Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of June 18, 2023

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of June 18, 2023

Stinger

We have stopped doing the “stinger “after host openings, and we're glad to hear that you like this change! If you have any other suggestions to improve  our shows, website pages, advisories or social media, let us know at hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.

Cancellations

Please -  if you or your guest find that you can't make it to your show, please plan alternatives:

1. Keep an updated list of other hosts and guests who can step in as last-minute backups.
2. If the host is unavailable but a guest is ready but you can’t find a backup host, with some notice we may be able to find a substitute host
3. If a guest is unavailable and you can't find a backup guest, the host can do a solo show, preferably with graphics.
4. Pre-record a show on your own Zoom account.  Let us know at least a week in advance.

If you have to cancel two shows within 60 days, we will want to change your status to “ad hoc” host.  An ad hoc host can do shows when there are show times available on the production schedule, but does not have a reserved time, date or interval on the schedule. For more information: https://thinktechhosts.blogspot.com/2023/05/bulletin-to-thinktech-hosts-week-of-may_14.html

Fourth of July

Independence Day on Tuesday, July 4 is a building holiday, so we will not be producing shows that day.  If your show is affected by this holiday, let us know if you'd like to reschedule to another date. We are doing shows on Juneteenth, June 19. The next building holiday after that is Labor Day, Sept. 4. See the broadcast schedule at https://thinktechhosts.blogspot.com/p/faq.html.

Promotion Tip

People can watch your show when it’s aired on our calendar (the dates are shown in our email advisories and the home page of thinktechhawaii.com) or on demand any time (see thinktechhaii.com videos or YouTube.com/thinktechhawaii). Tell your friends, family and followers! After your show airs, it will be published to our website, YouTube, Facebook, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Please regularly review past Host Bulletins and other resources - it leads to better shows. See our equipment suggestions at https://thinktechhawaii.com/equipment-suggestions-2/.

Questions, contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.

Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of June 11, 2023

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of June 11, 2023

Fund Drive

It's the final push! We have only four days left to reach our goal. If you haven't donated yet or if you want to make another donation, click here to Donate via PayPal. To make a donation by check, please send it to ThinkTech Hawaii, 1164 Bishop Street, Suite 603, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813. Please spread the word about our fund drive to your networks and followers as well. We depend on everyone's donations to keep your shows on the air. Thanks so much for supporting our collective efforts on ThinkTech.

  DONATE  

Ad Hoc v. Regular Hosts

What we call Ad Hoc Hosts do not have a regular interval or spot. If you are an Ad Hoc Host you can schedule episodes at your convenience and the convenience of your guests.  Go to https://calendly.com/thinktechhawaii/30min to schedule a production date.

Regular Hosts, on the other hand, have a regular time, day and interval on the production calendar. If you are a Regular Host and you want to reschedule your production time or day for a particular episode, or add an extra episode, contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.

Once  an episode, hosted by either a Regular Host or an Ad Hoc host, has been produced and uploaded, we’ll send you the link and the airdate for that episode so you can advise your networks and followers.

Reading Text

If you have notes, put them in a word-processing document or notepad window on your screen as near as possible to the camera so you can maintain eye contact with the audience. Avoid reading lengthy scripts, quotes or citations (articles, statistics, biographies, etc.).  That will bore everyone. Slides with succinct bullet points, however, can be helpful. 

Promotion Tip

Do you respond to comments that are posted on your shows on YouTube and other platforms?  You should. Engaging personally when appropriate enhances the viewer experience and encourages greater viewership.  Even a simple “thank you” is an important extra step that can leverage your shows and create longtime followers.

Please regularly review past Host Bulletins and other resources - it leads to better shows. See our equipment suggestions at https://thinktechhawaii.com/equipment-suggestions-2/.

Questions, contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.

Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of June 4, 2023

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of June 4, 2023

Slides

Avoid using excessive text or graphics. The clutter can make slides illegible. They should be minimalistic and complement, not repeat, your spoken words.  This allows your audience to focus on the key messages. We strongly advise the 5x5 rule; NMT 5 bullet points per slide, with NMT 5 words each. Watch this episode with award-winning videographer Larry Jordan for more tips:  https://youtu.be/MU8LYOF-ft0.

Preparing Guests

Prepare your guests for the show by sending them the Appearance Guidelines and Graphics Guidelines when you first recruit them. Last-minute back-and-forth emails from uninformed guests is stressful for everyone, and we may have to reschedule the episode if their video or audio is not up to our production standards. Sending the guidelines to your guests before you complete your show information gives them more time to prepare themselves.

Writing Show Information

Run-on sentences can confuse readers and make it challenging for them to understand your writing. Use appropriate punctuation, conjunctions and sentence structure to break down long sentences. This improves the clarity, readability and impact of your writing.

Clean Lens

Dust, fingerprints and smudges on your camera lens  will produce blurry video. Take a moment and  clean your camera lens regularly for clear and professional video quality.

Promotion Tip

Reach new audiences through cross-promotion!  If ThinkTech Hosts from other shows are on your show, or if your episode is related to another show's theme, mention that other host and show. Promoting each other will predictably expand both of your audiences.

Please regularly review past Host Bulletins and other resources - it leads to better shows. See our equipment suggestions at https://thinktechhawaii.com/equipment-suggestions-2/.

Questions, contact hayley@thinktechhawaii.com.