Those who follow MMM know that he is no fan of speaking at online symposia , conferences, or events. In his view, the average attention span of an online audience is that of an ant. After a while, most attendees mute their audio, switch off their cameras, and continue with the rest of their work. Some water plants. Others walk their dogs. All this happens while the speaker drones on.
Mind you, in MMM’s view, this itself is an improvement. There was a time when everyone, MMM included, knew little about the subtleties of online events for speaking. Nobody muted microphones or switched off cameras. As a result, poor speakers had to endure multiple windows where ceiling fans whirred, men in towels walked about, and women in nighties lounged on sofas. On one memorable occasion, the organiser of an event was having a pedicure while the session progressed.
Yet, even all this paled beside a music conference that MMM once supervised.
Speaking at Online Conferences During the COVID Period
This conference took place at the height of the COVID pandemic. Naturally, everything happened online. A committee of experts attended the presentations virtually. One of them, however, was clearly new to the world of online meetings. Midway through the session, he launched into a loud phone conversation that everyone could hear. As if that were not enough, the camera on his device kept wandering.
Soon, it revealed the daughter of the house moving around in what could only be described as a chemise. Naturally, this caught the attention of almost everyone logged in. Then came the maid. She appeared wrapped from head to foot like an astronaut on a moon mission. After some time, the musician himself began his pooja, stripped to the waist.
By then, MMM had finally understood what an organiser could do. He quickly blocked and muted everyone except the presenter.
Recording Presentations for Online Seminars
All these memories returned forcefully when MMM received an invitation last month to participate in an online seminar. Technology, or TQ as MMM calls it, has advanced rapidly these days. The organisers asked MMM to prepare his presentation, record his speech using something called “cameo,” and send the file to them. This method allowed the organiser to play the recorded presentation directly. The presenter only had to remain online later to answer questions, if any.
The system avoided several common problems. Internet speed at the presenter’s end no longer mattered. Audio disturbances could also be avoided. MMM, for example, prefers ceiling fans to air-conditioning. During live presentations, people often complained about the whirring sound in the background.
This new method solved that issue neatly.
MMM’s Online Seminar Experience
Accordingly, MMM recorded his presentation and sent it off. At the appointed hour, he logged in and found the earlier speaker already in progress. At that moment, MMM’s heart sank into his shoes. This presentation too had been pre-recorded using the same technology. However, the speaker’s audio sounded something like this:
“Brrrrrggggggrrrrrhohoho rhubarb brr rggggggrrrrhohoho…” You get the idea. At first, MMM assumed the problem lay at his end. However, that was not the case.What surprised him even more was that everyone appeared to be listening attentively. Or at least, that was the impression. It is difficult to know who is actually listening when everyone remains muted and off camera.
At the end, there followed a profuse vote of thanks. Then came MMM’s turn. Fortunately, he need not have worried. His audio worked perfectly well. There were questions at the end too. That reassured MMM that at least some people had indeed been listening online. The vote of thanks, however, remained just as profuse.
This article appeared in Madras Musings–https://madrasmusings.com/vol-36-no-2/short-n-snappy-242/
My book, Chennai, A Biography can be ordered–https://sriramv.com/2021/12/27/how-to-buy-autographed-copies-of-chennai-a-biography-from-outstation/20.ece
