An easy way to help your recorders.

Recently we got a panicked call from one of our school clients on the Monday after their auction. Although they had three capable volunteers dedicated to recording the winning live auction bids and fund-a-need, they missed a significant number. The reason? In the good-time spirit of the evening, their fellow parents kept stopping by to chat.

Fortunately, we made an audio recording of the proceedings and were able to provide a back-up. This was a huge relief as the fund-a-need notes were particularly incomplete.

When considering how to avoid this in the future, I realized that is a simple matter of staging. While the recorders were ready, willing, and able to do the job, they were seated on chairs off to the side of the crowd. In short, they looked like wallflowers, not worker bees. Of course their friends wanted to reach out and include them in the fun!

However, had they been seated behind a table toward the front of the room, their official capacity would have been clear. To underscore their role, a sign reading “Reserved for Recorders” could have been included.

Obviously, auction recorders need to be able to hear the auctioneer clearly so situate them near the stage and speakers, but not so close as to have sound blasting in their ears.