The way you set-up your system makes a big difference in the quality of your communication. If it is important that you are heard clearly and seen in a respectful manner, this set-up will help.
When people are setting up for a casual webcast they are likely to use the camera on their computer. And when they set it up on a table, the camera is pointed more up their nose than at their face thus creating the most unpleasant view of themselves. To avoid this, simply raise the height of the computer so the camera is level to your eyes.
You can use a cardboard box, like the one in the photo, or you can stack up some books or magazines to achieve proper height.
As for the way you sound to your audience, a quality microphone is essential. The microphone built into your computer is seldom going to give you a quality reproduction of your voice.
There are lots of inexpensive ways to improve your audio presence. The least expensive is to use a lavaliere microphone (a lapel microphone). When you use the microphone in your computer, and you are sitting a few feet away from the microphone, it will pick-up an overabundance of the ambient noise of the room (this is known as room tone).
By using a lavaliere microphone, the mere proximity of the mic to your audio source, e.g. your mouth, will eliminate most of the annoying room tone effect that makes it difficult for your audience to hear you clearly. Place the microphone on your chest approximately six inches below your chin for optimal quality performance.
If you happen to have a Mac, the microphone that came with your laptop is an excellent choice. Not only will it give you excellent microphone quality, but you can also use the earbuds for a high-quality audio reproduction you receive.
If you have a PC, you are likely to have to make a few inexpensive purchases. I recommend buying a quality lavaliere microphone design specifically for this purpose. I have made a recommendation at the end of this message.
Further, because of the way newer computers are design (with only one audio port) you need a USB audio splitter, Again I have made a recommendation at the end of the message). The way this works is that you plug in the USB device which now gives you two ports – one for your microphone, the other for your speakers. I assure you that this will upgrade the quality performance of your webcasting experience greatly.
If you are willing to spend about a hundred dollars, I highly recommend the purchase of a Sennheiser SP-20 – also included in the footnotes. This is a high-quality audio device that has multiple uses. You can plug it into most of the newer mobile phones or your computer and use it as a conference phone.
These recommendations are time-and field-tested solutions of a professional multimedia producer who has been producing webcasts for more than twenty years for some of the most demanding corporations in the world. These simple changes will improve the quality of your communications remarkably.
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