207. How Do I Stop Talking Too Fast? | Podcasting Tips for Beginners

FAQ Friday answering the podcasting question of "How Do I Stop Talking Too Fast?"

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Transcript

Welcome to podcasting for solopreneurs and FAQ Friday, where I answer a podcasting question in five minutes or less. Today's question is how do I stop talking too fast when I'm recording my podcast? This question comes from Melissa, who's in the early stages of starting her Etsy Print on Demand podcast. Thanks for being a fan of the show, Melissa. She goes on to say that she's scripting her episodes and trying to batch a few ahead of her launch. But she feels like she's talking way too fast and sounds a bit like a speed demon and wonders if I have any tips for slowing down. First of all, I want to say that this is so normal. Almost every new podcaster experiences talking too slow or too fast, too too flat or something else that's just not quite right. When you're recording, especially in the beginning, you're probably feeling super awkward sitting in a room by yourself, talking into a microphone.

You might be nervous, overly focused, or just trying to get it right. So let's talk about a few simple ways to slow things down. First, be intentional with pauses when you're speaking. It can feel a little uncomfortable to pause. We often use filler words like or so to fill space so that there's not any silence. But a few beats of silence in between thoughts can actually be really helpful for your audience. They get a chance to process and catch up during those beats. Since you're using the script already, I suggest that you build pauses directly into your script.

Literally, just write the word pause in your script. I like to do it in all caps and highlight it in pink so that I can't miss it. Find a system that works for you to help you be intentional about pausing, because pausing regularly can kind of stop the runaway train effect that happens when you start going faster and faster and it just kind of snowballs. Pausing breaks it up. Second, practice reading your script out loud before you record. When you read it silently to yourself, your brain autocorrects and everything feels smooth. But when you read it out loud, you can notice where you're rushing. Doing a quick read through can help you settle into a more natural rhythm before you even hit record.

Third, remember that everybody has their own preference for pace of speech, and that's why there are speed controls in podcast players. Your listeners can slow down the audio if you are too fast for them. Now, I'm not saying that you shouldn't try to slow down if you're being a speed demon, but but don't let it stress you out too much because the listeners can adjust if needed. Finally, just know that this improves with time. The more you record, the more comfortable you'll become, and you'll find a good rhythm that works for you. If you have a podcasting question, click the Send me your question link in the episode description and and I'll answer it in an upcoming episode. Until next time, happy podcasting.