A few of Outlier's courses* will require you to record yourself speaking or presenting to an audience. We’ve included some helpful instructions to walk you through the various stages of your presentation.

Outlier recommends the use of Zoom’s free web conferencing software which will allow you to record your session with all participants present. You are welcome to use another software, however, you need to be sure that all participants are viewable on screen throughout your entire presentation.

The screenshots below are from the Zoom website; if you download the Zoom app to your computer, the menus may look a little different.

*Courses that include presentation assignments are:

Professional Communication
Digital & Social Media Marketing and E-commerce I (professional certificate)

Google Meet does not record all participants attending the meeting and using this tool alone will not meet the requirements of the assignments. If you submit a recording of your presentation and your audience members are not visible, you will receive a 0% on the assignment!

Don't have the ability to use Zoom? Click here to learn about using Skype as an alternative

Inviting Audience Members

Time to select your audience! Make sure you’re following all of the instructions for your writing assignment to ensure you have the right number of participants to get full credit for your presentation.

Find your Personal Meeting Room link within the Zoom app by clicking on the Meetings tab on the left and then selecting “Personal Room”. The Meeting ID will be a 10-digit number:

You can use the template included in your assignment instructions to draft a message to all of the audience members you’d like to invite for your presentation. Copy and paste your Zoom invitation link into the appropriate space within the template.

Schedule a time for the presentation when all of your audience members are available.
Confirm that all audience members have signed the consent form prior to the presentation.

Hosting and Recording Your Presentation

The day has arrived: time to give your presentation. Take a deep breath and follow these instructions to ensure your video is recorded correctly.

Log into your Zoom account prior to your scheduled presentation time to ensure you’re ready as your participants arrive. Start your meeting by going to the Meetings tab, clicking Personal Room, and clicking the Start button.
Make sure all your audience members are present and their webcams have been turned on.
Press Record button at the bottom of the window:

Ensure the layout of your meeting is correct:
1. Within the Zoom meeting, press the View Button in the top right corner of the window. Select Gallery as the view:

All audience members as well as yourself should be visible with webcams enabled.

Now that your meeting is set up and being recorded, begin your presentation
1. Check that all members have submitted their consent form by asking each person to temporarily unmute themselves and state their name and date of birth.
2. Present your speech to your audience.

End Your Presentation & Retrieve the Recording

You did it - your presentation is complete! We’re sure you knocked it out of the park.

Follow these instructions to retrieve the .mp4 video file of your presentation to upload to your assignment. Note: Your presentation should be recorded in one session with no editing or breaks.

Press the End button then ‘End Meeting for All’.
A folder will automatically open containing your presentation recording. Find the file with the type .mp4

3. Scroll to the bottom of the Writing Assignment page to the ‘Submit Assignment’ section.

1. You’ll need to check the boxes to affirm each of the included statements.
2. Upload your video file or drag and drop it into the appropriate field. You’ll have the option to remove or replace the file if needed.

4. Once you’ve affirmed all of the statements and added the file, you’ll be able to select the ‘Submit’ button in the bottom right-hand corner.

Sharing a Presentation

At times you’ll need to share slides as you’re presenting to the group. Follow these instructions to be sure both your slides and participants are viewable during the presentation.

After you have started recording, click the ‘Share Screen’ icon:

Select the window that contains your slide show.
Ensure your layout is correct:
1. All audience members, including yourself, should be visible with webcams enabled. Be sure that your webcam video window is in “Show thumbnail video” or “Show galley video” mode.

Your slides must also appear in the window. The entire layout should look like this:

All set! After you've completed your presentation, follow the regular instructions to retrieve and upload your recording.

In this case, you'll also be asked to upload the presentation file as part of your assignment.

What if I don't have the ability to use Zoom?

We strongly recommend students use Zoom for Professional Communication and Digital & Social Media Marketing and E-commerce I (professional certificate). However, if you are unable to use zoom, your other option is Skype.

You can sign up for a free Skype account here, or go to the Skype homepage if you already have an account.

Below are instructions to help you complete your presentations within Skype:

Inviting Audience Members in Skype

From the Skype homepage, create a video call on the Skype website by clicking on Host a Meeting in the top right.

Note: If you already have a Skype account, you may need to reveal the “Host a Meeting” option by clicking on the “Meet Now” button instead:

Once you’ve clicked on “Host a meeting”, name your meeting and press “Create free Video Call” This will create a link for your meeting. Note: this button may also be labeled “Start call.”

If you haven’t yet, allow Skype access to your microphone and camera.

You can use the template included in your assignment instructions to draft a message to all of the audience members you’d like to invite for your presentation. Copy and paste your Skype invitation link into the appropriate space within the template.

Schedule a time for the presentation when all of your audience members are available.
Confirm that all audience members have signed the consent form prior to the presentation.

Hosting and Recording Your Presentation in Skype

The day has arrived: time to give your presentation. Take a deep breath and follow these instructions to ensure your video is recorded correctly.

Log into your Skype account prior to your scheduled presentation time to ensure you’re ready as your participants arrive. Start your meeting by pressing Start Call.
Make sure all your audience members are present and their webcams have been turned on.
Press Record button at the bottom left of the window:

Ensure the layout of your meeting is correct:

Within the Skype meeting, press the View Button in the top right corner of the window. Select Grid view as the view:
All audience members as well as yourself should be visible with webcams enabled.

Now that your meeting is set up and being recorded, begin your presentation
1. Check that all members have submitted their consent form by asking each person to temporarily unmute themselves and state their name and date of birth.
2. Present your speech to your audience.

End Your Presentation & Retrieve the Recording in Skype

You did it - your presentation is complete! We’re sure you knocked it out of the park.

Follow these instructions to retrieve the .mp4 video file of your presentation to upload to your assignment. Note: Your presentation should be recorded in one session with no editing or breaks.

Make sure to stop recording before you end your call.

Press the End button then ‘End Meeting for All’.
The recording will appear in your chat and will be available for 30 days after your call.
Press the three dots next to your recording, then press ‘Save to “Downloads”’ or ‘Save as” to download your video.