Angela Crocker, Author at Angela Crocker

Successful live streams don’t happen by accident. Consistent planning and preparation for each broadcast will help you gain confidence and give your viewers a dependable experience. Take the time to do each task for every live stream you do. With practice, these tasks will only take you a few minutes.

Start with the Basics

Before you go live, decide on your topic. The best live streams are focused on a specific subject. Have you picked a topic of interest to the audience? Be clear on what you will talk about.

Decide on a location where you will record your live stream. Are you filming in your office or on location? Will you be indoors or outdoors? Is the spot a public space or a private location? Do you need permission to live stream from this place?

Find your Gear

Of course, you’ll need your camera to record your live stream. The best camera for the job is the one you have with you. Whether you use a DSLR or a mobile phone camera, you can go live.

Once you’ve found your camera, check the batteries. Know that live streaming uses a lot of power so try to start with a full charge. You could also charge your camera while streaming. Plug it in at the office. Use a battery on location.

Shaky video will make your audience feel seasick. To stabilize your live stream, use a tripod. My current favorite is Switchpod — a tripod designed for live streaming. If you don’t have a tripod handy, stabilize your camera on a sturdy surface. Just be careful it won’t get knocked off and damaged!

Lighting is essential to make your live stream sparkle. Let your audience see you and the things you want to share. Natural light from the sun is flattering to everyone, and it’s free! Alternatively, you can arrange any lamps you have to shine light in the right places. Or invest in a ring light* or studio lights to create a live stream set with lots of lighting options.

Bad sound will drive your audience away faster than anything else. To capture the best possible audio, invest in a quality microphone. My favorite for in-office recordings is the Blue Yeti USB microphone and I love the results for the Rode SmartLav+ microphone on location. And, if you don’t have an external microphone, the one in your smartphone will work just fine.

Consider distractions

To improve your audio, be aware of background noise. Can you shut a window to minimize traffic sounds? Or bribe your kids with screen time for a few quiet minutes? Can you stand out of the wind so that moving air doesn’t create excess noise? As much as possible, record in a quiet space.

While you live stream, you are not available. Turn off notifications on your mobile phone. Let people nearby know you are in do-not-disturb mode. Tell your kids you’re about to be internet famous, and when you’re done, let them know you’re finished.

Look after yourself

In my opinion, the best live stream videos have a realness about them. The person on camera looks and acts like the real person they are rather than an actor playing a role. That said, you’ll probably want to check your appearance in the mirror. Have you got anything stuck in your teeth? Are you happy with your hair? Do you want to apply a fresh coat of lip gloss? Check your appearance to boost your confidence on camera.

Now, I’m going to sound like your mom for a minute. Do you need to pee? Do a quick bladder check and hit the restroom, if needed. There’s nothing more distracting than a full bladder.

While recording, you might get dry mouth or an unexpected cough. Hydration is key to keep your vocal cords fully operational. Take a minute to pour a glass of water, just in case. If you prefer, upgrade to coffee or a stiff drink, as suits your preference. If you really want to pay attention to the details, pick a mug that complements your location or topic.

Final Steps to Live Stream

Even with all this preparation, you might need to pluck up your courage. Live streaming is a vulnerable activity. You’re putting yourself out there in real time. Be brave. You’ve got this!

Never underestimate the power of a cleansing breath. Take time to breathe: Inhale then exhale and repeat. Breathing may calm your nerves and settle your mind. Use each breath to focus on what you want to say in your live stream. Use each breath to ground yourself in the here and now.

When you open your live streaming app, you’ll have the opportunity to write a brief caption describing your live stream. Use this copy to entice viewers to join you in real time and to encourage them to watch the replay. Whether you’re live streaming on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or another platform, you should have a chance to type in a short description.

And now it’s time to go live. This is your moment: Start your live video and share your ideas with the world. You can do this! I have faith in you!

To help you gain confidence with each live stream you do, I’d like to offer you this handy checklist; a condensed, one-page version of the tips above. Use it before every live stream. Fill in the form to get the checklist delivered to your email inbox.

The work-at-home lifestyle takes some getting used to. While giving up a long commute is a dream come true for many people, the realities of working from home can be overwhelming. I first started working at home when my son was in preschool and it’s been a busy decade since then, as I continue to juggle work, parenting, eldercare, and family life. So, let me share from my experience to help you adapt to the work-at-home life.

Find your spot

If your living space allows, establish a place that will be your home office. You might repurpose a spare room or in the absence of a dedicated space, take over the dining room table. Try to pick a spot that you can set up and use every day. Your days will be easier if you don’t have to set up your computer, notes, and other resources every morning and put them away every evening.

Ideally, your spot will be ergonomic for the kind of work you do. If you’re going to be at the computer all day, find yourself a comfortable chair. Similarly, put your computer keyboard and monitor and the right height. I’ve long tried to keep my keyboard at a level where my wrists are straight and my elbows are at approximately 90 degrees while typing. For vision’s sake, try to elevate your monitor so that the top edge of the monitor is at eye level. Lower screens can have you tipping your head forward, putting unwanted stress on your neck. If you’re going to be working on a laptop, consider adding a full-size keyboard and external monitor to improve the ergonomics.

