will need to use a screencapture tool for projects 3 and 4, so it may be a good option to use for the slidecast, particularly, if you want to preserve animations. I recommend using Screencast-O-Matic or Jing.

• See tools and resources for more information.

8

• Remember, I do not accept video files (mp4, mov, etc.).

• Here’s why. You are practicing how to create and share these types of files as they are shared in workplace settings.

• So, if you choose to create a video file on your computer, be certain it is uploaded to a host site and will play without a user needing to download the file.

9

Do a test recording.

• First, be certain you completed the technology check on Orientation Day 1, and are using the recommended browser for this course. If not, go there, do that.

• Close all other programs and browser windows to ensure you have enough memory.

• If the test recording fails, follow the troubleshooting steps under Tools & Resources.

10

Your Slidecast needs at least 6 slides.

11

Title  Slide

And should be no longer than 5 minutes.

Decide how to work:• Some people like to write the slidecast script

first and then design the slides.

• Some prefer to do the slides first and then write the script.

• Still others create the slides and write the script at the same time.

Do the process that works best for you.

12

Timing:• You will be adding voice-over narration to

at least 5 slides (the bibliography is not narrated).

• The voice-over should be no longer than 5 minutes (and may be less).

• As you record the voice-over, keep the pace per slide about equal.

13

Focus the guide:• Design the guide to meet the needs of the specific

business or organization that you decided to apply for this project.

• Refer to the lecture on how to create the content for your guide, particularly, the examples of how the guide you create will be different from what others create based on the business or organization that you are using.

14

Writing the Script. Practice the principles of effective prose style when writing the script but adapt these for the ear by keeping sentences short.

15

You should be able to say the sentence in your script in a single breath.

16

IntroductionBodyConclusion

Writing the Script. What you say in the voice over to your slideshow should clearly separate the introduction from the body and conclusion.

17

Brief salutation: greet the audience and give them an idea of what you will be presenting in the slidecast.

Introduction: here is one way to introduce the slidecast (there are other choices you could make).

18

Signposts help viewers follow the logical flow of your narrative.

Use Signposts

Example: signposting is in blue.

19

Business meeting etiquette in Austria includes knowing how far in advance to make an appointment, when not to schedule meetings, and how to make a good first impression. I’ll explain each of these in the slides that follow.

You may need only one signpost, but decide how many you need based on what you are saying and how many slides you end up creating.

Closing

20

Wrap  it  Up.  Have  a  clear  conclusion.• Remember  to  thank  audience  for  listening.

Designing the slideshow.

21

Design slides for maximum visual interest. Any text should be limited to key points. You don’t want to be reading from slides.

Designing the slideshow: it’s okay to use a template.

22

If using photos of people, pick ones that look like real people being real.

23

When choosing clip art, find visually interesting art.

24

Limit number of colors to three and choose complementary colors.

25

Or, choose one color and use a range of values (the level of color saturation).

26

Use effective contrast.

27

Typefaces: can create visual interest but limit to two.

28

Delivery: continue to apply these concepts when recording your voice-over narration.

29

• Vocal variety: pitch, tone, volume, and rate.

• Pausing.

• Diction

Exercises to help you improve your speaking style can be found under Tools & Resources.