How do I set up video and audio for a mentoring session?
Nobody remembers a good picture. Everyone remembers a session where they could not hear half the sentences.
- Read time
- 3 minutes
- Module
- Getting started
- Session length
- 30 minutes
What good looks like.
Sound is the priority. Wired headphones beat laptop speakers and beat most expensive microphones in a normal room.
Put the light in front of you and the window behind the screen. A face lit from behind reads as a silhouette on a low-end phone.
Assume the mentee is on mobile data. Turn off background video effects, close other tabs, and be ready to drop to audio only without treating it as a failure.
A sequence you can follow.
- 01
Test five minutes early
Join the empty room and check you can hear yourself back.
- 02
Use headphones
It removes echo for the person listening, not for you.
- 03
Fix the light
Face a window or a lamp; never sit with one behind you.
- 04
Have a fallback
Agree in the first minute what you both do if the video drops.
What to avoid.
Joining from a moving car or a busy café
Leaving a blurred background on over a weak connection
Discovering the microphone is muted four minutes in
Extra tips
Small things that make the half hour better.
Wired headphones win
They remove echo for the listener, which speakers never do.
Light from the front
A window behind you turns your face into a shape.
Plan for a weak line
Agree in minute one what you both do if video drops.
Join five minutes early
Test sound in the empty room, not on the mentee.
Take this guide with you.
Download a printable version of this guide: the short answer, the steps, the extra tips, the mistakes to avoid and the questions mentors ask, to read before your next session.
The things people ask first.
Does my background matter?
Only that it is not distracting. A plain wall is fine.
Can I do a session by audio only?
Yes. Say so at the start so the mentee knows it is deliberate.
Next: Mentoring when you are early in your own career.
Two years ahead is often more useful than twenty.