I'm delighted you're joining me. Hanselminutes is a friendly, conversational show, and the prep is mostly about helping you sound like yourself: clear, relaxed, and easy to listen to.
Quick checklist before we record
- Use headphones or earbuds so the other side of the conversation does not echo back into your mic.
- Use an external microphone if you can. A good USB mic is great; this best mic option is even better.
- Avoid the laptop microphone and, if possible, avoid Bluetooth earbuds for the recording.
- Choose a quiet, soft room. Curtains, books, rugs, and furniture help more than an empty office.
- Prefer wired internet. If you are on Wi-Fi, sit close to the router and ask folks nearby to pause streaming or large downloads.
- Close noisy apps, browser tabs, Slack/Teams, backups, and anything that might use your CPU or network.
- Plug in your laptop and silence notifications before we start.
Use the Zencastr link in the invite
I'll send a calendar invite with the Zencastr recording link. Please join from Chrome or Edge a few minutes early so we can check your microphone, headphones, and levels.
Zencastr records high-quality local audio and uploads it after the call. When we wrap, please leave the tab open until Zencastr says the upload is complete.
No performance required
This is a relaxed conversation, not a keynote. We can pause, restate something, or take a second if needed. I want you to sound thoughtful and comfortable.
If there are topics you want to emphasize, avoid, or disclose carefully, send them ahead of time and we will steer accordingly.
A few details for the show page
- A quality headshot.
- A short bio and preferred name pronunciation.
- Links, socials, projects, books, or articles we should include.
- Any disclosures, conflicts, or topics you would rather avoid.
I'll take it from there
After recording, I'll stitch the local tracks together, clean up the audio, and publish the episode with your links and photo. The goal is simple: a great conversation that sounds good for everyone.