Design Your Space
Designing your space is critical for a smooth Zoom session. Thinking about various elements in your environment in advance allows you to focus on your content and delivery, and draw on powerful resources easily, without scrambling or pouring through clutter. Neatness is not the critical here, but being comfortable and familiar with your setup is
Options for your space are many. Let’s cover the most important ones here, with the aid of some visuals
Essentials
For a Zoom session, you need:
A computer
A reliable internet connection
Audio in capabilities through your computer speaker, external speakers or a headset
Audio out capabilities via an in-built or external mic
A webcam, again either internal or external
At least one light source.
If you are using external devices, such as a mic, webcam or speakers that require a connection through a USB or other port, plan to connect these in advance, and then check if they are working properly. One way to check is to set up a separate test Zoom meeting. Otherwise, you can also check your devices via other programs on your computer already such as Quicktime, Itunes, or external audio-visual testing applications such as….. Finally, as yet another precautionary check, you should consider logging in a few minutes in advance to test the equipment, ideally with a co-host who can provide feedback on your audio and video.
2. Arrangement
Take a few minutes to decide and know where each of these essentials are placed.
Ideally, you should have the webcam at eye level. Towards that, if you typically use a laptop, you can prop it up by placing it under some books, or a box, though that may make typing harder (see Figure 1). An external mouse and keyboard will make things easier if you are propping up your computer.
The light source should be placed in front of you. This is important. The light from behind typically darkens your space. If you have a large luminous source fixed behind you (including above), you may want to invest in a basic table lamp that you can place in front of you, on the side on the computer or on top of your webcam. More in specific light sources later.
Lapel mics are a recommended external audio out source as they don’t get in the way of the camera. Larger studio mics are fine too, but you just have to plan for them to take at least a bit of your screen space as they need to be somewhat near your mouth.
Apple’s Airpods, which have become increasingly popular in recent years, are a good bet to serve as high quality audio in and out devices. They are also compact, and are an accepted and somewhat fashionable accessory these days. They don’t, however, match up in fidelity to higher-end speakers and headsets, but are a good, portable and non-distracting midway option.
A clock and timer. When you maximize your application screen, you may not see your clock on your computer. Keeping a separate clock in eye view or reminding yourself to look at your phone’s clock or wristwatch occasionally is helpful. With Zoom, if you are addressing a group in another timezone, it may also help to have that time displayed. Additionally, keeping a stopwatch or reverse timer for certain sections of your talk could be helpful. You can find several easy internet timer applications that take up a small space on your desktop.
Having multiple screens is also a popular option. This allows you to segment elements. For example, you can see the participants on one screen and your slides on another. You may have a third screen for your notes. You then need to be mindful of where everything is. Please see Professor Petersen’s case study on managing her space in a case study graduate teaching setting.
Logging in through multiple devices is also an option. Having a tablet with an e-pen allows you to annotate (sketch, make notes, highlight) on your slides. This often creates a wow factor, and several teachers now consistently employ this method.
If you choose this setup, be aware of which monitor or computer webcam is attached to or part of, and be sure to look into it. If you have the output on a separate screen from your webcam, it can also give the impression to the host that you are engaged in some other work and not listening and watching the actual meeting. Clarifying this beforehand may help if it’s an option, perhaps via a private chat note.
If you really want to spruce things up, consider remote controlled lights and lamps. These are available quite inexpensively, and can allow you to change both the intensity and temperature of the light (white, yellow). This can be helpful to adjust at different times of the day. The Joofo lamp, available on Amazon, is a good choice.
As you will note, a large part of your success is around deciding on where everything is placed and familiarizing yourself with it.
The accompanying images illustrate various options for designing your space. (brief description/note on each option)
