Episode 280

Podcast Anxiety is Real! Here’s What to Do!

We ALL Have Podcast Anxiety Before We Hit Record

Imagine this…

You walk into your office – or wherever you record your podcast- settling into your chair, adjusting the mic to a comfortable position, and opening your audio software. All of a sudden, your mouth goes dry. Your heart is racing. You completely forgot what you wanted to say – even though your notes are right before you.

The RECORD button taunts you, saying, “You’re not ready. Don’t make a fool out of yourself.” You close the program and walk away.

You’ve just experienced podcast anxiety.

 Most podcasters experience this rush of feelings and thoughts like, “What am I doing? I’m not ready for this. This is dumb. I should just quit.” If you’ve been there, this is normal!

I’ve had my fair share of experiences hitting records—and that’s not just in my past! (I recorded an interview recently that had my stomach in knots a few hours before our call was scheduled, and I thought I was going to sweat through my black T-shirt during the call.)

 But what I want to do today is share with you a few tips and tricks to work through feeling uncomfortable behind the mic before you start recording. 

1. Just Hit RECORD & Start Talking

Rip off the band-aid!

This step is one of those “easier said than done” steps, but it is genuinely THE THING that I tell everyone who comes to me with podcast anxiety. Just hit record and start talking. Even if you have to say the words,

“BLAH, BLAH, BLAH! I don’t know what to say, so I will keep saying BLAH, BLAH, BLAH until something better comes out of my mouth…”

Speaking out loud like this is a trick I learned from my high school creative writing teacher. (Thanks, Ms. Hicks!) There’s something to be said about practicing and simply starting to get the creative juices flowing.

It doesn’t have to be pretty.

 The idea behind just hitting record isn’t to publish this audio anywhere – or even record a whole podcast episode. You aren’t trying to edit yourself as you go or focus on creating segments for a possible episode.

You are simply recording yourself to feel more comfortable behind the mic.

2. Delete it!

Yup, delete the whole thing.

Do you remember how I said to record it, and it doesn’t have to be pretty? This is why—because you’re just going to delete it anyway!

Isn’t that freeing?

Do you feel a little lighter without the pressure of sharing this audio with anyone? Literally, no one has to hear it. As soon as you hit stop, you can share it with your Recycle Bin.

Record. Speak. Delete.

This step is so important because being good at podcasting is like a muscle. Do you want to get better? You gotta practice more. Put in more reps. Record another session. And then delete it. Keep doing this until what you say is something you’re proud to share with the world.

3. Word Vomit

I can’t take the credit!

Word vomiting is one of those terms I wish I had invented. Sure, it doesn’t sound great. But also, it’s brilliant! My good friend and fantastic speaking coach, Heather Sager, is the source of this fun term. 

“You just have to word-vomit your ideas.”

What a novel concept, right? But when I first heard her say this, I knew she was on to something. I remember when she told me, “The way we think about things in our head is usually NOT the same thing we end up saying out loud.”

And it’s true!

I’ve had several word vomit sessions before I start podcasting – or speaking at any stage – where I run through what I think I want to say. Sometimes it’s super messy. “That doesn’t even make sense.” Other times, it’s way better than I ever thought. “Holy crap, that came out of MY head?”

If you want to hear my conversation with Heather about word vomiting and speaking on stages, be sure to listen to this podcast episode: Episode 151 – Let’s Talk Podcasting and Public Speaking with Heather Sager