How to Make Great Screencasts and Online Oral Presentations

If you ask most people if they like public speaking, there’s a good chance that the majority of them will say: NO WAY!

Public speaking is very intimidating, and now in the era of online and distance learning, public speaking is taking new forms: screencasting, video presentations, audio recordings. Surprisingly, we’d think that since we aren’t having to stand up in front of a crowd, but are instead sitting behind a camera, that public speaking in these formats would be less intimidating, but as many of us have found, this isn’t always the case!

Making and recording effective video presentations and screencasts can be just as nerve wracking as any other public speaking format, so we’ve put together this guide and video to help take the edge off your next screencasting experience.

Watch this video for instructions on best practices for putting together and recording an awesome screencast:

Screencasting Tips

Here are our top 5 tips for preparing and recording amazing, effective screencasts so you can enjoy your public speaking experience and get a great grade:

• 1: Plan Your Visual Content
  • Outline the key points you want to cover (these may be in your assignment instructions) to make sure you stay on topic and address the appropriate points.
  • You can then start organizing the different ideas you want to cover logically in a slideshow (powerpoint or google slides) or in some other visual format (if visuals are not required for the assignment you can skip this step).
  • With your visuals, you will want to highlight important elements on the screen using annotations, arrows, and use contrasting colors for better visibility and accessibility.
• 2: Write a Script or Outline
  • Write a script or outline of your talking points to guide the narration that will accompany your visuals, to keep you on track and deliver a clear message.
  • Practice your script or outline at least once before recording to ensure a smooth delivery.
  • Aim to keep things short and sweet, as many audiences have limited attention spans. Eliminate unnecessary information and focus on the most relevant content.
  • Use a conversational tone and enthusiasm into your narration to keep viewers engaged.
• 3: Choose the Right Recording Tools
  • If you already have a reliable screencasting software and set up, we encourage you to use a tool that you are comfortable with.
  • If not, at Unity we recommend starting with the Canvas Studio Screen and Webcam Capture Tool, as it facilitates easy recording and uploading within your existing Unity courses.
  • Before starting your real recording, you may want to do a test recording to ensure that your visuals and audio levels are properly set up to ensure you are easy to see, hear, and understand.
• 4: Prepare Your Recording Space
  • Try to find a quiet, private space where you can record your whole presentation without being interrupted.
  • Check to make sure you don’t have any unnecessary applications and websites open on your laptop or desktop computer before pressing record.
  • Consider your location and background if you are using your webcam – you don’t want your webcam video to distract from the content of the presentation.
• 5: Review, Edit and Test before Sharing
  • Watch your recording back and make any necessary edits to improve clarity or remove mistakes.
  • Add captions to enhance comprehension and accessibility.
  • Accept that your presentation doesn’t need to be perfect! Sometimes with screencast recordings we can get a little obsessive about making things look perfect, but it is ok to submit something that has imperfections. We are all learning as we go and your instructors understand that!

This resource was created with assistance from ChatGPT.

OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT 3.5. https://chat.openai.com/share/b915175c-22c3-4ca5-8d39-b155bdc703ef