2BT Guest Prep Page

Hey there. 

You're reading this post because you are about to be a guest on the 2 Broke Twimbos podcast. Firstly thank you for agreeing to be part of the show. We appreciate your participation and look forward to making this appearance beneficial and memorable

About 2BT

2 Broke Twimbos is a podcast hosted by DannythatGuy and Phil Chard. They're both passionate about promoting African creativity, positive ideas and having a good time on the show.  The show has over 200,000 downloads every month and interviews usually run from 20 - 60 minutes. 

The podcast has 2 episodes that drop on Mondays and Thursdays every week. On Monday we have Mental Wellness Mondays which is a show focused on promoting mental wellness and helping as many as we can. On Thursday we have the main show where we interview notable people about their careers and relevant topics. 

Interview Style

Both Dan and Phil like to keep things light and fun. 2BT is not a gossip rag looking for "got you" moments. If there is something you aren't comfortable discussing please let us know and we'll respect your wishes. Though our interviews are well researched, we try to have a free-flowing, entertaining conversation with guests. So please don't be nervous and approach this interview the same way you would approach a conversation with anyone you're meeting for the first time. We aren't going to ask you generic questions, nor do we want or expect you to have a prepared script of answers. We want the conversation to be free-flowing and entertaining. If you have a specific subject you'd like to discuss or a series of important stats you want to share, please write those down or commit them to memory. But please, don't be robotic. This isn't BBC Hardtalk, nor are we going to grill you about missing state funds. 

Remote Interviews on Zoom

Because of the pandemic, we tend to have more and more interviews on ZOOM. This is our preferred choice of apps for recording interviews remotely. So please familiarise yourself with the app beforehand. You don't need to download the app on your device to use it. Just follow the link that was shared with you to join the chat and ensure you grant ZOOM access to your microphone and camera.

You will receive an e-mail containing a link to connect the meeting, which you will open at the scheduled time. If you’re unable to connect or have any trouble, please e-mail info@2broketwimbos.com or call +263772419739

Here are some basic steps to prepare for the interview;

• First please check your internet connection. If your internet has a connection of around 1mbs (upload and download) then it should be fast enough to sustain a conversation without dropping

  • If it's slower than this then please try to secure a location with a connection of the speed mentioned above

• If possible please connect to your router via a wired connection rather than Wi-Fi

• If you can, please join the interview via your laptop. This is because laptop microphones tend to pick up audio better. If you have a recent model iPad, or flagship phone (iPhone X and later, Samsung Galaxy S29 and later etc) then that will be fine too

  • If you are joining via your phone, please ensure your phone is securely mounted somewhere and it is not swinging in your hand as you walk through your house or even adjust it as you sit somewhere. If it's on a table please place a towel or mat under it. This is to absorb sound vibrations and any taps or knocks on the table during the interview

• Please pause or close any bandwidth-intensive applications such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Netflix or any downloads.

• Please ensure your room has the right acoustics. (This is fancy speak for good sound.)

  • If you are in your room and clap your hands, and you hear an echo this is not the right room to record in.

  • Usually, the best acoustics can be easily obtained in smaller rooms with lots of furniture and carpets and curtains. 

    • Please make sure the door is closed and if you can please reduce any background noise like TVs, gadgets, pets and children. (Children have an off switch right?)

    • Please limit any noises such as squeaky chairs, clicking a pen, tapping the desk, etc.

  • If you have a car that is parked in a location with good internet then please conduct the interview from a stationary car. It is great at absorbing sound.

  • If you can, please face a curtain when recording. This will absorb the audio and have you sounding buttery smooth on the podcast. If you're able to set up your laptop or face into your clothes cupboard that'll be even better.

  • Anything you can do to absorb the sound. If you don't have any of these options then even having a blanket in front of you will do wonders. 

• If you have a USB microphone please connect it to your laptop and use it while on the call. 

• If you have a smartphone or iPad one way to guarantee quality audio is to record your side of the conversation via the voice memo app while on the ZOOM call and send the recording to us afterwards. It will sound like we were in the same room when we are done editing. 

• If you're an artist or have access to a soundcard and microphone then please use that. It will make a world of difference. 

• Please avoid using earbuds, AirPods or headphones as your microphone source. These devices compress audio and will have you sounding like you recorded the interview inside an empty tin. 

• Please use headphones as speakers so you can hear us while we speak. In fact, we encourage it, this will eliminate any echos. BUT PLEASE NOT AS A MICROPHONE SOURCE.

• All interviews are released as audio-only, but we conduct the interviews with video. This is so we can charm you with our searing gazes and it also allows us to build conversational rapport more easily. So please be prepared to join with the video on, but if putting on pants is too much work that's fine too. 

Additional Zoom settings

The instructions above should have your audio cleaner than a new whistle, but if you want to sound even better then  please follow these steps;

1. Open Zoom’s Settings, then select Audio on the left.

2. See the image aboove for how yours should look.

3. When we begin the meeting, the following setting will appear at the top left of the meeting window. Be sure to turn Original Sound ON, but only if you are wearing headphones.

4. You can click the arrow on the left side of the Original Sound menu to confirm your preferred microphone is selected.

If you have any questions before your interview please do contact us via the person who sent you this link or email info@2broketwimbos.com