As a voiceover artist specialising in heritage projects, I spend a lot of time helping organisations tell stories.
Whether I’m narrating an audio guide, voicing exhibition content, or recording oral histories, the goal is always the same: to connect audiences with people, places and objects in a meaningful and memorable way.
Recently, I decided to deepen my understanding of how those stories are created by taking two courses with The Authentic Spark, led by Sarah Oswald.
The first was a six-week course in heritage interpretation, which culminated in the writing of a full interpretation plan. I picked my local church as the subject of my plan – I live right opposite and look at it every day from my office window, so it seemed a natural choice. I looked at whether interpretation boards, an audio tour, or a quiz sheet for children might be useful ways to interpret the building.
The second course focused on interpretative script writing for graphics, and I learned how to write concise, engaging text to help visitors connect emotionally with heritage content. Once again I picked an aspect of the church to interpret – a 14th century rood screen that came from a nearby abbey. Writing a small amount of text to convey a large amount of information is actually very difficult – every word counts!
At first glance, interpretation planning and voiceover might seem like separate disciplines. But throughout both courses, I found many connections to the work I already do as a heritage voice artist.
One of the biggest lessons from the courses was that interpretation is not simply about sharing information. It’s about shaping an experience.
Good interpretation encourages curiosity, creates emotional connections, and helps visitors find relevance in a story or place. It asks not just ‘What do we want to say?’ but ‘What will resonate with the audience?’
That mindset is incredibly valuable in voiceover work too.
When recording an audio guide or exhibition narration, I’m not simply reading words aloud. The delivery needs to support the visitor experience. Pace, tone, warmth and emphasis all influence how audiences engage with the story being told.
Studying interpretation has given me a deeper understanding of the thought process behind those decisions.
The script-writing course also reinforced the importance of clarity and accessibility.
Interpretative writing needs to be concise, engaging and easy to follow without oversimplifying the subject matter. That balance is equally important in spoken interpretation.
Heritage audiences are incredibly diverse. Some visitors arrive with detailed prior knowledge, while others may be encountering a topic for the first time. Written and audio interpretation has to work for all of them. Sarah likes to describe visitors as ‘streakers, strollers or studiers’ depending on how much time they are willing to invest in reading a graphic panel!
These two course have helped me better understand the wider heritage interpretation process, which will enable me to deliver scripts more effectively.
Many of the organisations I work with – museums, galleries, churches and heritage sites – are developing interpretation across multiple formats at once, including graphics, audio, digital interactives and film.
Having insight into interpretation planning and interpretative writing will help me collaborate more effectively with project teams because I better understand the goals behind the content.
It also means I can contribute not just as a voice, but as someone who understands audience engagement and interpretative storytelling.
One of the things I love most about working in the heritage sector is that there is always more to learn.
These courses challenged me to think differently about communication, storytelling and audience experience, and I know they will influence the way I approach future projects.
I’m grateful to Sarah Oswald and The Authentic Spark for creating such thoughtful and engaging training, and I’d highly recommend the courses to anyone working in interpretation, museums, visitor experience, or indeed heritage voiceover.
Because great heritage storytelling isn’t just about what we say.
It’s about how we help people connect with it.