A Team Building Study

We like to share a lot of case studies based on installs we complete at Lambda. We share them because we realize many of our customers are interested in ideas about what others are doing. They want to see new and cool ideas or innovative solutions being practically implemented in spaces like theirs. With churches these case studies are typically about new gear or new ways of using gear, however, with the race for live-streaming during the COVID-19 pandemic, we noticed other helpful information people were looking for were ideas on teaching, coaching, processes, and best practices. So, we welcome you to Lambda Teams case studies where we share conversations and ideas not centered around gear, but around great ideas and conversations had with teams.

Our first study will be with Village Seven Presbyterian Church (V7) in Colorado Springs. We’ll take a look at it mostly from the angle of growing and building a system based on the new challenges of the pandemic.
One of the major things I (Ryan) do at Lambda as the owner and design engineer is to find out what it is that people really need. One of my favorite quotes is: “If we would have asked people what they wanted, they would have said a better 8 track player” ~ Steve Jobs Another is: “If I had asked people what they wanted they would have said faster horses” ~Henry Ford. 

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​My job is to figure out what is important to people and try and match that up with the equipment needed to get there. At the same time, it is to help them build a new thought processes on using the equipment they have. In the case of V7 we’ll pickup from our past article about putting in the initial budget system. At this point, we had mostly missed the mark because no one knew where the mark was going to be set. Everything had happened so quickly.  
In going back in to work with V7’s AV team I had a few conversations around what it was that was missing. The team at V7 spoke to seeking quality. Rather than just buy all new gear right away we brought in a demo camera for the V7 team to try out. We also spent time working with the team, giving them tips and showing them “good practices”. Many think they know what the issue is or know there is an issue but can’t communicate it. So, we set things up in an industry standard format to help set a baseline for their team to work from.  

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​My experience comes from years of live events and working with churches so I could communicate to the team things like: vocabulary used in calling cameras, good practices in camera placement, graphics use, and specifically how to leverage a large amount of different streaming platforms in an easy-to-use way. I was able to show the team which pieces of the video puzzle are the ones to worry about and which ones they should automate. Navigating all of this is complicated, especially when, suddenly adding video due to Covid, no one on V7’s team really had any video or production experience. When faced with a room full of gear and a deadline to create content, they needed a step 1, step 2, step 3 approach. 
Step one for me was to make sure all the gear they had was configured correctly. We asked the V7 team to trust us and were set it up as it should be. We added a demo broadcast style camera to the simple PTZ cameras and taught the team how to use it. We then brought in Lambda’s audio and camera Experts to get everything looking and sounding its best. (Click HERE for more!) We also switched streaming platforms from a free single platform system to a multi-platform system Boxcast. Boxcast provides an encoder with no buttons and easy web scheduling from a single location making streaming to multiple platforms easy.
A week or so into getting all the different pieces functioning, the team was ready for the next step of moving the system to a dedicated streaming and production room. Each individual piece was working, and the team had gained confidence in their knowledge of their equipment. Melinda, the team’s communications director said, “it feels like the weight has been lifted off and all the base steps are just working.” Now the team could think about things like the transition to the new room, how to continue to grow the platform and how to get more people involved. This is the difference between working with people that just know equipment and people that know equipment and the processes behind using it. At Lambda we want to guide you a step at a time in good practices, good vocabulary, and building accomplishable goals for the future so you can continue to grow and build a creative vision. We don’t just sell equipment, we empower you to make your business great!

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