Tips for a 'Presenter'

This guide will show you some tips  to instantly improve your video quality in a presentation.

Eyeline

Raise your laptop so the webcam is level with your eyes. You can use a laptop stand or just a pile of books. If you’re using your phone, we suggest purchasing a super cheap tripod, or again, get creative with some books. Holding your phone makes you and your background shaky and it’s distracting for everyone - fixing your camera in position helps keep the focus on you. 

If you’re trying to make an important point, try and maintain eye contact on your camera lens. It may feel uncomfortable to begin with, but for everyone in the meeting it will help draw them in, and give a feeling that you’re addressing them directly.

Frame up

Frame yourself in the centre of the camera shot and allow a small amount of negative space above your head. Ensure there is an established balance of you and your background in the camera shot.

Let There Be Light

Situate yourself by a south-facing window (north-facing if you’re in the northern hemisphere). By doing this, it puts you by a nice big light source that will never receive direct sunlight. This is important.

Soft light is generally considered to be more flattering, so eliminating direct sun removes the harsh highlights and shadows that go with it. Not only that, you won’t have to worry about sunlight glaring in your eyes. Don’t panic if you don’t have access to a south-facing window, just think about where the sun is relative to you at that time of day. If it’s morning time and the sun is rising in the east, then look for a west facing window instead. Vice versa for the afternoon! Aim of the game: the sun isn't directly beaming through your window making you squint.

Once you’ve found your window, face towards it, and sit so you’re 0.8m-1.2m away from it. As an optional extra, you could rotate yourself 30-45 degrees. This should add a slight shadow to one side of your face, helping create depth in your image.

For the most effective results, your light source should come from behind the camera. If you are in a darker room (with limited to no windows) and using powered light, ensure the light source isn’t focussed directly at you so you’re squinting or are starting to see stars. Rotate the shade of the light so it is focussed elsewhere in the room but still provides a lovely soft light in the space. Use a light on both sides of the camera for appropriate shading.

Remember not to sit directly underneath any sharp/bright down-lights. They will cause terrible shadowing on your beautiful face.

Audio

Arguably the most important element of your presentation. To improve your video quality, wearing headphones is a must, and not just for you. It will eliminate any feedback (that annoying moment when you hear what you’ve just said playing through someone else's speakers). Sit nice and close to your laptop if you must use an onboard microphone. If you’re using your phone and your headphones have an inbuilt microphone, perfect!

Our suggestion would be to use a USB microphone if available. Audiences are much more forgiving with picture quality but the moment audio starts breaking up they can lose patience very quickly.

De-Clutter

Now we’re not suggesting a full deep clean of the house (unless you are that way inclined), but do try and remove any objects that are sitting (or hanging) directly behind your head.

Webcams and phone cameras generally have a large depth of field (where things close up and far away are all in focus), this unfortunately means any items behind your head will be in focus and really distracting. So, do your best to remove them. You should be OK to show your natural environment eg. bookcases, plants, paintings - as long as they’re not too distracting.

Bandwidth

Bandwidth is right up there with audio in terms of importance for your presentation. With potentially many household devices connected to WiFi, temporarily disable them to free up your bandwidth for the presentation. You may have your laptop on for your presentation, while your phone, desktop PC, iPad and smart TV are all draining on your internet speeds. Turning off WiFi on other devices could really free up some bandwidth, and lead to a much smoother presentation.

If others in the house are streaming videos ask if they’ll stop for the duration of the call.

Questions or concerns?

If you’re unsure what looks best, and need some extra advice, schedule a video call with a friend or family member so they can view from the audience perspective.

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