Before the recording please:

            Arrive at 6.30 on the Monday you are reading

            Prepare the pieces you are reading

Look out for difficult pronunciation and if in doubt agree with the rest of the team something which sounds convincing

Check on corrections, eg remove ‘today’ ‘tomorrow’ etc.

You may wish to ‘sub-vocalise’ – silently read the passage at the right pace, moving the lips but no sound

During the recording please: 

            Allow a 3 second pause between readers

This gives the technician time to adjust voice levels and the listener time to adjust to a new voice and a new topic

             Try to sound both interesting and interested when reading

It can help to imagine that you are talking to someone who is sitting in front of you, rather than reading aloud to an anonymous group 

            Stop if you make a serious mistake so the technician can re-record 

One or two small slips or corrections do not spoil the tape, but more than that is not acceptable. It is for the technician to judge whether re-recording is necessary 

            Signal when you begin the final sentence of each piece

 this alert both the next reader and  the technician to the changeover and the following reader must

             Allow a  good 3 second pause at the end before starting to read 

There should be a break of about 20 minutes between recordings of the first and second sides to allow you to prepare your pieces for the second side

                   A good recording is not one which is done in the shortest time, but one which reaches the highest standards

When you get the tape please listen to it, paying particular attention to your own reading to avoid slipping into bad habits or to note those things which you have done well so that you can do the same next time. 

                        Have fun and enjoy it – if you do, the listeners will.