Preparing materials

• Create visuals in a horizontal format with at least 1-inch margins to provide a safe area for variation among video monitors. PowerPoint slides are an optimal shape and size by default. In Microsoft Word or other layout software, set the page orientation to horizontal (or landscape) and the margins to 10 x 7.5 inches.
• Use a basic sans-serif font (Arial, Helvetica, or Verdana), with a size of 36 or greater. (The thin parts of serif fonts such as Times or Palatino tend to break up when viewed via videoconferencing).
• Use black type with a light blue background, or yellow type with a dark blue background, for the best legibility. Avoid using red type or color -- it appears to “bleed” on the screen.
• Limit each line of text to 5-6 words, and each page to 5-6 lines.
• Avoid using underlining or italics for emphasis. Plain text has the best legibility.
• Avoid animations (text in motion). Static images are displayed more clearly and faster than moving images.
• Do not embed video clips in PowerPoint -- they cannot be displayed. Instead, show them with a video player such as QuickTime, RealPlayer, or Windows Media Player.
• If you’re delivering a lecture-type presentation or seminar, plan to present about 25 percent less material than you would in a traditional classroom.
• Send copies of handouts to participants beforehand to help them prepare and to be sure they can clearly see your materials.

Getting the room ready

• Arrive well before your videoconference starts to test the videoconferencing system and the interface to your laptop.
• Minimize distracting glare and uneven lighting by pulling the shades on windows and doors and covering glass-framed wall hangings.
• Make sure the room has adequate lighting, typically what would be used for standard office work. If it’s too dark, the other sites won’t be able to see you clearly.
• Position equipment so that the video monitor is close to the camera. This makes eye-to-eye contact with the other sites easier.
• Label a tent-shaped card with your site’s name or location (use bold, plain letters) and place it on the table in view of the camera.
• Connect to the remote sites before the scheduled start time.
• Wear neutral, muted, or pastel solid colors. Avoid plaids, stripes, polka dots, very bright colors, and the colors white or red—they can cause distracting effects on screen.
• Speak in a normal voice with the microphone close to you whenever possible.
• Keep your microphone muted except when your site is presenting or engaged in dialogue.
• When your microphone is on, be careful with side conversations and do not rustle papers or make tapping sounds near the microphone. Any sounds you make will be heard by the other sites.
• Look directly at the camera as often as possible. Imagine that the remote sites are with you in the same room.
• Be natural, but limit excess movement to avoid looking jerky on screen. If you walk around while speaking, remain in a small area and walk slowly.

Encouraging participation

• Start the videoconference with a “meet and greet” -- having each site identify where they are and introduce themselves. Depending on the number of participants, this can be a simple location designation (“Northwestern”) or a person-by-person introduction.
• Before speaking, say your name and location (for example, “This is Pat at Northwestern.”) That helps the video equipment switch to your site and also helps other sites identify who is speaking before video monitor catches up.
• Direct your questions to a specific site, and preferably a specific individual. Expect a few extra seconds of delay in getting an answer because of the technology and distance involved (at minimum, un-muting the microphone).
• When answering questions, first repeat the question and say who asked it, for example, “In response to Pat’s question about how these additional resources will be applied…” Some sites may not have heard the question clearly or been able to tell who was speaking.
• If you’re delivering a lecture-type presentation or seminar, consider presenting your content in 15-minute chunks and then interacting with the remote sites for 5 minutes, for example, with questions and answers, or a problem-solving exercise.
  

Videoconferencing Etiquette

• Mute your microphone when you are not using it. Unmuted microphones are the single most important problem in videoconferences. We often see systems capturing the conference with no one present in the room just from noise, or from people talking to each other, or from people answering telephone calls. This can be disruptive to the others in the conference, especially the presenters, and it can often be embarrassing when people do not realize their conversations are being sent to everyone in the conference.
• Do not cause echo. We have found that echoes are another leading problem in videoconferences. Use a system that has good echo canceling capabilities like Polycom H.323 clients. If this is not possible, use a headset, or provide external echo cancellation equipment. Remember, you will not hear the echo that you cause, but everyone else in the conference will hear the echo you cause.
• Do not use a NetMeeting client. While the T.120 data sharing capabilities of Netmeeting work well, we have experienced many problems trying to use the audio/video capabilities of NetMeeting in a multipoint videoconference.
• Monitor your email and telephone for late-breaking announcements and for information about systems that may be causing problems.
• Accept imperfections. Do not complain and spoil the show.
• Eliminate background noises. Do not tap on the table with hands or pens. Try not to rustle paper. Eliminate noises from fans, disks, etc.
• Provide good lighting on your face. Do not use back lighting.
• All participants should label their sites clearly. Use legible signs to identify people when they are talking.
• Make sure that you have set your H.323 alias to your email address. This has little impact on your side, but it affects how you are presented on the MCU status displays. Otherwise, system administrators receive default entries that make little sense when they are debugging problems.
• When you start talking, JUST KEEP TALKING! Do not say "can you hear me?" or anything like that. Assume that everything is working fine. You will be interrupted if something is wrong.
• Talk directly into the microphone. Do not turn your head from side to side while talking or your voice will fade in and out at the remote site.