Posted by MDI on June 22, 2020
If you've ever run a virtual event with multiple speakers, you surely know how challenging it is. Coordinating the handovers from one speaker to another, managing the technical side, you name it.
Indeed, there can be a lot of friction involved and the event may not turn out as smooth as you dreamed it would.
In this article, we list 7 practical tips that will help you overcome all the challenges and run your online event with multiple presenters smoothly.
1. Create a master deck
Switching between different slide decks, each presenter having to share and unshare their screen - all this causes extra friction.
Have one single master deck in PowerPoint, Google Slides or Keynote and ask your speakers to paste their slides in. This way, all the event material will be shared from one place!
2. Decide on the person moving through the slides
Agree with your team on who's going to share the screen to the audience and who's going to be moving through the slides during the event.
If the video conferencing tool you're using supports remote control - even better! Your speakers will be able to move through their slides themselves.
3. Have a moderator
Invite a moderator who will greet the audience, set the stage, and keep on eye on time and agenda. Your virtual event can really benefit from a good moderator:
They will be a sort of a bridge between the audience and the speakers, keeping the conversation going, and facilitating discussion during the breaks or Q&A sessions.
4. Switch speakers regularly
Take advantage of having multiple speakers at your virtual event and create a nice dynamic by regularly switching presenters.
Have two or three people take turns in presenting, it will break the stereotype and your audience will be much more engaged.
5. Involve the speakers in the Q&A
If you're running a Q&A session, involve all the presenters in answering questions from the audience.
Have your moderator proactively call on the presenters and prompt them to answer the question and evenly distribute the answering time among all the speakers.
6. Agree on a communication channel
Whether it's a WhatsApp group, a Slack channel, or a group chat on Messenger, having a communication channel where you as an event organizer, your speakers, the moderator and the AV person can all chat throughout the event is priceless.
You can update each other on everything important or troubleshoot in case anything happens.
7. Run a dry run
Leave nothing to chance and rehearse your online event well before the curtain goes up. Have a dry run call with your speakers, moderators and AV persons, run through the content, check the sound, align everyone on the agenda and practice handovers.
Thanks to a dry run, you'll be able to tweak any minor hiccups and make your event even more professional!
To read the full article, visit Slido's blog here.
