Tech Rehearsal


Tech rehearsal is like luggage.

Luggage is made to get jostled around. Opened up. Thrown up on.

But nobody ever says “man, i wish i just put my clothes in a trash bag before the flight”.

Same thing with a Tech Rehearsal. This is when you sort out the troubles that you DON’T want to encounter on live day. Computer is dead? make sure it is charged. Headphones aren’t working? Get a new pair by next week.

Can’t get into the platform? Take a breath, lets walk through it.

Each tech rehearsal always contains the phrase “and THIS is why we have a tech rehearsal.”

Do a tech rehearsal 1 week prior. 

  • Send a calendar invite when each speaker signs up confirming details of the webinar and the tech rehearsal. 

  • Make sure the speakers are in the same location as they will be presenting. 

  • If there is a deck, make sure it is finished and all references or CTAs are included. 

  • Include attachments in your webinar - people love clicking and downloading things. 

  • Make sure the deck includes 2 housekeeping slides: 

    • 1 at the beginning telling people about how they can engage with you now

    • 1 at the end telling people how they can engage with you next 

      • upcoming webinars

      • who to email questions


Video Setup

Eye level: 

  • Make sure cameras are eye level. This might mean you need to raise the level of your laptop - put a book or box under it. If the camera is at its max level consider adjusting the chair of the presenter. 

  • If your camera is at the top of your computer, position the presenter screen as close to the camera as possible. This will make it look like you’re staring at the camera. 

  • There are a few products that will drop the camera to the middle of your screen. I am not endorsing either of these.  


Consider lighting: 

  • The main light source should be in front of the presenter. 

  • If one presenter’s light might change (sun goes down or up), make sure the blinds aren’t open. 


Backgrounds: 

Don’t use a virtual background if you can avoid it. Blurry background looks cool, but it might require more computing power, which means there is a video lag.  It is best to clean up the room you’re in OR record with a solid-color wall behind you. Otherwise, you might risk turning yourself into a potato or a cat.  


Branding: 


If you have a logo you want to have present throughout the duration of the webinar, include that in the background. 

If you are using software that allows you to arrange different video feeds, make sure your logo is visible in each arrangement.  

If the software allows you to have a name tag, confirm the hex code for your brand and use that for the name tag color to remain on-brand.