We’re all climbing out of a pandemic, and I’m getting more production planning questions from clients than ever, I love it!
I love to teach and am happy to share some of the insights we’ve all learned as a team over the years here on the site. Feel free to ask questions of your own, any time, and I’ll continue to share.
When do your presenters need to use a mic? We use 3 simple rules outlined below.
Post-Pandemic Planning
This question has been coming up more in the past few weeks. Groups are beginning to plan to gather. When they gather, they’ll start by gathering in the smallest sizes ever. Before, large group settings required a mic, it was obvious. Now, groups are small enough to just be on the tipping scale of asking what they’ve never asked: do I need to use this?
Hybrid Component
Also coming out of the pandemic means most events we’re planning have a hybrid component. Before, the entire audience was in the room, a large room, so, mics were obvious. I think most presenters “get it” for speaking in large rooms. During the pandemic, over Zoom and other streaming platforms, the mic was assumed as part of the webcam. Now as things return, hybrid event planning begs this question. The answer is, if you’re hybrid, absolutely a microphone is required. This may be commonly forgotten when groups don’t have a professional event planner. It may be a last-minute realization when the Zoom computer on the front row is many feet away from the presenter and the sound is distant. Yes your presenter needs a microphone, ideally a wireless one, transmitting into that computer. We’ve always done this, but for many clients, it’s a first.
The last pandemic-related remark before the three basic principles outlined below is: social distancing. Before, a group of 50 people seated theater style may be able to strain for the presenter to get away with not using a mic in a budget scenario. In the first events coming out of the pandemic, event planning diagrams are putting one person at each 6ft table, quite spread out, meaning the presenter’s sound needs to reach further and wider than before.

Sages + Scientists Symposium 2019 on the Future of Wellbeing at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Friday, Nov. 15, 2019, Bentonville, Arkansas. (Photo by Jack Dempsey)