Further Information

Tell Your Story, Safely

The full guide from our storytelling workshop at Kelvingrove Live.

Everyone has a story worth telling. This is a simple guide to telling a true story about yourself, whether for a podcast, online, or just for someone you love, in a way that's honest and looks after you at the same time. Take what's useful and leave the rest.

Part 1: Telling your story safely

Before the kit and the how-to, this is the part that matters most. Five simple ideas that keep storytelling honest and safe, for you and for anyone listening.

1. Tell the scar, not the wound

A scar has healed, so you can look at it and talk about it. A wound is still open. Tell the stories you've come out the other side of, not the ones you're still in the middle of. If something is still raw, it's not that it doesn't matter, it's that today might not be the day to share it with the world.

2. You choose what to share

Being honest doesn't mean telling everything. You decide what goes in and what stays yours. Whatever you hold back isn't you failing to be open. It's yours to keep, and everyone should have a bit they keep.

3. You're not the only person in your story

Your story has other people in it, and they didn't agree to be shared. Tell your side, be careful with theirs, and change a name if you need to. A good test: would you be happy for them to hear it?

4. You can change your mind

Consent isn't a one-off. You can stop mid-sentence, decide not to use something, or share it and then think better of it later. Changing your mind is always allowed, and you never have to explain why.

5. Listen as well as you talk

If you're recording someone else, the real skill is listening. Ask open questions (“What was that like?” rather than “Did you enjoy it?”), let silences sit for a few seconds, and if something sounds heavy, one gentle “do you want to say more?” is kinder than digging.

Finding your story

A story is a moment, not a topic. “Sport means everything to me” is a topic. “The first time I walked to training on my own” is a story. To find yours:

•     Start with something that matters to you.

•     Narrow it to one moment: a particular day, place or person.

•     Tell it in three parts: where you were, what happened, and what was different afterwards.

•     Reach for one small detail, what you could smell, what someone said. Detail is what makes a story feel real.

A quick check before you hit record: Is this a scar, not a wound? Am I happy for people to hear it, maybe for years? Have I been fair to the other people in it? Do I know I can stop or change my mind? If yes, you're ready.

Part 2: Turning it into a podcast

You don't need much to start. Here's the whole process, kept simple.

1.   Plan. A few bullet points, not a script. Know your first line and your last.

2.   Record. Somewhere quiet with soft furnishings. A room with a rug, curtains, or even a wardrobe full of clothes kills echo. Keep the mic close and steady, and record a ten-second test first.

3.   Keep it short. One clear minute beats five flat ones, most people over-record.

4.   Edit. Cut the ums, the false starts and the long gaps but keep things natural. Free tools do this well (see below).

5.   Top and tail. A short intro saying what it is, and a sign-off, add royalty-free music if you like.

6.   Publish. A hosting service puts your episode onto Spotify, Apple Podcasts and the rest. Several are free to start.

Tips worth knowing

•     Wear headphones while recording so you hear problems as they happen.

•     Record a minute of “room tone” (silence in the space). It helps smooth your edits later.

•     Save a backup before you start editing.

•     Many apps now transcribe automatically, which makes editing much faster.

Think in sound, not just words

The words are only half a story. The other half is everything around them, and it's the part people forget to capture. A story about your gran's kitchen is richer if you can actually hear the kettle, the radio in the background, the specific squeak of that cupboard door. Sound puts the listener in the room.

So as you go, collect more than the talking. A few kinds worth gathering:

Atmosphere. The general sound of a place so maybe a busy cafe, a quiet park at dawn, rain on a window, a football crowd. Record a minute of it and let it breathe, this is what makes a story feel like it's somewhere.

The little details. The small, specific sounds that belong to your story. Boots on gravel, a zip, a mug set down, a dog's tags jingling - one well-placed detail can say more than a sentence.

Doing the thing. If your story is about baking, record the actual mixing and the oven door. If it's about running, record your feet and your breath, catching a moment as it happens beats describing it afterwards.

Room tone. Wherever you record a voice, also grab thirty to sixty seconds of that room's "silence". It's never truly silent, and having it makes your edits invisible later, boring to record, essential to have.

A few ways to think about it:

• Ask yourself: if someone closed their eyes, what would tell them where they are?

• Record more than you think you need. You can't go back for a sound once the moment's gone.

• Get close. Sound falls off fast, so put the mic near whatever's making the noise.

• Keep a quiet ten seconds before and after each sound, so it's easy to edit.

• Listen back on headphones. You'll hear things your ears skip past in the moment.

Then, when you build your story, these sounds become the scenery. A voice over the right atmosphere and a couple of real details stops being a recording and starts being a place.

