Tips and cautions for presenting at virtual
conferences and meetings:
Creating engaging and authoritative video
presentations
Caryn Jones and Richard Bradly Harris
ThinkSCIENCE, Inc. | Presenting

Virtual conferences and meetings
are not a new phenomenon, andsome of us were already familiar
with sharing and discussing ourresearch this way before theCOVID-19 pandemic forced
cancellations or postponements
of in-person events or shifts tovirtual events. Still, a great manyof us have recently had to takecrash courses in learning how to use various video conferencing
platforms and tools in order to prepare and give presentations at virtualevents.
At virtual events, all sessions are provided online, with presenters either
livestreaming their presentations or providing pre-recorded presentations that areavailable to registered attendees on demand via a secure event website. At semivirtual events, sessions can include traditional in-person presentations orlivestreamed presentations given to attendees at the conference venue as well as
pre-recorded presentations available online.
In this featured article, we offer some tips and cautions for presenting via prerecorded video presentations. (The tips shared are also applicable to faculty
members who are now livestreaming classes and lectures.)

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Why create video presentations?
While video presentations are unlikely to replace the traditional format ofconference presentations given in person or via the other relatively new medium of
streaming presentations live, they do offer many unique opportunities toconference organizers, presenters, and the academic community as a whole. For
example, having some or all participants provide a video presentation instead of
traveling to a set venue has the obvious benefits of reducing the costs andenvironmental impact associated with such travel as well as promoting greater
diversity and inclusion by enabling researchers and academics from across theglobe to share their work more widely.
In addition, some event organizers are asking presenters to pre-record theirpresentations rather than livestream them to minimize technical problems during alive event, and some are making the video presentations available online inperpetuity, such as those presented at the 1st IASC Virtual Conference held in
2018. Webinars now often include recorded video presentations, with presentersanswering questions from webinar participants live online after the recordings areplayed.

What exactly is a video presentation?
The answer to this question is obvious for the most part, but some event organizers
impose stricter guidelines on the recordings to be made than others. You may be
asked to meet certain technical criteria such as using a particular video file format(e.g., MP4), aspect ratio (e.g., 16:9), resolution (e.g., ≤ 720p HD), bit rate (e.g., ≤ 1mbps), and file size (e.g., ≤ 100 MB), as well as non-technical criteria such as
duration of the presentation (e.g., ≤ 15 min), showing a video of you giving yourpresentation overlaid on your slides, and showing no corporate logos used except
on the first and last slides.
Event organizers will provide instructions for recording presentations using somecommonly available tools, and there are also many videos and instruction sheets
online to guide you.
Once you’ve carefully checked the guidelines for the event to make sure you makea suitable recording, you can concentrate on writing and then recording your video
presentation. Below, we present some key considerations, tips, and cautions fordoing this, organized under the following areas:•

Creating an engaging and authoritative video presentation
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Page 2 of 8•Recording your video presentation•Observing etiquette during your video presentation

Creating an engaging and authoritative video presentation
Many of the tips and cautions for creating video presentations are the same as
those for conventional in-person presentations—you can read about how to create
effective presentations in general in our previous featured articles, “Giving
effective presentations: 5 ways to present your points with power, not justPowerPoint” and“7 practical tips for giving an effective conference presentation”. In addition, thefollowing points apply specifically to creating video presentations that will be
engaging for your audience and show your authority (credibility) in the field.
Consider how to focus attention
To emphasize certain information in a slide or help the audience follow your line ofthinking across multiple points in a single slide, direct the audience’s attention to
specific content using your computer’s cursor or a pointing tool provided in certain
applications (just as you would with a laser pointer during a physical presentation).
Alternatively, for some slides, you might want to “reveal” different parts of the slidein a logical order, to fit exactly with the points you say as you say them. This stops
the audience from looking at information presented on the entire slide without
focusing on key details that you say only. You can reveal different parts of a slideand control what the audience sees and hears as you progress through the slide.
For example, you may be able to use an animation function (e.g., the “Appear”
function in PowerPoint).
As when using a laser pointer in a physical presentation, be careful not
to “overuse” your cursor once you have directed your audience’sattention to the right place in the slide; for example, avoid circling thecursor in a distracting way and instead move it off the slide until you
need to use it again.
Consider whether to include a video of you presenting
In your video presentation, you may want to record only your voice as you present
your slides or you may want to include a small window overlaid on your slides thatshows a video of you talking. If you are not sure whether to include yourself
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speaking, try recording a couple of slides that include your image to see how well itworks. Many applications, such as PowerPoint and Zoom, allow you to record
yourself while showing slides on your screen.
Consider the complexity and layout of the information in slides when deciding
whether to also include a video of you presenting, and consider if any limits on filesize will be affected by including a recording of you too.
If you decide to show yourself presenting somewhere on the slides,
avoid making just a “talking head” video that shows only your face forlengthy segments of the presentation. Instead, show your slides asusual and overlay a window of you presenting in one corner of yourslides. Remember when creating your slides to leave an area free ofcontent to show you presenting—you don’t want to obscure any
important information on the slide.

