Here's stuff that will help our event be the best it can be for the folks we're trying to serve.
How should we introduce Dave?
So here's the thing — I've got a list of bullet points about myself on this About page, but the best way to introduce me is to share the story of why you chose to bring me to your event and what it is that you appreciate about my work. That's what'll make the best introduction — situating me within your place, your culture, your people. That'll build the collegiality I'm after in our session.
What's a picture we can use of Dave?
I like this one the best right now.
What does Dave need for audio / visual / tech?
What we want is an enjoyable experience for the audience and through that enjoyability we'll have an easier time reaching the heart and mind of each audience member.
Audio
I'm the opposite of a person who prides himself on “not needing a microphone.” I never want folks to feel yelled at, and I never want to feel like I'm yelling, and I never want people with difficulties hearing to have a hard time hearing what I'm saying. With that said, I don't use a microphone in my classroom with my classes of 35 or so students — if we're working in a venue and with a group that size, we shouldn't need a mic. But if your group or space is bigger, a mic is a really good idea.
Now with that said, it's important to make sure that your mic setup works — no feedback spots (if there are those, let me know in advance of me blasting folks' ear drums), no on-again-off-again glitchiness. A twenty minute troubleshooting session with audio on your end can make the event a ton better for everybody.
Non-example:
- I once showed up at an event for 80+ teachers in a gymnasium-type setting, and we spent the first twenty minutes of the event trying to figure out the what/where/how of the microphone system, and then what we figured out stopped working completely about an hour into the all-day workshop.
Visual
I use slides for just about all of my talks, and I work to make sure they're as text-lite as possible. With that said, some slides do have text on them, and we want folks to be able to read them. Just try to pick a room where it's not unreasonable to expect that everyone can see the slides. If you have concerns about this with your space, let's have a quick chat about it — it's probably just perfect.
And if your space doesn't have the capability of slides — e.g., an outdoor field or something — let's chat about it. It's not necessarily a deal-breaker, it's just something we need to think through before we move ahead.
Non-example:
- I once showed up to an event for a district faculty of 300+ people, and it was being held in a low-ceilinged cafeteria with a single 6×6 projector screen. It was impossible for folks in the back of the caf to make out anything at all on the slides.
Tech
I use Google slides for my presenting, so chances are I can present super well off of your own device. I prefer this because we know that your device connects to Internet, doesn't have Youtube blocked, works with your projector, and so on.
If we can, let's use your device. Just make sure it has Google Chrome on it (works best with Google Slides) and that it connects to the Internet.
What can we do in advance of Dave's visit to maximize the impact of the event?
The best-case scenario for an event is that everyone present is super-eager to hear what I have to say. Now: I've basically never been to an event like that, BUT these are some things that help us to move more folks into the “eager to hear this guy” category:
- Ask me to create a brief promo video for your event.
- Here's an example for a school in Nevada; this video helped increase enrollment in the optional PD event by a few hundred percent.
- Ask me for a curated list of articles that you can drip out to your faculty before the visit. (I can give you my perspective on how this can work best in your setting.)
- Buy everyone my book in advance and give it to them. Haha, that's a big ask I know — but seriously, this does help because some of the folks who get the book in advance will start reading.
What we're after with these efforts, again, is increasing the number of folks who are looking forward to the event.
