Know how to use CLUBHOUSE effectively in UNDER 2 Minutes
What is Clubhouse (CH)?
If you do not know what Clubhouse is yet, then the odds are you have been isolating yourself in a bunker to prevent random people from touching you during COVID or you are an Android user.
There are enough posts about what is Clubhouse. Here is the link to the app website to get to know more details - https://www.notion.so/Clubhouse-Knowledge-Center-342989cefea148ec98b66455a4b6073b.
Till now I have moderated 30+ rooms and have been a speaker in multiple CH rooms. My goal in this post is to help people use Clubhouse more effectively as a participant, speaker, and moderator.
With CH rolling out to Android users as well this guide will help you quickly and effectively start using the app instead of experiencing frustrations and burnout like I and many other folks did when initially started using the app.
Just two terminologies you may want to know before you continue reading:
Stage - This is the term used for inviting people over to speak. All these folks will appear at the top portion of your screen which is commonly referred to as “Stage”.
Room - This is a session you can join or create on a certain topic. People will join this session. These sessions are called “Rooms” in the CH world.
Clubhouse protocols
Here are the things you want to follow if you want to be invited to different CH rooms and also become a good speaker on CH stages.
How to share your authentic voice in CH rooms?
Make sure you have a Bio and connect your Twitter and Instagram accounts. People invite folks on stage only if you have a Bio as they dont like random people joining and disrupting the conversations in the room
Write down things you want to talk about based on the conversation in the room before you jump on stage and start talking. This helps to make your message more succinct
Keep your conversations within 1-2 minutes to give other people a chance to speak on stage
When you are done speaking it is a common protocol to end your conversation like this “My name is Raj and I am done speaking” (Insert your name in the place of mine, obviously!)
Don’t worry about making a fool of yourself on stage as people do not remember you after the room is over. There are millions of people already signed up on CH. So as long as you are not Elon Musk it does not matter. So dont be afraid to speak up and bomb on stage. The more you practice the better you become on stage
Join small rooms because that is where you can experiment with your messaging and get a chance to speak. There can be rooms with 500+ people. DO NOT JOIN them until you get a hang of speaking in smaller rooms
After 2 weeks try moderating rooms with other experienced moderators to gain more confidence in speaking
You DO NOT have to always speak. It is OK to just listen and consume information. CH rooms are like listening to a podcast
When people invite you to speak on stage, remember that you have control over whether you want to accept the invite or not. You can always decline it and then message the moderator later that you just want to listen. They understand
Try to add value when you are on stage. Share stories, be vulnerable, and show your authenticity. Don’t just sell on stage as you will lose your credibility. The more value you offer the more people will start inviting you to their rooms
TIMEBOX the amount of time you spend on CH. It is ADDICTIVE. For the first 2 weeks, I spent about 5-10 hours everyday on the app. You will get burned out. Instead have set time during the week you will use Clubhouse and be intentional about it
After 1 week of joining CH, stop the app notifications. You will start getting spammed by millions of people. Trust me on this I am sparing you some headache, heartache and helping to preserve your mental health before shit hits the fan
Finally, be clear on your intention of using CH. Is it to get leads, followers or build your network. Having this clarity helps to prioritize your conversations and the rooms you join
How to moderate a room?
I have been co-hosting regular CH room every Wednesday at 9 PM ET and Friday 4 PM ET along with some folks. I have also co-moderated other CH rooms. So, I know how to moderate a CH room effectively.
Based on my findings here are some strategies to become an effective CH moderator:
Make people in the room ping other folks to get more peopl in the room
Partner with someone to host CH rooms
Rotate through the room - Everyone on stage should get a chance to speak
“Reset the room” every 5 minutes. This means re-iterating what conversation is currently happening and what topic people are talking about in the room to the new folks who just joined the room
If many people are on stage request people who have spoken to drop off stage to give other people a chance to speak
Find your tribe of people who support your rooms by participating and by supporting them in their respective CH rooms
Only 8 people should be on stage at any time to have meaningful conversations
Timebox your sessions. Usually, my rooms are scheduled for an hour but it can go to about 2-3 hours. I am ok with that but some people may not so watch your time
To manage awkward silences during discussions have another channel of communication open with moderators through - Instagram/Facebook/LinkedIn/Twitter group messaging, Whatsapp, iMessage, and so on. Keep communicating with them in parallel as the discussion are happening
Don’t make anyone a moderator. You should know the person or already asked them to be a moderator beforehand
Do not bring people who do not have a bio updated on stage, as quite often they do not add value
Write down things you want to discuss along with your moderators before you start the room
Set expectations before the room starts - about the topic, protocol to be followed, and be inclusive
You will have instances where people on the stage are disrespectful, doing too much self-promotion, and derailing the conversation. In those cases, you can remove them from the stage using the built-in app features and also report them for these practices
Start your own Clubs
CH gives an option to create your own clubs. Which is basically a focus group on different topics of interest. I would recommend create 1 club and hosting rooms under that club. This way the club followers grow and the more people in the club the more people will get notified when you schedule rooms.
There you go. This is all you need to get started with CH effectively.
Make sure to FOLLOW me on Clubhouse @raj.subrameyer
If you have any questions (especially Android users) or any other tips I left out please feel free to share them in the COMMENTS below.
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