For many of us, public speaking can be the most uncomfortable, even harrowing thing we will do.

For others it will be seeing yourself on camera. You know that moment when someone yells "SMILE" and you cringe.

Or better yet, you have just put a morsel of food in your mouth, and someone takes a snap (my MIL is particularly good at this).

For others still, it is hearing yourself on a recording, whether that be a sound bite on TikTok or on a podcast.

Isn't it funny how our voices sound so different from what we hear in our own heads?

I remember the first time I worked in a recording studio and listened to my voice.

I looked over at my band mates and said, "Is that me?"

They seemed perplexed. "Yes, it is, why?" was the response.

It took a lot of time and conditioning to realize just how different the sound emanating from my mouth was, to what I thought I sounded like.

Fast Forward

Twenty years later and here I am again, in a recording studio, however this was different.

This time, instead of recording a song or backing vocals for a band, I am about to record my book "When now, means now!".

Recording a song versus recording an audio book are poles apart.

Well, for me it was.

Instead of doing a run through, then listening to the playback and then re-recording, you sit, and you start reading.

The recording is broken down into various sessions.

The duration is really dependent on the length of your book.

The shorter the book, the less time in the studio, and so on.

The next thing is to prepare yourself for the session with so many things to consider.

Your mouth. Honestly, I had never really considered my mouth. However, you need to think is your mouth dry, are your lips dry or sticky. Will you make a smacking sound as you speak? Will you sound sticky as if you've eaten a piece of fudge. All of these are considerations, and you need to prepare for them.
What tempo are you going to read at. You can't be too fast, and you can't be too slow. You need to find the Goldilocks tempo and then stick to it for the entire recording. In music a metronome helps (or the rhythm section in a band), for an audio book the tempo comes from you.
What pitch are you most comfortable reading at. Unlike singing where you will work segments of your vocal range, when you speak you need to have a consistent pitch. Remembering that the listener will be dropping into the book at different places, therefore the pitch needs to remain constant.

Once you are prepared by ensuring you have lip balm for your lips, a hot lemon and ginger tea for your voice, or something similar and you have thought about tempo and pitch, it's time to start.

It doesn't sound like a lot to remember but trust me, it is!

Here goes!

Now that you are ready to record, you sit (or stand - depending on your preference), place your head set on, look down at your manuscript on an electronic tablet.

This makes it easy to scroll through each page with minimal noise, whilst recording.

Do a quick sound check, making sure you can hear yourself speaking.

Then the moment of truth.

It's time to read...aloud!

Do you remember being in school and having to read out loud in front of the entire class?

How did that feel?

Were you nervous?
Did your mouth dry up at the thought?
Did you feel sick to your stomach?
Possibly all these things, right?

Well for me, I thought I was a seasoned professional in the recording studio, but this was different.

It took several takes to get the tempo and the pitch right and that really threw me.

I could feel my confidence slowly eroding, but having a professional audio engineer really helped.

He kept me focused on what we were doing and kept encouraging me.

Then after about ten minutes I was on my way.

Just like being on stage, once you get into a flow, the time flies.

What did I learn from this experience?

Always have some hot water or hot tea nearby. You throat will get dry and then you sound sticky when you speak.
Lip balm is definitely needed, so don't be afraid to apply it liberally.
You will get fatigued, and you know this because you will start making a lot of mistakes. So, take a break and don't beat yourself up about it.
Break the recording sessions down into 3-hour blocks. It is really tiring, and you will need to rest your voice.
If something doesn't sound right, re-do it.
Trust in the audio engineer and trust in yourself. You wrote it, so you can bring it to life.
Finally, enjoy the process.

Pushing past discomfort

Pushing past the discomfort of reading aloud for me, were achieved by trusting in myself and the support network around me.

For anything I do, where I feel uncomfortable, I lean on them.

Those individuals who never waver in their support for me.

So, when it is time for you to step out of your comfort zone, think about who you have that support you and engage them.

How do you push past discomfort?

How do you push past discomfort?

Introducing "The 10xGeneration: Not Another Digital Transformation"

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