Guidelines & tips for presenting at the IAPCT conference and submitting a prerecorded talk.
Update: August 27, 2024

This year’s conference setup is more complicated than the last few editions, because we will have both a local conference in Perth and online sessions. This calls for some extra preparations from organizers and presenters, such as submitting a prerecorded version of your talk.

We encourage presenters to both present live (online in zoom or locally in Perth) and submit a prerecorded version of their talk. Submitting a recording beforehand will allow conference participants across timezones to be part of the conference by watching your talk at a time convenient for them, and will broaden the reach of your message.

We ask all presenters kindly to upload their talk before November 1, 2024.

Why prerecording?

This allows us to organize and share the materials before the conference.
It is no problem if the recorded version is a bit different from your live presentation because you made some last-minute changes.
We encourage you to share your prerecorded talk to create a more coherent and intense conference experience.
If you present online and made a good prerecording, you might choose to replay your prerecorded talk during your online presentation. This allows you to have full control over the timing and delivery of your talk. You can engage with the audience before and after your presentation in the discussion.
If you can’t manage to record your talk beforehand, some members of the audience will miss the opportunity to view your talk during the conference due to time zone differences. We will share the recordings of the live talks (online and local) to registered participants after the conference.

Content preparation

All information on the 2024 conference can be found here: https://www.iapct.org/events/2024-conference.
Please take care not to exceed the time allotted for your presentation and leave at least 5 minutes open for discussion and switching to the next speaker. Please check the schedule for the correct timing.
Our audience is diverse: some are quite new to PCT while others have years of experience. We all want to be inspired and learn from each other’s work. In preparing your presentation, keep in mind what message you want your audience to take home. Focus on what’s important to the PCT audience. Think of ways that you can involve active participation of the audience, for example by asking questions or doing a demonstration.

General Technical Setup

Note: You should be able to make a proper recording using your regular work pc or laptop, without needing to invest in extra equipment. Please don’t stress about making the perfect recorded version of your talk. We love to have you as a speaker at our conference and will appreciate your work anyway.

Instructions below are to optimize the experience.

Audio equipment:

Use a headset or external microphone for better audio quality.
Avoid using built-in laptop or computer microphones if possible.
Test your audio setup thoroughly before recording.

Video equipment:

Camera: Ensure it’s capable of at least 720p resolution, preferably 1080p.
Lighting: Set up front-facing lights to evenly illuminate your face and prevent backlight from bright lights behind you.

Internet connection:

Use a wired connection if possible for stability.

Computer setup:

Close background applications to maximize performance.
Ensure your device has sufficient storage for the recording.

Video settings:

Set your camera to 1080p resolution if supported.
Adjust your camera’s field of view to frame yourself properly.

Recording Instructions

There are several ways to prepare a prerecorded talk using applications which are already familiar to you. We share short instructions for Zoom, Teams and Powerpoint below. If you have the latest version of Powerpoint, you might be able to use the very helpful cameo feature which allows full control over the recording and placement of your face at each slide.

Using Zoom

Start a new meeting in Zoom.
Before recording, go to audio settings and select your headset or external microphone.
Do a quick audio test by recording a short clip and playing it back.
Click on the “Record” button in the bottom toolbar.
Choose “Record to Computer” for local recording.
To share your screen, click “Share Screen” and select your presentation.
Use “Alt+C” (Windows) or “Option+C” (Mac) to start/stop recording.
When finished, click “Stop Recording” and end the meeting.
Zoom will process and save the recording to your computer.

Using Microsoft Teams

Start a new meeting in Teams.
Before recording, check your audio settings to ensure the correct microphone is selected.
Perform a quick sound check by recording a short test.
Click on the “…” (More actions) button in the meeting controls.
Select “Start recording”.
To share your screen, click the “Share content” button and choose your presentation.
When finished, go to “…” again and select “Stop recording”.
The recording will be processed and available in Microsoft Stream.

Using PowerPoint

Standard Recording

Open your presentation in PowerPoint.
Before recording, go to system sound settings and select your headset or external microphone.
Go to the “Slide Show” tab.
Click on “Record Slide Show” and choose “Record from Beginning”.
In the recording interface, check that the correct audio input is selected.
Do a quick audio test by recording a short segment and playing it back.
Use the controls at the top left to start recording.
Navigate through your slides and present as usual.
When finished, click “Stop” and then exit the recording view.
Go to “File” > “Export” > “Create a Video” to save your recording.

Using Cameo Feature (PowerPoint for Microsoft 365)

Open your presentation in PowerPoint.
Ensure your audio settings are correct and do a quick sound check.
Go to the “Insert” tab and click “Cameo”.
Choose where you want your camera feed to appear on the slide.
Adjust the size and position of your Cameo as needed.
Go to the “Recordings” tab.
Click “Record” to begin your presentation with Cameo active.
Use the recording controls to navigate slides and stop recording.
When finished, go to “File” > “Export” > “Create a Video” to save.

Optimizing Your Recording

Consider incorporating automatic captions if they are available in your software.
Use hardware acceleration for encoding if available on your device.
Consider using OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) for advanced recording options and more control over your audio and webcam.
If editing is required, use video editing software to trim start/end and remove any mistakes.

Technical Specifications for Submission

Video format: MP4 (H.264 codec) preferred.
Resolution: 1920×1080 (1080p) preferred, minimum 1280×720 (720p)
Frame rate: 30 fps
Audio: AAC codec, 44.1 KHz sample rate, 128 Kbps bit rate
Aspect ratio: 16:9 (broad screen)
Maximum file size: typically 1-2 Gb.
Please name your videofile properly (Last Name_Title of your talk.mp4) before uploading.

Uploading your prerecorded talk

We have created a shared folder to upload the talk, which was shared with the presenters in the presentation instructions email. Please do not share this link with anyone else (for safety). Uploading large files may take some time. Upload your files to the appropriate subfolder (Wednesday, Thursday or Friday). You are welcome to add your sheets (pdf or pptx) as well. Please upload your recording before November 1^st.

Sharing of materials

All talks and slides will be made available to registered participants. The conference will be recorded for our archives. We would also like to share selected talks (prerecorded or live versions) to a wider audience on YouTube or selected social media channels. If you object to recording or sharing, please let us know explicitly by sending an email stating that you opt-out (from sharing prerecorded video or conference recording) before the conference ends.