I am not sure why, but many people who host events always treat the microphone as an after-thought. It is so frustrating. I have been to weddings, book readings, political discussions, lectures, and charity functions and time after time, I have missed important presentations that I was looking forward to because the microphones didn’t work properly. Each time this happens, I mentally give a demerit to the event organizers.

I know that many of my contemporaries enjoy running charity events in their homes and community centers. They don’t plan on using a mic. They shout to make themselves heard. By the end of the event, they are exhausted and frustrated.

I knew there was a solution, somewhere, somehow. I finally bring some good news. A new app, called the Crowd Mics app, turns attendee smartphones into microphones. When I first heard about this, I couldn’t believe it. Another digital sensation.

This is how it works. Crowd Mics, for iOS and Androids, connect smartphones to the room’s sound system. Every smartphone owner has his or her own microphone. In order for the app to work, the presenter and all audience members have to be connected to the same wireless router, which is possible through Wi-Fi or a stand-alone wireless router device. Crowd Mics doesn’t require an Internet connection because it only uses the router to push data back and forth.

The whole process is pretty easy. I first learned about it from BizBash Media.

“The speaker on stage plugs a smartphone into the room’s sound system and creates a name and access code for the event in the Crowd Mics app. Audience members download the app and enter the code to join the event. When they want to ask a question or make a comment, they tap their phones.

“The presenter will see a list of people who want to talk in the order they came online. The presenter can enable an individual microphone, mute a microphone, or put the system in ‘open mic’ mode so anyone can comment. Audience members can also submit text comments to the presenter through the Crowd Mics app, and the system offers basic polling functions.

“Crowd Mics is free for audience members. The event organizer, presenter, or venue pays for access to the system based on the size of the crowd. It’s free for 20 people or fewer, and then starts at $25 for 50 participants.”

I’m still amazed!