Hosting Great Conversations On Angle
One thing we learned in our one-year journey with Angle: Host anxiety is real for many people. In a world where everything and everyone is expected to be perfect, many users are setting high standards for themselves when it comes to hosting a live online conversation. And high-quality standards are great, of course. But not every conversation needs to be an extensively prepared TED Talk. Sometimes the real magic happens ✨ when a group of people is having an authentic conversation in the moment. Exactly like the conversations you have with your friends over a glass of wine (or juice).😉
So, here are a few tips and tricks if you are planning to host your first live conversation on Angle, but aren’t quite sure how:
📚 The Topic
First of all, what kind of topic would you like to discuss? On Angle, anything is possible.
- Maybe you have a big question mark in your mind about something and would like to hear other people’s opinions on it. Great! Phrase your conversation title as a question. A great example here was a session called “Prop Tech in Switzerland: What is out there and what’s next?”. Use the description to let people know that this is an open discussion where inputs are welcome.
- Are you an expert in a specific subject? Awesome. Share your knowledge in a conversation and let people ask questions and interact with an expert — you. An example here was a session by Dr. Anders Sandberg: “Earth’s long-term habitability and what can be done about it”.
- You just binge-watched all of the Avenger movies and need to discuss it with other nerds? Go for it! Example: “Calling all Marvel fans: Who will ultimately bring down Thanos?!”
🗣 The Format
Depending on your topic, it can be worth thinking about the right format. Here are the four formats we have seen working out well on Angle:
- Roundtable: An open discussion with all participants on a specific topic. Anyone can jump in and share thoughts and inputs or you can invite specific guest speakers and make a panel out of it.
- Angle Talk: An expert talk about a specific topic. You or someone you invite shares his or her knowledge and then answers questions from the participants.
- Angle Debate: A discussion exploring opinions of opposing sides on a specific topic (Politics? Ethics? Best Practices on something?). Listeners can jump in with inputs and questions.
- Interview / Fireside Chat: Invite an interesting person to interview him or her live on Angle or to have a conversation with this person. Listeners can jump in with inputs and questions.
- Games: We’ve been seeing more and more people playing games together and we think that’s so cool! Some examples: Geo guesser, trivia, hangman… Screen-sharing on web can be great for games that require everyone to look at something specific for a game.
Thinking about the format can help you prepare but isn’t essential in determining the success of your conversation. In the end, all that counts is your passion for the topic you choose to discuss on Angle and it doesn’t matter if you plan it weeks ahead or start an ad-hoc conversation. As cheesy 🧀 as it sounds, just be yourself and you’ll do just fine. 😉
Find more information in our conversation guidelines.
Technical Tips
Conversation start: Be there on time so people see the host when joining the conversation once it goes live. Give people 2–3 minutes to arrive before you start the conversation. Use the time to chit-chat a bit with the people already in the room.
Intro: At the beginning of your conversation, it can be helpful to inform your audience of the conversation rules. Would you like them to just jump in and talk or would you like them to raise their hands so you can call them up to speak? You decide. Further, it’s never a bad thing to start by introducing yourself (who are you? why did you pick this topic to hist? what’s your background concerning the topic? what are possible expectations?…)
Polls: It can be fun to start a conversation with a poll where you ask people to give their answers by raising their hand. For example: “Who here has been in an Angle conversation before?”
Sharing: If you would like your conversation group to read something before the conversation starts, you can use the chat to share links or some more information about your topic.
Recaps: If you see lots of people joining over the course of your conversation, it can be helpful to welcome them and do a quick recap of what they missed.
Share your screen: The screen sharing option is currently available on web only. Sign in to your account, enter your conversation and click on the screen symbol, which will then prompt you to share your screen or a specific tab.
Mute: For smaller conversations, it can be cool and create a great atmosphere when everyone is unmuted (if they’re in a quiet environment). It can allow a conversation to feel more intimate and authentic when you hear people’s reactions like a quick chuckle or a sharp “oh!” or “cool!”. Experiment and see what feels right for you. As the host, you can also mute someone if their background noise is too loud.
