diff --git a/backend/src/agent/podman.ts b/backend/src/agent/podman.ts
index a3611fc..6099780 100644
--- a/backend/src/agent/podman.ts
+++ b/backend/src/agent/podman.ts
@@ -71,15 +71,17 @@ export class PodMan {
 
     await recordCollision(collision);
     const action = preferredAction(collision, prior);
-    const names = collision.engineers.join(' and ');
+    const names = collision.engineers.join(' + ');
+    const shortFile = collision.file.split('/').pop() ?? collision.file;
+
+    // Terse, demo-centered alert — short and direct, not chatty AI prose.
     const message =
-      `${names} are both editing ${collision.file}` +
-      (collision.githubState?.unpushed ? ' and one has unpushed changes.' : '.') +
-      (prior?.priorOutcome?.accepted
-        ? ` I've seen this conflict pattern before; last time the team accepted the ${prior.priorIntervention?.suggestedAction.kind.replaceAll('_', ' ') ?? 'suggested'} action.`
-        : prior
-          ? ` I've seen this conflict pattern before.`
-          : '');
+      `Conflict: ${names} both on ${shortFile}` +
+      (collision.githubState?.unpushed ? ' (unpushed).' : '.') +
+      (prior ? ' Seen before.' : '');
+
+    // Spoken line is even shorter so the voice cue lands fast on stage.
+    const voiceLine = `Conflict. ${names}, both on ${shortFile}.`;
 
     const intervention: Intervention = {
       id: `int_${Date.now()}`,
@@ -106,6 +108,6 @@ export class PodMan {
       topic: DATA_TOPIC,
     });
     await publishHermesMessage(this.room, collision, intervention);
-    if (collision.severity === 'critical') await speak(this.room, message);
+    if (collision.severity === 'critical') await speak(this.room, voiceLine);
   }
 }
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/PodView.tsx b/frontend/src/components/PodView.tsx
index ebcb90f..9f9a11b 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/PodView.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/PodView.tsx
@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ export function PodView({
   const [sharing, setSharing] = useState(false);
   const [playingBeat, setPlayingBeat] = useState(false);
   const [note, setNote] = useState<string | null>(null);
+  const [audioBlocked, setAudioBlocked] = useState(false);
   const [leftStreamOpen, setLeftStreamOpen] = useState(() =>
     readStoredBool('podman.myStreamOpen', true),
   );
@@ -132,6 +133,11 @@ export function PodView({
     };
     const onAudioGone = (track: RemoteTrack) => track.detach().forEach((el) => el.remove());
     const onDisconnected = () => onLeaveRef.current();
+    // Browsers block autoplay of incoming audio until a user gesture unlocks it.
+    // Surface a button whenever the room can't play sound so PodMan's voice cues
+    // are actually heard.
+    const onPlaybackChanged = () => setAudioBlocked(!room.canPlaybackAudio);
+    onPlaybackChanged();
 
     room
       .on(RoomEvent.ParticipantConnected, refresh)
@@ -139,6 +145,7 @@ export function PodView({
       .on(RoomEvent.ActiveSpeakersChanged, refresh)
       .on(RoomEvent.TrackSubscribed, onAudio)
       .on(RoomEvent.TrackUnsubscribed, onAudioGone)
+      .on(RoomEvent.AudioPlaybackStatusChanged, onPlaybackChanged)
       .on(RoomEvent.Disconnected, onDisconnected);
 
     return () => {
@@ -148,10 +155,21 @@ export function PodView({
         .off(RoomEvent.ActiveSpeakersChanged, refresh)
         .off(RoomEvent.TrackSubscribed, onAudio)
         .off(RoomEvent.TrackUnsubscribed, onAudioGone)
+        .off(RoomEvent.AudioPlaybackStatusChanged, onPlaybackChanged)
         .off(RoomEvent.Disconnected, onDisconnected);
     };
   }, [room, me]);
 
+  async function enableSound() {
+    if (!room) return;
+    try {
+      await room.startAudio();
+      setAudioBlocked(!room.canPlaybackAudio);
+    } catch (e) {
+      setNote(`Could not enable sound: ${(e as Error).message}`);
+    }
+  }
+
   useEffect(() => {
     return () => {
       beatRef.current?.stop();
@@ -340,6 +358,23 @@ export function PodView({
               </Alert>
             )}
 
+            {room && audioBlocked && (
+              <Alert className="flex items-center justify-between gap-3">
+                <div className="flex items-start gap-3">
+                  <Volume2Icon />
+                  <div>
+                    <AlertTitle>Sound is off</AlertTitle>
+                    <AlertDescription>
+                      Click to hear PodMan&apos;s voice alerts.
+                    </AlertDescription>
+                  </div>
+                </div>
+                <Button size="sm" onClick={() => void enableSound()}>
+                  Enable sound
+                </Button>
+              </Alert>
+            )}
+
             <main className="grid flex-1 gap-5 lg:grid-cols-[minmax(0,1fr)_360px]">
               <section className="flex min-w-0 flex-col gap-5">
                 <div className="grid gap-3 sm:grid-cols-3">