You're facing technical glitches during a live show. How will you keep the audience engaged?

In situations like these, especially with live shows, one thing that I’ve noticed is effective is to have a few anecdotes and jokes ready prior to the event. Sometimes they can be integrated into the event but they are especially useful during the event if glitches like those arise.

Staying calm in situations like these, especially if you’re the Engineer or even the EIC moves the troubleshooting along at a rapid pace allowing you to engage the backup and relieve the producer. If the person calling the event starts to panic it slows down the process. Often times the audience misses the changeover especially if they are engaged with the keynote speaker

Según mi experiencia la calma es una parte clave en la actitud que tiene que tener el/la productor/a si se le presenta un problema técnico de última hora. Independientemente de eso, hay que contar con que las "máquinas" fallan y hay que contar tanto con el equipo de repuesto necesario y el personal cualificado como para poder solucionarlo sin poner en peligro el show. Ser creativo y hablar con seguridad te brindarán la excelencia ante un problema que además, el cliente no suele entender, ya que precisamente es la técnica "la gran desconocida" dentro de los perfiles profesionales de eventos.

In the words of Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac: "Play on!" Technical glitches can (and will) happen at any time. Whether in a live performance, or in a job situation. The best approach is to try to stay as calm as humanly possible. Hopefully the glitch gets sorted out while you're performing or working,and you power through it. At times it doesn't always work out,but panicking is the worst thing one can do in those situations.

One thing I've found helpful is being in control is very essential with dealing with glitches in live situations. Calmness in the heat of the moment helps you see things other people might have missed due to the pressure. It helps to have a mental checklist of all the steps you would usually take setting up so u can retrace your steps to see where the error originates. Being calm also allows members of ur team the mental bandwidth to be able focus on troubleshooting effectively. As a team leader find ways to redirect the pressure from the key team members dealing with the troubleshooting so they are able to focus on finding and fixing the problem

In my experience, the best way to deal with a technical problem such as the presentation screen malfunctioning or computer problem is: 1. Always remain calm. 2. Pull the focus away from the problem and engage the audience by getting them to laugh. A bit hard with multilingual groups but not impossible. 3. Go into the audience and ask questions, connecting with them personally. Find out the key points they would like to take away from the presentation. 4. Improvise with story telling. Since my field is Themed Entertainment, I have many stories to share which can be presented in a way that covers the intended content without A/V support. 5. Practice speaking without a microphone. 6. Never give up or loose your cool.

Always keep your audience in the loop but don't discourage or put anyone on the team down. I always try to make a joke in these instances but make sure its playful. For instance if the lights go out, it can be something simple as oops forgot to pay the light bill or I hope no one is scared of the dark. Make it feel like an inside joke with the crowd now, it will make them remember the event more but don't stray away too far from what the event is initially for.

En los tiempos que corren la naturalidad es un "must". La gran mayoría de errores técnicos son entendibles para cualquier persona siempre y cuando se actúe con diligencia. Tu capacidad para hablar en público convertirá este error en una oportunidad. Efectivamente, comentar los problemas y hacer partícipe a la audiencia ayudará a conectar con el speech que tengas que en ese momento.

En cas de problèmes techniques lors d'un spectacle en direct, ma priorité serait de m'engager immédiatement avec le public. Je n'hésiterais pas à reconna?tre la situation de manière transparente, en expliquant brièvement ce qui se passe. Ensuite, je saisirais cette opportunité pour interagir directement avec les spectateurs. Je pourrais lancer une conversation, poser des questions, ou même improviser un petit numéro en attendant que les soucis techniques soient résolus. En m'engageant directement avec le public, je montre que je suis présente pour eux, peu importe les circonstances, et je transforme un contretemps en un moment d'échange authentique et spontané.

Una audiencia directamente convocada , es una audiencia activa, participativa y comprometida. El talento del comunicador será puede a prueba.

Considero que que hasta la improvisación por falla técnica puede planearse. Es importante que el talento sepa qué hacer si se presenta un problema, y que el líder pueda comunicárselo a resto del equipo antes de empezar un show. Se puede improvisar contando una historia sobre alguna canción, una anécdota sobre la ciudad donde esta, una dinámica con el público para que cante a capela, interactuar con personas clave para humanizar el momento, regalarle una experiencia a algún fan sobre el escenario, y muchas más. Esto dará tiempo para correr y salvar el show.

En este caso, creo que la improvisación de contenido no es lo más recomendable. Los temas a tratar en una transmisión, están ahí para la puesta en escena. Suponemos que están programados por el interés de la audiencia, ya sea por entretenimiento o contingencia.

