Video Conferencing –Tips for Depositions, Webinars, Hearings, Client Meetings, and Mediations

As more of us are using video conferencing platforms to conduct depositions, webinars, hearings, client meetings, and mediations, we are learning how to use these tools and how to avoid the pitfalls. Below are some general tips to make you look and sound your best:

• Dress in a solid color. If wearing a tie, use a solid tie rather than one with a pattern.
• When speaking, remember to look directly at the camera, not at the screen.
• Position the camera at your eye level or slightly above eye level. If you need to, put your computer or camera on a stack of books to help positioning, as it is better to have your self-view closer to the top of the screen (near the camera). Avoid having the camera look up at you, as it is not flattering and you look menacing (also participants will see up your nose).
• Position yourself and your camera so you are comfortably within the frame. Your camera should have a clear unobstructed view of you. Don’t sit too close to or too far from the camera. Wide-angle cameras on most phones and laptops can get distorted if you are too close to the camera. If you are too far away, participants will have difficultly seeing you in gallery view.
• Be mindful of what is behind you; choose a solid neutral wall if possible. Avoid busy backgrounds, such as stairs, and kitchens or hallways with lots of traffic. Do not position the camera so that participants can see into other rooms behind you or out of a window. It is too distracting. Try to remove as much clutter as possible. You can also arrange a pleasant background with some books, flowers, or a piece of art.
• Check the lighting. Light from a window behind you might blind the camera, making you look dark. Light above you in the center of a room might cast unflattering shadows. Ideally, position a lamp with a daylight bulb directly behind your computer, or sit facing a window, where light is directly on your face. Also be aware that your monitor casts light that can make you look blue. If the lighting is from above, place a plain white sheet of paper or tablecloth on the table/desk in front of you to bounce the light onto your face.
• Remind the participants to speak one at a time and to pause prior to speaking in case there is any audio/video lag.
• Encourage the participants to mute themselves (or if you are the host, mute them) when not speaking in order to avoid any background noise and feedback. Muting yourself can also keep the focus off of you when the participants are using “active speaker view” which switches between participants based on who is talking or making noise.
• Using headsets can minimize feedback and background noise. Consider whether a headset would be appropriate for your conference and whether to encourage participants to use a headset. If you are worried about the way a headset looks, use earbuds.
• If there are issues with your laptop sound and video quality, consider other equipment that would make you look or sound better, such as a USB microphone and a stand-alone webcam. If you have trouble hearing the audio over speaker, use a headset.
• Test your set up before your conference. Test your audio equipment (speakers, microphone, headset, etc.). Make sure you know how to mute yourself and how to stop the video.
• For a particularly important conference such as a hearing or deposition, consider using a hard-wired internet connection. Wifi is generally slower and less reliable.
• Consider using the video on your computer while dialing in for audio on your phone. With so many people using video conferencing services, the systems can get overloaded and audio can lag. If you are using your phone for audio, do not also use your computer for audio! That creates feedback. When you are logging into the conference, you should have the option to log in with audio on your phone/with video via computer only.
• If you are on a laptop, iPad, or iPhone for video, do not walk around or move the device during the conference. If you need to step away, let the other participants know and temporarily stop the video. Leave your device in place. If you need to use the bathroom, get a glass of water, or talk to someone off screen, turn off your video and mute your audio.
• Remember that you are on video and the other participants can see you at all times. Avoid fussing with things on your desk/table, touching your face, talking to people off screen in your house, looking at your phone, and eating. Let others in your home know if you are on a call to minimize inadvertent interruptions. Some distractions and interruptions cannot be avoided, however, so plan ahead to minimize the impact on the conference.
• If you are hosting, consider starting at a time not on the hour, for example, start at 3:15 pm rather than 3:00 pm. This helps avoid the overloading of the system as people tend to schedule meetings on the hour and those are high-use times.
• If your video is not working, dispense with it and call in with your phone. Sometimes video conferencing services do not work due to the number of people on the system and the limits of the network. Do not spend time trying to troubleshoot your system while the conference is in session. Call in and participate as best you can.