Over the last few years, I've been deliberately transitioning most of talks I give (and as many meetings as I can) to virtual, low-carbon presentations. Here are a few fast + easy hacks I use to up the quality of a video class, presentation, or meeting. thread/
1/ Move your camera to at or slightly above eye level. If you're using a laptop, raise it on books. Here's what a big difference this makes. I took these two pictures right now, just seconds apart. It's real. 
2/ Make sure there is light on your face. It's as simple as facing a window or moving a table lamp in front of you. Here's the difference it makes.
3/ Put something on your desk to absorb sound. It really helps! I use these panels I bought from @BHPhotoVideo (that do double duty as a cat bed) but honestly a pillow works just as well.
4/ If you're on a very formal call, make sure there's a locked door between you, pets and kids. But if not, then don't sweat any unexpected video bombs. We're all human and a little levity helps! Remember this?
5/ I've been hearing about problems with trolls invading Zoom calls. Here's a helpful primer on how to prevent that - most importantly, make sure you know how the waiting room works! ajc.com/news/how-preve…
6/ Backgrounds - whether you use a blank wall or a screen like I do, a nice view of your office or kitchen, or one of the fancy zoom backgrounds, my only caution is to make sure they're not distracting.
7/ And for those of us worried about the quality of teaching online: my own concerns in making this shift were allayed by this study showing no difference in the effect of me giving a live vs a recorded talk. Surprising but inspiring! files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ115…
8/ Don't forget about our Global Weirding series! We've got nearly 40 short episodes now that are great for classes and kids globalweirdingseries.com
9/ And fellow university instructors, I was already teaching a general-interest senior undergrad/first-year graduate class on climate science, impacts, comm and policy online and I'm happy to share recorded lectures with you! Just send me your name affiliation and the class(es).
PS 1/ As @thette pointed out, "mic quality matters - and your computer mic is bad". Apple earbud headphones offer a significant improvement. Stand-alone yeti mics are good, too. But over the head gaming mics are probably best if you can get away with raiding your gamer's setup!
PS 2/ Zoom is the platform du jour and its simplicity can't be beat. But if you're working with low internet quality, Adobe Connect is best. It's a pain to set up but a champ on quality, even if you're running your computer off your phone hotspot.
PS 3/ If you are using one of Zoom's fancy backgrounds, try not to move around too much and under no circumstances do you want to wave your hands. Why not?! Try it and see 😁
PS 4/ For more information on coordinating remote presentations and talks, including the importance of using audience engagement tools like @polleverywhere or @Slidoapp, please see: katharinehayhoe.com/wp2016/faqs/#v…
PS 5/ And don't forget these very basic camera skills: Lean forwards, NOT backwards. And don't wear any wild patterns. Aim for solid colors that contrast with your background.
