Event Webcasting Toolkit:
A Pain-Free Guide to Taking your
Presentation or Conference Online
Webcasting your event can be easy when you know in advance what questions
to ask. If you have more questions, email [email protected]
Q1. Should you webcast live or on-demand? or both?
Advantages
Live
• Bridges distance, allowing people to
attend virtually
• Enables interaction between offsite viewers and presenters through
moderated Q&A
• Encourages more registrations from
people who are not able to travel to the
event
• Provides for the creation of overflow
rooms for your most popular on-site
sessions
Disadvantages
• For effective audience interaction,
requires a moderator in the room
to review incoming Q&A and read
questions to the presenter
• Could detract from on-site
attendance
• Requires dedicated high speed
(wired) internet connection in all
presentation spaces, which can
sometimes be unreliable in certain
venues
• Creates opportunity for an additional
revenue stream via a virtual event
registration
• Allows critical event sessions
and information to be received
simultaneously by all on-site and off-site
participants
On-demand • Gives both the on-site and off-site
attendees access to all recorded
presentations
• Delayed access to event content
for off-site attendees
• Does not facilitate live Q&A from
• Enables interaction after the presentation
off-site attendees
between all viewers and presenters
through the ask function, which can
email directly to the presenter if desired
• Offers a reference tool, letting on-site
attendees focus on the session vs.
taking notes
• Generates unique content that can be
used in the marketing and promotion for
future events
• Creates the opportunity for an additional
revenue stream from non-attendees
continued...
Q2. Should you make content available online only? Or available through DVD/
CD/USBs after the event?
DVD/CD/
USBs
Advantages
Disadvantages
• Provides viewers offline access to
content
• Delayed access to content due to
editing and distribution
• Continues to generate revenue after the
event.
• Necessitates purchasing media and
labor, plus mailing costs
• Requires people to have the DVD/CD/
USBs in order to play content for their
own review or for team members
• Enables duplication by unauthorized
parties
• Content could be uploaded to other
unauthorized websites like YouTube
• Does not allow updates to be made to
the content should presentations need
to be edited or revised at a later date
• Eliminates the ability to report on who
watched what, when and for how long
Online only
• Provides instant access anytime,
anywhere
• Makes content publicly available or
locked down to require password
authorization
• Password could be shared with others
• Viewer must be online to access the
content
• Supports automatic, post-event revenue
generation via e-commerce
• Enables event organizers to report on
viewing activity (e.g. which sessions are
watched most frequently) and which
attendees consumed the most content
• Easily permits real-time updates should
information change after the event
• Content can be repurposed, promoted
and shared by adding hyperlinks
to the catalogue or individual
presentations (including key points within
presentations)in electronic newsletters,
email signatures, links to editorial and
other online outlets
continued...
Q3. Should you webcast audio or video along with the graphic material?
Advantages
Video and
audio
Disadvantages
• Creates a more personal and interactive • Some presenters become more
learning experience because viewers
uncomfortable on video
feel like the presenter is addressing them • Requires a Media Technician in the
directly
room throughout the presentation (to
• Captures the facial expressions and body
track presenters who walk as they
language of the presenter
talk)
• Once recorded, both audio-only and
video versions of the presentation
(automatically synchronized with
graphics) can be made available with
different players to accommodate
different presenter and viewer
preferences
Audio only
Accommodates presenters who may not
be comfortable on camera
• Not as engaging as video – greater
likelihood of listener “tuning out”
• Viewers may not feel as if presenter is
talking directly to them
Q4. When do you publicize that online content is available?
Advantages
Before the
event
• Promotes online access as a value-add
for event attendees to help drive both
on-site and off-site registrations
Disadvantages
• Could potentially detract from on-site
attendance
• For live events, pre-notification is critical
to ensure online attendance
• Helps off-site attendees feel connected to
the conference proceedings
• Meets the needs of people who cannot
travel to the conference
During or
after the
event
• Eliminates concerns about impacting
on-site attendance
• Removes the ability to market a virtual
registration or live event
• Provides an opportunity to email your
community after the event to thank them
for participating and draw their attention
back to the event presentations
• Reminds authorized users they can
reference the material now that they are
back at their office or home
continued...
