Finding your podcasting voice

I found myself wondering what makes a podcast interesting. I remember the first podcast I started following, and I loved the co-hosts’ voices. Not how their voices sounded, but how their voices made me feel. In the creative space, the meaning of voice is not limited to the sound that comes from your voice box, it is the persona that people perceive from what you say. Even though we may know what Dave Ramsey looks like because there is an option to watch his podcast, his voice evoked a certain image in our brains before we can attach his voice to a face. From the way he talks, what he says and the way he handles people, we create an idea of his persona.  What is it that makes Dave so unique? His voice.

Your voice keep you

Your voice is literally the only tool you have, to keep your podcast afloat. In the creative space, your voice is the message you carry, the influence you have and the attitude you portray. Things come through not only in how you frame your story but in your intonation. A voice can carry all types of emotions and messages. It is important to frame your voice right for your message to come through exactly how you would like it to. The most important thing you need your listeners to have, is confidence in your voice. Whether the aim is to make them laugh, make them dance, entertain them, or teach them. The listeners need to have confidence in your voice. They must know what to expect when they come on your podcast so that they understand the value of giving you their time.

Keep them listening to your Voice

Audience engagement is one of the most important things in a podcast. With over 1.9 million podcasts, you ought to give your listeners a reason to stay tuned to you for the full duration of your podcast no matter how long or short it is. The key ingredient to engagement is coherence. Take your audience on a journey. Let them get lost in the narrative you are weaving, the pictures you are painting, the lessons you are sharing. It is therefore important to work with audience conditioning.

Learn from Education

At times there is no need to re-invent the wheel. Know how we learn as human beings, stories normally have a beginning, a middle and an end. Do not underestimate how important it is to follow brain wiring when telling a story. You cannot tell a story according to how your thoughts emerge. Our thought processes are more haphazard than chronological, however education conditions the brain to learn in predetermined order.

Organize your voice

So, if something has an introduction, a coherent middle and a conclusion, it is easy for the brain to perceive it as a coherent story. This may not be the only format, you can create a question and give an answer, you can create a call and response, you can present a cycle of ideas. The possibilities are endless. The big idea at the end of the day is to make sure that you create something the audience can follow, understand, and respond to. That way they feel as if they gained something from your podcast and they will come back.

Ask yourself

Your answers to these questions are key to helping you start your journey to finding your voice.