There is a monitor, which shows one of the remote sites in your session. You will see your own studio on another monitor.

You can only see one (1) remote site at a time. But it automatically switches to the site from which a person is speaking.

If someone has a question or comment, you will hear the voice immediately. Within a few seconds, the video on the monitors at all the sites will automatically switch so that the person who is speaking can be seen.

If two people say something at the same time, the person who speaks the longest and/or loudest is the one you will see.

If you want to look at a different location than the one currently on your remote monitor, identify another site and ask someone there a question. For instance, “St. Albans, what do you think of the new regulation we’ve been discussing?” Once a person begins speaking, you and all the participating sites will see the St. Albans’ site.

A technician will operate the camera(s). You can concentrate on your presentation.

You and each participant will use microphones, which must be placed directly in front of and about one (1) foot away from you. The sound will be distorted if you are too close and other participants will not hear you if you are too far away.

An alternative to the use of a table microphone is a lavaliere microphone clipped to your clothing. Cordless as well as corded lavaliere microphones are available. Corded lavalieres allow increased movement without a reduction in audio quality. Cordless lavalieres allow an even greater movement, but the audio quality is reduced slightly (usually unnoticeable). If you plan to use a lavaliere microphone, please discuss this with your liaison.

The microphones will be turned off before the program, during breaks, and after the program unless you request otherwise.

Once the program has started, assume the microphones are on at all times. Side comments WILL BE HEARD by everyone on the system. You may ask the technicians to turn the microphones off at any time.

An overhead camera is used to show visual materials. See the Visual Materials section for details. Text must be specially formatted. Please see Printed Materials Format.

INTERACTION
Participants bring their television viewing habits with them and are used to being passive listeners when viewing a TV screen. They may need structured encouragement to draw them into interaction with other sites.

Use "ice breakers" at the beginning of a session.

Call on each site by name so the participants understand that they can be seen and heard.

Try to avoid using a general phrase such as, "Are there any questions?" Call on a specific site for a response to your comment or question.

As you are speaking, you will see the last remote site from which someone spoke until someone at another remote site speaks. In order to see your entire audience, and their response to the information, which you will be sharing, you need to check-in regularly.

Remember, you need to elicit a reply from a remote site in order for you to see it. VIT cannot take you to another site.

Other methods, which you may want to incorporate, include:

• Small group discussions


• Partitioning sites together
• Case studies
• Participant presentations

BREAKS
Please schedule breaks during your presentation. 5-10 minutes per hour is suggested. Those breaks are for the technicians too. The microphones will be turned off during the break.

CLOTHING
Solid colors are better than white or very dark. Avoid highly contrasting patterned fabrics such as stripes or herringbone.

SENDING MATERIALS
Please mail materials at least one week in advance. Overnight delivery services may not reach your participants because of staffing schedules of site mailrooms. If using overnight delivery, please allow at least two (2) days.

BEGINNING A PROGRAM
The following process is suggested:
1. Let the technician in your studio know that you are ready to begin.
2. The technician will turn the microphone on so that you can be heard by all participating sites.
3. Introduce yourself, make a few opening remarks and speak with each site to reinforce the interactivity of the system. A phrase like “We would like to hear from ....” often works well. Someone must speak in order for the video to switch to a new remote site.

EYE CONTACT
Make eye contact with the people who are in the room with you and with the people shown on
the remote monitor.

VISUAL MATERIALS
An overhead camera will be used to show visual material, whether it is text, graphs, photos or three- dimensional objects.

Properly format any TEXT which will be shown on camera. See Print Format Sheet for guidelines.

If you have existing transparencies, they can be used by placing them on top of a sheet of plain paper. Transparencies should be in the same format as any other written material used.

• Pile visual material in order on top of one another. First page on top of the pile
• Place it in position under the camera (look at the local monitor in the back of the room while moving it into place).
• When you are ready to refer to the next overhead, remove the top sheet of old materials to reveal the new one. The materials are already in the right place under the camera and will require minimal adjustment.
• When you are ready to use an overhead, the verbal cue for the technician is “May I have the overhead, please?”

Use a dark?colored-marking pen, fine-point or wide.
This provides a much clearer image than the real chalkboard.

*SOME SITES HAVE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF OVERHEAD CAMERA
The overhead camera at the above site is located on a platform on top of a table instead of being mounted in the ceiling. The presenter controls the camera’s focus and zoom as well as placing the material in the proper position underneath.

SCAN CONVERTERS AND PROJECTORS
VIT studios are equipped with scan converters and projectors, which allow the output of a computer to be seen over the system. If you have a computer presentation (such as Power Point, Harvard Graphics, etc.) and you would like to use during your event, please let your liaison know. Each studio has a Windows based computer with a set of standard programs such as Power Point, Excel, Word in addition to browsers and internet connections. We recommend that you bring any files you wish to display on a disk or USB storage device to the studio. It is best to try any of these technologies out well in advance of the event. VIT cannot be responsible for technicial problems that arise from computer presentations.

VIDEOS CAN BE SHOWN
If you are planning to play a video, please notify VIT before the event and test it over the system before using it. If it is not previewed prior to viewing, VIT cannot be responsible for its quality.

If the videotape is not of high quality, the picture may break up during the playback and the remote sites will not be able to see it.

Be prepared to cover or fill the time you might have in the case your tape doesn’t play well.

PLEASE REMEMBER:
VIT Site Managers, Technicians, and the Event Liaison are ongoing resources for presenters. Don't hesitate to ask for more information or assistance before or during your VIT event.