Most of us are not professional YouTubers and do not have any special equipment for creating stunning videos, so here are a few suggestions to help you make the most of the equipment you do have.

Internet connection:

A good Internet connection is required, especially when running a live event such as Virtual Classroom or Panopto Webcast. Here are some tips to help check and improve your connection. Click Here

Webcam position:

Look towards the camera, you don’t have to be central to the camera, but use the Rule of Thirds, imagine two horizontal lines split the screen into three sections and set the webcam so that your eyes are roughly on the top line. Wikipedia – Rule of Thirds

Lighting:

Unless you are in a strong light environment, have a lamp by the side of your screen, about 45 degrees, this will stop your face being in shadow and balance out other light sources such as windows.

Background:

Be aware of what is behind you, are family or pets likely to make an appearance, is the area cluttered, which could be a distraction, or conversely, does a blank wall would make you look intimidating.  Try and find a middle point, comfortable but not chaotic.

Audio:

There is no need to shout, but speak louder than normal, imagine you are in a seminar room where you would talk with a slightly stronger voice than normal.

Content:

You know what you want to get across, however, it might be useful to have an outline or prompt to hand. Avoid a strict script and try to keep it natural.

Lag:

Lag happens, it can be a few seconds or up to a minute depending of the application being used. If you are asking a question, wait for the reply, be patient other wise you start talking over each other. If using Virtual Classrooms or Panopto Webcasts, tell students to ask questions using the chat feature, then build pauses into the presentation to provide answers.

Relax:

It’s OK to feel uncomfortable with all this, take your time, practice if you can so this will get easier and, after all, nobody is expecting an Oscar performance. But above all it is important to relax and have fun.