TPU EP:27 – Using a Script for your show – The Good, bad and UGLY!

[00:00:00] Dilip: Hello, and welcome to episode 27 of the podcasting university. This is your host Dilip. And in this episode, we're going to talk about another very important aspect of podcasting. And this is a question that is usually asked in a lot of these conversations about starting podcast recording your first episode and things like that.

[00:00:21] And I also happened to hear this question in one of the clubhouse meets that I was in. Now, the question is, is it okay to use a script for your podcast? Now this question is something that a lot of people who are just starting out on their podcasting journey, usually ask specifically if they are recording a solo show. Now, one of the primary reasons for this question is because it is very difficult to get started on that first episode. And continue recording your subsequent episodes when you're recording a solo show, because even if you have the content ready, a lot of times [00:01:00] you might find it difficult to present that content in the form of an audio broadcast. So the solution to it is to use a script, but then the question is, is it good to use a script for your podcast? So here's my thought about using a script for your podcast.

[00:01:20] Now, when it comes to a script that can be two types of scripts. One is something that I call as a full document script. And the second one is something that I call as the outline script. And then there is a combination of this two, which is something that I call the hybrid script. Now, the outline script has some advantages and some disadvantages to it. Similarly, even the full document script also has some advantages and disadvantages to it.

[00:01:48]When it comes to the full document script, one of the biggest problems with the script is that you can sound extremely monotonous and appear as if you're [00:02:00] reading from a page. And this is, if you fail to use proper intonation and voice modulation, while recording your episode, and this very much reflects in your show and your audience, who's listening to your show can very much feel it. And when that happens, the amount of interaction that you would expect from your audience on these kinds of episodes will go down drastically.

[00:02:24]Another big problem with using a full document script, is that a lot of times you can appear robotic because you actually, aren't touching on everything that your mind asks you to touch about that topic. Rather, what you're doing is just reading through from a document, whatever it is that you've documented when it first came to your mind.

[00:02:46]You might not be able to cover a lot of those thoughts that spontaneously come to your mind when you're talking about a specific topic. And when that happens, it doesn't look like it is a conversation. It will look like your [00:03:00] reading robotically from something that has been documented, and you're just reading it out, this doesn't look natural, or your audience doesn't feel that this is an natural conversation that is going on, but then there are some benefits to the full documents group.

[00:03:16] One of it is that you will know what to speak and how much to talk. So the chances of you straying out of the topic is very less. It can help you stay on the topic. In fact, it can also help you reduce editing because your entire episode will tend to be around document that you've created.

[00:03:36] So the amount of editing that can happen will drastically go down and your episode should be ready much faster than while using an outline script . One another benefit to using a full document script is that it'll help you stay on the point because a lot of times when it is spontaneous and extempore, you tend to drift away from the topic. And

[00:04:00] that can cause a little bit of disconnect in your audience, who will all of a sudden start to feel that the topic started somewhere else and is drifting away onto something else.

[00:04:11] So using a full document script can help you stay to the point and it can be extremely tempting to use a full document script because a lot of times you don't actually want to be caught in a catch 22 situation in comparison to a full document script an outline script solves some of these negatives that the full documents script has, like for example, an outline script can sound extremely natural and conversational because, there is that natural intonation that is that natural, conversational style of tone that comes into your voice, which can help build that interaction or build that engagement with your audience. Hence using an outline script can be more engaging and sound as if you're talking to a real

[00:05:00] person, which makes the show even more interactive. But at the same time, some of the downsides to using an outline script is that you will have to be extremely spontaneous, it has to be extempore and engaging with continuous flow of thoughts, because if your thought flow breaks in between, then it can be extremely bad for your episode. And your audience would be able to hear that in that entire conversation. And if you're using an outline script, it might need a lot of editing.

[00:05:32] Keep that in mind because. There'll be a lot of places where you be stammering. You'll be stuck. You don't know what to say next. So these kinds of things will happen. And hence it might need a lot of editing. So you might want to spend maybe an extra 15 to 20 minutes editing your episode, and you need to consider that when you're recording your show.

[00:05:54]Also the tendency to stray off topic is very high when it comes [00:06:00] to using an outline script, because you might start in one topic, there'll be something that is related to it. You start your conversation on that and then stray off topic, which then becomes extremely difficult for you to come back to the topic that you actually started the conversation on. So why the outline script will have some of these downsides to it. It is still a good method to record your solo shows because a lot of times solo shows tend to be monotonous and it tends to be extremely boring for your audience. If you want to bring in that interactivity or engagement or that interest into your episodes, then using an outline script can help you a lot. Now, there is a third kind of script that I spoke about, which is a hybrid model. Now hybrid model is a mix of both of these styles.

[00:06:52] So what you do is while you write a script that can be called as a full document, because there'll be most of the things that will be [00:07:00] written, but at the same time, what you will also do is take some of those important topics in that document and talk more about it spontaneously. When that happens, there is a single point that you're focusing on, which is an important point, which is something that is important for your show.

[00:07:19]You're taking the point, talking about it, giving your 2 cents your ideas, your thoughts. Putting all of that into it and making that conversation even more interesting. But at the same time, there is a full document that you're following, which means you don't stray off topic. You stay on topic. It sounds more interesting and engaging.

[00:07:44] At the same time, you have everything that is needed for your episode in one single document, which you can use and record your episode. So if you are a newbie, if you're somebody who's just starting out with your podcast, I would recommend using a hybrid model,

[00:08:00] which is using a full document script, but using your own spontaneous thoughts while recording your show. This can get you benefits of both the full documents script and the outline script, and at the same time, keep your show even more interesting. So I hope you liked this episode and you found value in the thought that we discussed today. If you did then do visit thepodcastinguniversity.com and let me know your thoughts by commenting there, you'll be able to find the show notes and the resources and a downloadable transcript for this episode at thepodcastinguniversity.com/27. Don't forget to join the four day email course on the absolute basics of podcasting. All you need to do is just send an email to ebook@thepodcastinguniversity.com. Just send a blank email to ebook@thepodcastinguniversity.com and

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[00:09:05]That is all that I have for this episode. Don't forget to subscribe to the show in order to stay updated with the latest episode, I'll be back again in the next episode with another interesting tip. But until then, don't forget to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcasting platform.

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[00:09:44]That is all that I have for this week. I'll be back again in the next episode until then you all have a wonderful rest of the day. This is goodbye from Dilip.