Videoconferencing Tips

Here are some tips published in The Hearing Journal, about making videoconferences more accessible.

• Sit in a well-lit space to brighten your face and avoid backlighting, such as light shining through a window behind a workstation.

• Eliminate background noise. Use a high-quality microphone, headset/microphone combo, or earbuds.

• When you're not speaking, put your microphone on mute to reduce background noise

• Speak in turn and state your name before speaking.

• Project your voice succinctly and articulately, and avoid fillers such as “so” and “um.”

• People with hearing loss have a hard time keeping up with spontaneous discussions and details, so try not to sway from the agenda and type your questions or clarifications in the chat feature of the videoconferencing tool you are using.

Read more info from Carolyn Ginsburg Stern, the assistant director of outreach and strategic initiatives at the Center for Hearing and Communication, at The Hearing Journal here.