The power of Verbal emotion

     I listened to the StoryCorps "Local Treasures" podcast which told three separate stories from community members who made a unique impact on their environment just by being themselves. The first we hear from a duo who works in sanitation. They have an easygoing rapport that instantly sets the listener at ease. On the transcript, you get an idea for who they are, but the audio more accurately conveys the flavor of their personality. Just by hearing their rough voices, I can instantly see their faces lined with mirth as they recount tales of holding babies and waving down neighbors. Each story is conducted in an interview-style with all the questions and external voices edited out. We only hear the people featured and the tale they have to tell. This makes for a very smooth and seamless listening experience when combined with the musical ambiance. Overall, the use of here audio accurately depicts sections of witty dialogue between people and does so without breaking the listener's immersion. A narrator figure comes on in between stories to wrap up the previous one and introduce the listener to the next segment, acting exactly like a narrator in a book whose goal is to progress the story. Occasionally, plucky music starts up in the background to set the mood. This enhances the story instead of distracting from it, especially because it's sometimes faded in for use during a transition, at which point it swells briefly. The music always matches the mood, probably in part because it plays a big role in setting it.