What to do the day before, the ten minutes before and the hour of a session with Aloudable's AI interviewer, and how to steer what comes next.
By Aloudable
6 November 2026
A session with the AI interviewer is about an hour of conversation on the subject you know best. James asks the questions, you answer them, and we edit your recorded voice into a finished episode. There are no guests to book and nothing for you to edit afterwards. That leaves preparation as the one part that is yours, and it does not take long. This guide covers the day before, the ten minutes before you start, the session itself and what you can steer afterwards, whether you already record with us or are thinking about it.
The day before
Before each session, Iris, our AI producer, emails you a prep note. Read it once, then put it down. You are not preparing a lecture, and a script tends to make answers sound read rather than said.
What helps more is choosing two or three points you would be sorry not to make, and one example from your own work for each of them: a case, a result that surprised you, or a mistake you learned from. An example is easier to tell well than a definition, and it gives someone outside your field something to hold on to.
If the time no longer works, or you would like the prep note sooner, reply to Iris’s email and say so. She moves the session and confirms the new time by email, in your time zone and in UK time. You can also tell James at the end of a recording.
The ten minutes before
Most of what goes wrong in a recording is about the room, not the conversation, and it is quick to put right.
Use a computer with Chrome if you can. If you open the room in Firefox on a computer, it will ask you to switch to Chrome. On Safari or a phone, it records a short camera test before you can start.
Sit facing a window or a lamp, not with one behind you. The room looks at your picture before you begin and suggests a change if the light is dim or a bright window is behind you.
Sit in the middle of the frame with your camera uncovered. Start stays closed until the camera can see your face, and the room will nudge you back toward the middle if you are off to one side.
Close other apps that use your camera or microphone, and silence your phone.
Keep a glass of water nearby, and give yourself the whole hour.
None of this needs special equipment. The room tells you what to change before anything is recorded.
During the session
James is an AI interviewer. He works from a plan for the session and moves on once a topic has had its time. A few habits make the conversation easier to follow for someone listening later.
Answer the question you were asked first, then add the part you think matters most. If a question rests on something you think is wrong, say so plainly and explain why. If James asks about something you have already covered, tell him, and he will move on to new ground.
Talk as if to one interested person who is not in your field. Name a technical term the first time you use it and say in a sentence what it means. You do not need to simplify the science. You need to give the listener a way in.
If you stumble, pause and say the sentence again. There is no need to apologise or to start the whole answer over. We edit the recording, so a clean second attempt is enough.
After the session
After the episode itself there is a short post-show with James. Use it to say what you would like next time: a topic you ran out of time for, a question you wish he had asked, or a theme for the next episode. What you ask for sets the theme of your next session, and anything earlier sessions did not reach can come back later as a thread to pick up. You can also email Iris with the same thing at any point.
Before your first episode goes out, Iris emails it to you to watch, and it is released only once you say yes. For later episodes you get at least three days’ notice, and a reply asking us to hold one holds it.
One thing to do this week
Before your next session, or before your first, write down three points you would like a listener to remember from your field and one example from your own work for each. Keep the list by your screen while you record. It takes ten minutes, and it is the preparation we would suggest before anything else.
