NPR's training guide for broadcast journalists establishes the foundational rule: write the way you speak, not the way you write. One idea per sentence. Subject before verb before object. Numbers kept simple — listeners cannot rewind. The test: speak it before you type it. If it sounds like a document being read aloud, rewrite it. NPR's average sentence in a news spot runs 12–16 words. This is the structural discipline VIGIL™ voice scripts inherit.
Bloomberg Daybreak anchors Nathan Hager and Karen Moskow deliver market-moving data in a format that is precise, direct, and action-oriented. The structure is consistent: state the number, state what it means, state what moves next. No warm-up, no preamble. The Bloomberg briefing assumes a sophisticated audience that wants the fact and the implication — nothing more. VIGIL™ voice scripts inherit Bloomberg's data-forward cadence and professional register.
Kai Ryssdal's Marketplace demonstrates that financial data can carry human weight without losing precision. The closing context sentence — "here's why this matters for your portfolio" — is the Marketplace contribution to VIGIL™. Every voice brief ends with a single sentence that connects the data to the decision. This prevents the briefing from feeling like a read-out of figures without consequence.
VIGIL™ voice scripts are not modelled on earnings call language ("we are pleased to report"), not modelled on regulatory disclosure language ("as previously disclosed"), and not modelled on PDF report narration (passive voice, precise figures, embedded clauses). The voice script is a parallel output from the same intelligence object as the written brief — not the written brief read aloud.
CAT Sentinel recorded 168 HIGH-severity SCS alerts in Texas over the past 9 months — one event every 1.6 days. Three simultaneous HIGH-severity events are active across Harris, Dallas, and Travis counties. Combined TIV exposure in active alert zones: $68.4 billion. The Peril Trend Atlas shows an observed SCS frequency of 18.3%/yr vs. the 5.0% model assumption — a 13.3pp structural gap compounding across three renewal cycles.
Texas is in an active SCS accumulation. CAT Sentinel has recorded one-hundred-and-sixty-eight high-severity alerts there in the past nine months. That's one event every day and a half. Three separate systems are active right now across Harris, Dallas, and Travis counties. Combined portfolio exposure: around sixty-eight billion dollars. The pricing gap is significant. The observed storm frequency in Texas is running at eighteen percent per year. The model assumption is five. That's a thirteen-point gap — and it's been compounding for three renewal cycles. Action is required before the next renewal batch.
"As of this briefing dated October 15th, 2024, CAT Sentinel has identified a total of 168 HIGH-severity Severe Convective Storm alerts within the state of Texas over the preceding 9-month period, representing a frequency of approximately one event per 1.6 days, with three simultaneous active events currently located across Harris, Dallas, and Travis counties."
"Texas is in an active SCS accumulation. One-hundred-and-sixty-eight high alerts in nine months. That's one storm event every day and a half. Three systems are active right now across Harris, Dallas, and Travis. Portfolio exposure: sixty-eight billion dollars."
