You don’t need a recording studio. But a few small choices make a noticeable difference. Here’s a practical setup guide.
Audio (the most important)
Quality audio matters far more than video for replay value. Listeners forgive a lot visually but bail quickly on bad audio.
- Use a USB microphone — Blue Yeti, Audio-Technica AT2020USB, or even an inexpensive lavalier mic. Anything beats laptop mic.
- Record in a quiet space — close windows, turn off fans/AC, silence phone notifications
- Avoid echoey rooms — soft furnishings (couch, curtains, rug) absorb echo. Don’t record in a tiled bathroom or empty room.
Video
- Camera at eye level — stack books under your laptop if needed
- Light from in front, not behind — face a window or place a lamp behind your camera
- Plain background — bookshelves are fine, busy decor is distracting
- 1080p is enough — 4K is overkill for Zoom-level events
Internet
- Wired Ethernet beats Wi-Fi every time. If you can plug in, do.
- If wireless, get close to the router
- Close other apps that hog bandwidth — Dropbox sync, video downloads, etc.
Test before the event
Run a Zoom test call with a friend the day before. Check audio levels, video framing, and connection stability. Fix issues then, not 5 minutes before going live.
What to wear
- Solid colors over patterns (patterns can flicker on camera)
- Avoid pure white shirts (overexposes against most backgrounds)
- Avoid logos / busy text on clothing
- Whatever feels like “you” — stiff formality reads worse than authentic comfort
If using slides
- Less text per slide is better
- Use the event team’s slide template if provided
- Test screen sharing in your Zoom test
- Have slides as both Keynote / PowerPoint AND PDF — sometimes one fails to share