The Dos and Don’ts of Webcasting

Let’s talk about one of the major challenges to campaigns in the new era of social distancing -  events.

Historically, events serve as a campaign’s opportunity both to stress test your organization and to grow your capacity. Organizers use them to “test” their volunteers, delegating tasks and seeing if their team can pass muster because when the action gets fierce a couple days before election day, you need battle tested problem solvers. Additionally, events are a low bar entry for non-supporters into a campaign: they’re fun and exciting. That’s why Bernie Sanders had live musical acts at his rallies.

But events also will likely be the last type of activity allowed by state and federal guidelines. And even after they’re officially permissable, a lot of folks may be understandably uncomfortable attending. 

Which is why in this new era organizers need to become experts in webcasting and online streaming video platforms. Trainings, surrogate rallies, all of those are still important aspects of a campaign. And all of them now need to be held online.

Anyone who’s worked in campaigns is familiar with the anxiety and stress of planning a successful event. The higher the profile, the more buttoned down it has to be, including timing out a run of show, accounting for possible scenarios, providing briefings to principals ahead of time, and more. Webcasting done effectively requires that same degree of preparation.

But if you do it wrong, people will make snide comments about you “broadcasting from your basement.” So make sure you do it right.

Here are the Do’s and Don’ts:

Do your research on which system will work best for you.

Do you want the ability to share your screen? Do you want the audience to be able to see your mouse cursor? Is there a limitation for how many users can be on your system at a time? How are you going to take questions? Do you need the ability to mute mics remotely? These are all important questions to consider.

It seems like lately everyone’s default go to is Zoom. But Zoom comes with its own limitations: the basic plan has a 40 minute time limit and the platform may have major security vulnerabilities. 

Maybe Zoom’s right for your organization, but it’s worth taking the time to brainstorm alternatives as well.

Don’t double-book your audience. It’s an all too common scenario - a campaign invests considerable resources into a launch, advertises on social media, and schedules guest speakers. Then the day before, they learn their event is scheduled at the exact same time as a popular event that’s been on the public calendar for months. Avoid this self inflicted wound by spending a minute or two googling calendars and going through the “events” category on Facebook before you start getting too far in your planning.

Do test your systems beforehand. Traditionally, a good organizer always plans a “walkthrough” before their event to account for unknown unknowns. Even if you’re webcasting from your kitchen, do the same thing with your webcasting tool. Write up a checklist of all the actions you anticipate yourself or someone needing to take, everything from sharing your screen to turning it over from one speaker to another, anything you can think of. Be thorough about this. Then practice all those actions without an audience. If you’ve got the bandwidth, take it one step further, and do a dry run of your presentation in front of a simulated audience of a group of your peers.

Don’t be unprepared. For all the work you do beforehand, this is still technology, it will mess up. We’re all living the 21st Century version of Murphy’s Law. Even the Governor of California had to deal with an echo on his official briefing. But the key is not to let it rattle you. Figure out a back-up plan before you go live.

Do consider your press strategy.

Some events should be amplified by the media, some shouldn’t. A volunteer training, for example, might not want the extra attention. But if you do hope to capture some earned media, be aggressive in getting your event on the radar of potential guests. Once you’ve shared the event information with them once, remind them again in a reasonable amount of time to not come across as too pushy but with enough notice so that they can plan to join you. Your event is likely not the only option they have at this moment. Holding all events virtually is a double-edged sword: individuals(press or otherwise) will find it easier to attend your event, as well as any other that happens to be at the same time.

Don’t give vague instructions when asking your audience to participate. For example, instead of saying “hit the join button,” tailor your language to be more effective in direction, try saying “click the join button in the right hand screen of your window.” Organizing is always about making tasks as easy to execute as possible, and indistinct asks are unnecessary barriers. This is also why you may want to opt for a platform that allows you to broadcast a mouse cursor.

Do mix it up. Listening to a person speak for twenty minutes in a charged in-person atmosphere is 100% different than watching that same person speak in a little screen in an empty room. Keep your audience engaged by making your event interactive - build in Q&A, poll during the event, find ways to make it interactive.

Don’t multi-task. There have been many studies on this: no one can multi-task well. When folks try, data shows they’re not doing their best at each respective task. Your brain needs to be fully committed to doing the best possible job, especially if it’s in front of a live audience. Don’t be that person who loses their thought mid-stream and has to awkwardly gather themselves on camera. Go one step further, turn off all your notifications, put away your devices, and take every step you can to prevent yourself from being distracted during your event.

Joe’s infamous “basement” includes a lot of smart details: a photo with the popular former Democratic President, a framed flag (likely related to his departed son Beau), and photos of the family. All of these elements convey strong emotional messages.

Do evaluate your optics. There’s an old anecdote that should be familiar to many of us - in 1960, John F. Kennedy and the incumbent President Richard Nixon held the first televised debate. Following the debate, polls showed that voters who listened on the radio felt that Nixon was the stronger candidate while those who watched it on television felt that Kennedy won. It may not be particularly fair or right, but image matters. A lot.

So with that in mind, take a look at the backdrop in front of which you’ll be webcasting. Is it a messy room? Is it an office-like setting? What are the values or character traits you’re conveying? What are the values you *want* to convey? Do you have any props that could reinforce that image?

Of course, any television producer will tell you that part of looking good is choosing the right shots.

Don’t webcast in front of a glare. Maybe you can’t build a full studio in your basement, but at least avoid forcing your audience to squint while watching you. It’s distracting. Instead, here are some lighting tips from Tom Ford courtesy of Larry David: “Put the computer up on a stack of books so the camera is slightly higher than your head and point it down into your eyes. Place a tall lamp next to the computer on the side of your face you feel is best in line with and slightly behind the computer so the light falls on your face. Place a piece of white paper or a white tablecloth on the table you are sitting out of the frame.” Good advice.

Do make an ask. If nothing else is retained from this blog, I hope you remember this — organizing is always, always about making an ask. Every time you have a chance to communicate with your supporters, 

Are there points you think I’ve forgotten? E-mail me at david@scrappyorganizing.com and I’ll add them in a future installment.