Respect the Microphone

You are in a conference session and have a question to ask the speaker. Your opportunity comes along when the speaker chooses you to speak. Being excited you quickly ask your question but without the aid of a microphone. The result is that only the speaker (possibly) and those closest to you have any idea of what you asked.

But just by waiting a few seconds will ensure that everyone will be able to hear your question. Just hold on until the person with the microphone (the runner) can reach you.

Now everyone can benefit by being able to hear clearly. And this is really important at a hybrid event (event that brings on site and on line delegates together) where on line delegates will be participating in the event. 

You could be nervous about speaking into the microphone and having the ‘spotlight’ turned on you but take a couple of deep breaths and then just ask your question.  

When I am in conference sessions, I often ask what I think are obvious questions and then realise that a number of people in the room were thinking along similar lines. There really is no such thing as a daft question. Everyone has different levels of understanding and experience so go on and take the opportunity. 

Even if there is no on line audience in attendance it is just good practice to wait for the microphone.  At many events ‘content’ is now recorded and having quality audio throughout the session and not just when the speaker is speaking is imperative.  

If you are the speaker, please allow time for the microphone to reach the audience member and let everyone hear the question.

If you are the conference/event/session planner please ensure that you have enough hand held microphones and runners relevant to the size of the event. Critically; keep an eye on your microphone runners so that the microphone delivery is as smooth as possible. 

Questions are very important in sessions and they have a right all of their own to be there and treated with respect. Go on, wait for the microphone as everyone will benefit by being able to hear.  

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Dealing with the Unexpected

Having a back-up plan is always useful at any event but it’s especially critical at a hybrid event when you have both on site and on line audiences to look after. 

The simple fact is that you cannot afford to lose the attention of either audience but it’s a lot easier to explain what is happening (what has gone wrong) to the onsite audience as usually you be with them on the spot. 

The more challenging part can come when you need to let the online audience know what has happened or is going on. 

Imagine that the online audience are at their PCs, on their tablets or their mobile devices and they are enjoying your hybrid event and then the streaming stops. No longer do they have any image or sound coming out of their device. What happens next?

If nothing happens fairly quickly then you can guarantee that the online audience will probably move on and leave your event. It’s vital therefore that you have a means of communicating with them, maybe via a help number or maybe by using social media channels but the important thing is to let them know what has happened. 

You must not wait either, what may seem like a few moments to you on site will seem so much longer to that on line attendee that is literally in the dark. Don’t delay put your Plan B quickly into place and manage the expectations of your audience.

Usually people are sympathetic when problems occur but they can rapidly lose patience through lack of information.

The key for your successful hybrid event is to keep everything moving which means understanding your Plan B and executing it if needed. 

Powerpoint Presentation Considerations at Hybrid Events

Over the years I have heard speakers actually apologizing for their PowerPoint (PPT) presentations! This came as something of a shock to me initially, after all why would anyone present their content in a way that they were not happy or proud of? But, there are some speakers/coaches/facilitators that do just that. To be fair they probably don’t mean to present in such a way but it does happen.

At a recent event I was listening and looking at a presentation and all was going well until the dreaded graphs appeared as part of the PowerPoint. It was at this point that the speaker made an apology for the slide(s) and I rapidly lost interest in the presentation.  

There was something of significance on the slide but I couldn’t see it and the graphs were not explained so I found myself unable to follow the point of that slide. Was it essential to the presentation? I will never know. Did it affect my ability to follow the key point of the presentation? Unfortunately, my concentration was disturbed and I was no longer in the flow of the presentation.

I have been to live events, where to have seen the PowerPoint I would have needed a telescope!

If graphs are going to be used that is fine but I think the key point of the slide needs to be developed in such a way that it becomes obvious without the need for the audience member trying to figure out what all the miniature figures/statistics actually mean.

I think there is little point in saying that if you cannot see the figures don’t worry as they will be e mailed after the presentation. What’s the point? The speaker has the audience there and then and that is the time to make the presentation really work.

A bad PowerPoint has no place at any event and even more so when a hybrid event is being produced. Just think how quickly your online audience will turn off if they cannot understand the slides or even see them.

Be proud of your presentation and never apologise. If you think you have to apologise then that is a sign to re-think the point of the slide in your presentation. 

Remember also that you have an online audience to consider and you certainly will not see them leave the room but they will go if your presentation isn’t keeping their interest. 

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No Time to Waste for Your Hybrid Event Success

Keeping to time is essential when it comes to the making or breaking of hybrid events. After all you have on-site and on-line  participants to look after.

With an event that isn’t hybrid it could be argued that as you have just one audience in the same room it doesn’t matter as much if the timings slip. But I think that is just a way out of not making some brave decisions e.g. moving the CEO or speakers on if they start to over-run.

I have been at events where planners have waited and waited until more people finally turned up. How does that help anyone?  If some people are not there, just start the event with the people that have arrived. No excuses please.  It’s basically unfair to those people that made the effort and were on time. Plus you can guarantee that once you start late the rest of the programme will carry on late as well.

If you don’t start on time it sends a very clear message to the participants that you don’t care and I would suspect that would be the furthest thought from your mind.  

If you are late for a train it goes without you. The timetable doesn’t change because a number of people haven’t made it to the platform.

Speakers would never want to be seen as ‘time thieves’ and so if they start to exceed their agreed time slot then you will need to have a way of politely moving them on. A good emcee or host will be able to facilitate this for you.

