Bulletin to ThinkTech Hosts - Week of August 6, 2023

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:
Host Bulletin, Week of August 6, 2023

Distinguished Guest Nominations

Click here to nominate a guest from one of your July shows to be selected a Distinguished Guest! Only the first 10 nominations will be on the ballot. Nominations close TOMORROW, August 7th and voting will begin on the 10th. The results will be posted in our email advisories on the 20th. The winning candidate will be profiled in a short video for our livestreams and social media.  Last month's winner was Frederic Ruppert, nominated by host Mark Shklov for his appearance on "Law Across the Sea".

Prepare Your Guests

Send your guests the Appearance Guidelines and Graphics Guidelines when you first recruit them. They need to record in a quiet, indoor space with a table or other flat, stable surface--not a hand or lap--for their recording device. Last-minute emails and complications 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.

Slides

Avoid using excessive text or graphics on slides. The clutter can make them illegible and distracting. They should be minimalistic and complement--not repeat--your spoken words, allowing your viewers to focus on the key messages. We strongly advise the 5x5 rule: NMT 5 bullet points per slide, with NMT 5 words each.

Moderating

Hosts are responsible for moderating the discussion, so if your guest is rambling, failing to answer your question, or repeating their comments, interrupt them and guide them back on track. Keep in mind that excessive interruptions (affirmative interjections such as "right" and "uh-huh" or talking over them too much) can be upsetting, so try one or two soft interruptions. To have good audio on the substance, you may need to restart the question you asked--we'll edit the overtalk out in post.

Promotion Tip

Episode highlights are great for enticing others to watch the full video. Email your selected clip to hayley@thinktechhawaii.com  so we can post it on https://www.youtube.com/@ThinkTechHawaiiBriefs/ to get the word out on your show.

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 July 23, 2023

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:

Host Bulletin, Week of July 23, 2023

Show Description

Please review your show description at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wTryiidjPg8lC69UbSSbCR5Ukhx5szg8vZPvRmY88-8/edit?usp=sharing and make sure it's up to date. You can also check out other ThinkTech shows through the hyperlinks.  A better show description will help you get more views.

Connect it Back

Please make sure the coverage of your episode is consistent with the name and description of your show. If you expect that the discussion will be outside of your show's name and description, you should find a way to connect it so your viewers will understand what you are doing.

Labor Day

Labor Day, Monday, September 4 is a building holiday, and we will not be producing shows that day.  If your show is scheduled for that day, please let us know if you'd like to reschedule to another day in that week or the following week.  Note that the next building holiday after that will be Thanksgiving, November 23. See the schedule at https://thinktechhosts.blogspot.com/p/faq.html.

Promotion Tip

You can reach new audiences through thoughtful cross-promotion.  If your episode is related to another show's theme, it would be great if you mention that host and show on your show. You might also want to recommend potential topics and guests to other hosts. Cross-promotion will expand both viewerships for both shows. 

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 July 16, 2023

Dear ThinkTech Hosts:
Host Bulletin, Week of July 16, 2023

Last-minute Guests

Reminder: we really can’t include any last-minute guests in your shows. They create problems for our staff. Your list of guests and their information should be on your Show Information Form by 10:00 pm HST the night before so we have enough time to prepare for your episode.

Zoom Camera

Leave your camera and the Zoom program on at all times, and don’t move the camera unless the engineer asks you to do so.  If you disturb or turn off the camera or the Zoom program, we will have to cut out that part of the video.  If you need to get up, just leave your camera alone.

Sound Interruptions

During the show, be sure to turn off your cellphone and set your computer devices to Do Not Disturb in order to avoid notification sounds, which will be picked up on the Zoom audio. Here are some instructions on how to do that: https://blog.rescuetime.com/do-not-disturb/

Reading Text

Avoid reading lengthy resources (articles, data, statistics, biographies, etc.) on air. That will bore and turn off viewers.  Instead, quote the most important points (NMT three sentences) or summarize the resource. Slides with succinct bullet points about the resource can be helpful visual aids. 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 look into the camera and maintain eye contact with the audience. In any event, never read more than 90 seconds.

 

Promotion Tip

Help us help you! Remember to tag and mention ThinkTech Hawaii in your social media posts so we can share them with our viewers and followers. Type the “@” symbol and then start typing our page's name:

Facebook - @ThinkTechHawaii
Instagram - @ThinkTechNews
LinkedIn - @ThinkTech-Hawaii

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.