Si des problèmes techniques surgissent en plein spectacle, je n’hésiterais pas à improviser du contenu pour maintenir l'intérêt du public. Je pourrais rapidement inventer une scène amusante, raconter une histoire captivante, ou même proposer un jeu interactif qui implique les spectateurs. L'improvisation est un excellent moyen de garder l'énergie positive et de montrer ma capacité à m'adapter aux imprévus. Cela permet non seulement de combler le temps, mais aussi de créer des moments uniques qui peuvent rendre le spectacle encore plus mémorable pour le public.

This situation is an excellent opportunity to ask questions of the audience to check understanding and to have them ask questions of the presenters.

Particularly when it comes to live demos, it’s a good idea to have a pre-recorded backup that you can narrate live as it plays in case the demo fails. In some cases, it may also make sense to have someone backstage following along with the demo in case the connection from the mobile phone or laptop on stage disconnects. When it comes to remote presentations, it’s good to have a photo of the presenter you can throw on screen in case the video connection drops, and a backup audio channel even if that’s a phone call just in case you need to move from one platform to another

We can ask for assistance from the Onsite Technical Support team. There is no rocket science to conquer human issues. We all are human and its common to encounter such situations. We can only do what's in our own span of control, beyond that it's another's responsibility to take up.

Fail over and proper electrical planning must be part of the technical process. This ensures that your audience wont even notice if you switch to redundant. Things do break and usually at the worst time though. Stay calm and cool and work the problem. Its best not to even bring it up to the audience. Remember that you're only as good as your last show. If technical issues occur which could have been preventable then it will reflect badly and could cause loss of business.

I love connecting with people, and part of my shows always include me getting to know at least a few of the audience members when I'm not on stage. When tech stuff happens, I'll find ways to connect withe the audience in a fun and meaningful way. I'll tell a story or get a game going. As the emcee of an event, I will feel out what the room needs and usually come up with an entertaining way to keep the connections flowing until the tech issues are resolved.

Welcome it and embrace it as a gift of the universe. Audiences are invariably excited when they know for a fact that they are seeing something unique and never to be repeated. Anything that “goes wrong“ opens a door of opportunity to engage the audience, to approach what was intended to fill that time from a different direction, to create together something unexpected and new. As Miles Davis said, “there are no mistakes. Only gifts.“ One of the foundational principles of my live, improvisational, audience involvement theater company was always to be on alert to Discover and play with such opportunities in every show.

I was once doing a live show and all the sound went out. Being that I am a saxophonist, I informed the crowd about what was going on and let them know that this was the day that they could consider themselves performers. With the acoustics in the room, I had the crowd clap a tempo and I let the sax fly. Performing a few covers that they sang along with got them really warm. I even had an impromptu poet get up to recite a poem to his date as I improvised to make it sound sexy and sweet. This was one of my most memorable shows.

La interactividad siempre genera atención por parte de la audencia, pero no podemos dejar que la audienca acapare el contenido del show. Es interesante emplearlo como una alternativa y dominar el arte del público es algo complicado pero que con un buen profesional, te puede sacar del paso y con un gesto que seguro, permanecerá en la mente de la audiencia.

Face à des problèmes techniques lors d'un spectacle en direct, je choisirais d'impliquer activement le public pour maintenir l'intérêt et l'énergie dans la salle. Je pourrais les inviter à participer à un échange, leur poser des questions sur leurs attentes, ou même improviser un jeu collectif pour faire de ce moment un instant de partage unique. En les intégrant directement dans l'action, je transforme une situation délicate en une opportunité de créer une connexion encore plus forte et de rendre le public co-acteur de l'expérience. Cela permet de maintenir une dynamique positive et de garder tout le monde engagé, en attendant que les problèmes techniques soient résolus.

Si des problèmes techniques surviennent lors d'un spectacle en direct, je profiterais de l'occasion pour tirer parti des médias sociaux. Je pourrais encourager le public à sortir leurs téléphones et à partager l'expérience en temps réel, en utilisant un hashtag spécifique ou en taguant l'événement. Cela pourrait inclure des selfies, des vidéos, ou des messages en direct sur les plateformes sociales. En engageant le public à travers les réseaux sociaux, je non seulement garde leur attention, mais j'élargis aussi la portée de l'événement au-delà de la salle, créant ainsi une interaction dynamique qui continue de valoriser l'expérience malgré les imprévus.