Being Yourself

Uh…I need to…uh…stop saying “uh.”

The magazine article caught my eye. Its topic was “How to sound authentic on the radio.” Among the tips the author listed was:

“As you read your on-air copy, throw in a few “uh’s” along the way. You’ll sound more real to the listeners.”

I laughed! I say “uh” plenty of times without having to throw a few of them in on purpose. Is that how you sound authentic? Real? It reminded me of a funny saying, a pseudo life principle we used to have in college.

Be sincere…whether you mean it or not.

What was this author saying? There is the possibility that an on-air person can be so polished and so perfect that he or she doesn’t sound real. The perfectly modulated tones. The perfect phrasing and interpretation. Perfect in every way. Yet we look around our world, we realize it is far from perfect. They tell me that even the most precious diamonds have small flaws. We live in an imperfect world that strives for perfection.

But will a few “uh’s” thrown in at random change all that? Really? That could sound just as artificial as the perfect voice and presentation. So what’s the answer.

Be real. Talk to people via radio and TV like you would someone sitting across from you. And when reading a copy, work to sound natural and personable. Record yourself reading. Listen to it. How does it sound to you?

Remember:

The goal isn’t perfection, it is communication.

By the way, most of us need to work on reducing the number of times we say “uh,” or whatever the equivalent is in your native language. We need to eliminate the extraneous words we use that have no real meaning. In the USA we need to control the use of “you know,” “like,” “just” (which comes up often in prayers), and many more.

Communicate clearly.
Communicate authentically.
Communicate personably.

Did you…uh…get all that?