Audio Storytelling Basics: Voice, Emotion & Clarity

Welcome to Week 4: Audio Storytelling (Voice, Interview + Sound).
This week, you’ll learn how to tell powerful stories using only sound — your voice, a clear message, and simple recording techniques anyone can do with a phone.

Audio storytelling is one of the fastest ways to build confidence as a creator because:

• You don’t need a camera
• You can record anywhere
• A strong voice story can move people deeply

What you will learn in this lesson

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Use your voice to communicate emotion + meaning
• Record cleaner audio with simple habits (even on a phone)
• Structure a short audio story so it is easy to follow
• Improve clarity: pace, tone, pronunciation, and pauses

The 3 pillars of great audio storytelling

1) Voice (How you sound)

Your voice carries:

• Tone (warm, serious, excited, calm)
• Energy (high energy vs quiet power)
• Presence (confidence and intention)

Quick tip: Speak as if you are talking to one real person, not “the internet.”

2) Emotion (How it feels)

Emotion is not acting — it is truth and intention.

Emotion comes through when you:

• Use personal details (“I remember…”, “I felt…”, “I noticed…”)
• Show change (“Before… then… now…”, “At first… later…”)
• Use pauses (silence can be powerful)

Rule: If you feel it, the listener will feel it.

3) Clarity (How well we understand you)

Clarity is the #1 reason people keep listening.

Clarity comes from:

• Speaking slowly enough
• Short sentences
• Strong beginning and ending
• Avoiding too many ideas at once

A simple structure for any short audio story (60–120 seconds)

Use this “HOOK → MOMENT → MEANING → END” structure:

1. A) Hook (5–10 seconds)

Grab attention with one strong line:

• “People think I’m fine… but I’m not.”
• “This is the day I learned courage.”
• “I used to believe ___, until ___.”

1. B) Moment (20–45 seconds)

Describe one clear moment that happened.

• What did you see/hear?
• What happened?
• What was the challenge?

1. C) Meaning (20–40 seconds)

Why does this matter?

• What did you learn?
• What do you want others to understand?

1. D) End (5–10 seconds)

Close with a strong final line:

• A lesson, a hope, a question, or a call to action.

Recording tips (phone-friendly, real-life)

Before you record

✅ Find a quiet corner (inside is usually better than outside)
✅ Put phone on Airplane mode (avoid interruptions)
✅ Hold the phone 15–20 cm from your mouth
✅ Record a 5-second test, then listen

While recording

✅ Speak slightly slower than normal
✅ Smile a little (it improves tone)
✅ Pause instead of saying “umm”
✅ If you make a mistake: pause and repeat the sentence (you can trim later)

Sound quality quick wins

• Face away from the wind
• Avoid rooms with heavy echo (empty halls)
• If possible, use earphones with a mic

Micro-Activity: Voice Warm-Up + Clarity Test (5 minutes)

Do this now (no submission required):

Step 1: Warm-up (1 minute)

Read this line 3 times:

“My voice matters, and my story has power.”

Each time change:

1. calm and slow
2. confident and clear
3. emotional (as if you truly mean it)

Step 2: Clarity Test (2 minutes)

Record a 30-second voice note answering:

“One thing I want people to understand about my life/community is…”

Listen back and check:

• Could you understand every word?
• Is the pace okay?
• Does your voice sound alive?

Step 3: Improve (2 minutes)

Record again and improve one thing only:

• slow down, OR
• speak louder, OR
• remove filler words, OR
• add a pause.

This week’s ethical reminder (audio edition)

Before recording someone else:
✅ Ask permission to record their voice
✅ Explain how the audio will be used (class assignment / public / private)
✅ Avoid sensitive personal details unless they agree
✅ If someone is uncomfortable: stop and respect them

What’s next

In the next lesson, we’ll go deeper into:

• Interview basics
• Asking better questions
• Capturing emotion through real voices