I’m getting tired of the sound of my own voice.
Today, I spent several hours combing through the audio files for several upcoming episodes of my podcast. It’s a great exercise because it forces me to take a step back and view my work from a bigger perspective.
The whole idea is to grow through this project, but when I edit the audio I realize how much I have to grow. Here are some notes I took during my time editing today:
- Silence is better than holding out words or saying “um”.
- “And I was like…” not good (this was referring to my using “like” much too often in conversation patterns. I’m working on breaking this habit as of this afternoon when I frustrated myself with the repetition of the word.)
- Outlines may help your thought process flow better. ( I recorded the pilot episode of my personal story and goals without much of an outline. I enjoyed the experience, but I think I can craft my thought process better with at least a guidepost.)
- More expression, not less. (I realized that my voice sounds somewhat muted on several episodes, like I’m not entirely invested in the conversation, although I am. I want to make the most engaging experience possible for listeners, which will include paying attention to how expressive my tone sounds.)
- Pay attention to verb usage. Several times in conversation I changed the person or tense of a verb in the middle of a sentence. I have had to watch this in my writing as well. It must be coming through my speech more than I realized.)
I’m learning not to be precious with my ideas. Previously, I tended to have a perfectionist mindset toward any content I released. This crippled me. Often I would work on something for hours only to put it aside because I could never attain the level of perfection I wanted.
I’m realizing that a perfection mindset is the worst way to grow. The fastest growth comes from constant practice and evaluation. That’s why I am releasing episodes on April 1 even though I know how far I have to grow in speaking skills.
I’m documenting the process of my learning. I can’t wait to see where I go from here. I can only grow, and that thought is exhilarating.
The picture is me ft. my “I need to do something here” face.