Event Webcasting Checklist
Part One - Before the Event:
Define your event objectives
} What’s the purpose of recording / webcasting?
} What sessions are going to be recorded/
webcasted?
} What are your viewing requirements for your
audience?
} How will the content be disseminated?
• Will you webcast live or on-demand or both?
• Will you make content available online only?
Or via DVD/CD/USBs? Or both?
• Will you webcast audio only or video along
with the graphic material?
• Who will get access to what online content?
• When will you publicize that online content is
available?
• Identify which banners will be used for
the catalogue and player and where
those banners should link (event website,
organization home page, etc.)
• Specify who will provide internet connectivity
(if necessary) and support the internet
connection
• Discuss how technical support questions will
be handled from the online audience
• Identify your security requirements
• Discuss who will have access to the content
and when
} Provide MPS with finalize presentation
schedule.
} Document all meeting locations and times.
• Where do you want to host the online
content?
} Identify which presentations will be webcasted
live, on-demand or both.
• How long do you want the content to be
available?
} Schedule time for MPS to be on-site to review
room locations, set up equipment and conduct
testing.
} What are your requirements for interacting with
presenters (level of obtrusion)?
Communicate with Media
Production & Services (MPS)
} Complete the Webcast Booking form found on
PHSAca. www.phsa.ca/HealthProfessionals/
PHSAwebcasting which includes:
• Presentation titles
• Presenter names, titles, organizations,
headshots and links to presenter websites
} MPS will contact you to:
• Coordinate audio-visual / IT sources
• Determine who is providing the audio, video
and projection/presentation equipment
} MPS will provide you with URLs for the
presentation catalog and/or individual
presentations.
Determine marketing strategy
} For either a live or on-demand webcast, how
will the audience be notified of the presentation
or catalog?
} Will access to presentations be sold before,
during or after the event?
} Will DVD/CD/USBs be produced?
} If selling content on-site, create a space to
enable sales and provide cards with URLs,
USB, DVD or CDs.
• Discuss what supporting material that
should be linked within the webcast player
continued...
Communicate with presenters
} Obtain permission to webcast their presentation.
} Share best practices for webcasting a
presentation (see Appendix B and also on
PHSAca. www.phsa.ca/HealthProfessionals/
PHSAwebcasting
} Coordinate Q&A
• If webcasting live, identify a moderator
and the workflow for handling incoming
questions from both the on-site and offsite
audiences.
• If taking questions from on-site audience,
determine how the audience will get mic’d
(standing microphone, staff circulating with
mics or presenters repeating questions).
continued...
Part Two - during the event:
Coordinate set up and testing
with MPS
} Provide on-site introduction to other event
partners (AV, IT, catering, etc).
} If webcasting live, be sure a live stream is
tested at least 24 hours in advance.
} Ensure all mics are tested and that camera
angles and lighting are appropriate for your
presenters, on-site and online audiences.
During the webcast process
} Ensure your webcasting partner is frequently
monitoring the incoming audio, video and image
quality throughout the event.
} For live events, identify remote testers to
monitor the webcast and provide feedback
during the event.
} Will additional space be required for webcasting
to an overflow room?
} Approve the audio, video and graphics quality
from a test webcast.
} Remind your presenters and audience that you
are webcasting.
} Consider on-site signage indicating
presentations will be available after the event.
} Announce during key sessions that
presentations will be available live, on-demand
or both.
} Remind presenters and on-site attendees to
repeat questions that were not captured by a
microphone.
continued...
Part 3 - After the Event:
Prepare responses for commonly
asked questions from presenters
and attendees.
} Presenters may ask the following types of
questions. In all cases, MPS can make these
changes for you under your direction.