Consider your technology

If you work for yourself, you are responsible for all the technology you’ll use. And, as a business owner, most tech will be a tax write-off, so be sure to keep the receipts and consult your tax accountant. If you are an employee of a company or government organization, your employer might provide you with equipment to use or with an allowance to purchase work-at-home gear. Other employers will assume you have a computer at home and that you’re willing to use it for work.

Before you buy any new gear, pause to consider what technology you need to work at home. Most people will need a computer. You might need some extras like a microphone, webcam, speakers, lighting, or headset. It’s possible you’ll find other tools handy; I often use my USB overhead projector* accessory, for example.

Don’t forget the software

You’ll also need software. Some people will use Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) or iWork (Pages, Numbers, Keynote) for word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations. Others — me included — will use Google tools including Docs, Sheets, and Slides. You’ll need an email program also — Outlook, Gmail, iCloud Mail, or similar.

Beyond standard office software, you may need access to a database to do your work. Your employer should be able to provide you with log-in credentials. If you don’t have a central office server for document sharing, you can turn to document sharing services. Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox, and OneDrive are commonly used. All of these services synchronize the latest version of each document across all your devices — computer, tablet, mobile phone — as well as across your colleagues’ devices in other locations.

If you’re a teacher, you’ll need access to an online teaching system. Whether you’re using Google Classroom, Desire 2 Learn, Blackboard Collaborate, Moodle, or another platform, the system will have many tools built in to help you distribute learning materials and deliver lessons. If you’re a tutor, coach, or in any kind of business that requires conversations, you may need a video chat tool. Some people do well with Facebook Messenger and Google Hangouts, while others rely on Skype or Zoom. Frankly, Zoom* is the service of choice these days so be sure to check it out if you need to do multiperson video chat and/or screen sharing.

Get online

Don’t forget internet access! You’ll quickly use up your mobile phone data plan so be sure to connect your internet-enabled devices to your home internet access. And remember you can talk to your internet service provider about upload and download speeds at your home address. Sometimes, it’s worth paying for a higher level of service in order to work at home effectively.

You’ll also need log-in credentials from your employer. To connect multiple business sites together, including your home office, you’ll need to run software on your computer that creates an encrypted tunnel between your computer and one at your place of work. This link is called a virtual private network (VPN). Your company’s IT department can issue you the necessary credentials if it supports this technology (assuming you aren’t the IT department; if you are, it’s all on you)! .

Please note, the VPN your office provides should not be confused with the prevalence of VPNs available to private citizens. The latter are used to mask your location when accessing streaming services outside your country. For example, Canadian users could “spoof” the internet in order to access US-based streaming services such as Hulu. Similarly, teens often use this type of VPN to get around family restrictions on internet use. This is a dodgy area I’ll delve into another day.

Another option is a tool such as LogMeIn. If your place of business will support it, LogMeIn allows you to remotely control the computer you usually use at the office from the computer you have at home. Of course, this is a paid service. If you’re self-employed this is another expense that can be a tax write-off; if employed, talk to your employer to see if they’ll pay for it to support you working at home.

Be alert to distractions

When you work at home, it takes practice and discipline to ignore distractions and remain productive. Household chores such as cleaning the bathroom, loading the dishwasher, and keeping up with the laundry can all erode your work time. Other people in your home can also be a distraction whether you live with your chatty mother-in-law or have three kids to care for while you work. Your personal interests may also distract you — the latest episode of our favorite TV show on the PVR, personal social media feeds, or your fitness room might tempt you to play instead of work during office hours.

Work on your workflow

To overcome distractions and be productive, you’ve got to find your own workflow. If you’re an early riser, maybe you work from oh-dark-early until breakfast. If you’re a night owl, like me, you might work later in the day to get the most done. If you’ve got kids, your schedule’s probably aligned with their activities. If you need to change how you’re using your time, I highly recommend Mike Vardy’s 30 Days of TimeCrafting program. It’s five (US) dollars well spent.

Your workflow isn’t just about how you use your time, it’s also about having the tools and information to do your work. Should you have client files or other resources at hand? Are you a maker who needs fabric, paint, or other materials nearby? Whatever you do or make, set yourself up for success by having the materials organized in or near your work space. If space is an issue, set out what you need for the day first thing so you can work without having to resupply until the next morning.

If your work is digital, make sure you have a system in place for work to move between you and your colleagues. Tools such as Trello can be used to create virtual job boards for your projects. Even a simple Kanban-inspired system using lists for To Do, Doing, and Done can keep work flowing.

Communication is key

And don’t forget communication. At a minimum, you’ll need to be able to talk to your customers and clients. How are you available to them? Phone? Email? Social Media? Video conference? If you have team members, you’ll need an efficient way to stay in touch. Some teams make efficient use of email and text messages. Other teams rely on tools like Slack for multiple, concurrent conversation threads. You might also have a dedicated chat thread in WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or another text-based messaging tool. A daily or weekly conference call or video chat with your team may also be a good way to keep everyone connected while they work at home.

Work-at-home life

Overall, know that it may take some time to find your work-at-home groove. It’s not easy for every person nor every type of work. Be kind to yourself as you figure out what works for you. Be willing to adapt, as needed. As best you can, make a distinction between work time and home time. Brief rituals can be helpful to transition you from work mode to family mode and vice versa.

I hope it goes well for you, and please, get in touch if you have questions.

*Full disclosure: If you make a purchase using this affiliate link, I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Checklist for Your Next Live Stream