The Microphone is Your Friend…and Other Essentials for the Professional and Occasional Presenter

By Cyndi Maxey, CSP and Kevin E. O’Connor, CSP

While distance learning grows daily, it’s still a fact that at least 65% of all seminars and meetings are delivered in rooms with a live person in the front of the room. Those rooms may range from hospital basements to four star hotel ballrooms, but no matter the venue, both room and audio-visual management are extremely important for setting the tone of the event and for encouraging effective learning. People are brought together to learn and to share ideas, and you as the presenter are doing them a disservice if you’re not aware of (1) how to set up the best environment for this to happen and (2) what to do when things go wrong.

And things will go wrong. Most experienced presenters will tell you that the biggest challenges of an event, meeting, or exchange will often center on something surrounding the set-up of the day. If you’re tired of being surprised by all the nuances of your room environment, borrow some tips and techniques from the media pro, the actor, the professional speaker, and the audio-visual technician to set yourself up for success. Learn to love all the tools available to you to enhance your presentation in the room you’re in. The next time you find yourself greeted with the unexpected, you’ll be ready.
TEN MOTTOS FOR MANAGING YOUR PRESENTATION ENVIRONMENT

1. Who loves you? The microphone is your friend.
Use it as it gives you more power. You may only be presenting to a mere twenty people in a hotel banquet room; however, if the room soaks up sound, you still need a mike. Older hotels, especially, have poor acoustics. Don’t wait until it’s too late to find out that you can’t be heard and that your attendees can’t hear each other. The microphone is there to be used. It likes you. Like it back. Practice with it and test it right away. Wear it high and in the middle of your chest. If you wear it to the right or left of your chin, you’ll lose volume when you turn your head. If you wear a tie, place it right up near the knot of your tie or the center of your shirt. If you are wearing silk, experiment so that it is not too low on your blouse or shirt. You may even want to consider changing outfits if the mike slips in the rehearsal; it is that important. Some presenters use their name badge rope (minus the name badge) in order to position the mike properly. If you want to try this, use the alligator clip to position the microphone in the center of the neck braid of your nametag. This will allow your voice to be heard clearly by all.

2. All for one and one for all: All speakers should be miked.
If you’re presenting with another representative, physician, or subject matter expert who is using the microphone, so should you. You will then achieve an equal volume power when they stop talking and you interject with a question or paraphrase. Help your co-presenters position their mikes, especially if they’re subject matter experts with less experience than you have in front of groups. You can also ask the corporate or hotel audio-visual technician to position the mike for them; professionals do the same: Dan Rather, Cokie Roberts, and Rudi Baktiar from Headline News never miked themselves, they let an a-v professional do it.

It is also vital that you take the time to train less experienced presenters and subject matter experts in the why’s and the how’s of using their mikes. Many are nervous with a microphone and would prefer to forgo using it. Help them learn how to use the mike and tell them of awful scenarios when audiences fell asleep because they couldn’t hear the presenter. As a last resort, tell them the audience has requested it. If that doesn’t work, tell them you are hearing impaired and will be standing in the back!

3. Don’t skimp on the quality: As much equipment as possible should be on site.
If you’re working with a large group or within a large room with poor acoustics, order as many microphones as your budget will allow or ask your client to do so; for a group of twenty-five, it would not be unusual to order two wireless lavalieres and two wireless handhelds. You will most likely want to mike yourself and the subject matter expert with the lavalieres. Keep the handhelds for the participants’ interaction. Don’t skimp on audio. When was the last time you were an audience member straining to listen all day to a presenter with an inadequate microphone system? Enough said?

4. Can you hear me now?  Lavaliere mikes are notoriously finicky.
Learn where the switch is on a lavaliere. Practice with the switch. Remember it will take a second or two after you switch the lavaliere on before it will work. Also important, and to avoid embarrassment, remember to turn it off at breaks and in the washroom. In spite of its finicky nature, the lavaliere allows you movement and a natural feel. More important, it makes your impact with the audience much more stunning.

5. Oprah and Jerry: Playing the interview host can be a good thing.
If you’re generating a healthy discussion, you can encourage attendees to pass and position the handheld around the room to each other, especially if the room soaks up sound. You can also let the attendees talk into the mike or hold the mike. They may balk at the use of the mike; remind them that if they can’t hear each other, what’s the point of a live discussion? It really helps keep the energy in the day if the room acoustics require it. Don’t be afraid to say, “I can’t hear that too well; can you hold it closer?” You’ll be speaking up for someone else.

6. I can see clearly now: Room lighting should always be UP.
Turn the room lighting as full as you can while still able to see the screen for your visuals. In hotels and conference centers, the house a-v people have been trained to set it dimly for the computer visuals screen. Therefore, if you are in that room for several hours or all day, you need the energy in the room that only light can bring. More light will be a boost for you, especially after 2:30 PM when most audiences tend to lose energy. Room lighting is more important than screen lighting. Professional presenters always ask for more light rather than less light. If you are concerned about a shine on the screen, have the facility crew remove or loosen the lights that shine directly on the screen. If there are wall lights next to the screen, loosen those bulbs also.

7. I need your help: Be high-maintenance with your audio-visual provider.
In pre-planning, DOUBLE CHECK with the a-v provider that he or she will arrive at least ONE HOUR before starting time. This is not an unusual request and it is essential for you to test the mike before you are surrounded by arriving attendees. Know the a-v person’s name; brief him or her on for the purpose of the meeting, what your expectations are, and ask his or her advice (except about lighting). Check with the a-v person at breaks and ask how it sounds. Also ask a colleague or attendee who will tell you the truth.

8. First in, last out: You care the most.
Professional presenters are always the first person in the room. Why? They want to double check; they want to get the feel of the room, and they want to greet the first attendee. They want to reduce the chances of anything causing a distraction. Be a pro yourself. You can sleep and eat later; your role now requires you to get to the room early. Seemingly small audio-visual considerations will make a big difference in how you will feel about starting the day. Yes, the audio-visual pros will be there for you, but in reality, they are often less concerned about the total picture than you are. Make them work. That is their job—to make you look good. When you are confident, you will look, sound, act, and be more confident. Always remember, it is your event, not theirs.

9. Assume nothing but change: Check on the room the night before and the day of your session.
Even if you arrive a full 60-90 minutes before the attendees, don’t be surprised if things have been altered. Hotel staffs have a way of changing things in the middle of the night. Don’t be shy about asking hotel representatives to help you. They practically live there. You need their expertise. When you send your room set up instructions, consider having two versions—one English and one Spanish. Corporate maintenance staffs can also surprise you by moving things around to a pattern they know. If the room is not to your liking, have it changed immediately. You may need to start moving chairs yourself. Only you know what you want and what the attendees need.

10. Mike yourself from the inside: Set yourself up for success.
If you’ve ever had a horrific experience with a room environment during an important event, you remember the lesson learned for a long time. Keep it with you mentally, but only use it to serve you well for the next meeting. Don’t sabotage all the valuable time you’ve put into your presentation. Don’t let the attendees down. Set them and yourself for success.

One way to set yourself up for success is to remind yourself why you are giving the presentation in the first place. It’s as if you’re repeating a mental mantra. Your mantra doesn’t need to be that grand or dramatic. An industry speaker we know enters every talk saying to herself, “These people came to hear me. I owe them my very best.” Still another has a quiet voice inside that says, “When I am better, they will be better.” These simple truths guide the professional. The microphone is indeed your friend. And, if you are miked well—on both the inside and outside—it will be your audience’s best friend, too.