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.  

Related Posts and Resources 

Hybrid Event Centre 

Event Planning on Planet Planit 

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.