PodMov Daily: Monday, October 4

Episode 512: Your Monday Mix

Podcast Connections Are Stronger Than Facebook

Back in the day, Facebook was understood as a tool to connect with friends and family. Over the next few days, we’ll learn more disturbing details about its influence on just about everything — yet many of us still feel obligated to use it. Podcasters in particular know that’s where they’ll find new audiences.

The pressure of the public stage isn’t great for creativity, Edison Research SVP Tom Webster recently wrote. Facebook is a divisive void of a stage where precious little connection is actually taking place. Podcasts, created and shared privately with our loved ones, may be the answer we needed from the start.

“What would you podcast if it didn’t matter?” Webster asked. “What would you podcast if the audience was your first boss? Or your ex-wife? Or your butcher? Make that podcast.” More than a way out of creator’s block, it’s an experiment in taking our relationships back, even the ones we have with our own ideas.

Defining Your Vocal Delivery Style Matters. Here’s How.

Science explains why we’re so uncomfortable with our recorded voices. Instead of ‘fixing’ perceived issues, Dr. Larry Cornett suggests defining what does make you comfortable. According to the public speaker and podcaster, “Your vocal delivery style is even more important than the sound of your voice.”

Delivery style is influenced by posture, body language, effective pauses, and other subtleties that we hear in others’ voices. Studying his “vocal hero,” Laurence Fishburne, has helped Cornett immensely. He emphasizes that the goal is not to imitate. “It has to feel like ‘you’ if you are going to be comfortable with it.” 

Paying attention to voices you admire can help alleviate the stress of recording, Cornett says: “I began savoring phrases, playing with words, focusing on being in the moment, and becoming more melodious.” Once you identify your personal Fishburne(s), take notes. TED talks are a great place to go shopping.

She Podcasts LIVE: Join Us October 14-17 in Scottsdale

This month, the She Podcasts LIVE conference will bring women and non-binary audio creators together for education, inspiration, and community. The largest in-person gathering of its kind, She Podcasts is different by design. In a holistically supportive environment, you’ll find conversations that couldn’t happen anywhere else.

Expert-led sessions will dive into growth, monetization, and marketing, as well as the ‘big picture’ of a creative life. They’ll discuss health, happiness, ethical sales, outsourcing, circadian rhythms and more. You’re never alone, no matter what your podcasting journey throws your way. 

Keynote speakers like Cameron Esposito (Queery), judgment-free dialogue, and even a pool party make She Podcasts LIVE a can’t-miss event. Safety is their top priority — learn more about policies here. Ready to discover your best chapter yet? Join them in beautiful Scottsdale, Arizona from October 14–17.

Here’s what else is going on:

• California dreamin’: Speaker applications are open for Podcast Movement Evolutions, coming up March 23-26 in Los Angeles. Start planning that session or panel and check the event site for full details. Submissions will be accepted until the end of October, with decisions made in mid-December.

• Vox populi: Now able to rate inbuilt iOS apps, App Store users continue to roast Apple Podcasts. At the time of this writing, 876 ratings give a 1.8 star average. The first three reviews are titled “Irreparably broken,” “Did apple contract this app out?” and “Apple keeps the hot mess on the burner.”

• Return flight: Skip the long, detailed apology when resuming your show after a break, says Dave Jackson (School of Podcasting). He advises planning a hiatus to get the most benefit while keeping in mind that “your audience may stop listening to you but they are not going to stop listening.”

• Stay classy: “Audio storytelling for journalists,” a four-week online course taught by Tamar Charney of NPR, begins on October 18. Guests like N’Jeri Eaton will join the conversation on podcasts, social audio, and more. Through the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas. $95.00 registration.