I record each and every one of our live sessions so that members of English Ever After can revisit the material at any time.
As you are watching these recordings, you may notice that the volume can be a bit uneven at times. For example, it may be hard to hear a particular member, so you end up turning the volume; the next thing you know, I (Abby) am speaking, and it's super loud!
I want to take a moment to explain why this happens and to tell you the effort that goes into preventing such situations.
Why does this situation occur?
The recordings I make reflect what happens in each session. Live meetings are amazing as we get to talk in real time; however, they are also, by their very nature, less predictable and controllable.
As you are listening to the recordings, please keep in mind that these are live events, and consequently, they may contain all the imperfections that come with such situations. I hope, however, that you will find the content and our discussions so valuable, that the flaws which inevitably come with live events become negligible.
That said, I want to reassure you that every effort is being made to bring you the best experience possible.
What is Abby doing about this?
In the live setting, I ask every member to
1) check his/her microphone before attending a live meeting
2) wear headphones to prevent echoes.
Besides that, during the meeting itself, I regularly inform members of problems related to their audio in order to improve our collective experience.
During the live event, we have a chat function that allows members to easily communicate with me and all the others just in case there's an audio problem, so if the participants have trouble hearing anything, they can report the issue immediately.
Most of the time, we can adjust the volume on our own devices to hear someone better, and in other cases, we find that relaunching our program (Zoom) resolves most technical issues.
The fact remains, however, that I can’t control other members' devices and their internet connection. In addition, we are meeting from different locations, and some may be more noisy than others. What I can do is 1) remind people to check their devices when things go wrong and 2) mute members who are in environments that are far too noisy.
Having said that, I try not to deprive anyone of the chance to speak up even if some technical problems may be present. After our live sessions, I regularly reach out to see if I can help some members improve their audio setup.
What happens when I have trouble hearing something in the recording?
If there’s anything you don’t understand for any reason (audio-related or not), let us know in the forum and specify the time in the recording.
I will help you make out what was said; if another member is involved, and he/she is still active in English Ever After, I’m sure he/she will help out too!
One of the greatest strengths of our community is the power to continue conversations and overcome barriers of time as well as space.