TL;DR:
- Goodlighting beats camera resolution every time.
- Look at the camera when you speak. Practice in your next meeting.
- Use a wired microphone. Bluetooth will betray you when you least expect it.
- Keep the brightest light in front of you and slightly above your head. Backlighting is how horror films start.
- Clear your background. Offensive objects, copyrighted posters, or your Jedi action figure army—hide them. Avoid virtual backgrounds.
- Test your bandwidth before you start. Wi-Fi has moods. Wired connections do not.
- Dress business casual. No visible logos. Jewel tones are flattering; moiré-inducing patterns are … not. Unless you enjoy vibrating on screen.
- Look at the camera. Again. Yes, we’re repeating it—because it matters.
- Demo on a 16:9 display (1080p) and zoom in so people can read text.
- Read the rest of this guide. Seriously. There’s some good stuff here.
Session preparation
We’re here to make your recording session fun, easy, and utterly free of meltdowns. Think of this as the ultimate prep list—part instruction manual, part survival guide. Got questions or special requests? Let us know. We’ve heard it all (including the one about timing the session perfectly to Revolver by The Beatles, objectively their best-ever album).
Required gear
Before you step into the glamorous world of being on camera, you’ll need some basics:
- A webcam. Yes, the one built into your laptop works fine. If you’re feeling fancy, external webcams like the Logitech Brio are popular. But here’s the real secret: lighting matters more than the camera. Frame yourself so your head is high in the shot, with just a smidge of space above. Camera at eye-level is best. If you need to stack your laptop on books, go for it. Consider it a modern art installation.
- Lighting. Lighting is the diva of production. Without it, your $200 webcam looks like a potato. Light yourself from the front, not the back. A window works, but diffuse bright daylight with curtains or blinds. No window? Get a cheap ring light or a soft lamp about six feet away and slightly above eye level. Voilà: instant glamour.
- A microphone. Audio matters. A lot. Possibly more than your camera. Your webcam’s mic may be “fine” (like gas station coffee is “fine”), but a wired external mic is better and surprisingly cheap. Skip Bluetooth—it clicks, pops, and betrays you. Also: keep mics out of frame, avoid large, echoey rooms, and remember that carpets, curtains, and other fabrics are your friends. (Hardwood floors, not so much.)
- Background. No virtual backgrounds. Unless, of course, you’re demoing virtual backgrounds. (In which case: carry on.) Showing your humanity helps increase your credibility. Otherwise, keep your space tidy and uncluttered. Avoid offensive objects (e.g., guns, posters, flags) or copyrighted materials (sorry, your Star Wars shrine must wait off camera). A simple, lived-in space feels authentic—and safe from lawyers.
Gear preparation
Make sure your gear behaves itself on recording day:
- Plug in your computer. Batteries don’t last long when you’re recording.
- Turn off notifications. Loud alerts are the modern-day jump scares.
- Close unessential apps and tabs. They use up resources and make your video look like bad stop-motion.
- Set your Windows power plan to Best Performance. The balanced power plans throttle your CPU, which is like asking a sprinter to jog in flip-flops.
- Use a wired internet connection. Wi-Fi has moods. Wired doesn’t. If others are home, bribe them to avoid Netflix until you’re done. Aim for 10 Mbps up and down.
Looking your best
You don’t need to look like a movie star—just avoid looking like you lost a bet at the thrift store return desk:
- Stick to business-casual clothing, with no third-party logos on it.
- Wear jewel tones near your face. They’ll never let you down.
- With a few exceptions, red, black, and pastels do not look good in videos.
- Choose simple fabrics with no visible patterns. Tight patterns can cause a moiré effect, which looks like a dancing optical illusion—fun but hard on the eyes.
Presentation tips
We’ll check these things during your precheck, but here are some pro moves:
- Practice. Talking to a lens feels weird until it doesn’t.
- Add enthusiasm. Cameras flatten energy—so bring more than you think you need.
- Look at the camera. Your audience is sitting right behind it. Making eye contact with them makes you feel more sincere.
- Don’t shake the camera. Typing with gusto can make your webcam feel like it’s on a trampoline. Stabilize with books or use an external keyboard.
- Hydrate like a pro. Keep room-temp water nearby. And, per musician lore, Lays potato chips. (True story: the Eagles once stocked the studio with cases of them. Who are we to argue with rock history?)
Realize that you do not have to nail the first take. Just. Relax. Stop, back up, start again—no one is keeping score. We’ll cover any edits with your slides, demo, or possibly a cat meme. Think of the recording session less like threading a needle and more like untangling Christmas lights: messy, frustrating, but oddly satisfying.
Demo tips
Demos are where the gremlins love to hide. Here’s how to keep them at bay:
- Watch Jeremy Chapman’s legendary “Windows Pro Demo Tips, Tricks, and Secrets” playlist on YouTube. (You’ll thank us later.)
- Use a 16:9 display (1920x1080, 2560x1440). If your device can’t, connect an external monitor that can.
- Too-high resolution equals unreadable text. Reduce your resolution or scale up your text. Use ZoomIt liberally so your audience can see what you’re doing.
- Hide the clutter. Empty your trash, tidy your desktop, and remove unapproved icons or logos. (Yes, someone once lost a demo over an NFL banner. It was awkward.)
- For web demos, zoom your browser in as much as possible without breaking the page layout. At 2560x1440, 125% is a good start. Also, make the browser full screen and hide the chrome (e.g., tabs, address bar, status bar, and so on). Preload your tabs; and use Ctrl+Tab and Ctrl+Shift+Tab to navigate them like a magician.
- Use only approved fictitious company names. “Contoso” is fine. “Contoso ISD” once got a demo pulled by Legal. True story.
Come prepared, follow these steps, and you’ll look sharp, sound great, and keep the tech from developing scary personality disorders.
