At Brewster and throughout your Academic career, you will inevitably have to give a presentation. This is so common that every single classroom and presentation space has a projector, speakers, screen, and AppleTV. They are ready for you at a moments notice, but are you? Here are some tips to ensure that your presentation goes smoothly every time!

Rehearsal!

  • Have a technology dress rehearsal! Most people know that you need to understand your material before you present it, yet few actually ensure that their devices and AV equipment work together as you expect them to. The ONLY way to ensure that things function as you expect is to actually connect to any AV equipment and run through your presentation. Here are some things to consider as you prepare for your rehearsal:

Wired or Wireless?

  • Wireless: Each presentation space has an AppleTV . This allows for an Apple device on the BA-Access network to wirelessly connect to our presentation systems. While this works MOST of the time, there may be unexpected issues with such a connection. It is important to make sure you are prepared to use the wired connection in each area should this occur, even if it worked during your dress rehearsal.
  • Wired: Every location that has a projector or presentation TV has a set of cables provided so that you can physically connect to them. However, your computer may require a special adaptor (called a Dongle… seriously!). It is very important that you come prepared with such an adaptor just in case! If you are unsure what you need, please contact our IT department.

 

Mirrored or Extended?

  • The first time you plug a modern Mac into a projector or external monitor, you’ll notice that you see an entirely different desktop on the new screen. This is because Apple assumes that you DO NOT want to present your normal desktop during a presentation. If you simply prefer to have the presentation screen display the exact same thing your computer screen does, you will need to select “Mirror Built-in Display”. from the Screenshot 2016-01-21 17.04.01.png menu. See below.
    Screenshot 2016-01-21 17.03.31.png

Prep Your Computer

The morning of your presentation, you should shut down every application that is open and completely shut down your computer….let it sit for a minute or two…and then turn on your computer.  Don’t open any other applications other than what you need to present.  If you don’t need a browser with your email, don’t open it…don’t need messages? don’t open it.

Do Not Disturb!

During a presentation, it’s generally best if your notifications, email alerts and messages don’t suddenly appear on your screen. At best it’s distracting and at worst… well, you get the point. Your computer has a special mode called “Do Not Disturb”. You can use this feature to prevent your computer from displaying notifications when turned on. The quick way to turn this on is to:

  • Click on your notifications menu icon (The furthers icon in the upper right-hand corner of the screen)

Screenshot 2016-01-21 17.04.13.png

  • A menu will swipe in from the right-hand side of the screen. Scroll “up” to expose the “Do Not Disturb” Setting

Screenshot 2016-01-21 17.04.22.png

  • Turn “Do Not Disturb” on!

Screenshot 2016-01-21 17.04.28.png

  • Like anything, there are additional settings that you can configure. If you’d like to explore these settings Open “System Preferences” and then open “Notifications”. There are a number of settings you can adjust. Believe it or not, your computer will automatically enable “Do Not Disturb” by default if you choose to “Mirror” your displays.

Screenshot 2016-01-21 14.09.19.png

These are a few of the basics you’ll want to know before stepping into a room full of people eager to learn form you. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact your friendly IT department!