When you’re behind the mic, how often do you second guess yourself, pause and try not to say those ums and uhs? Or you put on your “podcast host” hat and start speaking with a different voice? In today’s episode, I break down the limiting beliefs about what makes a “strong voice” so we can rewrite our subconscious brain about what we believe that is. You’ll learn how to reclaim your voice and go from being restricted and nervous to being magnetic and unapologetically yourself behind the mic. 

The idea of what power sounds like these days is shifting. So let’s explore that and let’s change things together. 

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Podcast cover art by Emily Johnston of Artio Design Co.

Transcript with audio description:

<< Ghosthood Featuring Sara Azriel “Let’s Go” BEGINS >>

MARY: Welcome to the Podcaster’s Guide to a Visible Voice.

<< WOMAN SINGS: Let’s go >>

MARY: Reveal and define your voice to speak your truth through the power of podcasting. And I’m your host, Mary Chan.

<< WOMAN SINGS: So so so so let’s go >>

MARY: Hey there. This is episode number 48 – Challenge What a Powerful Voice Sounds Like.

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I’ve been having this idea on my brain for quite some time, and even recently I was actually on a pre-event for International Podcast Day. So that happens September 30th every year and I got to speak alongside some amazing podcast editors and showcasing what podcast editors do. And this event was hosted by the Just Busters Facebook group that’s with Carrie Caulfield Arik, and also co-hosted by Stephanie Fuccio of Global Podcast Editors. It was a great event to be on, and I got to share not the technical aspects of what a podcast editor does, but the nuance in how we pick and choose what we do edit out. What do you mean by that? You might ask? Well, usually in the podcast editing industry, it’s almost become standard to edit out the word, “um,” or “ah,” or “like,” “right?”, “so,” “uh” – and those big pauses. Now, I understand where that comes from. But why are we doing that? Have we ever thought about why people speak this way? And if it’s doing a job? So when you speak on a podcast, do you second guess yourself and pause and try not to say those ums and uhs? So, imagine now when you stop overthinking every word and worrying about what you’ll say. Imagine people connecting with you, your message, your cause, the people that you have on your show, all through the sound of your voice. Not what you’re actually saying. To be a leader, engage with your listeners, or to even share your ideas. You need to show up big time with your voice. So you get that, “Yes!” You know, those moments when you have your pitch or presentation that support your cause or you get asked to be a guest on another person’s podcast, you know those fantastic moments in your life, whether podcasting related or not. But when you don’t feel confident in your voice, getting heard is hard work. So where does that come from? 

[MUSIC FADES OUT]

So in today’s episode, I’m going to break down limiting beliefs about what is a strong voice so we can all rewrite our subconscious brain about what we believe that is. And finally, reclaim your voice so that you can go from, Oh, what am I going to say? This restricted and nervousness to being magnetic and unapologetically yourself behind the mic. The idea of what power sounds like these days is shifting. So let’s explore that and let’s change things together. 

[MUSIC IN]

So when I say “a weak voice,” what words come to mind? Maybe when someone has a weak voice, they’re uncertain, maybe unsure, perhaps they’re, you know, mumbling all the time, mumbling, mumble, mumble, mumble. [LAUGHS] Or maybe they have a shaky, shaky voice. Maybe it’s that dreaded upspeak where they answer everything with a question? Sort of a sound? Or, oh, one of my favourites. Vocal fry. Vocal fry. At the very end of your voice, your sentences just drops off and it becomes this shaky, shaky voice that may be what we were talking about before. So then let’s go with the opposite. What about “a strong voice?” What does that sound like to you? Confidence. Yeah, I got confidence! Booming, and I have a booming voice. I’m going to be direct, and that’s what’s powerful. But is that what power really sounds like? Like, really sound like in our world today? When we’re behind the mike, we’re told to stop, edit out those ums and uhs so we sound confident, or we’re told to speak up so we’re loud and can be heard. But what if I told you that this is an old way of thinking and that what we’ve been told is actually all wrong right now. It’s wrong. Totally wrong. Hundred percent. We’ve been taught that good speech sounds a certain way while bad speech is weak. But why do we still have to follow these outdated notions? 

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So think about it. From when we were a little kid, our voices were shaped by our community. So that could mean from our parents, where we live, the school we went to. So for me, although my parents are from Hong Kong and China, they had a heavy Chinese accent. But I was born in Vancouver and went to the public school system there, so my voice shifted to the community that I was in, and also from the cartoons and movies and TV shows that I watched. The media they all had, and still have today, an influence on how my voice sounds and your voice sounds. The community aspect is huge too. Take, for example, I have a friend I’ve met here in Victoria on the west coast of Canada, but she’s originally from the east coast of Canada. So ,a very different accent on the East Coast. But she hasn’t lived there in years and I didn’t even know she was from the East Coast until she told me. But whenever she goes back, she slips back into that East Coast accent. She’s a product of her community. When she’s on the East Coast, she’s got her East Coast accent from her family. And then when she’s out on the West Coast, she unconsciously speaks just like the rest of her community out on the West. We all do that in our own ways. And in a podcast, because of what we’re taught, we try to slip into this, “radio voice.” We put on our host hats and unconsciously lower our voice, maybe talk a little louder and tell ourselves to sound confident. [LAUGHS] My gosh, I put on that voice every time I say the word sound confident. [LAUGHS] So why do we put on this voice? Why has this become the stereotype? Going back to media, TV, radio, movies, they tell us that a strong voice is maybe like Morgan Freeman, deep, resonant and deliberate. Or Scarlett Johansson, lower tones, raspy and a bit of sex appeal. Voice becomes gendered, and because of the media, voice becomes gendered and high pitches and tones become flighty and silly and untrustworthy. But my, oh, my, how this is so wrong on so many levels. 

