You could have a solid business proposal or extremely valuable information compiled into the most beautiful Google slides presentation possible. Yet, you might still fail to impress the viewers or those you are presenting to because all they can do is forward through the presentation. They can’t hear your voice. You aren’t there to walk them through it.

But did you know it is possible to add audio to Google Slides?

Yes, you can include a voice-over to your Google slides to make the presentation more complete. It also creates an excellent impression on the viewers by letting them know that you are up to date with the latest trends and know how to use technology.

Here, we bring you a step-by-step guide on how to add audio to Google slides to help you create lessons and presentations that will leave the best impression.

Why Use Google Slides?

Google Slides are extremely functional and easy to use. In fact, you can use Google Slides on your phone or on your desktop as long as you have an internet connection. This application also allows multiple people to work on one presentation at the same time.

You don’t even have to worry about saving your work, as everything on Google Slides is saved automatically. Every change you or your co-worker makes is updated and saved automatically, ensuring you never lose important data.

By using the step-by-step guide here, you can effortlessly create interactive and impressive lectures for your clients. Not only are Google Slides easy to use, but they also help make you look like a true industry professional.

Adding Voice-Over to Google Slides

Google doesn’t have a built-in audio recording feature, but it does allow you to add voice-over narrations, music, and other sound effects over your slides once you have the presentation ready. Here we list down five simple steps so you can add voice-over to the presentation to make it look more professional.

Step 1: Create Your Presentation on Google Slides

For many years, PowerPoint has been the go-to for everyone wanting to create a professional presentation. Recently, however, there are other software and tools that are offering comparable features to PowerPoint, including Google Slides.

The main benefit of using Google slides is that it allows the creator to create and edit the presentation online, which can mean on your phone or on your desktop. You can also use Google slides offline, making them accessible and extremely easy to access for all users.

Google Slides is free. You only really need an email account to access the software. If you are using a Gmail account, then you don’t need to create an additional account either, you can simply access Google Slides through Google Tools via your Gmail Account.

If you don’t have a Gmail account, you can simply visit Google.com, click on ‘Sign In,’ add in details of your email account and create a Google account with it. Once you have a Google account, you are free to use Google Slides when you need it.

Once you have your account set up and logged in, you can access Google Slides by clicking on the grid pattern drop-down menu located at the top right corner of the screen. You can then proceed to create the slides.

Get as creative as you want; just remember to keep your slides simple and easy to understand for everyone. Try to make them as aesthetically appealing as possible to help increase viewer retention.

Step 2: Write Down the Audio Narration

You can choose to write down the audio script first and then create your presentation if you find that to be a more viable option. However, we suggest you create the presentation first so that you know exactly what your viewers will be visually exposed to.

If you write the audio narration first and create the presentation second, you may discover you don’t have enough visual material to impart the knowledge you want to as efficiently as you possibly could have. Here, you may need to go back to the audio and edit it again to suit the visuals, which is more time-consuming.

You can’t really go wrong at this point. Just make sure that you aren’t spending any more time than you need to. As an online course creator, you will be creating a lot of presentations and a lot of videos. Your goal should be to create an efficient system that helps you unleash your true potential.

Step 3: Record the Audio Narration

As mentioned earlier, Google Slides doesn’t have an in-built microphone, so you will need to record the audio file separately. You will need to have a couple of tools on hand for that. Make sure you have a good quality microphone. And you will need to make sure you can record in a quiet place.

If you can, soundproof one room in your house so you can create a good quality voice-over. If that sounds impossible, find a corner in the house that is secluded and where you can close the door and avoid all distractions to block out extra noise.

Make sure you test your recordings in multiple locations to find one that suits your requirements best. Listen to every recording to make sure there is no playback, extra echoing, or background noise that you may need to edit out. These little details help ensure that your end product is professional and high-quality, adding to your overall product value.

Options for Recording

You can use one of the many easily available free audio recording software online. Two options to mention are audacity and Camtasia.

You can also use Movavi or simply use the voice recording app on your smartphone. You can plug in your microphone to your phone and record good quality audio to use as voice-over narration.

Be sure to speak slowly and clearly. Try not to breathe too much into the mic, as that creates a very uncomfortable experience for the listener. You will also have to take care that your voice or your narration isn’t completely flat, as that can get pretty boring. Take care to include intonations by speaking in a good flow and interactive manner.

Lastly, for the audio recording section, make sure that the playback speed of your Google Slides matches your narration speed. You don’t want to still be discussing the previous slide while the viewers have moved on to the next slide. Make sure you keep track of the playback for each slide and adjust it according to the speed of your narration so that it is all in perfect sync.

You will have to take care of this while you are recording your audio, as it also helps ensure you don’t end up speaking too long on one slide. By monitoring the time you take on each slide and taking notes on where you need to adjust the playback speed, you also give yourself the time to edit your script and shorten it if necessary.

