Excerpt from: Podcasting at Work: 25 Questions to Ask Before Starting

Authenticity is one of the pillars of great podcasting. Audiences have flocked to podcasts because they offer something different from highly produced mainstream media. But of course a super authentic conversation can feel risky in a corporate setting. With that in mind, here are our tips for sounding natural and authentic, even when you’re facing 3 levels of approvals:

Avoid the temptation to over-script

Unless your host and your guests are professional voice actors, reading scripts in a natural tone is really tough. For that reason, we recommend talking points instead of full scripts. 

Write the way you speak: If you wouldn’t say it - don’t write it.

We do recommend fully scripting your intro and outro - but for those elements, be sure to write for the voice, not the page. When we write for the page, we tend to use fancier words and longer sentences - both of which make an authentic delivery difficult. Read your scripts aloud (or if you’re writing for someone else, have them read the script aloud) and make adjustments before sitting down to record the podcast. 

Multiple takes, editing and narration are your friends.

Podcasting isn’t live radio or TV - we pre-record podcasts, so there's a big safety net. We can re-take questions or answers that didn’t come out right the first time, we can edit out stumbles, crutch words or pauses, and we can always add voiceover or narration later to tie things together. Use these safety nets instead of over-scripting for a more authentic final result.