[FAQ]

Hello,

I manage a group for people learning Italian, and I have an idea to host a weekly live voice chat for conversation practice. I’m a bit nervous about it, to be honest, as I’ve never moderated a live audio event before.

I’m looking for some best practices to stop it from becoming a complete mess. How do you manage the queue of people who want to speak? Is there a way to mute everyone and then let people “raise their hand”? What’s the best structure for this kind of event? Should I have a set topic, or just let the conversation flow?

I want it to be a valuable and orderly experience, not just a chaotic free-for-all. Any tips on the technical setup, moderation during the event, and what to do afterwards would be brilliant.

Thanks!

[Jeff Bullas]

Hosting live events is a powerful way to build a real-time connection with your community.

Short Answer: A successful live chat relies on a three-part structure: a text-based promotion phase, a well-moderated live audio session, and a post-event summary using text and audio formats.

Let’s break down the best practices for each stage by focusing on the right content format to use.

A good live event begins long before you hit the ‘start’ button. Firstly, in the days leading up to the chat, you must promote it using a mix of formats. Create a compelling image graphic with the event topic and time, and post it along with several text-based messages to build anticipation. You can also use a text-based poll to ask your members what specific questions they want you to cover. Secondly, during the live event itself, you are primarily using the live audio or video format. As the host, it’s your job to set a clear topic and structure. You can use the built-in “raise hand” feature to manage who speaks and keep order. A key best practice is to actively monitor the group’s standard text chat at the same time, as this creates a “backchannel” for members who are too shy to speak but still want to ask questions via text, which you can then read out loud. Thirdly, your work isn’t done when the chat ends. Always follow up with a text message in the channel that summarises the key takeaways and thanks everyone for attending. If you recorded the session, you should also share the full audio file, providing a permanent piece of valuable content for those who couldn’t be there live.

Cheers,

Jeff

[Author]

Posts