That’s it! We’re adding our host FAQ below, which should hopefully answer some remaining open questions if any. We’re real people and not chat-bots, so if you prefer a personal conversation to help you plan your first hosted session on Angle, you can reach Paul, our Head of Community Success at paul@angle.audio. Happy to help! 😊👋
Host FAQ
How do I add a topic on Angle?
- Navigate to the bottom of the home screen and click on “Start Topic”
- Go live now: Enter a title and tap “Start topic now”, which will open up a conversation room instantly, OR:
Go live later: Tap “Schedule for later” to pick a date and time in the future. - Pick a date and time and add a description if you like
- Click on “Add categories” and choose one to five tags to link your conversation to interests
→ Note that you can edit your conversation anytime: If you need to edit it, locate it on the “subscribed” feed, and tap “edit.”
How do I cancel or delete a conversation?
Just locate your event on the feed, tap on the three dots in the upper left corner and select “delete!”
How can I build a community and audience for my topics?
All conversations can be scheduled as a one-off or as recurring conversations. Recurring topics offer the opportunity to steadily grow the number of users signing up for and joining your conversations. Additionally, the live chat stays open between conversations, which allows you to use it to share information about upcoming conversation or remind users of your next session.
What is the best way to share information beforehand?
There is a chat to every single conversation. Feel free to write additional information before or after the conversation in the chat. Only people that signed up for the topic will receive a notification about the new message in the chat. You can further use the chat to remind people of your upcoming conversation or to share links.
Should I host a single conversation or a series?
Oftentimes, the first conversation helps you to navigate through planning and moderating. We have seen that conversation series (recurring weekly, bi-weekly on roughly the same day and time) tend to build momentum and a repeat, loyal audience! This can also help to create a successful community!
What is a good time to schedule a conversation?
That depends a bit on your topic and target audience. Prime time is currently Monday to Thursday between 6pm and 10pm CET, although many people also appreciate sessions during the day or around lunch time.
What’s the best format for a conversation?
There is no best format. It’s mostly up to you if you want to have an open discussion, an expert talk/interview or a roundtable with guests.
What kind of topic should I choose?
On Angle you can talk about anything you like (within community guidelines). You don’t need to be a subject matter expert to start a session on a specific topic. Want to learn something about a new topic? Start a conversation asking experts to join and share their insights! Want to chat about the season finale of your favorite tv show? Go for it! Want to hear opinions on your newest business idea? Discuss it on Angle. Don’t be shy, just try different topics and see what works best. There are no “bad” sessions. Sometimes you talk to only 3 people, but if it’s the right 3 people — magic happens.
Do I have to be an expert to start a conversation?
Absolutely not. If you have expertise to share — great! But if you just want to discuss newest games or movies, that’s great too! Great conversations happen when the people having them are passionate about the subject. That can be quantum computing, trash tv or gardening tips. Anything goes!
Can I invite co-hosts or speakers?
Sure :) People only need to download the app or use the link to the conversation in you calendar and you are good to go. Feel free to tell people of your choice about your talk and invite them to join.
How can I share my screen?
The screen sharing option is currently available on web only. Sign in to your account, enter your conversation and click on the screen symbol, which will then prompt you to share your screen or a specific tab.
How can I promote my conversations on Angle?
As soon as you create your conversation on Angle, you can share the direct link to the conversation on social media or other platforms. The link takes people directly to your conversation and allows them to set a reminder. If you would like more help to promote your session, reach out to our Head of Marketing, Sarah: sarah@angle.audio.
I have my own podcast. Can I use Angle to live stream my podcast?
Absolutely! Angle offers a great opportunity to stream your podcast to a live audience to get live reactions from listeners. Be aware that participants on Angle might raise their hand to ask questions and actively participate in the conversation. People have a right to know if they are being recorded, so if you are recording your session, please note that you must indicate so in the written description of your conversation as well as with a statement at the beginning of your live conversation on Angle.
Someone is interrupting my conversation by unmuting with the intention to disturb the ongoing session. What can I do?
As a host, you can click on a user’s icon and hit the mute button to mute the person. If the user keeps interrupting, you can also kick him or her out of the session and report the behaviour to the Angle team by clicking the “Report” button.
