It’s every webinar presenter’s nightmare: technique that stumbles during the live broadcast. How do you prevent this kind of misery? Our director Marthijn Pieters shares his tips and gives a glimpse into the virtual studio of Online Seminar.
1. Good internet connection
“In the Benelux, we are blessed with a quality internet infrastructure. Every home, garden and kitchen connection are therefore in principle suitable for giving webinars. Make sure you are in a place where your connection with the modem is good. Nothing’s more annoying than when the connection keeps failing. ”
2. Headset or earphones: don’t do it
“For yourself it might be nice to have a headset on, but for your viewers it gives a somewhat silly image. It’s like looking at someone in a call center. That’s confusing. Our advice is to always keep it off. Then you will look more like a presenter.”
3. Choose for a sharp picture and clear sound
“Most webcams are OK, but not great. They often give a somewhat grainy image. While it’s so much nicer when the image is really razor-sharp. You almost don’t have to leave it at cost. A good camera costs a few tens. What goes for the camera also goes for the sound. A loose microphone gives a more natural sound than the one on the computer. It can sound a bit tinny or soft. The same goes for the microphone, it doesn’t have to be expensive.”
4. Note the exposure
“All in all, you’re actually building a studio from home. But that’s still different than a recording in a real studio, according to our clients. Especially when there are usually several presenters standing next to each other, having a conversation with each other. We found a very nice solution for that: the virtual studio.
Do you know the situation in the News, where the correspondent from e.g. Paris calls in and you see him or her on a screen? That’s exactly the situation we replicated. As a viewer you get the feeling that all the presenters are really in the picture together. It is much more pleasant to watch. It doesn’t matter how many presenters there are, and we can also show a PowerPoint on one of the screens. Technically it’s also very simple: as a presenter you get a link to log in, we take care of the rest. The same goes for participants. So, no hassle with accounts and programs you have to install.”