- MICROPHONE. I have weak vocal chords from 30+ years of professional speaking and WILL need a microphone, no matter how many people are in the audience, please. I prefer a wireless lapel (lavaliere) microphone if one is available. It’s hard on my hard on my hand to hold a microphone for an hour. However, if you don’t have a lapel microphone, don’t worry about it! I will use whatever you have! If you’ve tested it, and it works in the gym or auditorium or wherever we are, I’ll be fine.
- LAPTOP. I will run a PowerPoint show from my PC laptop. My PC has a built-in HDMI connection. I will bring a thumb drive with my slides as a backup. In student assemblies, I show one 60-second video that is embedded into my PowerPoint, so I will also need sound/audio from the computer, either built in from the HDMI to your sound system or a separate audio cable with a portable speaker. There is no sound in the PowerPoint for ADULT events. I will bring my own remote clicker to advance my slides. I will not need Wi-Fi.
- PROJECTOR AND CABLING. If we’re in the gym or other space with a portable projector, please provide an EXTRA-LONG HDMI cable (50 feet) from the projector, so I can stand in the middle of the gym or wherever I believe my talk will be best. If we are in a gym, please provide a podium or separate table for me to set my laptop on. If your projector is built into your auditorium or theater, I will place my laptop on a podium and plug my laptop into your HDMI cord from the stage. I must be able to operate my laptop from the stage! I can’t leave my laptop in the back of the auditorium or with someone in the sound booth clicking for me. I can’t see what slide is coming up next, and it affects my presentation and my remote clicker. As a Plan B, we have a wireless HDMI solution from your projector to my laptop. If you have any questions on this set up, please email me at [email protected] before I arrive, so we aren’t scrambling when the students are pouring in.
- SCREEN. If your screen is built in your auditorium, I will use whatever you have. If we’re using a portable projector in a gym using BOTH sets of bleachers, please set it i the middle on one end, so both side of the bleachers can see it. If we’re in the gym using ONE set of bleachers, the screen can go in center court for best viewing for all students. If you’re setting a screen on a stage, please place it to the side of the stage, versus on it, so the projector light doesn’t shine on me (see diagram at the bottom of this page). The podium can go to one side of the screen.
- LIGHTS. Please raise the house lights as HIGH as they can go, even if the screen looks slightly dimmer. I need to be able to see the students from the stage. I love energy, and a dim room promotes sleepiness and talking.
- WATER. Please provide two bottles of water, room temperature if possible (ice water tightens the vocal chords).
- CHAIRS. If we are in a gym, please provide a folding chair for John to sit on. If we are in an auditorium, please provide one folding chair in the wings. I will put my personal items on this chair.
If this is a prevention conference, here is a diagram for conference set up (not assemblies):
Please email [email protected] if you have any questions! Thank you!