Graduation 2021 is shaping up to be unusual. Not as strange as 2020, but still requiring some out-of-the-box thinking for schools. Bring the graduation experience closer to your families and community and end the school year on a high note. It’s Facebook Live to the rescue!!

Whether you are a pro at going Live or whether this is your first time attempting this, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a handy checklist to help you nail going Live for the graduation ceremony:

• Our Facebook Live PDF is the place to start. Read this from top to bottom and keep it in your back pocket. Share it with your Facebook Live teammates.
• Enlist the help of your tech person. Graduation Live is a VERY different experience than going live for a smaller occasion.
• A secure (and separate) internet connection can make a big difference. This will ensure that your Live experience isn’t interrupted due to bandwidth issues that can happen during a large event.
• Find a good spot to set up your laptop or camera. If you are using a cell phone, invest in a tripod. This spot should allow for a good angle of the stage so your fans can see all of the action. Don’t be concerned with close-up shots.
• Sound on! Enlist your tech person to help you decide if purchasing a microphone kit like this one is needed You want to be sure that the folks at home can hear your class speakers, as well as each grad’s name as it is called.
• TEST, TEST, TEST! Go live on your own account to test out the connection, the angle, the sound, and all the things! I just tested this out (again) on my personal feed for the blog and discovered that Facebook will let a Live only be seen by you – perfect for testing.
• Choose your music carefully. Facebook will mute copyrighted music.
• Advertise that the ceremony will be on Facebook. Check out the example at the end of this blog for a sample graphic and wording.
• If your school does a dress rehearsal, use it as an opportunity to test going Live again – this time on the school Page – and use it as a teaser for your fans.
• On graduation day, go live a few moments before the actual ceremony begins. Add introductory text so the Facebook world knows what they are watching. Something like, “#ReedsburgPride Graduation Ceremony Live from RAHS! Join us in congratulating the Class of 2021. Leave your positive comments below.” Set the tone for positive engagement!
• Don’t get frazzled if your Live is cut off. Just start again.
• Don’t be discouraged by a negative comment or two. Sometimes people don’t realize that a slow or buffered feed is caused by THEIR Internet connection and not yours. Instead, focus on the TONS of sunny comments and words of encouragement you are seeing.
• When the ceremony has concluded and you end your Live feed, Facebook will ask you if you want to post it to the timeline. The answer is YES – let folks who missed the excitement live have the opportunity to watch it later.
• Pat yourself on the back. Graduation is in the books! Congratulations on a job well done.

Love this easy checklist? Then you’ll love our membership group where we support you with great training and encouragement 365 days/year. Learn more here!

A guest post from Heidi Feller, our Chief Inspirational Officer. She is a former teacher and district website/social media coordinator, but now she spends her days inspiring the #SocialSchool4EDU school partners with the encouragement they need to tell their story. In her own words, “Our teachers and students knock their socks off learning and growing each school day and the world needs to know about it!”