It seems so easy to hear the mistakes your competitors make – the things they do that are dumb, not thought out well, phony-sounding, pukey, lame, irritating or obvious.

But for most air talents, it’s hard to hear ourselves the same way.
It’s because we know it’s us. Someone we like. Someone we root for and want to succeed.

So here’s the lesson:

To really be able to listen to audio of yourself and make improvement, you want to try and hear yourself as a disembodied voice that belongs to someone else. You need to critique yourself just like you would your most hated competitor.

I’ve always tried to listen to myself like it was just an aircheck that someone sent in looking for a job, and assess it accordingly, asking things like…

Does this person get to the point?

Is he having fun?

Is he obvious, or does he go somewhere with things that most people don’t?

If I were coaching him, what would I tell him to help him get better?

You don’t want to kid yourself about your strengths or weaknesses. Maybe they’re not what you think they are. If you’re not sure, I’ll be glad to help you.