StageClock Blog
Practical guides for running live events on time: speaker timing, stage displays, run-of-show planning and streaming.
Speakers & timekeeping
Keep talks, panels and competitions to time without awkward moments.
How to Stop Speakers From Running Over Time
Keep speakers to time without embarrassing them: a briefing email to copy, a 5-minute and 1-minute cue system, and polite lines for when time is up.
How to Moderate a Panel and Keep It on Time
Panel moderator timing: a minute-by-minute budget, answer lengths to brief panellists on, kind ways to cut someone off, a Q&A slice and an on-time close.
Timekeeping for Debates, Pitch Contests and Open Mics
How to keep time fairly in debates, pitch competitions and comedy open mics: official debate speech times, start rules, signals, grace periods and penalties.
TEDx Talk Length: What TED Says About 18 Minutes
What TED's own TEDx rules say about talk length, the 18-minute limit and longer formats, plus how organizers time sessions and speakers rehearse to the clock.
How to Time a Talk to an Exact Length
How to time a talk to fit your slot: measure your real speaking rate, build timed blocks with checkpoints, mark a cut-line and recover on stage if behind.
Stage & venue setup
What to put on the speaker display, and how to get it onto every screen.
What Is a Stage Clock and How Does It Work?
What a stage clock shows, how an operator runs it from off stage, how it beats a wall clock or phone timer, the main types and what to check before buying.
How to Set Up a Stage Timer on an iPad, TV or Laptop
Turn a tablet, TV or laptop into a stage timer display: device choice, network, full screen, stopping auto-lock, cabling, mounting and a pre-show test list.
Confidence Monitor vs Podium Timer: Where to Put the Clock
Confidence monitor, lectern timer, timing light or back-of-room screen? Compare sightlines, size, cabling and effort, then choose the right one for your room.
Hardware vs Web-Based Stage Timers: Which Should You Use?
Dedicated hardware stage timers vs software and web-based timers: cost models, setup, failure modes, flexibility and remote control, and when each one wins.
How to Keep Several Stage Timer Screens in Sync
Why stage timer screens show different times, how networks and device clocks cause it, and a test and fix list to keep every stage and backstage screen in sync.
What to Show on a Speaker Timer (and What to Leave Off)
What belongs on a speaker timer display: digit size for viewing distance, contrast, colour-blind safe cues, countdown vs time of day, overtime and messages.
Running the show
Run of show, teams, delays and multi-room events.
How to Write a Run of Show (With a Template)
Build a run of show that holds up live: the columns to use, timing maths with changeovers and buffer, a worked half-day example and a copyable template.
What to Do When Your Event Runs Late
A playbook for when your event runs late: where to claw back time, a decision table, re-timing segments, what to tell speakers and handling tech failures.
How to Run a Live Audience Q&A That Works
Run a live audience Q&A well: choose how questions arrive, pick good ones, fill the silence, handle ramblers, keep it accessible and finish on time.
Show Calling: How the Caller and Crew Communicate
How a show caller, stage manager and AV crew work together live: who does what, how standby and go cues are called, headset etiquette and a pre-show checklist.
How to Run Multiple Rooms and Tracks on Time
Run a multi-track or multi-room event on time: a shared slot grid, room-change time, breaks, a timekeeper per room, comms between rooms and late-room rules.
Streaming & hybrid
Timers and clocks for OBS, vMix, webinars, podcasts and livestreams.
How to Add a Countdown Timer or Clock to OBS Studio
OBS has no timer source in its menu, but it ships a countdown script and a Browser source. Five working ways to put a countdown or clock in an OBS scene.
How to Run a Webinar or Hybrid Meeting on Time
Keep webinars and hybrid meetings to time: a pre-show checklist, a clock-time agenda, a timekeeper's cues, and what the Zoom and Teams timers actually do.
How to Add a Countdown Timer or Clock to vMix
vMix has a countdown built into its Title inputs and a Web Browser input for web timers. Setup steps, shortcut functions, overlays and common fixes.
How to Time a Podcast or Live Interview
Timing for podcasts, video podcasts and live interviews: plan segment lengths, give the host a readable clock, back-time to a hard out, and log timestamps.
Event guides
Timing playbooks for conferences, corporate events, awards, hackathons and services.
How to Keep a Conference or Symposium on Schedule
Conference timing that holds: session lengths, changeover buffers, a session chair script, strict paper slots, keynotes, breaks and no-shows, with worked maths.
How to Keep an Award Ceremony on Schedule
Run an awards night or gala to time: what each award really costs, acceptance speech limits, presenter scripts, kind play-off cues and where to put buffers.
How to Time a Church Service and Its Livestream
For church volunteers: a service running order template, sermon length, gentle cues for the preacher, team roles and a pre-service livestream countdown.
Timing Town Halls, All-Hands and Product Launches
Keep corporate town halls and launches on time: protect employee Q&A, cue executives without awkwardness, plan hybrid audiences and live demos with a fallback.
Hackathon Schedule Template, Demo Slots and Judging
A 24-hour hackathon schedule template with every input stated, plus demo slot lengths, how many judges you need, a judging flow and deadline reminders.