10 Video Conferencing Checklist

Here are some items to consider before, during and after a video conference.

Days before conference

• Reserve the video conferencing rooms. This is essential, as all the rooms are in demand and often cannot be obtained at short notice.

• Notify conference participants about arrangements, including dial-up instructions (e.g., "all sites call NRAO hub", or who will call who if a point-to-point call). Will you need to mix video and telephone-only sites?

• Consider use of visual aids to enhance the meeting ... will you use auxiliary cameras, special camera presets, additional microphones, computer connections?

• Consult with your site's video conferencing technical contact people if you require technical assistance before or during your meeting.

• Arrange for someone at each participating site to carry out the pre-conference checklist below

Minutes before conference

• Check your site's camera presets and test any other special video setups to be used.

• Check that your site's microphone placement is appropriate for your meeting/presentation.

• Establish connections a few minutes early, check video and audio quality at participating sites.

During conference

• Introduce participants at your site to those at other sites if necessary (not all NRAO employees have had a chance to meet each other outside the video conferences).

• Mute your site's audio when listening to a long presentation from another site during a multi-site conference (otherwise a sidebar discussion at your site may interrupt another site's reception of video from the presenting site).

• Pan/zoom your camera to show any speaker at your site who makes extended comments or gives a presentation (automatic voice tracking is also available).

After conference

• Report any problems or difficulties encountered at your site to its video conferencing technical contact people.

• Report any problems or difficulties with signals from another site to your colleague(s) there, or to its video conferencing technical contact people ... some problems, e.g. poor audio or video quality, may not be apparent at the originating site and will persist until someone speaks up about them from another site.

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