Let's go over the technical aspects of how you can give a keynote speech virtually. You've got to be able to have a camera on you whether it's live or recorded. So what I'm going to talk about now really applies to either situations. The most important part of giving a keynote speech virtually Believe it or not, is not how expensive your video camera is. The most important thing is right here, the microphone, not my heart, the microphone, you need a good quality microphone. Do not try to use the built in microphone of your laptop or your computer.
It's gonna sound tinny, echoey and it's not going to be high quality and people just don't like to listen to bad audio, they're much more forgiving if the light isn't perfect. So that's the first thing if you don't have a microphone, go to Radio Shack, go to amazon.com spend $10 and order a microphone that plugs into your computer in one end. And we'll clip on a tie, a jacket, a shirt, a dress a blouse on the other end. That way you can have good audio. The next thing is you do need a camera, I wouldn't try to give a keynote speech just you know, holding your cell phone. I wouldn't do it for that length of time although the cell phone is great for rehearsing your speech.
But you can use just a webcam it can be a built in webcam in your laptop. But there are a couple of things you need to keep in mind. That will make your video look so much better. For starters, you need the camera at eye level. Most people if they're doing a Skype meeting or video recording something, it's on a laptop, and the laptop is this is the top of the laptop is down here. And if the cameras here, now you have a situation of the cameras kind of looking up your nose Well, that's just not a flattering shot for anyone.
And it's one thing to do that for a quick 62nd Two Minute Message. But if you're giving a keynote speech for 1520 3050 minutes, maybe even an hour, nobody wants to look up your nose for an hour. So that's why it's important to have the camera at your eye level. Now, you may ask, Well, how do you do that? I don't have time to build a whole studio. You don't have to.
If your camera is on your laptop, just get a stack of books, this high, however many books it takes, and stack your computer on it until that camera and is at the level of your eye and your problem is solved. The third big thing you really need to think about when you're making your keynote video is what's behind you. Now this is just a TV set with a video loop behind it. It's nothing fancy, but you don't even have to do that. The biggest thing you don't want is a window behind you because the bright light light coming through the window will so dark in your face, people are not going to be able to see you or to look mysterious and dirty almost. So you don't want a window behind you.
You don't want light behind you, you want light in front of you. Now all you have to do if you don't have a studio, you don't have studio lights, all you have to do is take a couple of lights and take the lampshade off and just put them 10 feet in front of you. That should cast enough light on you. You want people to see your face clearly. So if people can see your face, if they can hear you and the backdrop isn't so bright or blinding, it isn't too distracting. That's all you really need to make a great virtual keynote speech.
So go ahead, get your studio ready. I'm not asking you to spend thousands of dollars just if you have a webcam. If you don't have a webcam, spend $10 at the grocery store and get a plugin webcam they are not active. expensive these days, ideally, spend a few more bucks get a high definition one, and it really shouldn't run you more than 30 or 40 bucks. These days, if you have that, you've got what you need, technically. So if you decide not to do the speech, don't let the technical aspects be the reason.
Now one other thing that you could do, you don't have to, but I'm standing right now. And the reason I like that is it's sort of easy to step over here, change the height a little, have a little more energy, you don't have to do that. I make videos and training videos every single day. And I have a room just devoted to that. So that's why I do it. And it allows me to simulate the experience of more like a speaker so I can lean in occasionally.
I can be a little more expressive, but you don't have to but if you wanted to take it up one notch, creating it so that you could stand out Do that. But again, that may just be a matter of instead of stacking your laptop on this many books, you get a stack twice as big, and then you stand behind your desk. It's really not complicated. So go ahead, that's your first bit of homework. Get your studio ready because we have to make some practice videos for our speeches.