Ten easy tips for great online meetings
At the end of the day, having the right internet connection, gear, and a quiet work environment only get you so far.
To go beyond that, you have to help your clients to help you.
We recommend sharing best practices with your clients – and luckily, we’ve put these together for you!
Consider sending your clients the following one-page checklist - from The Interpreter’s Guide to Audio and Video - and our five-minute video on Audio and video secrets for great remote meetings. Both include tips to help your clients look and sound better during remote meetings, and are available in tons of languages! (More on that below.)
You might also suggest that your clients share the checklist and video with all meeting participants. 😁
Ten easy tips for great online meetings
Host shorter meetings to help your audience focus. Break longer meetings into shorter ones and schedule long breaks or hold them on different days.
Optimize your sound.
Use a headset microphone (like the Sennheiser PC8 or Logitech H390) or headphones with an external microphone (like the Røde GO lapel mic + TechRise sound card). In a pinch, use the cabled earbuds with an inline microphone that came with your phone. Important: You need a 3.5 mm to USB A or C adapter to use the microphone. Select the microphone in your platform, and possibly also in your browser and/or operating system.
Never use built-in computer microphones, wireless headsets, or table microphones.
Limit background noise. Close windows and doors, turn off notifications and loud fans, and keep papers still while speaking.
Mute your mic if you’re not speaking.
Use an Ethernet cable for a faster, more reliable connection.
Look good on screen.
Pick a neutral background.
Sit in the center of the shot.
Face the window for the best natural lighting.
Keep your camera steady at eye level. (A tripod or stack of books often helps!)
Use landscape mode and plug in your microphone if using a smartphone or tablet.
Look into the camera while speaking.
Keep virtual backgrounds simple - or avoid them altogether.
Use a solid color with a small logo in the upper corner.
Avoid moving or blurred-out backgrounds, which can be difficult for people with disabilities.
Use a green screen or sit in front of a solid-colored wall to avoid halos.
Decide how speakers will take the floor and how and when participants can ask questions.
Allow extra time before the meeting to log in, check your audio and video, and pick your language channel. Allow the interpreters to log in 30-60 minutes in advance for thorough sound checks.
Hold a short test run before the meeting to make sure everything will run smoothly.
Know how to contact a support person, technician or chief interpreter if any problems arise. We highly recommended having dedicated meeting support!
Speak clearly and at a natural pace. Share written slides or speeches in advance.
Extracted from The Interpreter’s Guide to Audio and Video, by Josh Goldsmith and Naomi Bowman.
Want to share this checklist? Download the PDF from https://tfw.rocks/MeetingTips.
Share these tips in Catalan, Croatian, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, and...your language? 😉
Our clients speak dozens of languages.
To make these tips more accessible, colleagues have kindly translated them into Catalan, Croatian, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian and Spanish. (Huge thanks to Berenice Granado Martínez, Muhamed Durmić, Michael Miethke and Ammerins Moss-Deboer, Fabienne Coupe, Barbara Bethäusser-Conte, Ariella Germinario-Lingenthal, Miriam Oliven, Camelia Oană, Natalia Karlina and Francesca Lo Truglio!)
(Audio and video secrets for great remote meetings is already available in nearly two dozen languages!)
Want to translate this one-pager? Your clients - and colleagues - would really appreciate it! Drop us a line and help us improve remote meetings in even more languages!
PS. Thanks to the magic of technology, if your clients click on https://tfw.rocks/MeetingTips, they’ll be redirected to the translation in their language! If they check out our video on YouTube, they’ll also be redirected to the version with captions in their language. 🤩
Struggling to get good sound from your clients?
You need The Interpreter's Guide to Audio and Video!
It includes 10 chapters to discover how to set up your space, stay safe, pick the best headphones, headsets and microphones, look good on camera, get good sound from clients, and hear colleagues in remote settings.
Plus, checklists and tables galore - including:
Checklist: Setting up your space
Good sound and video - the elevator pitch
Your cheat sheet for perfect practice runs
Which headphones should I buy? (Table with over 20 recommendations!)
Which microphone should I buy? (Table with over 20 recommendations!)
Which headset should I buy? (Table with nearly 20 recommendations!)
A glossary to help you understand 75+ audio and video terms
The Ultimate Audio and Video Purchasing Guide - with our recommendations for which tools to splurge on - and where to save!