The Proactive Speaker: Microphones
Here is National Geographic photographer, Ami Vitale, being fitted with her headset mic for her talk at our Charlottesville TEDx. See the tiny beige ball peeking out from under her hair on the left? That ball must be placed quite close to the mouth, but not too close or every plosive is explosive!
After learning all we can about the audience—who, how many, what we can give them—we get as much information as we can about the microphone set-up for the event. Again, we might find that the organizers themselves do not yet have the answers, but asking the questions will give a nudge so that we have the information sooner rather than later and can prepare.
Questions to ask:
Is there a microphone?
What kind?
Wireless?
On a podium?
Halo?
Lapel?
Hand-held?
Answers regarding the type of microphone give us vital information about how to rehearse our talk and even what to wear!
A hand-held means we have one hand to use for gestures, notes, etc. In this case, practice the talk while holding something in one hand.
Wired mics mean our movement on the stage is restricted to the length of the cord. Practice using the space with a clear idea of how far we can wander.
Headsets or Halo mics (what Ami is being fitted for in the photo) hang right in front of our mouths and are highly sensitive—rough beards, starched collars, dangly earrings, will amplify along with our voices. Trim the beard, watch for high collars, and ditch the dangles.
Lapel mics (“lavalier” or “lav”) attach somewhere to the front of our clothing, either on a lapel or the neckline of the shirt/dress. I ask that people rehearse with something like a brooch fastened to their clothing as a reminder to keep gestures, hair, and clothing away from the mic.
Wireless mics of all sorts have a battery-pack attached by a thin cord. Clothing with waistbands work best—skirts, pants. Dresses are OK, but the battery pack sits in a hump at the back of the neck and can look and feel odd.
Of course, things go wrong—there are always glitches we can’t anticipate. After learning all she could about the microphone set-up for an upcoming panel discussion—”microphones will be evenly spaced along the table”—a client discovered that the table had two microphones for five panelists and her chair had been set at the far end of the table. As a gift to the live audience who had come to hear each of the experts’ contributions, she picked up her chair and politely squeezed in close to a mic.
I love how proactive she was and I encourage every one of us to do the same!