How to: Pre-recorded presentations

Include time for note-taking, drawing out ideas or mind-maps, chatting with other attendees, finding resources online, or self-reflection. Invite engagement, activity, breaks, etc.

RESOURCES: https://www.wbtsystems.com/learning-hub/blogs/8-new-ideas-engaging-online-students

During a virtual event, the chat moderator may have a variety of responsibilities for engaging attendees in the chat area with relevant prompts and questions, voicing chat comments, providing examples of networking prompts, etc.

PRIOR TO EVENT

• Determine with host organization what the specific needs of the chat moderator will be for the event
• Understand the general content flow and context
• Review or prepare in-event prompts and questions for the chat area
• Determine when and how to bring chat room items to the attention of the presenter

DURING EVENT

• Welcome individuals
• Share chat tips with participants
• Encourage participation
• Post prompts or questions as agreed upon
• Acknowledge, respond to and engage with chat discussions
• Bring chat room items forward by voicing posts for others to hear (all attendees may not be viewing chat)
• Lift up key questions in chat room to presenter at appropriate, agreed upon times

POST EVENT

• Inform host organization and/or event planner of any outcomes, issues, concerns, challenges, highlights,questions, etc. that arose during the webinar

RECORDING

HOW TO Pre-Record

For any virtual presentation – live or pre-recorded, there are many considerations and tips for crafting a successful presentation before you get to the actual recording, including a plethora of ideas to engage attendees during a virtual experience.

Using your own Zoom account (free) is typically a very easy way to pre-record yourself. Set up your own meeting for yourself (or include other presenters) and show your video. This will ensure your video is part of the recording as well as any screensharing/slides you want to include. Then begin recording via Zoom – either to your computer or to the cloud. Anything you screen share will get recorded. If you don’t screen share anything or present anything, then Zoom will simply record your beautiful face! If you want to toggle between presentation and your face full-screen, turn on and off your video. Zoom will not record hidden video feeds. Once you are done presenting, click END MEETING and the recording will get saved appropriately. From there you can edit the file or share it as is, if it’s ready for prime time!

Use your computer or phone camera to capture video of yourself. If a slide presentation is also needed, slides and the video can be combined in a video editing application, such as iMovie (learn more: https://eventgarde.com/blog/entry/graphic-design-and-creative-tools-for-the-rest-of-us/10/

PowerPoint allows you to record your presentation with audio narration if you don’t want a video. I’ve heard some versions of PowerPoint allow you to record your presentation with video camera as well, giving you the small presenter video feed right alongside the presentation. I’ve been unable to locate this option on either the online version of PowerPoint or the installed software on my Mac. So no promises, but maybe this feature is for Windows users…?

Panopto allows you to upload presentation slides and record your face side by side You can also use a combination of the above.

PREPARING YOURSELF AND YOUR SPACE

• Wear solid colors, jewel tones; navy suits are better than black or gray; avoid stripes or wild patterns.
• Test your setup: lighting, shadows, background, noise, even the clothing you wear and accessories (do they rub against your microphone and create feedback/noise?).
• A microphone of any kind typically (not always) works better than the straight computer built-in microphone. Even“ear buds” with a mic will often sound more crisp and clear. Computer sounds (keyboard typing, clicking) can be easily picked up more-so from computer microphones than external mics. The best way to avoid feedback is to wear a headset and change your computer’s audio settings to be input and output through the headset and its mic
• Are you more comfortable standing or sitting while presenting? Adjust your computer/station/setup accordingly.
• Adjust the laptop or your webcam so that your head and shoulders take up the majority of the frame. If you need to, put the computer on a phone book or close the cover of your laptop just enough to fill the frame. Ideally, the top of your head will touch the top of the frame and the camera will be capturing you straight-on or looking slightly down on you.
• Alternatively, you might find that backing away and having more of you in the camera is suitable if you are not showing slides.
• Some presenters opt to re-create that in-person environment and film themselves while standing next to a large monitor showing their slides. This offers a more natural presentation feel for some presenters (and some attendees).
• Look at the camera versus your screen when possible. This slight shift in eyes allows participants to feel you’re more engaged with them than your computer. When you are “listening” look directly into the camera. Otherwise, it will look like you’re not paying attention.
• Mute anything else in your presentation area that beeps or buzzes so you don’t distract yourself or others in the audience
• Rehearse in front of a camera as early as possible. Then give them the opportunity to see what they look like while presenting. They can empathize with the viewer’s experience and change their delivery
• Being on camera on a set is very different from being in front of a live audience. Speakers used to a live environment are now in a feedback vacuum, so they must project confidence to engage the audience.
• Use your space, use props. Remember that attendees are only seeing your “talking head”. Bringing other items into view, backing away and opening up your space, being animated – all of those things help draw attendees into the presentation.
• Consider your background…sometimes the auto-backgrounds leave awkward gaps or distracting movements. You can stage a simple background simply sitting in front of a blank wall. Think about if your background ADDS to the presentation or REDUCES an otherwise distracting space behind you. Backgrounds should not interfere, overtake or distract from the presentation.
• If you are planning for pauses during the presentation to allow chat time or live-voice items, build those pauses into the recorded presentation. Give yourself enough time to hit pause on the video (6 second pause) and/or auto- build that time in appropriately to the recording.
• Test your presentation material; what happens to the screen when you share a powerpoint? What alternative sharing methods do you have or could you have as backup? If your internet goes bad, is your material available to the host to share for you? Does your sound play through properly when a video is in your presentation or being shared separately?
• Panelists / co-presenters should mute their microphones if they’re not speaking for a significant length of time. Remember we can still see you though, so stay engaged and present.
• Remember that some silence is okay! Give time for people to reflect, consider an answer, and then craft that into text and type it into a chat. There will be anywhere from a 3-30-second lag so you might want to type in your question before you ask it out loud to give the virtual audience time to think and respond. Or ask the question, fill in time with something else and come back to see what they think.

EDITING

• iMovie
• Vimeo
• Movavi
• Canva
• Noun Project
• Purple Planet
• Pexels
• If you are planning for pauses during the presentation to allow chat time or live-voice items, build those pauses into the recorded presentation. Give yourself enough time to hit pause on the video (6 second pause) and/or auto-build that time in appropriately to the recording.
• Take time to clip out unnecessary pauses, fillers, etc (um, uh, sooooo)
• Don’t re-record entirely. Record straight through, giving yourself pauses when you know you want to redo something. It’s easy to then clip out those pieces that you don’t need and push the good clips together. Try to return to easy transition points and avoid excessive movement of self and computer during that time.