HeyMic and Zoom – Combination That Gives Powerful Online Presentations
Online Presentations
Online screensharing, having been around for quite awhile, is still gaining ground. There were many tools early to the race. But recently Zoom is becoming widely used for its ease of use and affordable subscription pricing. A free zoom account allows up to 3 people to video conference for a maximum of 40 minutes. For northern countries like Canada where nearly 1/2 the year can be perilous weather, online screensharing for presentations is great. With the widespread availability of high speed internet, zoom for video is a quick alternative to an email or driving to attend an in-person meeting. As in a live presentation, audio – the sound you hear – becomes paramount.
Good Audio is a Must
As in live presentations, good audio is a must. With laptops being the main interface, people don’t always speak directly into the laptop mic as they shuffle papers and move around their desks, not to mention the room or stage they are presenting from. If you are the audience listening, no problem. But as a zoom presenter, you must ensure the audio leaving your laptop and heard at the remote end is best. I have even seen instances where desk mics have been pointed in the wrong direction, some of which are directional. Just having a mic in the same room as yourself, the speaker, isn’t enough.
HeyMic to The Rescue
With my recent purchase of HeyMic, I couldn’t be more pleased using it for my Zoom presentations and coaching sessions. Just clip to my collar and now I can walk around my office for those long sessions. HeyMic is bluetooth based, first ensure it connects to your laptop as a bluetooth device. Your laptop will then recognize HeyMic as an input device. It will then appear in your zoom settings tab where you can select it in the pull down audio settings tab.
MultiMic Switching An Ease
Presentations being offered to both a room full of attendees and an online contingent at remote locations requires at least 2 microphones. I recently was presenting to a room of about 50 people and to a remote meeting room on zoom to another 25 people simultaneously. To capture the video we used the logitech C920 webcam. This webcam has stereo mics on both sides of its rectangular body. So when I was presenting at the front of the room, HeyMic was selected as I was the main and only speaker. When we went to the Q & A session, where local attendees were discussing, the moderator at the laptop would easily switch to the C920 webcam mic, which then picked up most of the room’s conversation and discussion. Controlling the crowd ensuring there is only 1 speaker speaking at a time, also helps. But for this purpose, taking HeyMic off your collar and passing around to the person asking the question works best, as has been done in TV land for decades with hand held microphones. That doesn’t change. You can easily clip HeyMic to a ruler so it is easier for people to hold near their mouths when speaking. This scenario also requires having 1 person acting as moderator at the laptop, to be able to easily switch mics from the C920 to HeyMic. Your remote attendees will truly appreciate this level of control as they hear only 1 person speaking at a time.
Another Successful Presentation
Adding HeyMic to your arsenal of presentation tools ensures your online audience always hears your single presenter properly. From a one-on-one video coaching session to a roomful presentation to a group at a remote location, HeyMic delivers great audio with ease of use and quick on-the-fly switching. With up to 5 hours of battery life, HeyMic can be easily charged during your break, in case your session spans the entire day. Unobtrusive and barely noticeable, HeyMic makes your presentation professional, not to mention you, the presenter !
HeyMic Purchase Discount
If you would like to purchase a HeyMic for yourself, I have discount code TDKtalksHeyMic that will give you 10% discount when you purchase online at the HeyMic website.
My recent episode HeyMic Lapel Microphone – Superb Mic for Speakers also gives you a quick overview of HeyMic’s features and how easy to use with your smartphone. It’s a great tool to help you capture your speaking events quickly and make your online presentations very professional.
Click on the image to the right to go to my HeyMic review.
