Presenting Best Practices

Presentation

• Dress appropriately for camera (solid dark or neutral colors, avoid bold patterns)
• Consider in advance how content will appear on CIV
• Stay in position while on-camera
• Avoid distracting motions on-camera
• Maintain eye contact with the camera (and thus your students at other sites)
• Speak in a strong, clear voice
• Consider the delay when speaking (approximately 2 seconds)
  • Double your usual wait time after questions and comments
  • Reiterate comments from other sites
• Know your audience
  • Use a seating chart, roster, or some other means for identifying participants
  • Use participants’ names when addressing or calling on them
  • Open with an informal roll call
• Acquaint your audience with the technology
  • Establish the CIV class protocol so that students know to:
    • Use strong speaking voices when communicating in CIV class
    • Be courteous to their fellow participants (let others speak; don’t talk or make noise in background)
    • Inform the instructor of technical problems

• Don’t get hung up on the technology (Glitches do occur.)
  • Focus on the lesson and not the technology itself
  • Have a back-up plan
  • Don’t spend a lot of time apologizing for technical glitches; they happen

Audio-Visual

• Test audio-visual elements in advance (Do they work with the system? Are they readable?)