The whole issue of time and punctuality becomes even more pronounced at hybrid events. The on-line participants may just be interested in one aspect of the programme and if your event is not on time then that wouldn’t be good.   

Run your event according to schedule and you can be sure that everyone (on-site and on-line participants) will be happy.  After all time is the one item that can never be replaced. 

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Sounding Brilliant

When it comes to speaking at any type of event (but especially hybrid events), one of the key factors for the benefit of the audience is sound. How does the speaker(s) sound? Can they be heard? Are the microphones working perfectly? How is the sound in general?

If the sound isn’t good then the audience will suffer, they will lose the essence of the message and either they will start working on their mobile device or they will probably just leave. And none of that is good for the event planner that has gone to the effort of producing a dazzling line up of speakers in the first place.

Testing the sound with speakers (humans not the kit) before they make their entrance is to my mind a non-negotiable activity. Concerts and productions will be going through numerous sound checks prior to the opening performance because sound is so crucial to their success. You may think that maybe it’s not as crucial for a conference but I would argue that, (especially over a long pint of beer) it is just as crucial to the success of an event.

Over the last few years I have spoken at a number of conferences and what has surprised me is the variety in care when it comes to sound. 

There are some brilliant audio visual people that will help to ensure that the speaker is very comfortable and they answer all sorts of questions to make sure the speaker feels at ease before taking the stage. Then there are other audio visual people who actually leave the room at the very moment when they are needed. It happens. Thankfully not often but it does.

Before speaking I want to know, what kind of microphone will I be using? Is it a hand held or will it be attached to my clothing? Can I move around the stage or do I need to stand still because of the proximity of other microphones that may be on the stage? When I am involved in a panel discussion on stage should I be using the hand held mic or can I continue to use my attached mic?  My list is my own personal checklist so that I know the sound will be good.

I never want my sound to be choppy, I certainly don’t want to pierce the ear drums of my audience and that is why I ask (always) many questions of the audio visual people to make sure that I know how the sound is before I then get on with the task in hand of delivering some thought provoking content to the audience that have come to hear me.

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Cut Cut Cut the Clattering Coffee Cups

One of my pet hates is being at an event and really wanting to focus and learn from the speaker who is presenting but then being caught up in the medley of noise that comes from coffee cups or food being cleared away.

The noise is a distraction and puts pressure on the speaker and affects the participants in the room. Somehow the moving of coffee cups, saucers and spoons creates a life all of its own. 

Usually I wouldn’t notice as much but at an event to me the distracting sound becomes even more pronounced. I have no idea really why it is allowed to happen? The event planner can clearly state as many do that certain things can or cannot happen and most venues or caterers work accordingly so all should be well. But, sometimes it just doesn’t happen.

Only recently I was at a charity fundraising dinner; the coffee had been served, the key speaker was talking about her experiences of people and their moments of personal anguish, the audience were captivated as they were on the emotional journey and just as the speaker was reaching the pinnacle of her speech along came the people to clear away the coffee cups. The noise affected both the speaker and some of the audience and I was left wondering why it had been allowed to happen?

Imagine that you are reaching the breath-taking finale of your favourite film and in the background you hear some noise that distracts you. Well it would be annoying (to put it mildly) and on a film production you can be sure that the Director would have called CUT!! so why don’t event planners do the same? Yes the events are not films but they are still productions and should be treated with the same professionalism as any great film producer will bring to bear.

A clattering coffee cup certainly has no place at any event and even more so when a hybrid event is being produced. Just think how quickly your remote audience will turn off if all they can hear is the clinking together of cups and cutlery?

It is essential that the catering staff understand that there are only certain times when they can deliver the food and drinks to ensure that they don’t appear as extras in your event.

Attention to detail is key to producing professional events and if you believe that your event is about to be affected by the clatter of coffee cups you should shout "CUT" very loudly. 

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Five Quick Tips For Your Hybrid Event Planning

I really enjoy the challenges and opportunities that hybrid events bring. To me, a hybrid event is “bringing together a face to face and remote audience for a shared participatory experience in real time.” Here are a few quick tips that I hope will help you with your hybrid event planning.  

Tip 1 – Event Objectives

Is the hybrid event really the right format that is going to deliver according to your event objectives? Do not have a hybrid event just because you think it is the latest thing you have to do. It always has to be appropriate and not every event needs to be or should be a hybrid.

Tip 2 – Two Audiences

Never forget that you have more than one audience. There is absolutely nothing more annoying than to be the remote participant that has been forgotten.

Tip 3 – Planning The Programme

Programme planning is very important as you need to be able to visualize how the remote attendees will be able to participate and how you will let them know to return to the programme.  With a face to face audience it’s simple, at the end of the coffee break people return to the main room. But with remote attendees how will you ensure that they have come back and are ready to join you again?

Tip 4 – Exercises Do Not Always Translate

An exercise that can be easily carried out in a live environment may make for some challenges when trying it with remote participants.  Networking is a good example. It is easy for people to get to know each other in a two minute ice breaker style session in person but how will you do that with remote participants?

Tip 5 - Focus Your Speakers

Many professional speakers will not have a problem in speaking at a hybrid event but they can still forget (albeit inadvertently) that there is an audience outside of the room. So it’s always worth prompting them to be on the safe side and do let them know which camera to address.  With those speakers that may not be used to being filmed you may need to help them so that they become comfortable before speaking. 

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