3 Steps to Prepare your Speakers for Virtual Conferences

In this time of global crisis, transitioning your conference to virtual mode, partially or entirely, is a necessary market positioning strategy. The underlying processes to get your team there, however, can be quite intimidating. Some components of an engaging Run of Show will remain the same, while some extra work on tasks, such as preparing your speakers for online presentations, can seem stressful at first. Worry not — ConferenceCast is here to guide you through this exciting challenge. Here are 3 steps you can follow to make sure everything runs smoothly:

1) Test the Event Logistics BeforehandSpark Street Digital, our Live Streaming partner, can provide some insightful tips here. For example, make sure you have sufficient bandwidth — a minimum of 5Mbps — for both uploading and downloading. You can check sites such as Speedtest.net for a quick test.

You’ll also want to check your video and audio beforehand — this means doing a test recording to see how you look and how your audio sounds before it’s time for your presentation. In terms of lighting, you want the shot to light the speaker’s face from behind the camera, and not from behind the speaker. You should also position the camera such that the video looks centered.

As for audio, make sure that it sounds clear and that there aren’t any potentially distracting sources of sound nearby like air conditioners. Taking a test recording becomes quite important for such reasons — sounds you barely notice while shooting may be painfully obvious on the recording. Depending on whether you’re hosting an individual speaker or a panel, you may have to experiment with different headsets and external microphones to achieve optimal audio quality. Keep in mind that a lousy audio feed may leave listeners tuning out and disengaging.

2) Help your Speakers CommunicatePresenting on video is different from in-person in three key ways.

The first is that some hand gestures and body language won’t necessarily translate through video, depending on how you compose your shot. Speakers should be able to see themselves on screen — encourage them to take a few minutes leading up to the presentation to practice a few gestures to see how they look. A few rules of thumb are to limit body movements, gesture slowly, and look directly into the camera.

Second, consider the slide deck. Depending on which platform you’re using, the slide deck may be provided in picture-in-picture mode and may seem smaller than usual. Give your speaker a chance to look over the setup before they create their slides to make sure that all content is easy to read and conveys the appropriate information.

Third and finally, set up a line of communication between you, conference organizer, and the speaker, so that they can ask you any questions or let you know about any issues discreetly. Supporting speakers through their adjustments to virtual events is essential to making all parties feel comfortable and engaged during your event.

3) Increase Audience Engagement

There are two key ways speakers can increase audience engagement during a virtual talk without incremental costs. The first is by using polls to help them “read the room” and see what part of their presentation is interesting to the audience the most. They can then subtly tailor the presentation to those interests. If time is running out, running a quick poll can indicate which parts of your speech to deliver and which parts to leave out (and potentially, record and release post-conference).
Consider releasing recordings of the talk afterward, so that attendees can navigate it through other tools — such as transcripts, and podcasts. On-demand event recordings are also an effective way to reach those who, for a variety of reasons, could not join live.

The second is by taking audience questions — either at the end of the session or throughout. Ask your speakers which format works better with their presentation and make sure it’s explicitly mentioned to the audience before it starts. Remember, audience engagement doesn’t end when the session does. Consider releasing recordings of the talk afterward, so that attendees can navigate it through other tools — such as transcripts, and podcasts. On-demand event recordings are also an effective way to reach those who, for a variety of reasons, could not join live. Provide your speakers with a link or access code to the recording so that they can share it in their networks and expand your event’s influence.

Bonus Tip

Make absolutely sure all speakers and panelists in the room know when their microphones are on or muted. You may even pretend they’re always on to avoid any potentially embarrassing recordings. Keep in mind that you want your conference videos to go viral for their content — not for any potentially embarrassing moment.