In an interview with Authority Magazine, a Medium Publication, Pivot Point Consulting Vice President of Marketing and Operations, Jillian Wood, shares insights into reimagining live events in a virtual context, the common mistakes she has seen people make when they try to run a live virtual event and her top 5 tips for creating an engaging and memorable event when everyone is separated and in their own homes.
Attention to human factors is more important than content — whether it’s an in person or a live virtual event. You can have the most compelling speaker or experience, but it’s lost on someone who is hungry or whose attention span burned out 30 minutes ago.
Live virtual events should be intentionally designed to optimize for human well-being and experience. Factor human physiology and psychology into programming to offset on screen fatigue, maximize cognitive functions (e.g., attention, perception, memory, social perception), as well as the need for physical movement and community in a virtual context.
Also, incorporate fundamentals for all events (in person or virtual such as — limiting sessions to 20 minutes (max adult attention span before needing a break) and embedding variety (which makes content memorable) into programming — as well as aligning programming with biorhythms (e.g., research shows that most people have the most cognitive capacity 2 hours after waking) and planning “experience bursts” at the beginning, middle and end (which research confirms are most memorable).
