Presentation is likely one of the 5 cornerstones of podcasting (content material, presentation, manufacturing, promotion, and P.R.O.F.I.T.), and the way you talk in your podcast could make the most important distinction in whether or not folks get pleasure from and profit out of your content material.
Listed here are six free and non-technological methods to enhance your podcast by speaking higher!
1. Take heed to your self
Do you hearken to your personal podcast after it is revealed? I counsel ready not less than a few days, and hear such as you hearken to some other podcasts, together with the identical velocity changes, identical headphones or earbuds, and identical environments.
This may provide help to hear like the remainder of your viewers. Plus, it might provide help to discover issues which may be distractions which you can work on avoiding or modifying out.
For instance, you would possibly discover how a lot you or your cohost(s) interrupt one another. You would possibly hear how typically you do not full your ideas. You would possibly hear phrases or phrases you say an excessive amount of. You would possibly hear that background is a matter—or perhaps it truly is not and also you thought it might be.
When you’ve got friends or cohosts, attempt to focus first on your self and the way you can enhance earlier than attempting to assist others enhance.
2. Study from all suggestions
We love the constructive suggestions! The tweets praising our podcasts, the 5-star opinions, the suggestions telling us how a lot our audiences love our podcasts.
And we additionally obtain some unfavourable suggestions.
We have to study from each!
You do not have to vary your present for the individuals who left or for a tiny portion of your viewers. However you need to attempt to study from each little bit of suggestions you obtain! You possibly can study what you are doing nicely and may proceed or enhance. You possibly can study what you are doing poorly and may lower or search to enhance. And you may study what stuff is not making a distinction in any respect.
3. Turn out to be extra curious
I typically hate the phrase “If it is not broke, do not repair it.” I believe that perspective stifles invention and innovation.
I believe the core attribute behind making nice issues is a way of curiosity. This is not just for interview-based podcasts! At the same time as a solo host, you’ll be able to develop into extra interested by your area of interest, extra interested by communication methods, and extra interested by new instruments that may enhance your podcast, have interaction your viewers, or develop your affect.
And all of it begins with curiosity.
Sure, curiosity typically results in extra bills, however it does not should! Generally, curiosity can save cash! Take my earlier episode for instance, “Audacity Is Improving Fast! Here Are the Top New Features to Try.” I’ve already heard from a number of podcasters and even podcast-editors who at the moment are interested by attempting Audacity once more, and probably saving a whole lot of {dollars} yearly!
Curiosity can lead you exterior your consolation zone, particularly speaking to or listening to folks you may not have in any other case thought-about. For instance, I wish to typically ask for suggestions for a specific sort of podcast, after which I strive a few of them. That curiosity has led me to some gold mines in training, inspiration, and leisure!
4. Broaden your vocabulary, however not an excessive amount of
How do you describe issues?
I grew up listening to a youngsters’s audio drama sequence known as Adventures in Odyssey. It had a personality named Eugene Meltsner (initially voiced by Will Ryan, who died in November 2021). That character was geeky, beloved science and computer systems, and infrequently spoke with huge, incomprehensible phrases. And you may in all probability guess that he was my favourite character!
You need not discuss like Eugene—and truly, you in all probability should not, until that is how nearly all of your viewers speaks. As an alternative, discover the stability between utilizing a bigger selection of phrases and sustaining comprehension.
Contemplate even the phrase “very” and all the higher phrases you could possibly use as a substitute:
Not solely are most of those phrases nonetheless comprehensible, they’re additionally extra descriptive and invoke deeper emotions. It is like including colour to an image or seasonings to a meal.
So strive increasing your personal vocabulary, and you can begin with merely the phrases “very” or “actually.” After that, you could possibly strive different phrases or phrases which may not essentially be dangerous, however may perhaps be communicated higher or with extra selection.
5. Enhance your grammar and pronunciation
My mother and father made me take some speech remedy after I was a child.
I hated it!
However now, I want I had labored more durable at it.
Since being a young person, there have been two occasions I began working to enhance my grammar and pronunciation—each have been the direct response to unfavourable suggestions. The primary was when somebody critiqued one in every of my first public speeches and he identified that I incorrectly stated “there’s” after I ought to have stated “there are” in reference to a number of objects. That small factor launched me into years of attempting to study higher grammar, ultimately discovering Grammar Woman’s Fast and Soiled Tricks to Higher Writing, and even turning into a managing editor for my earlier employer.
The second time is way more latest, and got here from a negative podcast review that pointed out I was—to the listener’s annoyance—pronouncing the name “Emma” like “Imma.”
That was in 2018, however I paid extra consideration to it a 12 months or so later and realized what number of E’s I pronounce extra like I’s, like “get,” “enter,” “them,” and extra. I am truly nonetheless attempting to work on this, and I by chance revert after I’m not paying consideration or get lazy. And that led me to understand there have been different phrases I wasn’t announcing fairly accurately—or maybe I ought to say persistently with my common northern American accent. Like announcing “issues” and “suppose” extra like “thangs” and “thank.”
(Please don’t level out after I mess up, not less than not presently. I in all probability already heard it and have mentally kicked myself for it.)
I am not condemning you for those who pronounce issues with a regional accent. These are inconsistencies I’ve concluded are incorrect for me.
And to make issues much more difficult, there are some occasions sure vowels are imagined to be pronounced like completely different vowels! Just like the O in “ladies” is imagined to sound like an I. And a few American English dictionaries even differ! For instance, how the A is pronounced in “lav” and “lavalier microphone”!
So to some extent, these points would possibly come right down to a selection of fashion and what you employ because the authority.
An important factor is to speak in a method your viewers can perceive you, even when they could get slightly distracted by an accent at first.
6. Conquer dangerous habits
You in all probability knew this one was coming! Study what your dangerous habits are in podcasting and work to beat them! It may very well be crutch phrases or phrases, like “um,” “like,” yeah no,” “ya know,” and extra.
It is also unusual ways in which you phrase issues, bland responses (like “That is an excellent query” or “Superior”), or overly used figures of speech (like “on the finish of the day”).
It is also habits whereas podcasting, like saying the identical pointless phrases each time, loudly fidgeting, getting distracted, or making inappropriate compromises.
Life is the perfect place to coach
No matter stuff you resolve to work on, do not save your efforts just for once you podcast. Practice your self on these items in your on a regular basis!
It is just like the query I typically see, “How do I cease saying ‘uh’ in my podcast?” You cease it in your podcast by stopping it in your life!
You can additionally use your podcast as coaching grounds so that you can enhance these and different areas in the remainder of your life. For instance, perhaps you study methods to have extra significant conversations together with your husband or spouse by coaching to ask higher questions in an interview and listening higher to the responses!
In different phrases, use life to make you a greater podcaster, and use your podcast to make you higher at life!
Have interaction your viewers and develop your podcast!
Do you ever really feel like your podcast is caught? Such as you’re pouring your coronary heart into your podcast however it looks as if nobody is listening?
Try Podgagement to help you engage your audience and grow your podcast!
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Disclosure
This put up might include hyperlinks to services or products with which I’ve an affiliate relationship. I could obtain compensation out of your actions by such hyperlinks. Nonetheless, I do not let that corrupt my perspective and I do not advocate solely associates.
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