1. Audio track

What does this mean?

The person presenting information in a video should speak slowly and clearly. Using short sentences further improves comprehension.

Why is this important? 

For recipients who rely on audio or who have difficulty following spoken German, a fast rate of speech and long, convoluted sentences can lead to comprehension problems or a loss of meaning. A slow rate of speech and short sentences, on the other hand, can be beneficial, for example, to people with hearing impairments or those for whom German is a foreign language.

How can you put this into practice/check it?

The following steps can help you ensure a moderate speaking pace and short sentences in videos:

• Script: Create a detailed script that structures the content of the video and contains clear and concise information.
• Pauses: Pauses between sentences can also be helpful.
• Concise language: Use clear and concise language to explain complex information.
• Speed: Adjust the speed of the audio track if it is not possible to maintain the desired speaking pace during recording, to ensure slow pronunciation.

What does this mean?

The person presenting information in a video should articulate the words and sentences clearly and in a way that is easy to understand.

Why is this important? 

To support recipients who rely heavily on audio or have difficulty understanding spoken German, it is essential to speak clearly and precisely in videos. This can benefit people with hearing impairments and those whose first language is not German, and makes listening comprehension easier in general.

How can you put this into practice/check it?

The following steps can help ensure clear and distinct speech in videos:

• Preparation: The speaker should prepare the video content thoroughly and familiarise themselves with the key terms and expressions.
• Articulation: The speaker should speak clearly and emphasise words correctly. Speaking at an appropriate pace and pausing between sentences can also help with clarity.
• Emphasis: Important information or key terms should be highlighted through appropriate emphasis to aid understanding.

What does this mean?

It is vital that the sound and speech in videos are clear and distinct to ensure that all relevant information can be heard and understood. To ensure this, it is important that information is not only presented visually, but also aurally.

Why is this important? 

Providing information aurally in videos ensures that people who primarily receive information through sound can access the content. This is particularly important for people with visual impairments and those who may not be able to fully understand visual content.

How can you put this into practice/check it?

To ensure that relevant information in videos can be perceived aurally,, the following measures can be taken:

• Clear audio recording: Ensure that the audio in the video is of good quality and free from background noise or interference. Professional recording techniques and a high-quality microphone are recommended for this purpose.
• Clear speech: The person presenting the information in the video should speak clearly and distinctly. Appropriate intonation and a suitable speaking pace are also important.
• Check audio quality: Test the video on different devices and in different environments to ensure that all viewers can hear it clearly.
• Filter out noise: Video editing programmes often offer the option to filter out noise and remove background interference afterwards.
• Audio description: Depending on the software, it is possible to switch optional audio descriptions on or off.
• Check: It is advisable to watch the video once without visual aids to check whether all important information is conveyed aurally.

What does this mean?

If information is presented purely visually in videos, sufficient pauses must be included. This allows enough time to process the visual information or to make use of alternative methods such as audio description.

Why is this important? 

Including sufficient pauses in videos gives people who rely on auditory information the opportunity to process visual information or to use alternative assistive technologies such as audio description. This applies in particular to people with visual impairments or those who may not be able to fully understand visual content.

How can you put this into practice/check it?

To ensure that there are sufficient pauses in videos, the following measure can be taken:

Timing and rhythm: When creating the video, allow for sufficient pauses between pieces of visual information to give viewers time to process them.