| Rule | Standard | NPR/Bloomberg rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Sentence length | 15 words maximum per sentence. Target 10–12. One idea per sentence — always. | NPR training: listeners cannot rewind. Information lost when sentence exceeds working memory span. |
| Sentence structure | Subject → verb → object. Never reverse. No embedded clauses. No "which" or "that" relative clauses. | NPR rule: embedded clauses force the listener to hold two ideas simultaneously — comprehension drops. |
| Voice | Active voice throughout. No passive constructions. "Texas recorded" not "was recorded in Texas." | Bloomberg Radio standard: passive voice dilutes urgency and obscures the actor of the action. |
| Numbers — rounding | Round to the nearest significant figure that preserves meaning. $68.4B → "around sixty-eight billion." 18.3% → "eighteen percent." 13.3pp → "thirteen points." | NPR: "Numbers can require your listener to do math, which distracts from your story." Precise figures belong in the written brief only. |
| Numbers — large figures | Spell out fully spoken: "sixty-eight billion dollars" not "$68B" or "68 billion." The listener hears words, not symbols. | Bloomberg Radio convention: numbers are always spoken in full at first reference. Abbreviations are visual tools only. |
| Numbers — count limit | Maximum 3 distinct numbers per 60-second brief. More than 3 creates a math problem for the listener. Additional figures go in the written brief. | NPR guidance: "There isn't enough time in radio to provide context for multiple statistics." |
| Acronyms | First reference: always expand. "Severe Convective Storm — SCS." After that: spell out each letter, do not try to pronounce as a word. "S-C-S" not "sic-s." Pronunciation dictionary handles this. | NPR: acronyms that don't work spoken aloud break listener flow. The Pronunciation Dictionary is mandatory. |
| Tense | Present tense for active conditions ("Texas is in an active accumulation"). Simple past for concluded events ("the March outbreak tested six states"). Future simple for forecasts ("the renewal window closes in ninety days"). | Bloomberg Radio: present tense creates immediacy and currency. Avoids "as of today" constructions. |
| Quotation | No direct quotation. Paraphrase all Event Book™ data findings. "The Event Book shows" not "According to the CAT Event Book™ Peril Trend Atlas, Chapter 3, the observed frequency..." | NPR: listeners cannot see quotation marks. Paraphrase with attribution word ("shows," "finds," "records") is cleaner for audio. |
| Jargon | Insurance jargon is permitted — VIGIL™ audience is professional. But each term must work spoken aloud. "TIV" → "T-I-V." "FNOL" → "F-N-O-L." "AOP" → "A-O-P." "PML" → "P-M-L." "Per-occurrence" → as written, it works spoken. | NPR: "The more non-conversational language in a script, the harder it is to deliver naturally." Domain terms stay; document syntax goes. |
| Opening sentence | Always starts with the situation: peril + geography. Never starts with "This is a briefing about..." or "CAT Sentinel has detected..." Open with the fact, not the meta. | Bloomberg Daybreak format: lead with the fact that matters. The anchor context comes second, not first. |
| Word economy | No filler phrases: "it's worth noting," "it's important to mention," "as previously stated," "in terms of." Cut every word that does not carry information. | NPR: "Words we would never say out loud creep into scripts." Marketplace host Ryssdal's rule: if you'd cut it in speech, cut it in script. |
| Script length | CRITICAL brief: 85–105 words / 45–60 seconds at broadcast pace. HIGH brief: 65–85 words / 35–50 seconds. WATCH brief: 50–65 words / 30–40 seconds. | Bloomberg Daybreak market reports: 45–90 seconds. NPR news spot: 45–60 seconds. These are proven listener attention windows for professional audio. |
Texas is in a critical SCS accumulation. [300ms] Portfolio exposure in the active alert zone is around sixty-eight billion dollars. [200ms] The base-case loss estimate is in the range of nine to fourteen billion. [200ms] Reserve adequacy is currently within band — but the base scenario is within twenty percent of the upper threshold. [200ms] Three actions are in progress. [200ms] The most time-sensitive is a reinsurer notification — the treaty attachment probability is above seventy percent. [200ms] David Park owns that notification. Deadline: end of business today. [300ms] This is your VIGIL critical briefing for October fifteenth, six-fourteen Central. The full written brief is ready now. // 92 words · NPR sentence structure · Bloomberg data format · Marketplace implication beat
