Because of Cornell's move to online instruction after the spring break, the final presentations will be online. Here are some preliminary notes about how to prepare and run an online presentation.

Some of you have extensive experience in online meetings. If you see gaps in these notes or have other suggestions, please send me an email message and I will update this web page.

Preparation

Successful online meetings and presentations require preparation. You cannot expect to do things at the last moment. The preparation has two aspects:

• Technical.
• Running the meetings.

Technical

The technical requirements are as follows:

1. Everybody at the presentation should have good voice contact. A video connection, so that we can see each other, is desirable but not essential.
2. It should be possible to share slides or other visual aids.
3. It should be possible to show a computer demonstration that everybody can see.

There are several good applications that support online meetings. Many teams will use Zoom, for which Cornell has a license (see https://cornell.zoom.us/). The documentation and help files for Zoom are reasonably straightforward, but you will need to practice before the final presentation.

Each participant needs a computer and an Internet connection. Usually the computer's built-in camera and microphone are adequate, but everybody should check their camera, microphone, lighting, and Internet connection. If you are using a browser to connect, check that it is compatible with the application software. This is particularly important for the person who organizes and sets up the meeting.

Check that the client has suitable equipment and knows how to join the presentations.

Running the presentation

With practice an online meeting or presentation can be very effective. If you lack this experience, I strongly recommend that you have at least one team meeting to practice using the technology and the roles that you will have during the presentation.

Here are some tips on running an online presentation.

• Agree on the roles that each team member will have. You will need: an organizer, a moderator, a scribe, presenters and demonstrators, and general participants.
• The organizer. The organizer schedules the presentations, send joining instructions to everybody, starts the online session, welcomes each person as they join, and checks that everybody has a good connection to the presentation.
• The moderator. The moderator runs the meeting. The moderator calls on people to speak, and asks client and instructor for comments after each part of the presentation. (One person may be both organizer and moderator.)
• Presenters and demonstrators. Tools, such as Zoom, allow a presenter or demonstrator to display their computer screen, so that you can share visual aids and demonstrations. Speak slowly and be prepared for questions.

Timing

I recommend that the organizer starts the online session fifteen minutes before the presentation begins. Team members should join ten minutes before the presentation. This allows time to check everybody's equipment, including the procedures for displaying visual aids and demonstrations. The client and instructor should be asked to join five minutes before the presentation begins.