Hi,
I know this is obvious advice, but put it on your pre-session checklist. Today, I was 60 seconds away from a live stream that would have gone bad due to this.
I have a big checklist that I scroll before starting any session:
- Am I dressed appropriately?
- Is my face well-lit?
- Are there are any unnecessary things in the camera’s field of view?
- Do I have a bottle of water?
- Have I used the washroom in the last ten minutes? (Yeah I check this too)
- Is my dextr.io presentation ready and tested?
- Do I have a backup powerpoint, just in case?
- Do I have a printed copy of the presentation, just in case?
- Has my five year old son been instructed to not knock on the door during the session?
- Are my parents and my spouse aware of my session?
- Is my phone on silent?
- Are my laptop notifications turned off?
There are 10 more entries in that list, but you get the picture. I have never added "Is the laptop charged?" to the list because I always work with a live AC power.
Yesterday, I bought a new table which sits in the centre of the room. Till now I have used a plank which is fixed to the wall. I had AC power right under that plank, and never faced this problem.
Anyway, long story short, I survived. I had to tell my live audience on the YouTube stream that, shamefully, I have to go get a charger in between the stream. There was dead air for 60 full seconds, and then I was back. All went well after that.
Lesson learned. Item added to checklist. Is the laptop charged?
Charged up,
Abhilash