“Can you hear me? Is this thing working?”
Is there anything worse than getting on stage ready to mesmerize your audience only to find out the audience can’t hear you? It’s awkward, embarrassing, and unprofessional — not to mention, a waste of your precious time on stage. Ethos3 has spent over 12 years training thousands of presenters on everything from content development to body language, and one area we always emphasize is microphone preparedness and use.
Microphone use is an important skill for presenters, but unfortunately, many presenters just assume their equipment will work as expected once they’re on stage. But if your audience can’t hear you, it doesn’t matter how good your presentation is. Not all microphone issues can be solved by you as the presenter, but by implementing these three tips, you’ll be able to anticipate and minimize errors to ensure your audience can hear you.
Tip # 1 – Always do a microphone check.
When the pressure is on and time is counting down to presentation time, it’s easy to skip the mic check. Don’t. A mic check ensures that your microphone works and levels are accurate. Whether you are running your own sound or you have an audio engineer, it allows time to accurately tune your voice so that it is the most appealing to the ear.
Skipping the mic check could result in feedback and poor tuning which will ultimately detract from your presentation. No matter how tight the time is before your presentation starts, check your mic; it only takes a few minutes, and it’s a crucial step to giving an effective presentation.
Tip # 2 – Microphone placement matters.
One mistake many presenters make in regard to their microphone is simply not holding it correctly. For the best sound to be achieved, different microphones must be held or worn differently.
If you are using a handheld microphone, don’t shy away from it. Rest the head of the microphone on your chin and present from there. This ensures that your audience can hear you without drastic changes in the volume level, while also allowing your audience to see your smile. Feel free to change hands throughout the presentation, but always rest it back on your chin.
When using a hands-free headset microphone, ensure that the tip of the microphone is level with the corner of your mouth about 1/2 inch off of your face. If you are wearing earrings or have long hair, ensure that it will not brush against the microphone creating unwanted noise.
Tip # 3 – Check your battery level.
An even worse situation than the mic not working when you get on stage is when the low battery light is blinking and you know your mic will cut out at any point during your presentation. What ensues is either a chaotic rush to find batteries, resulting in a lot of added stress right before walking out, or being distracted while you’re presenting and weakening your message. Save yourself the headache and check your battery levels. This may seem simple, but it’s forgotten about more times than you’d think. Set a reminder for 15 minutes before your presentation starts to guarantee you have time to find a battery if needed.
How you sound during a presentation is as important as the information you are presenting. If you sound good, your audience is much more likely to stay engaged throughout the entire presentation. If you’re hard to hear or there’s regular feedback, your audience will tune out quickly. A big part of how you sound has to do with the microphone that is projecting your voice, so use it to your advantage. By implementing these 3 tips, your audience will hear your message comfortably and clearly.
Interested in learning more about how to manage your vocal tone and deliver a knockout presentation? Check out the Presentation Mentor online course today!
