At a Glance

This guide is for any faculty or guest speakers who will present remotely in one of MIT Sloan-supported classrooms. Follow these steps to ensure that you will look and sound good on the day of the event. Please visit our AV Event Request Form if you are an MIT Sloan constituent and need audio-visual support for a class meeting or event.

Preparing for the Event

The last thing anyone wants is to experience issues right before or during a presentation. Conduct the following steps a few days before the event to prepare yourself and your technology for coming into MIT Sloan’s classrooms through Zoom.

  • Schedule a time and place for your presentation on your calendar so no external factors will interrupt you.
  • Perform a test call with a friend, colleague, or family member from the location you will be presenting from.
  • During the test call, have them evaluate your video, screen share, and sound.
  • Purchase, rent, or borrow equipment required to improve video or audio quality, if needed. These are our recommendations.

On the Day of the Event

These are some best practices for setting up your environment for the presentation. They are also measures to prevent interruptions on the presenter’s end of the call.

  • Reboot your computer around an hour before you join the call.
  • Turn off your cell phone to prevent distractions.
  • Alert people in the immediate vicinity of your presentation and request that they are quiet around the room you’re in.
  • Place your computer so the brightest light or window in the room is behind your camera.
  • Frame the shot so there is a small gap above your head, and so we see below your shoulders.

What to Expect During the Presentation

  • Join 5-10 minutes before the class begins. Even if you are not presenting at the start of class, we still need you to connect to the meeting before the event begins.
    • You will not need to be near your computer after the connection is complete.
    • We recommend you are at your computer 10 minutes before you need to present.
    • Your computer must remain connected until after the presentation is complete.
  • We will have an AV Specialist in the classroom to control the cameras and troubleshoot anything that might come up in the classroom.
  • The audio going into and coming out of the meeting will be done using the room’s audio system. You will be able to hear comments and questions from the audience.
  • When the time comes, we’ll show the screen share on the main screen and the presenter (you!) on a secondary screen. The main screen is typically the larger of the two.

Related Resources