Meeting Success is Hiding in the Light

Meeting success is hiding in the light.

Here's another innocent mistake so many event organizers make.

True story:

Joe was hired to keynote at a huge conference—you know—a fancy stage with multiple iMag screens and colorful lights.  He planned to make a splash, light up the audience, and please the meeting organizer who was in a position to recommend him for a number of other engagements.

So he came to me for coaching.

We worked on his message, his body language, facial expressions, the timing for his gag lines, and the pauses that would drive his main points home.

By the time the conference rolled around, Joe was ready!  He flew in a day early, got set up, and before he knew it, the emcee read his introduction.  He jogged up the steps and onto the platform in front of 2,000 people.

And that's when two very important things went wrong!

The stage had three screens—left, right, and center.

The left and right screens were fine; they alternated between displaying Joe's slides and a video feed of him presenting so the people in back could see.

But the center screen…?

This conference had a desert theme and on the screen right behind Joe, a video loop played over and over.  Behind the conference logo, the sun arced across the sky.  Shadows of cactus plants and sand dunes grew shorter as noon approached and then longer again until the scene turned to night.  Stars came out, faded, and then dawn broke again.

Lather … rinse … repeat!

Over … and over … and over!

Can you imagine being asked to present in front of anything as distracting as that?

But that was only the first problem. 

Unfortunately, the AV staff turned the house lights all the way down.

It's an innocent (and all-too-common) mistake but Joe couldn't see his audience.

He couldn't read their faces to see if they were smiling or responding to his message.

He couldn't see their reactions and time his pauses.

He told me later,

“It was like giving a practice presentation by myself. I couldn't see anything!”

So much for lighting up the audience!

You know what else is sad about this story?

Joe had compromised on his speaking fee because the event host promised him quality video footage of his performance.  But how could he possibly use a video of himself speaking in front of an animated desert!? 

And because nobody understood what the real problem was, the meeting organizer got criticized for selecting speakers who were just so-so.

Meeting success is hiding in the light.

Who knew that something as simple as lighting could make or break your event?

You might be surprised to discover… 

just how few AV technicians—capable people who know how to build a stage, produce a live video feed, and keep eight channels of wireless audio working—know nothing about lighting a speaking event.

As with many things, the fix is easy.

Meeting success is hiding in the light.

The purpose of the stage is to help the presenter and the audience connect.  If there's a screen behind center-stage, specify a simple, solid-color background that contrasts with the speaker or harmonizes with their wardrobe.

Tell your AV team, “No distractions. Make the speaker look great!”

Darkened house lights work great for movies but a good speech is a conversation between the speaker and the audience. Tell the AV folks to dim but not darken the house lights. 

When the audience and the presenter can see each other, great things happen!

Meeting success is hiding in the light.