From Studio C in the 511 Studios located in the Brewery District in downtown Columbus, this is a Note To Future Me. This is Brett Johnson, your host, and I'm the owner of Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. Chances are more of your podcast listeners than you even realize, care a great deal about proper grammar. Your podcast represents you and how you speak. You want your podcast listeners to understand what you're saying, to think you're bright and competent.
But your weak word choice might be raising eyebrows and red flags with incorrect word choices. People might not actually know what you're trying to say. Grammar rules were created to make communication clear. Communication is the heart of podcasting. When you use words incorrectly, you can sound sloppy and precise and even unprofessional. Here are six words you think you're using correctly in your podcasts, but you may not be... The words less and fewer.
Contrary to popular belief, these two words are not interchangeable. Here's a usage trick to keep in mind. If you can count the number of whatever it is you're referencing, use the word fewer if you can't use less. Remember, this rule is important enough that the Game of Thrones TV show had two characters correct? The misuse of the word less three times.
You may also remember in 2004, for a few years, Clear Channel's Less is More initiative, where the broadcast company began cutting commercial times from one minute to 30 seconds. You heard the branding on air on other stations with that slogan, Less Is More. Which, of course is grammatically incorrect. But continued the misuse of the word less on a large scale across the country.
I guess viewer is more doesn't really have the ring to it, literally and figuratively If what you're referring to is really happening, or is going to happen then and only then would you use the word literally. If you choose the word literally to describe metaphorical outcomes or to emphasize at present situation beyond what it actually is, you're potentially coming off as unnecessarily dramatic? Well, that or like you don't know what the word literally means. Imply and infer.
While both words deal with communicating and processing information, imply and infer, have different meanings when you imply you're the speaker and the one providing information and meaning. For example, I didn't mean to imply that there was anything wrong with the way you dress when you infer you're the listener, you're the one receiving information and taking a certain meaning from that information or situation.
For example, since you did not show up for the first day of work, we will infer that you are not serious about the job. Now's a good time to take another listen to your latest podcast episode and see how you're using your words. Do you have room to improve? Did you get your point across using the words you chose in that episode? Did you notice that you had to clarify your point more than one time?
As with anything you create, taking the time to speak grammatically correct as possible, save you time and save your listener time in understanding the point you're trying to convey. Want to learn more? Hey, be sure to sign up for my free daily. Open The Mic Newsletter. Each day is a different topic from articles around the web on podcast, monetization, podcast, marketing podcast, audio production, the week's podcast news and our suggestions for your next seven days. A podcast listening.
The link to that newsletter to sign up for free is in the podcast show notes.