Part 3: Equipment, whatever your budget

You genuinely do not need expensive gear to make something good. A clear story recorded on a phone in a quiet room will always beat a dull one recorded on expensive kit. Below are the options most people actually use, from free upwards. Prices are rough guides and move around, so treat them as a starting point.

Just a phone (free, or nearly)

•     Your phone's built-in recorder (Voice Memos on iPhone, Recorder on Android) is better than people expect. Hold it close, in a quiet room.

•     Free apps to record, edit and publish from a phone: Spotify for Creators, Spreaker Studio, or Podbean.

•     On iPhone or iPad, Ferrite Recording Studio is a superb touchscreen editor with a free tier.

•     A cheap wired clip-on (lavalier) mic, around £15 to £25 into your phone, is a big step up from the built-in mic for interviews.

•     To edit on a computer for free: Audacity (Windows, Mac, Linux) or GarageBand (Mac and iOS).

Clip-on wireless mics (record on the move)

These are the little transmitters you see clipped to creators' collars. They pair with your phone or camera, sound far better than a built-in mic, and are ideal for interviews, walking-and-talking and anything out and about.

•     DJI Mic Mini. Tiny and great value, two mics and a receiver from around £85. A popular first wireless mic.

•     RØDE Wireless Micro. Beginner-friendly and phone-focused, around £85 to £99.

•     RØDE Wireless ME. A single-person system around £139, a common step up for solo creators.

•     Stepping up. The DJI Mic 2 (around £250) and RØDE Wireless GO II (around £279) add onboard recording and better sound. The RØDE Wireless PRO is the professional option, with 32-bit float.

USB microphones (for sitting down at a computer)

If you mostly record at a desk, a USB mic plugs straight into your computer and needs nothing else.

•     Samson Q2U. A long-standing budget favourite around £65, and it works over USB or XLR.

•     RØDE NT-USB Mini or PodMic USB. Around £90 to £180, a clear step up in warmth and clarity.

•     Shure MV7. Around £250, a broadcast-style mic used by a lot of podcasters, USB and XLR.

Handheld recorders (record anywhere, no computer needed)

Field recorders are the workhorse for interviews and recording out in the world. The newer Zoom “essential” models use 32-bit float, which in plain terms means you barely have to set levels, it's very hard to record too loud or too quiet.

•     Zoom H1essential. Around £90, pocket-sized with two built-in mics. A brilliant first recorder.

•     Zoom H4essential. Around £170, adds two XLR inputs so you can plug in proper mics for interviews.

•     Zoom H6essential. Around £280, for when you need to record several mics at once.

The kit we use (for reference)

•     A RØDECaster Pro II as the recording hub, with dynamic microphones.

•     A Mac for editing.

•     REAPER as the editing software, a powerful one-off purchase rather than a subscription.

Good kit helps, but technique and a quiet room matter more than the price of the gear.

Recording someone who isn't in the room

To interview someone who's somewhere else, the trick the pros use is a “double-ender”: you each record your own end where you are, then combine the two afterwards. That way the sound quality doesn't depend on the phone line or internet holding up.

Browser-based tools do this for you, recording each person on their own clear track. Good free or low-cost options:

•     Zencastr. Records each guest on their own track in the browser, with a free plan to start. No download needed.

•     Cleanfeed. Long a favourite for audio, simple and reliable, free for basic use and popular with radio makers.

The simplest fallback is to record the call on your phone or in a video-call app. The quality is lower, but it's completely fine for getting started, and you can always ask the other person to record their side too and send it over. Make sure you both are wearing headphones to prevent any sound being lost (it’s called a feedback loop).

Hosting your podcast

•     Free to start: Spotify for Creators.

•     Popular hosts with good analytics and a built-in website: Buzzsprout, Podbean, Captivate.

A host takes your finished file and lists it across all the podcast apps automatically.

Part 4: Looking after yourself

Telling a personal story can stir things up. If making one brings something up for you, please talk to someone you trust. You can also reach these free, confidential services.

For anyone, any time

•     Samaritans. Call 116 123, free, 24 hours a day, every day.

•     Shout. Text SHOUT to 85258, free, 24/7 text support.

In Scotland

•     Breathing Space. Call 0800 83 85 87, for anyone 16 and over. Open weekday evenings 6pm to 2am, and 24 hours at weekends.

•     Contact your GP in the first instance. NHS 24. Call 111 and choose the mental health option, any time.

For children and young people

•     Childline. Call 0800 1111, free and confidential, for under-19s, 24/7.

•     Papyrus HOPELINE247. Call 0800 068 4141 or text 88247, for under-35s or anyone worried about a young person.

If you're outside the UK

You can find a helpline in your country through Befrienders Worldwide (befrienders.org) or the International Association for Suicide Prevention's directory at iasp.info/resources/Crisis-Centres.

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999, or your local emergency number.