The Ultimate Guide to Standout Shows: Execute Stress-Free Streaming With These 3 Steps

Hey, it’s showtime! Well, just about. 

You’ve taken the time to set your goals and identify your audience – which, by the way, congrats! Doing this pre-show planning is usually the hardest part, and the biggest aspect people tend to forget.

You’ve used that valuable insight to brainstorm your content strategy, likely with a million and one Post-it’s all over your walls (or, is that just us?). Now, there’s just a few things left to do in the time leading up to your event, as well as things to keep in mind to ensure that your show is just as memorable as your message.

1. Create a Stellar Run of Show

After you’ve written down all of your surely incredible ideas, now is the time to focus in on what, exactly, your show is going to look like.

A run of show, in its simple form, outlines the flow of any experience or event. This is paramount for organizing your show, deciding on which segments you want to produce, and scheduling your speakers. By doing this, you’ll start to refine the entire event experience, giving you opportunities to improve upon your content and supporting elements. (Pro tip: think of the content that makes up your run of show less like a meeting agenda and more like a Sportscenter or Good Morning America, in terms of punchy segments and engaging transitions.)

It may take several iterations, but having a dialed-in run of show is crucial for your speakers, presenters, and anyone else involved in the production. When everyone knows what’s going to happen come showtime, pre-show jitters will be eased, allowing for the entire cast to be cool, calm and collected.

2. Set Your Speakers Up For Success

A standout show is one where everyone involved is comfortable and confident, so setting up your speakers and presenters for success is essential to making sure they perform their very best. This not only goes for the content they’ll be speaking on, but making sure they know how to use the platform and the tech that comes with it. 

That said, be sure to set up a rehearsal of sorts a few days before the event so everyone involved can meet (it may be the only time before the actual event!) and to get familiar with all components of the event. The seemingly small things – like strange outfit choices, unflattering camera angles, or harsh lighting – are things you’ll want to look out for, too. Ultimately, taking this time to alleviate any worries (on both ends) will set the right energy ahead of your big show.

3. Stoke the Engagement Fire

The prep is done, and the virtual curtain is drawn. Your show has begun! During your event, the content in the video feed is the most important aspect in your message getting across. That said, stoking engagement during your show is crucial to making sure your audience is alive and well, soaking in the info, connecting with the content, and actively participating. Afterall, you’ll have people (aka, the majority) tuning in after the show has started and watching full screen on their phones; and they may be sitting on the couch with the TV on, listening in while driving to daycare, or any other life situation where distractions are rampant.

Aside from making sure your tech has the engagement features that you want – like in-platform announcements, live chat and direct messaging, polls and Q&As, breakout sessions and more – you can prompt questions and discussion to encourage engagement amongst attendees. You can even gamify this engagement by, say, giving away gift cards to 5 random attendees who give their input on a specific poll.

These types of engagement features ensure that your audience has a voice, too. This, in turn, gives you valuable info on the content you’re presenting that you can use to adjust in real-time or for reference to help inform future events. 

After the show, give yourself some time to soak in the success, take a few cleansing breaths, and congratulate yourself on a job well done. But, the event isn’t over once the stream has ended. Stay tuned for our next post on how to bring the post-show wow.