Make sure your audio file is in an acceptable format. You can only upload audio files in a .mp3 or .wav format as these are the only two accepted by Google Slides.

Step 4: Add Audio to Google Slides

In this step, you’ll add the audio to Google Slides. To upload an audio file to Google Slides, you’ll have to store it on the cloud, and for that, you will have to upload it on Google Drive. So go ahead and upload your final audio File to Google Drive.

To upload the File on Google Drive, you need to go to your Google account. From there, place the cursor on the grid-patterned icon on the top right of the screen to view the drop-down menu containing the complete set of Google Tools. Select Google Drive from the list of tools. Google Drive features a triangular icon.

Once in Google Drive, click on My Drive. This will open a new drop-down menu from which you will select File Upload. Once you click on “File Upload,” you will be redirected to a new window. This is where you can either manually browse and upload the audio file or drag and drop it on the screen, and it will upload automatically.

Change Sharing Settings

Once you upload the file, you will have to change its sharing settings. Right-click on the uploaded audio file, and from the menu that pops up, select ‘Share.’ Change the sharing settings to ‘Anyone with this link on the Internet can share or view.’

Then you go to Google Slides and click on the slide you want to insert the audio file on. From the toolbar at the top, click on ‘Insert.’ Doing so will open a drop-down menu from which you will select ‘audio.’

You will be redirected to Google Drive, from where you can choose the audio you want to place on the selected slide.

It is important to note that you will be placing the audio for each slide separately, so you will have to record the audio for each slide separately and label them accordingly.

Make sure you label them correctly so you don’t end up uploading the wrong file over the wrong slide. You can also preview the audio by clicking on the speaker button at the top right corner of the slide.

You can also adjust the audio for the slide using the speaker button and lower it or increase it as needed. Just make sure the audio is uniform throughout the presentation so your viewers don’t have to adjust it at their end and can concentrate on the lesson.

Step 5: Make Adjustments Where Needed

In the final step, you can adjust the audio playback and make other necessary changes. Here, you can set whether you want the audio to play automatically when the viewer opens the presentation video or whether you want to give them the option to open the audio themselves. Doing so is extremely simple.

Select the slide with the audio object, and you will notice a separate tab for audio appear on the toolbar. Click on the Audio tab, and you will have access to an expanded menu and a set of options allowing you to edit the audio. Click on ‘Format Options’ from the new menu, and a new screen will appear with the default settings.

Looping & Repeating

You can also set whether the audio needs to play in a loop throughout the video or how many times do you want to repeat the audio and after how long.

You can also choose to hide the speaker option from the screen, taking away the choice to close audio from the customers. But if audio is essential in your presentation video, giving the customers the option to close the audio does not make sense, so you can hide it if you want to.

This is more of a finishing touches step. You may not need to make adjustments to the presentation or to the audio, but it is always a good idea to go over your settings one more time and tweak them a little to ensure everything is as it is. Adjust the audio, add a few personal touches, and preview the audio to ensure everything is in order before you finally upload your presentation for your viewers.

Additional Tips on Adding Audio to Google Slides

Make sure to go over these tips before you start recording your audio so that you don’t end up making mistakes that you can avoid.

1. Start by compiling your presentation first.

Your presentation should be short, sweet, and simple, and your slides should not have a lot of text. You will compensate for the lack of text with your audio recording, and your visuals will only act as complementary material to what you will tell your viewers through your audio recording.

2. Keep the slide open in front of you as you record your audio.

That way you know what your viewers will be able to see and what you should discuss. It helps ensure that you know how long the audio for each slide is and will help you adjust the playback for the slides efficiently.

3. Record in a quiet and secluded room.

The quality of the audio is just as important as the quality of the content that you put out is. Make sure the audio is clear and free of any external noises and distractions.

4. Try recording in different rooms to find one with the least amount of echo.

If your voice bounces off the walls of the room you are recording in this will be a big problem as you will have to edit the audio extensively to make it audible for the viewers. If you don’t edit the echo out of the audio file, your viewers will have a hard time deciphering what you are saying.

5. Speak clearly and concisely.

You should have a pre-written script and also keep the slides open in front of you as you record. Doing so will help you deliver the lecture a lot more efficiently. It will help ensure that you aren’t speaking too fast or too slow and that you are speaking naturally, like you are giving a lecture.

6. Try to keep your voice as interactive as possible but don’t get too animated.

You want to keep the viewers engaged, so avoid recording lengthy audios in a monotonous voice. Break down the audio into bits and supplement the breaks with images or videos to keep it interactive. You should also ensure your voice is lively because if you sound like you are about to fall asleep, your viewers probably won’t stay awake and attentive for long either.

7. Lastly, but most importantly, review your audio and make changes where necessary.

If you feel like your script needs to be changed or that you need to record the audio again to ensure it is better quality, do it.

Make sure you prioritize quality above all else, even if it means double the amount of work. Your viewers want quality and professionalism or they’ll be sure to go elsewhere.