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I Hate My Voice
Before I start, I want to give a shout out to Dave Jackson at the School of Podcasting. Dave provided great help as I was launching my site and podcast. He also mentioned my show on Episode 374, where he discussed the way we approached the topic of interviews in different ways. If you need technical help with your podcast, Dave is your guy.
Ok, on with the show.
“I hate the way I sound.”
I hear that complaint quite often. Many people do not like the sound of their own voice. It is quite common.
It is also quite natural to dislike the sound of your own voice when hearing a recorded version of it. When you talk, the bones in your head vibrate adding to the qualities you naturally hear. When you hear a recording of your voice, those vibrations are absent causing your voice to sound different to you.
The natural bone vibrations also make you do some unnecessary acrobatics with your voice when using headphones. The bone vibrations combined with the enclosed nature of your headphones cause you to hear the big announcer voice in a much differently than the way the listener hears it. You tend to speak in ways you do not normally speak during everyday conversation.
There are six steps you can take to make your voice sound more natural and get you on the path to enjoying the sound of your voice.
1. Notes, Not Scripts
When you are interviewing a guest on your podcast, be real. Be present in the moment. Truly listen to the answers your guest is giving. Your next question may come from that answer, and the question may be nowhere in your notes.
As you prepare for your interview, don’t script your questions. When you have a script, you will be too focused on the script and less attentive to the answers your guest is providing. Lose the script. (read more)
2. Talk To One Person
As you are creating your podcast, treat your audience like you are talking to each person individually. This is critical when creating a trusting relationship with your audience.
I hear many shows address their audience as a group with comments like “hello everyone” or “hey guys”. Each person in your audience is listening to you as an individual. Audio is a very personal medium. Many times, they are listening with headphones. It is just you and her. Talk to her just like that. (read more)
3. Headphones
This is a simple trick. Try wearing only one cup of your headphones leaving one ear exposed. You will be able to hear your voice in a more natural state. Your headphones tend to distort your perception of your voice. Using only one side of your headphones will give you a better feel of how you really sound.
4. Volume
This is another simple trick. When you turn down the volume of your headphones, you will get a perception of your voice that is more authentic.
5. Sing-Songy
The scoop is that fake announcer voice that you hear quite often. It’s like a slow start with a gradual build.
“Wwwwweeeelllllcom to the big show.”
It sounds like your voice is going up and down as if it is on a yo-yo.
Real people don’t talk like that. You are trying to build trusting relationships with your podcast audience. You want to sound real and authentic. (read more)
6. Review Your Show
If you hope to improve your show episode after episode, you need to properly review your show each and every time. To improve, you must look for the correct things. You also need to listen as a fan and not simply as a podcast producer. Below is a list of questions to help you effectively review your podcast. (read more)
I’d love to help you with your podcast. E-mail any questions or comments you might have to Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com.
You can also find tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com.
You can find the workbook that I mentioned here: WORKBOOK.
Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.