The Online Presenting Environment, the Equipment to Use and the Materials to Benefit From

Abstract

The content of your presentation and the way you present have always been vital to how successful any presentation is, and this is just as true with online presentations. It is unfortunately not difficult for most people to recall an online presentation where things went horribly wrong, whether because the presenter was inaudible, the presenter disappeared into the background or a baby could be heard crying throughout. In such circumstances, it is no wonder that people only half-listen to the presentation and prefer to do something else instead, like catching up on e-mails. Conversely, there are presentations online that are both highly impactful and technically superb. The difference is not simply a matter of chance. It comes down to foresight and planning. These presenters have wisely chosen the best equipment for the task and set up the presenting environment to facilitate excellence in delivery. In many cases, presenters rely on the webcam built into their laptops to provide a video feed. However, having an external webcam does offer the opportunity to improve video quality significantly and is much more flexible than the built-in webcam. It is really a question of whether you are aiming for the best quality video or will be satisfied with the basic video available by default. One external webcam that has recently enjoyed significant popularity is the Logitech C920 webcam, which has been well reviewed by both speakers and audiovisual technical experts. There are few things as guaranteed to ruin an online presentation as having poor audio quality. Conversely, if presenters want to get the maximum attention from their audiences, they need to make sure the audio signal is as clear as possible. There are several ways to achieve this. One option is to use a USB external microphone.