Video conferences are becoming now a standard of our work, in communicating, conveying information or giving remote interviews. Thus, it is well enough to be aware of a few crucial elements, which have an effect on good reception by our recipients. We provide special solutions of video call very often at conferences when speakers cannot be physically present at a particular event for any unknown reasons. Signal is emitted at the very event to visual media type of LED screens, projectors, monitors, and it is frequently transmitted on-line to a wider audience on YouTube, Facebook. Tips – what can we do to look well at the videoconference has been included under a few points.
*Press start and wait till the page checks for all necessary parameters. Correctness of operations is verified by the colour: green – perfectly correct, yellow – working, not perfectly though, red – not working.
Key aspects:
- Before starting, check if all works fine – you can run a test above.
- Computers are best suited to important videoconferences
- Take care of the quality of Internet connection
- Equip yourself in headphones with a microphone
- Check if you can hear and you are heard well
- Find the best place for conversation
- Adjust your camera in the right position
- Mind changeable lighting conditions and artificial light
- Clean up your desktop, replace a wallpaper if you provide access to your screen
What device would be the best choice?
For an efficient carrying out of videoconferences, we need a minimum of two things: a device with camera and microphone and the Internet.
Currently, we can hold a videoconference by means of devices such as laptop, smartphone, tablet with software installed. Each of these options will fit in well for social meetings, most of us use smartphones or tablets for this purpose due to promptness and convenience. However, in the event of videoconference, the best option will be the computer in view of camera stability, failure frequency, visibility and many other elements. In addition, it is worth noting that smartphones have much worse cameras at the front (the ones we use) than at the rear. We recommend using laptops for transmissions and video transmissions.
If by any case you wish to use smartphone to this end, think how your recipients will be watching you and adjust your phone position having this in regard: horizontally or vertically. A frequent mistake (for reasons of comfort) is recording or conversation by holding a phone vertically, where recipients are viewers or computer users.
Good connection is essential
One of the most significant elements is access to the Internet. It would be good for us if our connection was stable and fast enough. The most verified connections are wired connections (secure and rarely unreliable) of the computer to a household router/switch. These are followed by Wi-Fi wireless networks. Satisfactory results are also obtained through mobile networks (LTE), however it is dependent on location, network mode and device network card.
Check earlier for correct performance of devices
Possession of device with microphone and camera not always means that equipment works properly or is correctly configured – it is worthwhile to check it before.
Sound
It is worth using a headset with microphone during a video conversation, and in some cases it is required so that our recipient does not receive reverberation (we do not have to use special computer headphones, our smartphone headset would be sufficient). Before launching a video conversation it is worth checking our headphones or loudspeakers for correct performance by playing any movie, song. We also should take care of our surroundings and ensure that our recipients do not feel distracted by needless sounds, that is coffeemaker, lawn-mowing noises outside the window, or others.
Microphone
Sound purity is more important element than camera view, it would be better if could be heard well and seen worse than the other way round. Our microphone must be switched on and properly working. Its correct performance may be checked by pressing the right mouse button and clicking a loudspeaker at the bottom right corner (Windows system), then open sound settings and check by speaking whether sound bar for microphone operation moves.
If we use headphones in microphone input devices, it is worthwhile to set a headphone microphone (if optional), which will certainly improve the quality of your sound.
The Internet
It is worth checking parameters of our network connection by the quick test before any transmission. It is worthwhile to keep in mind that the test is carried out for network and location (in case of mobile network) at the point of conduction of a given test. In order that transmission proceeds smoothly and seamlessly, minimal speed of sending and receiving data parameters (upload, download) should be 3 Mb/s
Take care of your camera view
Find the suitable place
Remember that recipients not only pay attention to your appearance, hairstyle, make-up and clothing but also to surroundings you stay in. It would be best if fixed and uncontroversial elements were placed behind you. The safest way is to hold a video conversation being positioned with your back facing the wall – sitting with your back to door and windows is risky to such an extent that we could never be sure who, why, how and how dressed will enter our room, which sometimes comes as a huge surprise to viewers.
Set your device with camera well – frame
A significant element is positioning of your camera itself (e.g. leaning our laptop back) – the best is so-called half close-up, that is showing your profile from chest line to the top of your head, at the same time filling up height of your screen.
Viewpoint
So that our face could look natural without being misshapen, camera should be set in a position and at height modeled on our face-to-face talk to other person. Our camera should be set in a position most parallel to our profile and should be placed at the level of our face. Considering our comfort and carrying out other activities on the computer aside from the conversation alone we often keep forgetting it, and thus our viewers can spot us in unnatural and unattractive position. Therefore, put your device at higher level on something at hand: book, box, printer etc.
Light
The camera can see in definitely darker shades than eye, and in addition by making a great effort, it will brighten dark areas automatically generating hum. It would be good enough for our face to be lighted up evenly. If you hold a conversation late in the evening and use daylight, bear in mind that these conditions are changeable and in several minutes you can be much less visible – it would be sufficient for you to turn on artificial light just in time. What is more, do not sit with your back facing the window during a day, as the camera will automatically adjust the setting to the level of light coming inside, as a result of which your profile will be very dark.
In case you render your presentation/desktop accessible
At the video transmission, we want to show something available on our computer to our recipients not once or twice. Screen sharing option serves such purpose, and in some software this option displays the same view we see, not only indicated window. If there arises such likelihood, ensure before broadcast that your desktop does not contain any redundant contents, “weird file and folder names, visible discreditable photos of yours or others and preferably that your desktop wallpaper is universal. A key element are also opened up tabs in the web browsers. You will surely find lots of embarrassing, and at the same time funny (not for the author) examples of broadcasts quite disgracing their owner.
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