Futurist Jim Carroll
Virtual. Done Right.
15 Steps You Need to
Master Your Online Events
The world’s leading virtual keynote
speaker provides you with battle-tested
experience and strategies in taking your
online events to the next production level.
Reality Check – Virtual is Here To Stay,
So You Might As Well Get Good At It!
15 steps that will help you plan for and structure your online event.
Futurist Jim Carroll has invested 1,500+ hours in his virtual broadcast studio since the global crisis of 2020 began, and has appeared in multiple successful events worldwide. In this video, he shares with you what he has learned as to how to prepare for, plan, structure and produce your online event.
Start out by reframing the opportunity and reconsidering the possibilities!
Step 1 – Come and Visit
- Your understanding of the possibilities is limited because all you have seen so far are poorly produced events by marginal online performers
- Jim Carroll has established one of the top online speaker broadcast studios in the world!
- Come ‘visit’ him in his home studio to see what is possible in terms of ‘stage set design,’ interactive possibilities, multimedia, special effects and more – contact him to arrange a ‘virtual tour’
Step 2 – Discuss the Goals
- During this visit, you’ll have an opportunity to clarify your message and your overall goals for the event
- Jim’s 25 year track record on stage allows him to assist you with the branding, objective and purpose of your event
- A successful online event is just like a live event – clarity of message, purpose and intent is critical
Step 3 – Consider the Structure
- It is pretty obvious that online events are different from live events – attention span for your participants are pretty short!
- Jim’s experience has taught him what works in terms of effective online structure
- Hence, the overall structure of your day *really matters*
- Insight needs to be given in short, sharp 5-7 minute segments
- Interactivity after each of these segments is key to keep participants engaged and involved!
Next, start to structure your day.
Step 4 – Review the Platforms
- There are multiple different platforms, event architectures and structures that fit different online event requirements
- You need to carefully review the different platforms to align with your goals and objectives
- Jim can deliver his multimedia insight from his virtual studio in virtually any online platform – Zoom, GoTo Meetings, Webex are only a few – and online event sites such as Crowdcast.io and Vimeo Live
Step 5 – Finalize the Topic And Content
- At this point, you’ll have a good idea of what you need to accomplish with your virtual event
- Jim Carroll has a variety of potential topic directions based on our current post-pandemic world, including leadership, trends and action-oriented innovation topics
Step 6 – Add Moderated Q & A
- Engaging your participants is key in the virtual world
- You can bring them into the conversation with interactive Q & A between each of the 5-7 minute pre-recorded segments – ensuring they remain active and linked into the presentation
Build out your plans with different structures and methods.
Step 7 – Integrating Text Message Polling
- Another way to have groups interact is with live, interactive text message polling
- This is easy to integrate with immediate results!
- Jim builds the use of PollEverywhere, the world’s leading event based text message polling service, into his presentations
Step 8 – Consider Adding A Panel Discussion
- You can further enhance the interaction opportunities of your event through an effective virtual panel discussions
- Structured properly in terms of content and goals, this is a great way to get people talking/thinking about the issues/solutions on the agenda!
Step 9 – Finalize and Build Your Day
- You will now have a good idea of the overall structure of your event – not just the keynote portion
- At this point, you are ready to build and deliver on your agenda
There is a lot you can prepare before the actual event to ensure smooth delivery.
Step 10 – Review the Plan
- Plan, plan and more plans – with virtual, you need more planning than ever before!
- There are a lot of rolling elements to your online event, so now is a good time for a through review of your activities, structure, technology requirements, messaging and more
Step 11 – Build Awareness
- Getting people to register for your event is often a challenge – Jim Carroll can work with with you in developing pre-event promotional material to build awareness
- Online video teasers, blog posts and other methods can also be used to build interest in your event
Step 12 – Pre-recorded Video
- Having pre-recorded video clips for the presentation 5-7 minutes in length allows for interactivity
- We can work together to make sure these clips get your message across!
Be calm! You’re ready to go!
Step 13 – Do a Rehearsal
- A day or two before, bring in your tech, planning and leadership staff for a dry run rehearsal
- Let’s make sure everyone is prepared to go live!
Step 14 – Take a Deep Breath
- And by now, you’re in good hands!
- With live events there is always the possibility of a glitch or two, but not to worry – with Jim’s assistance we will quickly resolve any issues!
Step 15 – Hit “Go Live!”
- With Jim’s broadcast and control capabilities we’ll have a fabulous event together!
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