Preparing your speakers for virtual live sessions

If you are using SpotMe services for your event then typically our team will be managing the live session production and will take care of preparing your speakers for your live sessions.

If you are managing the live session production for your virtual live sessions on your own then you will need to make sure that your speakers are comfortable and well prepared.

To prepare speakers for presenting live, we recommend that you:

1. (Day 0) Send each speaker a personalized email briefing invitation. This email contains preparation and testing instructions, reference materials, and an invite to a speaker briefing.
    
2. Collect speaker presentations, Q&A questions, polls. Make sure that you receive from your speakers any final versions of slides that they want to share, polls they would like to run by your audience, and Q&A questions they’d like to address.
    
3. Create a Run of Show (RoS) that describes how the live session will unfold. Make sure it is as detailed as possible.
    
4. (Day 7) Run individual or group speaker briefings.
   Testing the set-up and walking through the applicable parts of the RoS, with a full practice run of the live session. We recommend no more than 4 speakers in a group briefing for efficiency. If you have more speakers, then schedule individual or multiple group briefings.
    
5. Send the marching orders and reminder 2 hours before the live session - to make sure your speakers are fully prepared, using the “Get ready checklist”.

1. Send each speaker a briefing email with a calendar invite

Sending your speakers some information and preparation materials will help make sure they are informed and prepared for the live session.

We recommend that you send an email briefing invitation one week prior to the actual briefing, that contains information on:

• Preparing and testing their set-up (internet connection, laptop, camera, microphone, environment).
• Accessing the live session.
• The tools and controls they will be using (SpotMe Studio or others).
• The interactivity options that are available/or will be used during the live session.

As part of the briefing, it is important that speakers use the same setup as they plan to use for the live session.

Below is a template email text that you can personalize based on your speakers and the live session.

1.a Speaker briefing invitation email template

"Dear [SPEAKER NAME],

We want to make sure that you are comfortable and prepared for your upcoming live presentation(s) at {{event name}}. 

To do this, we would like you to:

1. Prepare and test your equipment and environment set-up (microphone, camera, internet connection, room/location, lighting). As part of the briefing, it is important that you use the same set up that you plan to use for the live session.
2. Familiarize yourself with SpotMe Studio (how to use the basic controls, share slides, polling, Q&A, and how to communicate with the AV crew).
3. Join a speaker briefing so that we can practice and walk you through the above.

1 - Prepare and test your equipment and environment set-up

We recommend that you comply with the SpotMe platform user requirements for speakers, and in particular that you:

• As part of the briefing, it is important that you use the same set up that you plan to use for the live session.
• Have your computer equipped with the webcam and microphone that you plan to use for the live session.
• Use a current browser version of Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge (79+) - Make sure all updates are done prior to the call. Don’t forget to allow microphone and camera permissions (enable permissions on Google Chrome and enable permissions on Microsoft Edge (79+).
• Make sure you are using a wired connection with a minimum of 10 Mbps connection. You can run a connection test by clicking on https://fast.com/.
• Use a quiet room and private space to prevent any disturbances.
• Wear earbuds or headphones to prevent audio echoes while you are speaking, and prevent your mic from rubbing against anything. We strongly recommend that you have a wired headset available that you can switch to as a backup if you are using earbuds.
• Turn off any VPNs or firewalls before joining.

2 - Familiarize yourself with SpotMe Studio

To make sure that you are familiar with the live session platform, and have taken note of all our recommendations for preparing for the live session, by reviewing the Speaker guide - using live session interactivity and preparing to speak.

We also recommend that you read through this article to familiarize yourself with the controls in Studio that are available to speakers.

3 - Join a speaker briefing

You can join the briefing by accessing this [INSERT STUDIO SPEAKER LINK]. 
We will also send you a calendar invite with the link and details so you can be prepared.

As you prepare by going through the above points, please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions before the briefing.

Kind regards”

1.b Speaker briefing calendar invite template

“This is a briefing invitation to check your system in our broadcast tool “SpotMe Studio” in preparation for the [EVENT NAME], and to perform a live session practice run.
 

Please join this speaker briefing using this link: [INSERT STUDIO LINK]

Important Information:

How can I join a live stream as a speaker
Host or speaker connectivity test

Items that will be covered:

• Testing your environment (microphone, camera, connection).
• Explaining how to use SpotMe Studio (slides, polling, Q&A, how to communicate with the AV crew).
• Briefing and practice run.
   

We recommend that you comply with the SpotMe platform user requirements for speakers, and in particular that you. As part of the briefing, we also recommend that you use the same set up that you plan to use for the live session.

• Use a laptop or desktop with a webcam and mic, in the same exact conditions that you will be in for the live session.
• Use a recent version of Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera, or Brave to join SpotMe Studio
• Make sure any software or application updates are done before the call.
• Don’t forget to allow microphone and camera permissions to your browser (Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge (79+), Opera, Brave).
• Make sure you have a good and stable internet connection - minimum 10 Mbps connection - you can run a test by clicking on https://fast.com/.
• Use a quiet and private room, so you will not be disturbed.
• Wear earbuds or headphones to prevent audio echoes while you are speaking. It is good to have a wired headset option available as a back-up if needed.
• Turn off any VPN or firewalls.
• It is important that each speaker has a working and suitable environment to present from (sound, video, light, background).

