Jen deHaan | StereoForest Audio Dramas

"NPR Voice" flattens vocals to sound professional. But the brain needs what are called Prosodic Cues like pitch and volume changes to process information. Being monotone doesn't help comprehension and can limit what you want to communicate to the listener. #Podcasting

Prosody is the hierarchy of sound. We speak louder and slower for new ideas. We speak faster and lower for old ones. If you deliver everything at the same speed and volume then your listener cannot tell what matters. #PodcastThreads

Simulation Theory explains why stories work. We do not just listen to words. We simulate the physical experience of the speaker. You cut that connection when you strip the emotion out of your voice. Show don't tell. #PodcastThreads

Try the "Why Pass" on your next script. Go through your segments and ask "Why do I care?" If you are angry about the topic then be angry. If you are excited then be excited. Practice at level 11 emotion, then do your regular read and see what happens. #PodcastThreads

You can't fake your charisma because of mirror neurons. When you speak with passion your listener's brain simulates that physically. Faking it = their mirror neurons stay dormant. "Deep Acting" communicates your genuine feelings about why you care about the topic. #PodcastThreads

Want your listeners actively engaged? You gotta be too! Your listeners physically mimic the tension in your voice, which is called Emotional Contagion. If you sound bored then they tune out. New ep of Podcast Performance Lab is out.  #Podcasting

The "Uncanny Valley" happens in audio too. We strip out the humanity when we over-edit or when we record while anxious. Listeners can feel that disconnect. We have to prioritize connection over perfection to build trust.

You can visualize a friend's face on the camera lens if you don't have a photo. Scan their face for reactions while you speak. These micro-movements in your eyes make you look engaged. Staring straight at the lens makes you look glazed over and it's harder to connect that way.

Stanislavski had a concept called "Circles of Attention." The Small Circle is you worrying about yourself. The Large Circle is you worrying about the audience. The Medium Circle is you connecting with one person. Stay in the Medium Circle to fix your recording anxiety.

Try the "Talk to the Face" drill. Tape a photo of someone you like next to your camera lens. Talk to them, you can even address them directly in practice (or clip it out). This change can cue your innate safety response. Your voice might drop a bit (pitch) and your eyes will crinkle...

Actors call it "Dead Eyes." You feel energetic inside but you look bored on camera. This happens because your Social Engagement System shuts down when you talk to an inanimate object. You need to feel safe to look alive.

The "Still Face Experiment" shows that babies panic when their parents stop smiling and just stare. A camera lens can do the same thing to podcasters. We disengage because we get no feedback. You have to trick your brain into seeing a human face to keep your energy up.

Your camera lens looks like a predator? Well, it stares. It does not blink. It has a fixed and dilated pupil. Your nervous system interprets could find this a threat, even if your logical brain doesn't. That can be why your face goes flat when you hit record (fighting biology a bit).

Check out this weeks episode about finding the right format for your solo-hosted show. 11 different shows linked as examples to check out. Find it wherever you podcast or on YouTube at "Solo Podcasting Handbook" #podcasts

New episode about the various formats you can choose for your solo hosted podcast. Check it out wherever you get your shows, or on YouTube, at "Solo Podcasting Handbook." #PodcastThreads #Podcasting

New episode about finding the right format for your solo-hosted show. Find it wherever you podcast or on YouTube at "Solo Podcasting Handbook" #podcasts

I'm deep in production on a new series of episodes all about crushing your solo-hosted shows. I'm not focusing on software (because we use so many different programs, and I need to focus). So I'm mostly covering: strategy, performance, formats, content structures.

Strategic consistency helps your show a lot more than equipment or those filler words. But focus on the "strategic" part of that, which is even more important than consistency (though you need some of that too). Cont.