Welcome back to the show! So good to be back after my little hiatus of a little winter break. I want to mention first, get some housekeeping out of the way that Podfest Global Summit is coming back, and I’m going to be there again this year. It will all be online, as we are still these days, and it will be such a great opportunity for you to learn about all aspects of podcasting no matter what level of a podcaster you are. There are two whole weeks of learning and community that you’ll definitely want to join in. It is at the end of February and the first week of March, so two whole weeks! My session will be on February 23rd, 2021 called “Empower Your Voice to Grow Your Podcast” and that will be under the voice acting track, so look for me there. I have a chance for you to win a VIP ticket which grants you an all-access pass plus the lifetime recordings, an over $200 USD value. Enter to win a VIP ticket to Podcast Global Summit and you have until 11:59pm Pacific on February 18th, 2021 to enter. I’ll make the draw the morning of February 19th and email you if you are the winner. Good luck!
So let’s get into today’s episode, and because it is my first episode back for 2021. I was thinking about all the podcasters I’ve been talking to, including some of my friends, people in my community, who keep saying that they’re going to “practice” to be on camera or behind the mic so they can get better. But, how many times have you said that to yourself, or maybe how often do you speak up at virtual meetings or events? How are you showing up on social media? If you watch my Instagram account, follow me @OrganizedSoundProductions, I’m not on Instagram Stories a lot. I do want to go live on Instagram, but then I think I have other tasks that need to get done and I’ll do it later. And for me, it’s not high on the priority. But maybe for you, it might be a great way to practice, and those five day challenges are great, but it’s the practice and doing every single day and it takes more than five days before it really sinks in. And so, we’re missing out on an opportunity to show up to connect to your listener and actually do that practice that you said you wanted to do during all of last year or the beginning of this year. Do it! It’s time to take action.
When you get behind the microphone, how do you feel? Do you feel that you need to put this on a facade or these masks before you hit that record button? So for example, you think, Okay, I’m going to record my podcast. So then I’m going to put my podcast host hat on. But what else are you thinking about that comes to mind when you think of being a host of your own show. Perhaps when you’re behind the mic you put on a persona, or that mask I was talking about. I find, sometimes I will talk to a Podcaster and it’s their first time behind the mic with me on a session. Then they feel like they need to put on this professional posture, or they need to stand up or sit up nice and tall, but it’s not really your true authentic self. How are you going to show up as yourself behind the microphone? Or maybe it’s the thought of being “professional” and that connotation that comes with certain ideas in your head, but it’s not black or white, you can be both. You’re already an expert. So, be the expert; you don’t have to act professional. But in our heads, we are trying to decide what the listener is thinking about while listening to you as a speaker. You might wonder, are they going to buy from me? Are they going to like me? I wonder if they even understand what I’m trying to say? That’s a lot of extra brain cells that you’re using up thinking about these made-up scenarios and the answers are probably not even true. Your brain lies to you and it is protecting you. That is human nature. You are working so hard, your brain is working so hard because you are trying to control the conversation, instead of focusing on letting people in and sharing your true voice, your heart voice is what I call it. I want to hear the passion in your voice. I want to hear your emotions. I want to hear what your heart feels. That’s your heart voice.
But if you get into thinking if they’ll like me and what are they going to say and I wonder if they’re going to buy, you’re not thinking about your passion. You’re not sharing your voice. You’re thinking about all these future scenarios, trying to control the conversation, but when you reveal your heart voice, that is your perfect voice. Perfect for podcasting, for sharing your thoughts or getting on a zoom call, because it showcases who you truly are and what it is that is in your heart that you want to share. You are not creating a fake version of yourself when you’re behind the mic. You shouldn’t. You are being yourself because that’s what our listener wants to connect to. They can only connect to a real human being, and that’s what you need to be behind the microphone; real human beings to connect to. And when you are really human, you are showing your true self. All your vulnerabilities, all the mistakes, all the ways that you are thinking out loud. That is okay because that is the way we normally speak. We have to pause or say “um” or “yeah” and “right” because that is human. That’s what we do. It’s all part of our conversation and stylistically if you want to be more professional, then sure maybe. But if you listen to anyone speak, they’re going to have some of those societal imperfections in their voice. But I say there’s nothing wrong with that.
So what’s holding you back from revealing your true voice. What are you afraid of? Losing control? You’re probably thinking, at some point when you’re speaking, oh am I using the right words? But I’m here to tell you that words don’t matter. Leave it. Drop it. Stop thinking if you’re using the right words and then just show up and show me who you are. How you are going to say something is more important than the words you are going to choose to say. We don’t know who you are yet if you don’t speak up. You aren’t showing us who you truly are if you’re thinking so much ahead instead of just speaking your truth at that moment. So show us by letting us hear you. When these controlling thoughts come up, pick the opposite of what you are thinking so you can let me in. If you’re thinking, Oh am I sounding a little weird. Leave that. It doesn’t matter. Just keep going and speaking from your heart, because the motion that’s going to come up from your heart through your voice, and out of your mouth is more important. That’s what the listener is wanting to connect with.
You do not have to feel that you are not good enough, let that go. You have something important to say, so be proud of what you are going to say and how you say it because your voice matters. This is the way to make 2021 the year you’ll be heard. No need to think I need to practice more, I need to be perfect before I get on the mic or behind the camera or whatever it is. You don’t need to practice. You just need to do. You just need to speak up. Because we’re not here to find your voice, you already have your voice. So it’s time to reconnect with it and then reclaim it. Have your voice, show people who you really are. So they can love you, love your podcast, trust you, and be one of your superfans. It’s time to put down the mask, drop the facade. You don’t have to put on this persona behind the microphone, you need to be who you truly are because 2021 is still going to be virtual just like last year. The way to connect with people through that microphone, through that zoom call, through the video chat, through the camera, through the Instagram Live, through the Facebook Lives, and all the other ways to now connect with people virtually, it needs to come first, through your voice. The visuals don’t matter, how you look, doesn’t matter the makeup the hair the clothes, why does that matter if you cannot share your voice first. Your message comes from your heart. So I want to hear that heart voice. What is your message? Share it with me. Let me know by sending me a voicemail (that purple “Send Voicemail” button on the right of this page) and share what are you afraid of. What is holding you back for 2021? I want to know so I can help you out and unleash your voice to reconnect with it, to reclaim it, because like I said, we don’t need to find our voice, we already have it. So let’s use it to our best advantage for 2021.
And a reminder that I hope you’ll join me at Podfest Global Summit. I’ll be there February 23rd for my session “Empower Your Voice to Grow Your Podcast” and don’t forget, if you want the VIP ticket All Access pass with the recordings, I’ll be giving away a VIP ticket on February, the 19th, 2021. Good luck!
