Podcasting Imperfection
I have just written one of my presentations for the On Line Podcasting Conference on April 20-21, called “If I only I knew then what I know now!”
It starts with a quotation by Ernst Fischer that comments on how the efficiency of machines shows clearly that “imperfection is the greatness of man”
I think this is a wonderful way into sharing my learnings because in improving your podcast techniques, I don’t feel that you should ever lose that humanness of your podcast. People love imperfection, they love or connect with people that are authentic human beings. A slight imperfection can be endearing.
I think that in terms of audio quality, yes that should be good enough so that listeners can enjoy the content but in terms of a few human mistakes within the content - don’t rush to eliminate them all. A laugh, an incorrect word, a forgetful moment…it all adds to the show, as long as it is a small element rather than 99% of the show!
Podcasting is a 1:1 connection…you and the listener. People feel intimidated with perfection, they connect more with someone who they can relate to…..
The one mistake I always say that I made early on was trying to be too professional, the perfect broadcaster….when people heard it they said “Mmmmm yes it was OK but it wasn’t you, it didn’t have your passion….just be you” That was the best advice I ever received.
March 28th, 2007 at 9:58 am
[...] B = Beta. I feel that podcasting is about getting content out there, it is not about being a perfect podcast host. I think it is about evolution, get started put it out as your own beta! Evolve it from there. [...]
March 28th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
GOOD POINT! Striving for perfection in a podcast is a waste of time. And, you know, listeners usually like a natural conversational tone anyway.
April 5th, 2007 at 3:31 pm
[...] A-Z Of Podcasting - Part 8 April 5th, 2007 by Anna Oh dear we have a tricky one today, starting with Q and then R. This series is one that hopefully stimulate some thoughts for you of how to carry on taking your podcast forward…if you think that I am missing something don’t be shy, the more dialogue the better! Q= Quality. Quality is important and I wrote a post about The Power of Imperfection to discuss how you need to see 2 types of quality, saying “I think that in terms of audio quality, yes that should be good enough so that listeners can enjoy the content but in terms of a few human mistakes within the content - don’t rush to eliminate them all. A laugh, an incorrect word, a forgetful moment…it all adds to the show, as long as it is a small element rather than 99% of the show!” Quality of the audio has to be good, quality of content has to be great, quality of the spoken words has to be human. [...]