• Can I have a copy of this presentation for my
website? (If the presentations are available
publicly, your presenters can simply link to
them from their own websites.)
• How can I make changes to my
presentation? (e.g. I found an error on my
slide. My video needs to be edited.)
• I don’t want my presentation in the catalogue.
• I need to add a link to my presentation
material.
} Viewers may ask the following types of
questions.
•
I’m having trouble viewing this presentation.
(You will need to determine with MPS how
technical support questions from viewers
will be routed - to a designated staff person
or directly to the webcasting provider.)
•
I’m being prompted for a log in and I
don’t know what it is. (In this case, an
unauthorized person may have been given
a presentation link. You’ll need to decide if
you want to require them to register or take
other action before viewing.)
•
How can I share this presentation with
other people on my team? (You will need to
decide if you want to require registration or
other activity. If it is publicly available, they
can simply forward the link.)
Review archived content
} Share individual presentation links with the
presenters.
} Determine if any edits are necessary to correct
information or trim presentations.
} Ensure content plays properly on-demand. Your
webcasting partner should also test viewing via
different browsers and computer configurations.
} Confirm post-event registrations and
e-commerce engines are functioning properly.
Leverage content.
} Create links to the presentation catalog and/
or individual presentations from conference or
organization website.
} Send post-event email with presentation links.
} Link to presentation content in upcoming
newsletters and email messages.
} Create highlight reel from individual
presentations to use in marketing the next
event. Review reporting statistics.
} Confirm how to access event reporting statistics
and share information on managing your
recorded archives with designated staff.
} Assess viewing data immediately after the event
and then at pre-determined intervals to gauge
trends.
2011 Adapted with permission from Sonic Foundry, Inc.
POWER POINT TIPS:
Design keys for presentations
Serif vs. Sans Serif
Text Size
} Use serif fonts like Times New Roman or
Georgia to “involve” readers with the body of
your text.
} Use 36 point minimum for your body text
} Sans Serif fonts such as Arial and Verdana tend
to have a technical, impersonal character and
should be used to lend authority to your text.
} Use Serif fonts for large amounts of text (such as
body copy) and San Serif fonts for headlines and
labels.
} If you mix typefaces, choose two that visually
contrast. An excellent combo is Arial Bold for
headlines and Times New Roman bold for body
text.
} If you can’t fit all your points on a slide without
moving to a smaller font, break the points up
onto separate slides.
} Try not to make any fonts smaller than 28 points
in your presentation.
Mixed Case
} Normal upper and lower case is always easier to
read than all capitals.
Visual Impairment
Color
} Avoid making your slides too “busy” with lots of
colors. Simple is often best.
} Make your font colors bold and contrast them
very sharply with your background colors.
} Avoid the situation where important information
is conveyed only in the form of color.
Match the Tone of your Content
} Choose a more serious font like Times New
Roman for conservative audiences or serious
messages.
} By carefully selecting colors that are easily
recognizable to people with all kinds of color
vision, one can maximize the effect of her/his
presentations.
} If your presentation is about technology or looks
to the future, choose a clean,”modern” style such
as Verdana or Tahoma.
} Avoid the combination of colors that have the
same brightness but different only in hue. For
example, red characters on green backgrounds
is unreadable for colorblind individuals.
Specialized Fonts
} Use either bright texts/objects over dark
backgrounds, or vice versa.
} If your presentation will be viewed on computers,
stay with basic fonts found on most computers
such as Arial, Times New Roman, Tahoma,
Verdana and Georgia.
} If the host computer doesn’t have the font you
used, it will replace it with its default font and
your slides will format differently.
} Make texts and objects as thick or big as
possible.
} For color-coded text, use bold fonts such as Arial
or Helvetica , rather than thin Times or New York
} Caution when using red: for colorblind
individuals, it is blue or dark green.
Text Effects
} Italics, underlines and drop shadows can be hard
to read.
} Use an ordinary typeface to convey simple
information and save the bold/italic typeface for
emphasis.
continued...
