Prepare Your Speakers For Your Virtual Event
Even the best speakers tend to feel nervous before they need to get on stage and if they are not used to virtual events, then they might feel more so. So, as the virtual event planner, you need to prepare your speakers and ensure that they are comfortable for the big day.
One of the reasons why virtual events can be successful is the level of engagement that they are capable of bringing. And a major contributing factor to it is the quality of speakers and the content that they present. If it is creative, interactive, and holds the attention of the audience, that’s half the job done.
Keeping the above in mind, here are a few easy tips that you can use to prepare your speakers for your next virtual event.
1. Be in the know
Before you approach your speakers, let them know all about your event and how you intend to host it. If possible, carry a brochure or a presentation that explains the event and the virtual event you’re hosting. Once you have their buy-in, spend some time helping them understand the tool. Do a couple of demos and then ask them to use it for themselves and practice their segment on it until they feel comfortable.
Remember, your speakers should know how to share their screens, take chats, switch modes to games or polls, etc.
2. Make it fun
One of the best virtual event ideas is to be creative. It always works! Creativity is the best thing a speaker can possess because that will make their content all the more consumable. So, let your speakers know that since the audience is virtual, they should consider making their content more visually appealing and interactive.
The speaker has plenty of engagement tools at their disposal to make their segment more fun-filled onn platforms like Hopin, vFairs, Almond Virtex, Airmeet, Hubilo. So, advise them on how to use it and ensure that they do.
3. Be inclusive
Before you enter into an agreement, let your speaker know that the audience is going to be wide. This will allow them time to prepare for a large and diverse audience. Make sure you work closely with them on this because there will be people from different cultures and backgrounds and you want your event to be meaningful to all of them. A common blunder to overcome in your next virtual show is being oblivious to the cultural norms in different countries.
4. Be clear and audible
Surprisingly, speakers can be very fast when they talk at a virtual event. One of the main reasons is that they can’t ‘see’ their audience and so can’t gauge their reaction. So, let your speakers know in advance that they have a certain duration of time for their presentation and that they should utilize it completely.
Dry runs here might help. Listen to the speaker and if you think they’re going too fast, ask them to pause, take breaks, or include more interactive games in their segment.
5. Feel your audience’s pulse
Sometimes during virtual events, it may be more difficult for speakers to look at audience questions and respond to them. If they are well-prepared and well-versed with the platform, this may be avoided.
Your speakers should be able to promptly address questions from the audience through the chat feature on your platform. If for some reason, they are unable to do so, you could deploy a moderator who could take 30 seconds to a minute at the end of every slide to make your speaker address questions.
A well-prepared speaker can really change the entire rhythm of your event to make it exciting and rewarding for its attendees.