Texas SCS — critical level. [300ms] One-hundred-and-sixty-eight high alerts in the past nine months. That's one storm event every day and a half. [200ms] Three systems are active right now across Harris, Dallas, and Travis counties. [200ms] The pricing gap is significant. Observed frequency is running at eighteen percent per year. The model assumption is five. That's a thirteen-point gap — compounding for three renewal cycles. [300ms] Sarah Chen needs to apply a surcharge of eighteen to twenty-two points to all Texas renewals due in the next ninety days. Do not wait for the scheduled pricing review. [200ms] Deadline: forty-eight hours. [300ms] Full exposure table and analogue data are in the written brief. // 102 words · strong action directive · Bloomberg data delivery · Marketplace context beat
Active SCS event — Texas, three counties. [300ms] First-notice volume forecast: between three-hundred-forty and five-hundred-twenty claims. [200ms] Peak is expected within forty-eight hours of the system clearing Harris County. [200ms] You need eight adjusters staged in Lubbock before that window. [200ms] Marcus Webb owns the staging call. Deadline: six hours from now. [200ms] Also flag your preferred roofing network. Demand surge in the Amarillo corridor is running around twenty-two percent above normal rates right now. [300ms] Full timing curve and vendor contact list are in the written brief. // 96 words · operational directives · concrete numbers · adjuster-centric register
Active critical event — SCS, Texas. [300ms] Sixty-eight billion dollars of portfolio exposure is in the alert zone. [200ms] Four action items have been dispatched across underwriting, claims, and risk management. [200ms] Two are complete. One is in progress. One is approaching its deadline in the next six hours. [200ms] There are no pricing model flags beyond the active SCS event. [300ms] The T-plus-fourteen debrief is scheduled for October twenty-ninth. [200ms] The full action tracker is live on the dashboard. // 79 words · portfolio-wide view · completion status · no role-specific detail
Script marker: [300ms]
ElevenLabs audio tag: <break time="0.3s"/>
Script marker: [CRITICAL] severity announcement
ElevenLabs audio tag: <emphasis level="strong">critical</emphasis>
Named owner: spoken with slight emphasis
ElevenLabs audio tag: <emphasis level="moderate">Sarah Chen</emphasis>
| Channel | Voice / Audio | Text format | User interaction | Severity scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIGIL™ Dashboard | Full audio player. Auto-play on CRITICAL (configurable). Word-by-word transcript sync during playback. Script visible below player. | Full structured written brief. Tables, figures, source citations. | Play / pause / seek. Playback speed 0.75–1.5×. Download MP3. Read transcript. Mark action complete. | All tiers |
| "Listen to this briefing — 1m 02s" link as first line. Hosted MP3 URL. Opens in browser or mail client audio player. | Written brief as HTML email body. PDF attached on CRITICAL/HIGH. | Click to listen. PDF download. "Read full brief" CTA links to dashboard. | All tiers | |
| Slack / Teams | Slack: Audio file preview card (native Slack audio player). Teams: Adaptive card with play button linking to dashboard audio. | Severity badge + scroll-stop number + one-sentence situation + action count. Not the full brief. | Play in-thread (Slack). Open dashboard (Teams). @mention owner. React with ✓ to acknowledge. | CRITICAL + HIGH |
| Push notification (iOS/Android) | Tap notification → VIGIL™ app opens → voice brief begins playing automatically. No tap-to-play step — immediate audio on open. | Title: [CRITICAL] SCS Texas. Body: $68B TIV · 3 actions dispatched. No more text. | Tap to hear brief immediately. Swipe to see action items. Force-touch for quick complete. | CRITICAL always. HIGH configurable. WATCH off by default. |
| VIGIL™ Mobile App | Full audio player. Same as dashboard. Continues playing in background (audio session category: playback). CarPlay / Android Auto compatible. | Full brief readable. Action tracker swipe-to-complete. Dark mode. | Background audio play. Lock screen controls. Siri / Google Assistant: "Play my VIGIL briefing." | All tiers |
| Webhook / API | audio_url field in JSON payload — hosted MP3, 7-day expiry. audio_duration_seconds field. audio_word_count field. | Full briefing JSON — written brief + voice script text + structured data. | Carrier system can play audio in meeting room, pipe to Teams call, embed in carrier UI. | All tiers (configurable by severity in carrier webhook config) |
The highest-value voice delivery moment for VIGIL™ is the commute. A CRO or UW lead who receives a CRITICAL push notification at 6:14 AM, gets in their car, and asks CarPlay "Play my VIGIL briefing" should hear the full 52-second CRO voice brief begin immediately — without unlocking the phone, without opening an app, without reading anything. This is the "VIGIL™ keeps the watch so the general can act at dawn" use case made literal. CarPlay audio session configuration and background audio mode must be implemented in the VIGIL™ iOS app from Phase 1.