[MUSIC IN]

When we go back to the world of radio, my career path back in the day, we were taught these very same things. We stereotype voices and portray certain aspects of the voice to achieve this idea of a standard broadcast accent. So the person behind the mic has a generalised broadcast voice and can appeal to more listeners across the board because on radio and TV it’s broadcasted out into the aether and all the people we hope to listen to can understand us more. So, that’s kind of the quick and dirty background of a standard broadcast accent. Our voice would be more appealing to the community around us. 

[MUSIC FADES OUT]

But yeah, well, as you know, things are changing and I’ll get to more about this later. First, [TAPE REWINDS] let’s go back like way, way, way, way, way, way back, 

[MUSIC IN]

maybe a few hundred years or so. Back to when kings ruled the land with their knights and shiny armour and all of that jazz. [LAUGHS] The men were the only ones allowed to make decisions while the women were told to stay quiet and stay out of the way of these important, “affairs.” Men held meetings to try to one each other up, saying things that would win them a vote, give them authority or, here’s the juicy part, show other men that they have power. Ooh, I’m lowering my voice again. [LAUGHS] Women, on the other hand, were sitting in quiet rooms, working with their hands, chatting away with other women, or helping each other raise children, cohabitating and speaking in parallel to create community and understand each other. Instead of the power struggles of men happening in the big elaborate rooms next door.

[MUSIC FADES OUT]

And yeah, this all sounds kind of silly, right? Like this was hundreds of years ago. But these ideals still exist today. [LAUGHS] Isn’t that wild? That what we believe is power from our voice is still being used to divide and create a sense of strength. So back to the standard broadcast accent, which, you know, isn’t really an accent, and I don’t know why we call it that, but that’s what we do. It’s standard and it’s an accent. Although, as I said earlier, accents are created by your community. But anyway, the media perpetuates this idea of what a strong voice sounds like. But podcasting is so different. It is not the media. It is not broadcast. It’s podcasting. Podcasting has the ability to connect because we don’t have a barrier of entry to broadcast, right? It’s not broadcasted on the airwaves. It’s just on the Internet. It’s a little different. So, we have our own set of rules. 

[MUSIC IN]

We as podcasters create our own shows to embrace who we are, to hear other people that sound just like us and to have real conversations that include the ums and uhs and yes, that vocal fry. Because real humans have these traits in their voice. So why are we trying to hide them or get rid of them? We second guess what we say or decide that it doesn’t sound good enough. Ugh, yes, those inner gremlins coming out to get us again. But for us to encourage diverse voices, we need to hear all the variety on every podcast. The highs and low tones. The loud and soft volume as well. That’s how humans connect through our podcasts and our voices. We share emotions and passion, and when I’m passionate, I can be loud. Oh, man, a lot of people tell me to quiet down a bit there [LAUGHS]. But it’s that loudness that equates my passion. But my passion can also be really, really soft because I’m trying to make an impact here. So I want to pull you in. It’s not about right or wrong, loud or soft, strong or weak. It’s your voice. Your voice is confident and strong the way you want to use it, the way you are passionate about your message that will come through when we can get past this muck of what we should sound like. Power is your voice. No matter what that sounds like right now. Power sounds like someone who’s passionate, someone who is not afraid to be themselves. Someone who sounds just like you. 

[MUSIC FADES OUT]

So share with me. What do you believe sounds like power now? What words describe power in your voice? Let me know by leaving a voice note on my website, you’ll find a purple button called Send Voicemail. Or if you’re still unsure about using your voice, or it’s more convenient, I know. I get it. Drop me an email at visiblevoicepodcast@gmail.com and please, please do, do email me or send me a message. I want to hear from you. I am the one behind that email address, so I will be replying to what you send me. So say it out loud. I want to hear it. You have a valuable voice, so I hope you share it on a podcast. ‘Kay? Talk soon.  

[OUTRO – SHOW CLOSE]

<< Ghosthood Featuring Sara Azriel “Let’s Go” BEGINS >>

MARY: Thank you so much for listening to the Podcaster’s Guide to a Visible Voice. If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love it if you shared it with a podcasting friend. And to reveal more voicing and podcasting tips, click on over to visiblevoicepodcast.com.

<< WOMAN SINGS: Let’s go >>

[MUSIC ENDS]