You have written a script for your podcast. And then you record that episode and you end up sounding kind of like a bot reading a textbook or something. Or, it just doesn’t come out as you expect.
Doing that can really kind of break the connection or even break the trust that you have between you and the audience. The science behind this is called “modality mismatch.” Your listener’s brain is wired to expect conversational speech style, but is hearing what they expect when a book is being read out loud.
So here is the system I use to stop sounding like this (I hope!)
Dictate your notes first A lot of people just do not write how they talk. For example: I am not going to write “gonna” in a written article, but I use it a lot in podcasts. If you are used to writing essays and your scripts are the same, try dictating the first draft, or the notes for the draft, using a voice to text tool.
Use signposts In the studies these are called discourse markers. They signal the structure of your episode. You are basically getting inside the audience person’s head, but hopefully in a good way. You tell them what is coming next to help their active working memory because the human working memory is pretty limited.
Format for the performer If you have a “wall of ear text,” you are going to hit your listener’s overload. Format your script to reduce your own cognitive load. Use spacing that helps you scan and process text quickly. Use bold and italics for anchor words. This formatting frees up your brain to focus on sounding like you, like a human.
You can listen to or watch the full breakdown in the first episode of the Podcast Performance Lab.
Author: Jen deHaan is the host of the Podcast Performance Lab and founder of StereoForest Studio, a professional podcast production house helping experts build authority through audio and video
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