How Much Text?
Hold the Extras
} Use the 7 and 7 rule for legibility: 7 words per
line, 7 lines per slide with a 25 word-per-slide
maximum. To do this, be sure you use text
to highlight, not to narrate. Keep text to the
essential.
} Use graphic devices such as borders, boxes,
lines, or arrows only when needed.
} Keep highly detailed charts or graphics simple
because they will not be readable from a
distance. This may mean anywhere from 3 to 6
bullet points and a single, simple graphic that
illustrates the slide title.
} Avoid too many different types of transition in
one presentation.
} Use transitions to add emphasis to create a flow.
} Limit animation and sound effect use to providing
highlights or emphasis.
Using Images
} If you can’t fit all your points on a slide without
moving to a smaller font, break the points up
onto separate slides.
} Use images when appropriate to the message:
to capture attention and clarify points, to explain,
to describe, to show relationships.
} Bring points onto the slide one at a time with
no special effects and “gray out” points after
finishing with them. This approach gives better
control and pace but is unrecognizable to
recording slide capture technology.
} In most cases, use one image per slide and vary
the location. Best is to fill the screen.
Design Templates
Copyright
} Design templates contain color schemes, slides
with custom formatting, and styled fonts, all
designed to create a particular look.
} Seek out any necessary permissions and
references for intellectual property used in
your power point. Copyright permissions,
etc. are legal obligations that must be met
especially if your presentation is being recorded,
rebroadcast, exhibited, distributed, or sold.
} Check with your Agency for access to their
design templates but don’t feel you have to use
them or be constrained by them.
} Be aware of your audience and how they will
respond to the images you choose.
Adapted with permission from the Teaching Effectiveness Program, University of Oregon, 2012
BEST PRACTICES:
Presenting with Power Point
P
ower Point is an easy-to-use presentation tool –
but, like with any tool, its use is only as effective
as the presenter who is using it. In putting together
your slide show, you’ve obviously considered key
elements such as:
} Who is the audience?
} What do they already know about the material?
} What do you want them to learn by the end of
the lecture?
} Where will the presentation take place and under
what conditions?
Here are some simple Power Point best practices
to help you give a polished presentation.
Minimize the number of slides.
Don’t overwhelm your audience with too many
slides. Each slide should be displayed long enough
for you to discuss what is keyed there – not simply
to read a list or block of text.
Don’t parrot Power Point.
It’s tempting to simply read the visual presentation,
and sometimes presenters find themselves doing
that when they are crunched for time. But, not
only is that redundant — almost like reading out
loud from the textbook! — it also makes for an
excruciatingly boring audience experience. Power
Point is intended to provide a visual element to
spoken remarks that augment and discuss what is
displayed. And, keep in mind that 99% of the time,
you should be looking at your audience, not the
projection screen or your computer screen.
Time your talk.
Keeping in mind attention and learning styles,
having the simultaneous visual and auditory input
splits your audiences’ attention, and it’s likely that
the visual input will win out. Bring up a new slide,
and then give your audience a chance to check
it out before you begin verbally broadening and
amplifying what’s on the screen.
Give it a rest.
Power Point is most effective as a visual
accompaniment to the spoken word, not as the
vehicle for all of the content of a presentation. Don’t
be shy about blanking the screen on occasion when
you need your audience to focus on you. You’ll
find that blanking the screen is an effective means
by which to change the energy from watching and
listening to interaction, such as a group discussion
or a question-and answer session.
Mix up the media.
Power Point allows you to bring in many different
kinds of media -- including graphic images, colored
and “textured” backgrounds, photographs, sound
files, video clips, animations, and, of course,
text. You can also hyperlink pages within the
presentation to Web pages, as well as to other
pages within the presentation.
Hide your pointer.
Hold up your end.
Since Power Point can easily steal the show, you
want to make sure that you do everything you can
to keep distractions to a minimum. Some people
are easily distracted when the pointer (the arrow)
moves across the screen during the presentation.
