How to get More Comfortable Behind the Mic
On my wedding day, I was standing inside the church in front of the altar welcoming the 200-plus guests we had invited as they came in and found their seats. At one point, my friend, Alex, came up to me and said, Joey, (people who met me before 2009 call me Joey), you look so calm and comfortable.
On my wedding day, I was a nervous mess. It's true. Not the Alex being a nervous mess part. The fact that I was feeling great on my wedding day, I didn't feel those nerves because I was used to being in front of people. And unlike some talks I've given in the past, this was a friendly audience ready to help us celebrate. I was really excited for that day and I was feeling fantastic.
The experience reminds me of a question I got while speaking at a conference back in 2019. How do you get more comfortable speaking into the microphone? I love that question because while I often focus on the technical aspects of creating a podcast, there can be a real issue with getting comfortable recording, especially if you're doing a solo show like this one. And so my answer is, get your reps in. And that's what I wanna talk to you about today.
Welcome to Podcast Workflows where you get daily tips to improve your process, grow your show, and maybe even make some money. Each week, I also do a deep dive into the process of the world's most successful podcasters and reveal their tools, processes, and systems to help you simplify the production of your own show and reclaim hours in your day. You can improve your own podcast production process by seeing how the pros do it.
I'm your host, Joe Casabona. And, today, I'm gonna talk to you about getting your podcast reps in. This is the 9th entry in my Podcast Advent series. As a reminder, if you wanna get these articles as they are published, delivered directly to your inbox, you can sign up over at [podcastworkflows.com/advent].
Now, in my answer to Travis, the guy who asked the question, I mentioned that I was in drama club. In fact, I did it from 2nd grade, around age 7 or 8, through high school. I tried out in college, but I was involved in too many other things like being president of the Computer Science Club. I was very cool. But I truly miss being in plays.
And while that's beside the point, that does inform why I like to do podcasting. The point is that my 2nd grade teacher, Miss McCullough, now sister Mary McCullough, knew that I'd be a good performer because of the way I acted in the classroom. She encouraged that in me and I am eternally grateful for that encouragement because I know that from that moment, it made me more comfortable as a public speaker, as a teacher, and as a podcaster. When someone else asked if I recommend taking drama classes or the like to be more comfortable, I responded that I never actually took drama classes myself or acting classes or anything like that. And I don't really recommend it unless you want to be a more classically trained actor or actress. Here's why.
Even with all of my stage speaking and teaching experience, I was a little uncomfortable sitting in front of my computer to record. You can tell in some of my early videos and podcast episodes. It's a different experience. There's no crowd energy or fellow cast members to feed off of. Especially, if you're doing a solo show, it's just you, your computer, and a microphone. So it can feel a little weird speaking as if you're talking to someone, making eye contact with your camera, and having a one-way conversation.
So what do you do? Well, there's a common saying in workout circles that I've heard being used elsewhere, get your reps in.
Basically, the best way to get good at something is to continually do it.
Recording a podcast is no different. The best thing that you can do is keep recording episodes to get better. I heard some fantastic advice on Episode 500 of Mac Power Users. Assume you'll record a few demos first. This goes hand in hand with the advice that I usually give beginner podcasters which is to record 5 to 10 episodes before you do anything else. It will help you get more comfortable, find your voice, and it will help you get some reps in.
The best part about doing demo episodes is that you don't need to publish them. Like a quarterback reviewing a training camp tape, you can listen to those recordings, take note of what you want to change, and try again. Then after a few tries, you can publish.
Notice that I didn't say when you're happy with the results or when it's perfect. You probably won't think it's perfect at the beginning. I still don't. But 400 plus episodes in and I'm comfortable enough to just hit record and get it done. I feel comfortable in front of the microphone, just like I felt comfortable that day of my wedding.
If you like this episode, you can get every entry in Podcast Advent 2023 delivered directly to your inbox by going over to [podcastworkflows.com/advent]. You'll get daily emails with tips and tricks, of course, recommended tools, and giveaways from now to December 24th. You'll also be able to view the archive over there.
Thanks so much for listening. And until next time, I can't wait to see what you make.
Hey, before you go, I want to tell you about a free resource I have called my Podcast Process Templates. They are a set of Notion documents that give you a full podcast planner, a show planner, and even some AI prompts to help you get the creative juices flowing. You obviously want to improve your podcast workflows and save time and these templates will give you a basis for all of your other processes. Through my Notion and Airtable templates, I am able to automate a number of things as well as stay organized so that I am using my podcasting time more efficiently.
If you wanna get your hands on these templates completely for free, you can head over to [podcastworkflows.com/templates[. That's [podcastworkflows.com/templates] to get your free podcasting process templates, today.
