What to Say When You Sit Down to Record

The hardest part is usually the first ten seconds.

Most people freeze. Then they say something formal they'd never say in real life, and it doesn't sound like them at all.

The recordings worth keeping are rarely the grand ones. They're the ordinary ones.

Start with something small

A name. A goodnight. A laugh. The line someone hears from you every single week.

If you're not sure how to begin, begin the way you'd begin on the phone. "Hi, it's me." That's enough to get going.

Before you press record

A little bit of setting up makes the whole thing easier.

Pick a quiet spot. A calm room means your voice is the only thing on the recording. Turn off the TV, close the door, let the dog out.

Have a few ideas ready. You don't need a script, and you shouldn't read one. Just jot down two or three things you'd like to say so you're not searching for words.

Say it out loud once first. A practice run gets the nerves out. The second go is almost always more natural than the first.

Choose your moment. Record when you're relaxed, not rushed. A slow Sunday beats a busy Monday morning.

You have three minutes

That's more than it sounds, and less than you might think. Here's one way to use it, if it helps.

The first minute. Say hello the way you always do. Use their name. Tell them what you're doing today, or what you're thinking about.

The middle. Read a page of a favourite book. Tell a short story you've told before. Sing a few lines of a song, off key if that's how it goes.

The end. Say goodnight, or whatever you always say. Say "I love you" if that feels right. Then stop.

You don't need to fill every second. A pause is fine. Laughing at yourself is fine. Starting again is fine.

Ideas for what to say

If you're stuck, here are a few places to start:

• Their name, said the way only you say it
• What you hope their day holds
• A favourite memory you share, told simply
• A joke or saying that's just between the two of you
• The thing you say at the end of every phone call
• Where you are right now and what you can see
• "I'm proud of you," or "I'm thinking of you," or whatever is true for you

Keep it simple. Short and real beats long and rehearsed.

What to leave out

You don't need to say anything profound. You don't need to give advice, explain yourself, or wrap things up neatly.

Skip the big speech. Skip the voice you use for formal occasions. If you wouldn't say it across the kitchen table, you don't need to say it here.

It only has to sound like you

Nobody is listening for polish. They'll be listening for your voice, the way you say their name, the little things you didn't know you did.

Listen back before you finish. If it sounds like you, it's right. Once you're happy with it, the recorder locks so the message can't be erased by accident. No app, no downloads. Squeeze to play.

Whose voice would you record first?

Maybe it's a parent or a grandparent. Maybe a partner who's away. Maybe your own, for someone who'd love to hear it on an ordinary day.

You don't have to wait for a special occasion. Sometimes an ordinary Tuesday is the one worth keeping.

Save this for when you sit down to record. And start with the voice you'd miss most.

Stay well, wherever you are.