Virtual Events - The Importance of Techincal Checks
‘We can’t hear you’, ‘Can you unmute?’, ‘You sound a bit crackly...’
We have all been in the audience trying to hear a speaker who sounds like they are broadcasting from underwater, inside a washing machine or perhaps even worse, hearing no sound at all.
And if the audio works, sometimes the picture does not…with many things impacting the visual experience such as presenter positioning and camera quality, backgrounds and the lighting, or lack of it- no one wants to see their senior leader speaking from the shadows…
It is one of the biggest fears of any organiser of a virtual or Hybrid event; the presenters, often Senior leaders of the business, not being seen or heard at their very best….
This is why at Purple Monster, we place a great deal of importance on holding technical checks with all speakers taking part in one of our virtual or Hybrid events.
Whilst we understand that time is a scarce commodity in a lot of people’s lives, it is always worth taking 15 minutes to half an hour to run through a technical check ahead of speaking or presenting.
Our studio technicians have a solid process that we run with any speaker for an event, that will carefully take them through a very simple step by step process, looking at light, sound, positioning- all done remotely.
These short sessions ensure that we can mitigate any risks that may impact the presentation. It also provides us an excellent opportunity to answer any questions the speaker may have on a one-to-one basis.
Our top tips for getting ‘Remote Presenter Ready’:
- Position light sources in front of you, highlighting your face clearly.
- Try and be in a quiet room with minimal to no distractions.
- Frame yourself so you are aligned to the middle of the screen with a bit of space above your head.
- Ensure that your laptop has full charge!
- If you have some, use headphones- if you use wireless headphones, ensure they are also fully charged.
- If possible, use a wired internet connection for a more stable line.
- Remember to put the dog/cat/parrot/ small children* in another room.
- Don’t be too close or too far away from the camera.
- Most importantly, please do make the time to undertake a technical check
Don’t worry, we can take your presenters through each stage of the check to make sure they will come across loud and clear.
*Purple Monster do not recommend leaving small children unattended