Thank you for being a guest on VI Shots. I want to make sure that the audience can hear and see you clearly. That way your message comes across loud and clear. You've taken time out of your busy day to be on the show, so let's make sure this time is well spent and provides the maximum benefit to you and the VI Shots audience.
Below, is a checklist that you can use to make sure your computer environment, microphone and camera are setup correctly before the interview. The following tips apply to both Google Hangouts and Skype.
- Ideally, wear a headset with a built-in microphone. For example, here is a link to one such low cost headset. If you can't get a headset (not recommended), turn your speaker volume down low to avoid feedback.
- Reboot computer to start fresh. This will avoid any memory issues or other software issues that could cause problems during the event.
- Turn off Dropbox / Google drive and other background tasks in System Tray. This reduces the network traffic to Google Hangouts or Skype.
- Prefer cabled ethernet over wifi connection. A wired connection is more reliable and faster then wifi, always.
- Silence cell phone (and other beepy gizmos).
- Close email clients.
- Grab a glass of water or mug of coffee (no carbonation). We'll be talking a lot, and dry mouth doesn't sound good.
- Be ready to mute yourself if need be; know where this button is. It's natural and expected to have background noise (airplane, lawn mower, a group of co-workers), so it's helpful to hop on the mute quickly if you can.
When using a camera (Google Hangouts):
- Sit with the light in front of you, not behind you. This avoids an unsightly shadow affect on your face.
- Position camera (angle and distance) to show your “bust” centered. Position camera at eye-level. This might involve stacking books under your laptop
- Look at the camera, not your screen. Tip: When using the camera, such as with Google Hangout. Make the window very small and position it centered just below your camera. This allows you to engage with those talking, while keeping eye contact (with the audience).
- If your internet drops out or the call drops, just pop back in as is convenient. We won't draw much attention to this. If your internet drops permanently, we can call your cell phone and finish the show with audio only
