This slide presentation was initially made by me for internal department use to facilitate online Continuous Medical Education (CME’s) and shared via WhatsApp in November. This technique allows the presenter to focus on presenting, and the chairperson is free to handle requests for members to join the meeting. However, since I was still getting requests for advice on setting things up, I’ve decided to share this here (download How to Use Google Meet (2 Computer Technique) as a PDF.
There are a few points that I want to add on that needs consideration, especially in this country that hasn’t the fastest of connections:
Always test your set up more than a day before your actual presentation in full. Exact devices in the exact configuration. There are too many variables to account for (e.g the connection to the projector for those who are still on site) that can’t be accounted for until you test things out. If it’s your first time, you won’t be quick setting things up. You’ll need at least 15 minutes. It sounds obvious but it can’t be stated enough. And in these COVID times, it may be difficult to find/buy solutions if you find things wrong only the evening before.
The presenter must plan for the required internet connection. If the plan is to use personal internet, so be it. But it must be stable and reliable. This may mean not using the most public of connections, as the traffic may affect the quality of most importantly the upload speeds. At my department, I’ve tailored the quality of service to prioritize online meetings over other internet traffic to preserve this. It’s not perfect, but there is no perfect, but I don’t think a perfect solution exists, especially if the connection is wireless over wired.
For those who are attending, please turn off your microphone and camera. We do not need to see interesting angles of yourselves. And for those who are on site, there is no need to join the online meeting so as to preserve whatever bandwidth there is (if the presenter is not using his/her personal connection).
Any device that is in the presentation area must have its speakers off or it’ll echo off. If you really need to listen to the online stream (e.g. for monitoring as I sometimes do), please use earphones. Ala real radio shows/podcasts. If it’s a meeting setup (not the same as the original scenario) with only one device in an area, go ahead and have the speakers on.
The free tier of Google Meet does not allow for screen recording. Personally I use my own paid solution for this to ensure that the audio recording is as pristine as possible (if the presentation is to be recorded for offline use). Keep this in mind when choosing your online meeting solution.
Keep in mind what microphone you are using. A laptop mic may not pick up commentary/questions from someone away from the laptop. A dedicated, mobile mic may be useful. Keep in mind that presentation software may have their own noise cancelling solutions, and these may make discussions within the same space difficult to pick up especially in a noisy environment (as the software tries to pick up who is actually talking). If you don’t need a crowd present, the best environment is being in isolation in a windless room.
My guide does not specifically handle tablet/phone based solutions. However, I have tested presenting on my iPhone and things do work, by simply screen sharing and opening your presentation app. It would be best to have the presentation open beforehand prior to joining the meeting and sharing the screen (to minimize views of your device, that you may want to keep private).
Hopefully this helps. Do ask questions/comments and I might reply/add to them here.