Why Every Zoom Presenter Should Do a Tech Check Before an Important Meeting

It started with a simple task.

A presenter launched a Zoom meeting, opened PowerPoint, and clicked Share Screen. Instead of seeing separate presentation windows, Zoom displayed a single PowerPoint icon. The presenter couldn’t choose the slideshow window they needed.

Ten minutes later, they were still troubleshooting while their audience waited.

Eventually, they gave up and presented from PowerPoint’s editing view.

After the meeting, they discovered the culprit wasn’t PowerPoint. It was a Zoom setting that had changed after a software update.

That story landed in my inbox recently.

It illustrates something I tell clients often.

The biggest challenges in virtual events usually aren’t the dramatic failures everyone worries about. They are the quiet software updates that change familiar workflows overnight.

When Familiar Stops Being Familiar

Most people assume technology works the same way it did yesterday.

Usually it does.

Until it doesn’t.

A software update can move a button, rename a setting, or change a default behavior. Nothing is technically "broken," but your carefully practiced routine suddenly no longer works.

If you’re hosting a client presentation, board meeting, webinar, or conference, discovering those changes in front of an audience is the worst possible time.

This Is Why I Recommend Tech Checks

People sometimes ask why I encourage speakers to rehearse, even when they've presented hundreds of times.

This is one reason.

A tech check isn’t simply about testing microphones and cameras.

It's about discovering surprises before your audience does.

Sometimes the surprise is:

• A Zoom update
• A PowerPoint setting
• A new security feature
• A changed default option
• An operating system update

None of these are difficult to solve when you have time.

They’re much harder when fifty people are waiting.

Small Changes Can Have Big Consequences

In this case, the presenter eventually found the solution.

Zoom had changed how it grouped multiple PowerPoint windows during screen sharing. Changing the screen sharing preference restored the familiar behavior.

The fix took less than a minute.

Finding the fix took much longer.

That’s the real lesson.

Technology problems often aren't caused by difficult solutions. They're caused by unexpected changes that interrupt our normal workflow.

Purpose-First Design Means Planning for Change

When I design virtual events, I don't assume the technology will behave exactly as it did last month.

Instead, I ask questions like:

• What if Zoom changes something?
• What if a presenter updates their laptop the night before?
• What if screen sharing looks different than expected?

Planning for those possibilities is part of Purpose-First Design.

The goal isn't to eliminate every surprise.

The goal is to make sure surprises don't become crises.

Because when technology fades into the background, your message stays in the foreground.

And that’s exactly where it belongs.

My July Reading List

Judge Stone by James Patterson & Viola Davis

Frederick Douglass by David Blight

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Feel free to share this newsletter with a friend struggling with virtual events.

My company is Calm, Clear, Media. I produce purpose-driven virtual events for nonprofits and member organizations. I don’t just manage Zoom calls; I create experiences that reflect your mission and engage your audience. My job is to make sure everything runs smoothly so my clients can focus on impact.
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