Presenting your podcast

By Jonathan Halls

You’ll notice we use the phrase "speak your script" rather than "read it." Whatever you do in front of the microphone, don’t read your script. Speak it.

Practice your script a few times so you become comfortable and it sounds as if you are speaking naturally.

Visualize a stereotypical person from your audience and speak to them, using the script as a guide. If you get one or two words wrong, don’t worry too much at first. The more you practice reading different scripts, the better you will sound.

Breathing gives your podcast authority
If you get your breathing right, you will add depth and authority to your voice.  You'll also add warmth and tone.

There are a number of common causes for poor vocal quality.  In my experience, there are two main causes.  First, stress.  Second, nerves.  I also think that from an early age, many of us are taught to sound bad.

To have real warmth and authority, it's important to have a clear open airflow from your lungs.  The less open your throat, the smaller the sound of your voice.  It will also sound squeakier. 

A closed throat is often caused by nerves.  No doubt you know the feeling.  As you get more stressed, you tighten your shoulders and all the interconnected muscles at the back of your throat tighten up.  It causes your throat to close in, hence less tonal quality. 

Nerves have the same effect.  This is why you can often tell when someone is nervous by the squeakiness of their voice.  The key to sounding good is to be relaxed and encourage easy air flow.  This creates warmth and authority.

So, when you speak, relax your shoulders and take several deep breaths so you can fully project from your diaphragm. 

I find yawning helps too.  It has the added advantage of opening up your breathing and also releasing saliva in your mouth to help get rid of that dry mouth experience.

Diction adds credibility to your podcast
It's important to be easily understood and that's why diction is important. 

It also has the added advantage that it makes you sound more credible.  Ever noticed the people who have clearly enunciated syllables often get more notice and respect?

Make sure you take care with your diction and enunciate every syllable. This generally means reading slowly and clearly, which also takes practice for some people who are used to speaking fast.

To develop good diction, focus on opening your mouth and clearly shaping your words.  It may feel uncomfortable for a while, but you'll get used to it.

When you encounter a difficult word, practice each syllable on its own. For example, meteorology. Practice saying at a slow pace, meee --- teee --- or --- oh --- loh --- geee.

Once you’ve said this a few times, you can start speeding it up until you are happy using the word at a normal pace.

Remember, open your mouth.  Have you ever noticed opera singers as they sing?  They usually look ridiculously ugly.  This is because they know how to use the entire shape of their mouth. 

You probably won't need to be as focused on your diction as opera singers, but just remember how they use their mouths.  And don't worry about anyone seeing you.  No-one sees you doing your podcast!

Be Yourself
Be careful not to fall into the trap of being overly formal. When people get a microphone for the first time they sometimes kick into 'formal' mode. They create a false voice that attempts to sound like a 1950s newsreader.

Nobody wants a fake voice, so be yourself. Ultimately your purpose is to have a relationship with your listener.  And if you were talking to her in the pub, you wouldn’t want to sound too stuffy.

Don't be afraid of your voice
It’s important not to be afraid of your own voice. Whenever we speak in day-to-day situations, we hear our voice as it vibrates through our jaw.

People we talk to hear the actual projected voice as it bounces off the walls of the room we're speaking in. Your recorded voice is just as others hear it - it's not vibrations through the jaw.

So don’t be flawed by it. Just practice and listen a lot as it is simply a matter of becoming used to it. If you are really bothered by the sound of your own voice, record yourself reading ten minutes worth of script. Then sit down with a glass of wine and play it back a few times.

Some people never get around to liking the sound of their own voice. (While some people perhaps like it too much!) No matter what, you'll at least get used to it after practice and listening.

Natural and personal on your podcast
At the end of the day, speaking on audio is about being personable and natural, but taking out any words, music or sound effects that slow down your listener's comprehension.

Be natural and simply focus on sharing your content with your listener.