voice_enabled: boolean — whether voice scripts are generated at all for this carrier
voice_severity_threshold: enum (CRITICAL / HIGH / WATCH) — minimum severity tier that triggers voice generation
voice_autoplay_dashboard: boolean — whether dashboard auto-plays on CRITICAL
voice_push_autoplay: boolean — whether push notification tap auto-plays voice
voice_profiles: object — ElevenLabs voice ID per role (CRO, UW, CLAIMS, MGMT)
quiet_hours: object — start/end time in carrier timezone for WATCH voice suppression
carplay_enabled: boolean — whether CarPlay/Android Auto integration is active
voice_speed: float (0.85–1.10) — global playback speed override for this carrier
During configured quiet hours (default: 10 PM – 6 AM carrier-local time):
CRITICAL severity: voice brief generated and pushed immediately. Overrides quiet hours always.
HIGH severity: voice brief generated, held until quiet hours end, then pushed with a "held since [time]" annotation in the audio sign-off.
WATCH severity: voice brief generated but not pushed until quiet hours end. No annotation.
The written brief is always delivered immediately regardless of quiet hours. Only voice push delivery is suppressed.
You are a US broadcast news writer producing a voice briefing script for a professional insurance audience. Your output must meet the following constraints — every rule is mandatory:
1. Maximum sentence length: 15 words. Target 10–12. One idea per sentence only.
2. Structure: subject → verb → object. No embedded relative clauses. No passive voice.
3. Numbers: round to nearest significant figure. Spell in full as spoken: "sixty-eight billion dollars" not "$68B."
4. Maximum 3 distinct numbers in the full script.
5. No direct quotation. Paraphrase all data with a single attribution word: "shows," "records," "finds."
6. Acronyms: spell each letter. "S-C-S" not "SCS." "T-I-V" not "TIV." Exceptions: NOAA → "Noah." HUR → "hurricane." FLD → "flood."
7. Present tense for active conditions. Simple past for concluded events.
8. No filler phrases: "it's worth noting," "importantly," "as previously stated."
9. Five-beat structure: [Situation] [Key number] [Portfolio implication] [Primary action + owner + deadline] [Sign-off].
10. Total word count: CRITICAL 85–105 words. HIGH 65–85. WATCH 50–65.
11. Insert pause markers as [300ms] [200ms] [150ms] between beats and after key figures.
12. Named owners are spoken with their full name followed by their role: "Sarah Chen in underwriting."
13. Deadlines are spoken as natural English: "forty-eight hours from now" or "by end of business Thursday."
14. The sign-off is always: "This is your VIGIL [severity] briefing for [date spoken], [time] Central. The full written brief is ready now."
| Source | What VIGIL™ takes from it | What VIGIL™ does not take |
|---|---|---|
| NPR Sound Reporting (Kern, 2008 / Socolovsky, 2025 ed.) | One thought per sentence discipline. Write-the-way-you-speak rule. Numbers test: if it requires the listener to do math, remove it. Speak-before-you-type script development process. | Conversational warmth and storytelling arcs. NPR's "why this matters to you personally" register is too soft for a professional briefing audience. |
| Bloomberg Daybreak (Hager / Moskow format) | Data-forward opening — state the number first. "That's [X]" construction to humanize a statistic. Direct action implication after the data. Financial precision without hedging language. | Market commentary and analyst opinion. VIGIL™ briefs are factual — no commentary on what the data "suggests" or "might mean." |
| NPR Marketplace (Ryssdal format) | The closing context sentence that connects data to decision. "Here's why this matters for your book" beat at position 3 in the five-beat structure. | Consumer economics framing. "What this means for your household" register is wrong for an institutional professional audience. |
| NOAA Weather Radio | Operational urgency without panic. Logistics-forward: who, where, when, how many. Consistent structure that listeners learn to expect. Used specifically for the Claims voice register. | The full NOAA script formula is too terse for a VIGIL™ brief — it strips context entirely in favor of pure instruction. |
| WSJ What's News podcast | Professional register for financial news. The WSJ "three things you need to know" structure is close to the VIGIL™ five-beat format. | The WSJ podcast pace is slower than Bloomberg. VIGIL™ is closer to Bloomberg's speed for its professional audience. |