Get your body and voice ready for audio podcasting with these 13 preparation tips. These also work great for video!

Remember that the most important part of podcasting is your voice. So you'll notice that most of these tips focus on caring for your voice.

I have previously talked about the 20 “preflight” things you should do before you start each episode. This content focuses specifically on preparing your body and your voice.

1. Drink plenty of water

Water is lubricant for everything in our bodies. Everything functions better when we are well hydrated.

A dry mouth can cause lip smacks and other annoying mouth noises.

Drink water throughout the day of your recording. A full glass shortly before you record will also help freshen you up.

2. Be careful what and when you eat

Learn about your own stomach and digestive system. Some foods can cause stomach noises. Others can cause excessive gas that seek escape through burps or farts. Try to suppress these bodily functions and you'll make yourself uncomfortable.

Some foods can actually help your voice, such as some teas, a green apple, or lemons.

Related to this, avoid chewing or sucking things during your audio podcast. Cough drops and the like may be necessary, but avoid letting these make noises (such as hitting your teeth or sucking sounds).

3. Avoid soda, cream, and alcohol

I have often looked forward to drinking a soda shortly before recording my clean-comedy podcast. The caffeine and sugar give me a temporary energy boost. Plus, I simply enjoy sodas. These things combine to generally put me in a better mood for my comedy podcast.

But soda, cream, and alcohol can do bad things for your voice. Alcohol can also slow blood flow to your brain, essentially reducing your intelligence.

These little treats can certainly help some podcasts (imagine something like Mommy's Cocktail Hour without the cocktails!). But for more serious shows, you may need all of your mental faculties and the full power of your voice.

4. Get your blood flowing

Instead of looking to food or drink to boost your energy and alertness, try doing something help to get your blood flowing and mind engaged. Try push-ups, a couple trips up and down the stairs, jumping jacks, or even sincere laughter.

Don't work yourself into a sweat or completely out of breath. You just need enough to get the blood to your brain and warm up your nerves.

5. Use the restroom

There's almost nothing more embarrassing than to take a restroom break in the middle of your content! Yes, we're big boys and girls and can control our bladders and bowels. But such suppression can be distracting and discomforting.

I shared an embarrassing moment that happened to me at BlogWorld in my clean-comedy podcast.

6. Get more water for drinking while recording

Regardless of whether you think you'll have a chance to drink, have water ready and try to drink it while recording. This will keep your mouth, throat, and vocal cords lubricated, which will keep your voice smooth and energy higher.

I recommend that you get a cup or bottle with a straw—something that will be completely silent when you drink. Don't leave ice in it, as cold water isn't the best for your body and the ice can also make more noise.

Have something soft for setting your drink on, so you don't make noise when you put your drink down.

If you have a guest or a cohost, it's easy to drink a little while the other person is talking. If you're podcasting solo, you could either pause the recording, or leave enough silence or a marker so you know where to edit. There's no need to tell your audience you're pausing for a drink.

7. Clear your sinuses

Regardless of whether you have allergies, we talk better with clear sinuses. You can breathe better, get more oxygen, and you'll also avoid sniffles and nose whistles in your recording.

Try blowing your nose, a nasal rinse, or other methods for clearing your sinuses. Spicy or hot things can help, too, but they may negatively affect your voice.

8. Apply lip balm

Drinking water keeps your mouth dry and avoids many mouth noises, but water, alone, may not help your lips. Dry lips stick together better and cause lip-smacking noises and can even hinder our speech.

Figure out the best lip balm for you and apply it before your audio podcasting. Beware certain ingredients in lip balm that actually cause dry lips.

9. Warm up your voice

Just like how it's not good to drive a car immediately into 60 MPH in freezing temperatures, it's also not good to start talking for a long time without a little warm up.

Your vocal warmup could be as simple as having conversation before you record. Or, you could try actual vocal warmup exercises. Yes, you'll sound silly, but you'll get a better voice from it.

10. Have something for fidgeting

It's not a learning disorder or mental illness for us to fidget. Many people fidget, and not just when they're uncomfortable.

Find something silent, such as a small plush toy, that you or your guest/cohost are free to fidget with during the recording. This will keep bad fidgeting sounds out of the recording and may even help some people focus more!

11. Clear your mind

Leave your problems, overflowing inbox, offtopic ideas, and other burdens outside of your podcasting studio. This is time to focus on the message you will share and the people with whom you will interact.

Turn off notifications, close or hide tabs and programs, and ensure you are 100% present for this activity. (Hint: try this in other areas of life and see how it improves your relationships!)

12. Breathe

“Duh,” right? Yes, we know we should breathe, but we often don't. We're nervous or overly excited and we don't breathe well when we're speaking. Not only does this make us run out of breath while speaking, but it also reduces the amount of oxygen to our brain—making us dumber.

13. Have good posture

Posture affects your voice and mood. Slouch and you'll be lethargic, sit or stand up straight and you'll project and speak more confidently.

Sitting or standing up straight keeps everything in your body properly aligned (and standing is better than sitting!). You'll be able to engage with more energy when you have good posture.