Recording your video presentation
As with anything that relies on technology, you must account for possible technicalproblems.
Set up your camera properly
If you plan to include a video of you presenting your slides, make sure your face sits
squarely within view. You’ll typically want to include the top of your shoulders andkeep your eyes centered within the frame. Make sure that the lighting isappropriate and the background is clear of distractions. Look in the general
direction of the camera, which is best mounted on top of your screen or in front of
your screen (on which you will be viewing and changing your slides as you presentthem).
Some recording applications allow you to choose a virtual background,but be careful that you choose one that is suitable for the venue (i.e.,choose one that maintains your authority as an academic presenter andis not distracting in itself). Also, remember that if you tend to move yourposition often as you present, then your outline against the virtual
background will become fuzzy, which may be distracting. So, if possible,
use a real background, which will be minimally in view if you are set
squarely in the frame. An empty neutral colored wall is a safe choice,but in reality your background may well include pieces of furniture andCopyright 2020 © ThinkSCIENCE, Inc.
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Page 4 of 8some objects like a bookshelf, artwork, and a clock—just try to makethe real background tidy and non-distracting.

Set up your microphone properly
Whether you are using, for example, an external microphone or a built-in
microphone for a camera or earphones, quickly check the volume and quality of thesound recording before you begin. Avoid speaking too close to the microphone
because this can cause popping and sibilance that reduces clarity of the recorded
speech.
••If there is a lot of ambient noise (traffic, sirens, etc. like where weare in central Tokyo), be conscious of needing to either (1) pause andresume your recording when the disturbance has passed and thenedit the disturbance out or (2) re-record the affected segment andsplice it in later. If you re-record, then try to replicate the exact
environment in which you did the first recording, so that the inserted
audio clip is of similar quality to the original recording.
If you are using a microphone built into your earphone set that hangs
below your mouth, make sure it isn’t so close that you get popping
sounds (strong blasts of air) on sounds like “p” and “b” or sibilance (ahissing sound) on sounds like “f” and “s”.

Set up your screen properly
Your slides should fill the screen (e.g., using ‘Slide Show’ mode in PowerPoint) sothat the audience sees no other distracting information on your screen during therecording.
•••If you are using animations in PowerPoint to reveal content within
the slides, you need to be in ‘Slide Show’ mode for the animation towork.
During Q&A, if you want to quickly jump to specific slides inPowerPoint, hit Escape to exit ‘Slide Show’ mode, navigate to theslide you want on the left side of your screen, and then enter ‘SlideShow’ mode again to talk through the slide in detail.
If you use more than one monitor, make sure that your slides display
in ‘Slide Show’ mode on your main monitor for the recording.

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Check and practice videorecording your presentation
Schedule some time to practice making the recording. At the beginning, try making
a 1-minute video recording so that you know what you sound (and look) like. This will
help you to get the right audio levels and to check the pace of your presentation.
You can also familiarize yourself with pausing and restarting the recording in case
you want to re-record a part of your presentation while recording.
Sharing the task of making the video recording can help to reduce the burden andstress of not only creating and presenting the presentation material well, but also
handling the technical aspects of making the recording itself. If you are not familiar
with how to make a video recording or you are worried about giving the presentation
while handling the technical aspects, consider asking someone to help you.
Here at ThinkSCIENCE, we are very happy to advise our customers on how to record
their presentations. We are experienced in recording our own conference
presentations and recording teaching courses for universities to offer students andfaculty on demand, so we have learned many tips and tricks for making video
recordings efficiently.
Check the file size
After you’ve recorded your presentation, check the file size. If you find that youraudio file (e.g., MP3 file) or video file (e.g., MP4 file) exceeds any limit set, try
compressing the file to reduce the size. Various tools are available for compression
without markedly reducing the quality of the recording.

Observing appropriate etiquette during your video
presentation
Professional etiquette is just as important during a video presentation as it is during
an in-person presentation. Let’s look at some important considerations here.
Observe time limits
Keeping to the allotted time shows authority and professionalism, whether you aregiving a traditional in-person presentation or a pre-recorded one.
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If your pre-recorded presentation is to be played during a live event, then keeping
to the time limit will ensure there is enough time for a live question and answer(Q&A) session afterwards. (Note that some virtual conferences hold virtual Q&A
sessions where questions are asked and answered via an online messaging system.)Handle mistakes professionally
You don’t have to make a perfect recording free from all errors (and you may well
not have time to do this even if you want to). If you notice making a mistake in yourspeech or in moving between your slides, simply apologize and move on with yourpresentation. Even highly experienced presenters make minor mistakes as theypresent—it’s a natural part of communicating, so don’t worry about it. Just quickly
apologize (e.g., “sorry”, “sorry about that”, “excuse me”) and keep going. You don’t
have to edit all minor mistakes out of the recording.
Communicate naturallyTry to maintain good posture when speaking, without leaning into the microphone. If
you will show yourself presenting in your recording, view your slides on a screen
directly in front of you and place your camera on top of or in front of that screen.
This helps you look in the general direction of the camera, in the same way that youwould look at the audience during an in-person presentation. Try to smile at thebeginning and end of the presentation to engage with the audience. Also,
remember to dress appropriately for the virtual event, as if you were attending inperson.
••

Avoid reading a full script aloud. Reading alters normal speech
patterns. It can make the presenter speak too quickly and too flatly(which can bore the audience), reducing clarity and authority.
Instead, to help remember important information that is not shownon the slide, write bullet points or short notes only. This will force
you to speak more naturally when talking through your slides.
If you will show yourself presenting, be careful when using somevideo recording applications that show your image on screen while
you are recording—avoid watching your own image on the screen
while recording.

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Summary
Pre-recorded video presentations offer many opportunities to share your findings
with others. You don’t need to worry about making your video completely error-free.
Instead, concentrate on communicating information clearly, accurately, and withminimal distractions.
We hope the tips and cautions presented here are helpful. You might like to checkout our other resources for presentations, such as our featured article about
handling difficult Q&A moments. And of course, if you have any questions about
presenting your work, please do let us know.

Read the article online for the most recent version

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