In this episode, I share the system I use at StereoForest to bridge the gap between writing and speaking for your solo podcast. And I‘ll help you understand the "modality mismatch" concept and why it’s important for scripting your episodes.

What you learn in this episode:

1. Why traditional writing styles create a disconnect with podcast listeners
2. The science behind "modality mismatch" and how the brain processes spoken text
3. How vocal dynamics and variety directly influence perceived authority
4. The three-step system to write scripts that sound natural/human

I cover a workflow you can use immediately for forming your solo scripts that includes dictation, signposting (discourse markers) and performer formatting and why they help your recordings.

Resources mentioned:

Vocal dynamics:

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/communication/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2020.611555/full

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4765198/

https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/big-data-approach-public-speaking

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6662577/

Voice to text (no affiliation with any of em - I use MacWhisper, Things, and Notion):

Mac Whisper: https://goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l/macwhisper

Whisper Notes: https://whispernotes.app/

Flow: https://wisprflow.ai/

Google Keep: https://keep.google.com/

Notion: https://www.notion.com/

Things (my fave to do app): https://culturedcode.com/things/

Otter AI: https://otter.ai/

Granola AI: https://www.granola.ai/

StereoForest newsletter: https://stereoforest.com/subscribe

Chapters:

00:00 The problem with sounding like a bot

01:53 The science of monotonous delivery

03:55 Step 1: Dictate your notes

05:12 Understanding modality mismatch

08:38 Step 2: Add signposts for the listener

11:24 Step 3: Format the script for performance

13:03 Visual example of script formatting

15:02 Summary and next steps

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About and Support

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Written, edited, and hosted by Jen deHaan.

Find this show on YouTube at https://youtube.com/@jdehaan

Website at https://stereoforest.com/lab

Get StereoForest’s newsletter for podcasting resources at https://stereoforest.com/newsletter

Produced by StereoForest https://stereoforest.com

Contact Jen at https://jendehaan.com

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Support

Your support will help this show continue. Funds will go towards hosting and music licensing for this show and others on StereoForest. This show is produced by an independent HUMAN artist directly affected by the state of the industry. StereoForest does not have any funding or additional support.

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About Jen

Host: Jen deHaan is the founder of StereoForest. With a background of over 20 years in tech, education, & instructional design and 10 years in improv and performance, Jen brings systems and scientific approach to media production.

Jen's website: https://jendehaan.com

This podcast is a StereoForest production. Made and produced in British Columbia, Canada.