Podcasting Like A Pro When You Don't Sound Like A Pro [S3E108]

The phrase “authentic voice” is very overused. But when it comes to the voice listeners want to hear on your podcast, your “authentic voice” is absolutely the right terminology. But a quick caveat and a recognition that not everyone's authentic voice is a match for their authentic self. If the voice that comes out of your face does not match the voice of the person you are in your head, then please understand that I am in no way suggesting you get over it and deal with what you were given. But if that’s not you and you’re instead just minorly annoyed with certain aspects of your voice, I have some very good news: perfect voices are not required in podcasting If your accent is a part of your authentic self, then I assure you people will be perfectly happy to listen to you on your podcast sounding the way you sound. And for those who are turned off by your particular accent… well, they probably aren’t the right listener for your show anyhow. Your speech pattern is yours. The aforementioned caveats aside; don’t try to hide it. When it comes to catchphrases or odd mannerisms that are uniquely you, I say leave ‘em in.  There is no ideal rate-of-speech delivery in podcasting. And every podcast listener has speed controls at their fingertips. So speak the rate at which you speak. Let the listeners decide if they want your words faster or slower. Keep The You, Reject The NoiseWhile I am encouraging you to keep and embrace the natural “flaws” in your voice that make you uniquely you, I am exceedingly intolerant of fixable flaws in your recording environment.  Those hardwood floors that cause all sorts of unwanted sound reflections to come back into the microphone and annoy my ears? Your idea of placing an omnidirectional microphone in the middle of a big room and having all your buddies shout towards it? The noise from your overworked refrigerator, the roar from the heating/cooling system you’ve decided to sit directly under, or the whirring of air purifiers you could turn off for the 30 minutes you’re recording your VO parts… Those noises are not the authenticity listeners want. They’re getting in the way of your authentic voice. If you’re serious about your podcast, I recommend investing in https://www.izotope.com/en/products/rx/features.html#comp (iZotope RX), either as a plugin or a standalone app. And then you need to learn how to use it, either by educating yourself or taking a class offered by https://twitter.com/meonlylouder (Marcus dePaula). He’s a wizard who will blow your mind with the garbage you can remove from your tracks with just a few clicks. Your listeners will appreciate you for getting rid of all of those fixable bits so they can really enjoy your true and authentic voice.  ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcasting-like-a-pro-when-you-dont-sound-like-a-pro (https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcasting-like-a-pro-when-you-dont-sound-like-a-pro) https://twitter.com/evoterra (Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. https://buymeacoffee.com/evoterra (Buy him a virtual coffee) to show your support at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visithttps://podcastlaunch.pro/ ( Simpler.Media) to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produceshttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( Podcast Pontifications) four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Image credit: https://unsplash.com/@bermixstudio?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText (Bermix Studio) onhttps://unsplash.com/s/photos/mute?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText ( Unsplash)

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