Stop Doing Live Software Demos: The "Fake It" Strategy Top CEOs Use
So you need to present a demonstration of your new product or software, and you are thinking about doing it live on stage. What could possibly go wrong? As it turns out, almost everything. If you want to deliver a flawless presentation without the anxiety of a system crash, it might be time to rethink the live demo entirely.
Why Live Software Demos Are a Massive Risk
When you are rehearsing in an empty room, everything works perfectly. But the moment that room fills up with people and everyone connects to the Wi-Fi, the internet can instantly drop out. It has happened to the best of us—including Steve Jobs—and it can easily happen to you.
Beyond network failures, there are countless physical and human errors waiting to ruin your demonstration:
Hardware Malfunctions: If you are demonstrating something from a phone, those connectors are notoriously fiddly and can easily fall out mid-presentation.
The Nerves Factor: When you are on stage with hundreds of people watching, you are naturally going to be a bit nervous. If your demo requires clicking very specific targets, it is incredibly easy to misclick and derail your flow.
Typos: If your software requires everything to be spelled perfectly to function, a simple nervous typo can ruin the entire demonstration.
You simply do not need to take those risks.
The "Fake It" Strategy Top CEOs Use
Instead of leaving your success up to chance, pre-record your demonstration. A recorded demo usually gets a much better audience response, allows you to time your delivery perfectly, and removes the stress of live navigation.
The trick is to record it in such a way that you can deliver it on stage using a presentation clicker.
This is exactly how many top executives operate. I once watched a presenter at a major brand event with his computer open at the lectern, pretending he was driving the software live. In reality, he had a clicker hidden in his hand, advancing a pre-recorded video every time an action needed to happen on screen.
This is the perfect way to present. A CEO's job on stage is to deliver a compelling message, not to worry about perfect mouse movements and exactly when to click. You can guarantee perfect pacing and flawless execution simply by recording it beforehand. Unless you are literally demonstrating "live demonstration software," there is no reason your demo actually needs to be live.
3 Essential Backup Plans If You Must Go Live
If you absolutely insist on doing it live, you cannot walk onto that stage without a safety net. Here are three crucial backup strategies you must have in place:
The Shadow Computer: Have your primary computer in front of you, but keep a second backup computer plumbed into the AV system just off to the side. Ensure it is fully loaded and ready so that if the main machine fails, you can seamlessly switch inputs and continue on the backup.
The Backstage Driver: Have another person sitting backstage logged into the exact same system, listening in, and following along with your same clicks. If your system freezes, they can instantly take over the heavy lifting.
The Pre-Recorded Safety Net: Always have a pre-recorded video of the software working perfectly. If the live system completely falls down, you can simply tell the audience, "Let's switch over to the video of it working yesterday," and keep your presentation moving.
Most live TV isn't actually live anyway, so there is no reason for your demonstration to be extra stressful.
Planning an upcoming corporate event? If you have any other event AV topics you want to safely navigate or need a tech breakdown for your next big presentation, reach out to our team today to ensure your next event runs flawlessly.