What about you?

Have you found particular techniques that help you—your body and voice—to podcast?

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

  • Clay Lamb said, “… I found your insights of the future were extremely eye opening. …” Read the full review.
  • whylimewhynot said, “… My friend and I are about to start recording our podcast and with his tips, we already feel like pros, and not just lost little guppies trying to swim with the big fish. He makes learning so accessible for the novice, yet I'm sure even seasoned veterans get a lot out of what he does and the content he presents. … Thank you … for making podcasting not as intimidating so we can get to the fun part faster …!” Read the full review.

Your reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast. If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own review on Apple Podcasts, Podchaser or Stitcher!

Use My Podcast Reviews to get your own podcast reviews automatically checked daily and learn how to grow your audience with reviews!

Announcements

Need personalized podcasting help?

I no longer offer one-on-one consulting outside of Podcasters' Society, but request a consultant here and I'll connect you with someone I trust to help you launch or improve your podcast.

Ask your questions or share your feedback

  • Comment on the shownotes
  • Leave a voicemail at (903) 231-2221
  • Email feedback@TheAudacitytoPodcast.com (audio files welcome)

Connect with me

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't recommend only affiliates.

About the Author
As an award-winning podcaster, Daniel J. Lewis gives you the guts and teaches you the tools to launch and improve your own podcasts for sharing your passions and finding success. Daniel creates resources for podcasters, such as the SEO for Podcasters and Zoom H6 for Podcasters courses, the Social Subscribe & Follow Icons plugin for WordPress, the My Podcast Reviews global-review aggregator, and the Podcasters' Society membership for podcasters. As a recognized authority and influencer in the podcasting industry, Daniel speaks on podcasting and hosts his own podcast about how to podcast. Daniel's other podcasts, a clean-comedy podcast, and the #1 unofficial podcast for ABC's hit drama Once Upon a Time, have also been nominated for multiple awards. Daniel and his son live near Cincinnati.
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

8 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Emily
Emily
9 years ago

I took a vocal warm up from when I did theater back in college. I love using this to help me remember to enunciate, especially words like “and” and “to” so they don’t turn into “an'” and “tuh”. It’s not something to say quickly; in fact, it’s better so say it slowly and with intention, stretching out the mouth as much as possible and even over-enunciating the words. My cohost and I usually practice this when we’re doing sound check before recording, as well, so we’re multitasking:

“Eleven benevolent elephants met Lilly and Lucy in Philadelphia. They went to see Camelot in Unique New York, with guns and drums and drums and guns which they kept in the bodega bodega bodega. They soon came across Brilliant Italian William from Topeka, who merely murmered, “lilly lally lilly lally.” Then around the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran, to live among Culligans and Callalillies and let his tone drift off as easily as a sigh.”

Also, I find doodling on my notes very relaxing, although my cohost thinks I’m nuts that I can listen to him speak and doodle at the same time.

GeorgLohrer
GeorgLohrer
9 years ago

Hi Daniel,

thank you for joining these details. I’m following
your podcast since two weeks and picked out several older episodes. I’ve
started my own (engineer-) podcast a few days ago.
Belonging #9
“Warm up your voice” – this has become essential for me. There is a very
versatile voice-training video by Gordon Schönwälder
(http://podcast-helden.de/video-vocal-warm-up-damit-die-stimme-stimmt/).
Sorry, but only in german, however you might see his grimaces and might
get the point out of it.
Additionally I got the advice by a singer
not to record the podcast during the first two hours after getting up in
the morning. Your vocal cords are mucus-ridden and your tone will not
sound the regular way. You remark this squeaky sounds escaping your
mouth if you get a phone call in the very morning. Nothing you wanted to
have on your record.

GeorgLohrer
GeorgLohrer
9 years ago
Reply to  GeorgLohrer

Sorry, please replace “joining” with “sharing”. Looks like editing the comment is not possible. I’ve done it 3 times now, saved it, but it is not shown. However if I edit again the changed text is displayed. Potentially also some caching issue.

Delphine
Delphine
9 years ago

Hi,
Thanks for providing clear and practical information and, on top of that for your responsiveness on answering questions.

trackback

[…] Lewis, D.J. (2015, June 22).  How to prepare yourself for audio podcasting–TAP 224 [Web log post].  The Audacity to Podcast.  Retrieved from: https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-prepare-yourself-for-audio-podcasting-tap224/. […]

8
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x
50%
5/5

Enter your name and email address below to learn “7 Ways to Get More Podcast Reviews” FREE!

Almost there!

50%

See what Apple Podcasts and other popular podcast apps search with the Podcast SEO Cheat Sheet!

This form collects information we will use to send you podcasting-related updates with tips, offers, and news. We will not share or sell your personal information. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Almost there!

50%

Before you go! Don’t miss this FREE checklist, “20 things you should do before recording every podcast episode”!

This form collects information we will use to send you podcasting-related updates with tips, offers, and news. We will not share or sell your personal information. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Almost there!