Ideally your technical support staff will train you. If you do not have a dedicated technical staff, consider contacting the department that hosts the system for initial support.
- IT Learning and Development offers training and self-help guides on Zoom, including a Learning Path. See http://itld.psu.edu/find-training?search_api_views_fulltext=zoom .
- If you are not in a dedicated room, determine your Internet connection speed. Will it support video if you need it?
- If you have cameras, consider using several camera presets for different areas of the room. Some systems allow you to point the camera to a specific (local or remote) location and save that “pose” for later recall via a button push. This greatly facilitates conversations during the live session; when someone is talking, you can push a button and the camera will focus on that individual. Always focus on people, not objects.
- If you set a preset on yourself, follow the elbows and wrists rule. When you stretch out your arms, the edge of the screen should fall between your elbows and wrists. Ten percent of the picture area should be left above the head.
- Note the microphone placement in the room.
- Are there multiple microphones, or is there only one that must be shared? If so, can it be shared? If it is fixed in place, you should plan on repeating any statements or questions from participants into the microphone so remote participants can hear the statement or question.
- A common problem with audio is feedback or echoing. This happens when an open microphone is too close to a speaker – the sound loops from the speaker to the microphone, from the microphone back to the speaker, etc. Thus, microphones should not be active unless one is speaking, and even so you may need to recommend the use of headsets with microphones for participants to eliminate this problem.
- Check the room lighting and see if you can adjust it so that the video is not washed out or too dark. Most cameras work better with more light.
- If possible, adjust the camera so ceiling lights are not directly in the video.
- Ideally, the wall behind you should be darker than your face to avoid backlighting, which would put your face in a shadow.
- Does your system support session recordings? If it does and if you want to utilize that feature to record your live session, learn how to do so prior to the live session. Set a visible reminder to start the recording when the session begins.