The benefits associated with live streaming an event have made it an increasingly popular choice for many executives. Yet live streaming a large corporate event can be intimidating if you have never done it before; especially if it is a town hall meeting with thousands of attendees.
Live streaming enables you to reach a wider audience, build closer connections with viewers, and provide a lot of content for on-demand viewing at a later date.
Here are six steps to follow to successfully live stream your quarterly town halls:
Step 1 Find a platform
You will want to invest in a platform with the features and functionality that support streaming. Look for solutions that include flexible deployment options, interactive features, and the ability to live stream to unlimited audiences. Depending on how stringent your organization is on branding, you may also want a solution with a lot of customization options so your brand carries over. No matter what technology you decide on, make sure it allows you to reach every single employee regardless of their network, browser, or device.
Step 2 Plan out your content
Just like you would any other meeting, you will want to ensure that a rough script outline ahead of time. Include primary talking points, as well as notes to address anticipated questions. Your script doesn’t need to be overly long or detailed, but having a general framework will help you stay on track on the day of your big meeting.
Step 3 Prepare your equipment
Once you have the technology in place you will want to ensure the equipment is ready to go. This can be a little intimidating if you’ve never streamed live before, but it’s also a critical step. Even the best software won’t help if your audience can’t hear you or see you. Test your audio ahead of time, and determine if you need a separate microphone. You also need to determine if you will be streaming through a computer, mobile device, or through both. Each one has its own advantages and disadvantages, so be sure to test it out ahead of time.
Step 4 Leverage features
Modern streaming platforms carry sophisticated features often worth exploring. To get the most out of your town hall meetings, make use of all the features your enterprise video solution offers. Since a key factor in determining if your corporate communications are effective is employee engagement, ensure your new solution can track levels of engagement with the content you’re delivering by using built in interactive tools like chat, moderated Q&A, polls, and surveys. Further, if you are wanting to include things like PowerPoint slides or pre-recorded video messages, make sure that your new solution allows for that as well. It’s important that your new solution allows to take advantage of the tools you’re already familiar with. And remember, the more interactive you can make your town hall, the more likely employees will want to participate in the discussion.
Step 5 Repurpose Content
Repurposing content is one of the best ways to get the most out of your town hall meetings. In addition to posting the broadcast in a channel for on demand viewing, you could also use the transcript to create a blog post, an infographic, or even a podcast for employees (both those who missed the presentation, and potential new hires) to listen to.
Step 6 Measure and Repeat
It’s easier than ever before to measure and gauge success. Check all your analytics and determine what can be improved. Did your audience tune in for the entire broadcast? Or did they drop off part way through? Did your audience fail to ask enough questions? Whatever metrics you are monitoring, make sure you learn everything you can, so the next town hall is even better.