Tips for when your technology fails

• Always have a backup bridge line ready. So if you’ve signed up for a free bridge line account, make sure you have two free accounts to use the second as your back up.
• Include that backup number in your confirmation email with the note, “If we have audio technical difficulties, please redial in with this backup number….” You can also send it to your registrants in the moment, but some of them won’t get the email.
• If your phone is dependent on electricity or battery, and it goes dead in the call, have a backup at your finger tips. I use a corded land line so have a backup cell phone (with the ringer turned off) next to me.
• If you suddenly hear a lot of noise or screeching on the line (this is rare) ask the last person who dialed in to hang up and dial in again. If you don’t know who that person is, just ask anyone who dialed in within the last minute to redial.

Webinars:

• Save your slides as a PDF so you can email them to the participants if the visual goes down. Or you could post them to a private page giving participants the URL in advance “just in case.” Tell them when to advance to the next slide.
• You and a co-host, pal, VA or someone in your office should log in 30 minutes early to test the audio and visual components. If you have any problems, call the provider’s tech support line immediately.
• Citrix (GoToWebinar) says if you have tech difficulties tell your participants to stand by as you have to reboot your computer. You can then log back into the webinar.
• Have a backup audio bridge line number with participant PIN at your fingertips so if the audio goes out on the webinar, you can enter the dial in info in the chat area for your participants to see. Or have a slide ready with the backup dial in info ready to show if needed. Or post that number to the web page you’ve given them in case there is a need for a backup (or send it in your confirmation email).
• Sign in yourself on a second computer with the slides on that computer, too. Make sure you are listed as an organizer on the second computer. This way you can see the slides as they appear to the attendees, usually a second or two after they show up on your primary computer. Also, if need be, you can take over the screen from the secondary computer and continue your presentation if something goes wrong on your primary computer.