Accessible Presentation Considerations

Prepping the environment

  • Do your best to eliminate distractions, for example:
    • Find a quiet space to present away from background noise such as animals, conversations, mechanical noises, etc.
    • Disable notifications for chat and email or turn the applications off.
    • Silence other devices such as phones, tablets, and smart devices.
    • If presenting with camera on, minimize background visuals

Practice Session

“Practice Session” for webinars has been enabled to allow for a 15 minute “Tech Set-Up and Webinar Prep” with the session facilitators.

  • Log into the webinar 15 minutes prior to the start of the course for Tech Set-up
  • Use this time to check audio, and video capabilities, and discuss logistics with the session facilitator.

Once the session facilitator starts the recording, the presenter(s) should begin by stating the session title and provide a brief introduction.

  • Use a microphone. When possible, use a microphone or headset mic. This will improve audio and help participants hear what is said.
  • Turn your camera on while introducing yourself. This helps people hear and understand better. Be careful not to face away from the camera. We encourage you to describe yourself for participants who are blind or have low vision. However, this is not a requirement if you are not comfortable doing so.
  • After introductions, we recommend presenters turn off their cameras while sharing their screen. This saves bandwidth and lessens the chance of distractions.

During the Presentation

  • Realtime captions are provided for all sessions and there may be interpreters. Please speak clearly, loudly, and at a medium pace so that participants, the captioner, and the interpreter can better understand what is being said.
  • Speak to a wide audience when possible. Remember that your session participants may not all be from the Assessments line of the business. There may be people from other business units within Pearson.
  • Use simple language. Avoid or explain jargon, acronyms, and idioms.
  • Give people time to process information. Pause between topics and slides.
  • Describe images and graphics that convey meaning, but only to the extent needed to understand the content.
  • Read polls and surveys aloud, including results when appropriate. When asking questions or using surveys/polls, provide enough time for participants to put their thoughts into words and respond.
  • Videos:
    • Should be captioned
    • Before playing the video, provide a brief description of what will be shown
  • Text on the screen:
    • Should be incorporated into your script.
    • If a script is not used, ensure that the onscreen text is part of your presentation, or presented in a conversational way, rather than reading from the slide.