Knowing Your Superpower
And introducing myself here
I’ve made podcasts about tech and business for nearly a decade now. I know — really know — how to write for radio. But also, I know how to READ a script aloud. No matter how basic or run-on the sentence, I can usually salvage it with the right delivery. In other words, a multitude of crappy writing skills can be covered up with tone and voice, making a dumb-nothing phrase like “you know what I mean?” sound saucy, conspiratorial, plaintive, or instructional. It’s my superpower.
Don’t get me wrong. When I took over as host of NPR’s TED Radio Hour (my first episode debuted the same day we all went into lockdown; you have to laugh), a handful of the show’s longtime fans weren’t thrilled with my higher-pitched voice. I particularly loved one listener’s assurance that some voice coaching would help me achieve my professional dreams. Um, I already have my dream job… but thanks? Anyway, on the whole, listeners have been encouraging, supportive, and kind. The team and I have hit our stride and, though I’m a bit of a late bloomer, we’re in the midst of a good run.
