VIDEOCONFERENCING:
Presenter Guidelines
FOR BETTER VIDEOCONFERENCING:
- Avoid clothing with small checks, thin stripes or intricate patterns.
- These will produce a moire effect (crawling, strobing) from the cameras which will look like you have a horde of locusts in your clothes.
- If you are given a wireless lapel microphone:
- Avoid wearing long necklaces or large pins or name tags that may knock against the mike.
- Refrain from coughing downward into the mike or using hand gestures that may hit the mike.
- Turn off your cell phone or PDA, because they will interfere with the wireless signal.
- If there is a fixed microphone on the podium or instructor station, do not wander away from it or turn your head to look at the projector screen as you speak.
- Also, do not pound the podium or tap your fingers next to the mike.
- If your audience must press a button to activate their microphone:
- Remind them to do so when they're asking questions.
- If they forget, repeat the question so that the other sites can understand the context of your answer.
- If you are using a document camera to show transparencies or to write or draw something for your presentation:
- Make sure that the camera is focused.
- Check that your material is straight and framed correctly.
- Verify the camera is zoomed in enough to make your material legible.
- Your facilitator or technician will explain how to do all of this beforehand.
- If you are displaying Web pages or computer screens for some software program:
- Keep in mind that the smallest text may not be readable to the audiences at other sites.
- You can show general layouts or large text and graphics, but you may have to verbally describe the smaller elements.
- If you are using a PowerPoint presentation:
- use a sans-serif font such as Arial and make sure that it is bold face.
- A shadow usually helps against colored backgrounds.
- The background should be plain or with an unobtrusive pattern; avoid backgrounds of images or busy patterns.
- In different situations it may be preferable to use dark text on a light background, or light text on a dark background; however, do not use an illegible combination like black text on a dark blue background.
- The text size should be at least 24 point; 28 point or higher is even better.
- Try not to use more than six to eight lines per slide.
- Be sure to leave substantial margins on all four sides if your presentation is being videotaped or videoconferenced., so that the video format does not cut off the edges.
- If you have images or graphics, try to make them at least a quarter of the total area of the slide.
- If detail in the image is important, they should be full screen.
- If you have embedded video, make sure that the video file is on the computer along with the PowerPoint file.
- If you want to point to specific things on a slide, use the mouse to move the cursor rather than pointing to the screen in the room.
- If multiple sites are in the conference:
- Try to address them specifically by site name or by the name of a facilitator or someone you know at the site.
- Give each site a chance to ask questions in addition to the questions being asked by the audience in the room with you.