2. Collect speaker presentations, Q&A questions, polls

To best prepare for the live session, you will need to make sure that your speakers have provided the following information, based on what their presentation will include:

• Any slides that they want to present
• Any polls (multiple choice or word cloud) that they would wish to run by the audience, and at what moment they should be launched.
• Any Q&A questions that they would like to address
• Any videos that they would like to play, and indicate at what moment they should be played. Remember that the requirements for playing pre recorded videos are:
  Max size 4 GB, 16:9 resolution, 1280x720p or 1920×1080p, MP4 format, with an audio sample rate of 48kHz.

As you receive this information from your speakers, you can start to add it to the attached Run of Show template spreadsheet, that you can modify according to your needs.

3. Create a Run of show for the live session

In order to prepare and do a full practice run for the live session, along with all the speakers, including all the previously provided presentations, interactivity (Q&A questions, polls), shared videos, etc. we recommend that you create a Run of Show (RoS).

Once you have collected all the information from the speakers, you can finalize the Run of Show using the same spreadsheet as in the previous step.

The Run of Show is meant to be used by the person who will control Studio and manage the different scenes. It defines:

• The session order.
• Which speaker and moderator, at what time and for how long are needed on screen
• If there are any materials supporting the speakers, such as presentations, interactivity (Q&A questions, polls), shared videos, etc.

4. Run the speaker briefing and practice run

Download speaker readiness card

It is important that each speaker has a working and suitable environment to present from (sound, video, light, background). Please check that your speakers comply with the SpotMe platform user requirements for speakers.

To make sure these requirements are met, and to address any other questions, we schedule individual or group speaker briefing sessions with each speaker.

Each briefing session lasts 30 minutes, and during this time we cover the following.

Test the live session platform

• Ensure that speakers are able to login to the live session easily.
• Run through their settings with them – turning video and audio on/off and sharing slides.
• Make sure their internet connection is strong enough. Ask the speaker to run a speed test on their computer by going to fast.com and check their results (minimum 3.0 Mbps upload/download speed recommended).
• Instruct speakers to connect with cable if possible.

Test the sound quality

• Help your speaker find their best microphone setup – computer microphone (least recommended), external microphone, cell phone, landline.
• Test speaker & microphone settings – the conference tool should have settings that allow you to run through these tests easily.

Test the video quality

• Help your speaker find their best camera setup – computer camera or external camera if available.
• Test video settings – check if HD is feasible based on the setup and internet connection.
• Test video lighting – the speaker should be visible and clear. The background should be neutral and not distracting for the audience.

Check the speaker's environment

• Ensure the speaker's lighting is good.
• Ensure that their background/surroundings are appropriate.

Run through the platform functionalities

• Make sure speakers know how and when to mute, unmute, share their presentation, etc.

Run through presentations

• Introduce the speaker in the same way they would be introduced during the event.
• Have the speaker unmute themselves, turn on their video, and start sharing their presentation.
• Run through a few slides for practice.
• Have the speaker transition to the next speaker, or back to the moderator.
• Have the speaker mute themselves, turn off their video (as needed), and unshare their presentation.

Test polling and Q&A

• Remind your speaker that polling questions should be set-up in advance, as well as any Q&A questions that they would like to address.
• Agree on a cue word/phrase that will be used to determine when to launch potential polling questions, this could for example be "Please vote now".
• Launch a test poll to show the flow of the question.
• Remind the speaker that there will be an approx. 30-seconds delay between their presentation and the live stream.

Perform a full practice run for the live sessions

Having everyone fully understand what the agenda is and how things will transition between speakers is critical for a seamless virtual experience.

This is why the last step of the preparation process is to bring everyone together for a practice run, where we can tie up any loose ends.

Whenever possible, always do an entire live session practice run, with each transition worked out. An example of an agenda practice run could be:

• Introduce each speaker/moderator.
• Introduce the production team.
• Present an overview of the meeting agenda.
• Run through an entire live session – not running through all entire presentations, but launching each of them to make sure speakers are comfortable with screen sharing.

Last step: Address any other last questions the speakers might have.

5. Send the marching orders and the “Get ready” checklist

Send the marching orders

Now that everybody is set, make sure that your speakers know when and where they need to show up for the live session.

You can send a simple email reminder. The email reminder can be something like this:

"Dear [SPEAKER NAME],

Thank you for your time preparing for our [INSERT MEETING NAME]. I wanted to summarize here all the details you need to know.

On the [MEETING DATE], at [MEETING START TIME - 1 HOUR], click on the following link to join the live session.

We will then take a few minutes to make sure everybody’s configuration is still working as it should.

Then we will simply wait until the live session starts, at [MEETING START TIME].

We look forward to seeing you at the live session. In the meantime, please let me know if you have any questions.

Kindly,"

Provide the “Get ready checklist”

In addition to the marching orders, you may wish to provide one last checklist to make sure that the speakers are fully ready.

Below is a “Get ready checklist” that you can provide to them up to 2 hours before the live session start:

Before the live show:

❏ Use the same setup as for the speaker briefing (laptop, camera, microphone, internet connection, location).

❏ Have a wired connection and run speed test https://fast.com/ to check your connectivity (minimum 10 Mbps download or upload).

❏ Turn off any VPN and any unused applications and windows on your computer, and switch your computer to "Do not disturb" mode (on Mac or on PC).

❏ Make sure the moderators have the latest version of your presentation.

❏ Close the door and windows, and make sure you will not be disturbed.

❏ Keep a small bottle of water next to you.

❏ Make sure your phone is on silent mode.

❏ Access the live session using the link that is provided.

❏ Check your sound and camera one last time.

 

During the live show:

❏ Never leave the meeting unless you are done with your presentation.

❏ Remember to mute / unmute accordingly depending on if you are presenting or not.

❏ Never switch off your camera in Studio.