Many people have stronger visual skills than
auditory skills, and so Power Point is effective in
holding their attention. Unfortunately, that can be a
problem. People can easily “zone out” and watch
your slide like a television while you are talking.
Make sure that you are in their foreground – that
what you are saying and how you are saying it is
compelling enough to keep them focused on you,
and not on your slides.
(This happens when you move the mouse in the
Slide Show View.) Use the arrow keys to navigate
slides or hide the pointer. To hide the pointer, once
the Slide Show View is started, press the Ctrl-L
key combination. This hides the pointer even if the
mouse moves. If you need to display the pointer
during the presentation, press the Ctrl-A key
combination.
continued...
Rehearse before presenting.
Go to the previous slide
Practicing your presentation in the slideshow view
will help you anticipate any glitches that you didn’t
see when you were focused on getting content onto
your slides.
} Press backspace
Know your moves.
Go to a specific slide
In addition to being a smooth presenter, you’ll need
to make sure you know the basic keyboarding
techniques for technically moving through your
presentation. Different presenters use different key
options. Find the ones that work well for you, and
soon they’ll be second nature.
Press F5 to start presentation full screen from first
slide.
Using video and audio files
Save video and audio files into a folder. Then put
your power point presentation into the same folder.
Re-link the audio and video files into the power
point. Move entire folder to presentation computer
(not just the power point). Open power point and
pretest audio video slides and set a good audio
level. Let the technician in the room (if there is one)
know your presentation has audio and video files –
especially if you are being recorded.
Go to the next slide.
} Click the mouse
} Click the back arrow or up arrow
} Right-click, and on the shortcut menu, click
previous
} Type the slide number, and then press return
} Right-click, point to go on the shortcut menu,
then point to by title and click the slide you want.
See previously viewed slide
} Right-click, point to go on the shortcut menu, and
then click Previously Viewed.
Temporarily black out the screen
during a presentation
} Press the B key - This turns the audience’s
monitor black.
To resume the slide show
} Press the B key again to return to the current
slide
} Press any of the keys listed above to move to
the next screen
} Press any of the keys listed above to return to
the screen previously displayed.
} Press spacebar or enter
} Click the forward arrow or down arrow
} Right-click, and on the shortcut menu, click next
Adapted with permission from the Teaching Effectiveness Program, University of Oregon, 2012
BEST PRACTICES:
Presenting with Webcast
Acknowledge your web audience
} Make eye contact with the camera to connect
with people who will be viewing your
presentation over the internet
} Try not to use spacial references ("over here", or
"right there") and instead use reference relative
to the content you are presenting ("as you can
see below the image of the heart" or "on the
second line of the slide")
Look your best
} Wear solid colours, pastels, medium shades or
off-white shirts and blouses
} Don't wear busy patterns or very dark suits
} Don't wear shiny, loud, noisy or distracting
jewelry, lanyards or scarves
Let the camera see you
} Using a podium or table is encouraged
} Walking around is fine as long as long as you
stay in lit area where the camera can see you
} Avoid excessive movement like swaying
} Be conscious of your body language and behave
as if you can always been seen
Using the microphone
} Before the presentation, technicians may ask
you to speak into the microphone so they can set
audio levels. Make sure you speak the same way
that you would while giving your presentation
} Do not tap or blow on the microphone
} Make sure you enunciate clearly
} Place lapel microphones on your lapel or tie,
or on the outside of your clothing away from
jewelry
} Keep hand-held microphones directly under
your mouth
} Remember to turn on or un-mute your
microphone before the start of the presentation
} Do not make "non-presentation" comments until
the technician informs you that the recording has
finished
Audience questions
} It is best to save questions for the end of your
presentation
} Ask the live audience to use a mircophone or
clearly repeat the question yourself so that the
web audience can hear them
} Take a deep breath and relax. Your audience
want to hear what you have to say!
Adapted with permission from the Teaching Effectiveness Program, University of Oregon, 2012