Get involved
A genuine thank you for considering getting involved in the Architect Tomorrow community and podcast. It’s only when people move from being passive observers to active contributors that the world gets to hear fresh perspectives on the topics that matter. An extra thank you if this is your first time doing something like this. We promise to make it as enjoyable as possible!
New here? Start with what Architect Tomorrow is about.
Style
Think of Architect Tomorrow as the podcast equivalent of smart casual. Natural, unscripted conversation is the goal, though notes are always fine. The moderator will have a rough plan and is there to draw out your expertise and steer things along the right lines. You’re invited because you have something worth hearing.
A few things to bear in mind:
- We keep things accessible. We explain terminology and keep jargon in check.
- The collective term for a group of architects is an argument.
- We respect others’ opinions. Diversity of thought and background is what Architect Tomorrow is built on.
- We don’t dominate conversations (unless specifically asked to lead or present). We strive to use our ears as much as our mouths.
- We’re constructive. We focus on making things better rather than moaning.
Communicating
LinkedIn is our primary communication channel. As we are a broad community we’ll use LinkedIn to stay in touch: follow the Architect Tomorrow page and the #ArchitectTomorrow hashtag, or message Oliver directly. A dedicated community discussion space is TBC.
Email is the backup channel, in case we need to speak about something more urgently.
If you are joining as a speaker
Do you have slides? (very much optional)
Architect Tomorrow is more about natural conversations, but sometimes participants want to share some visuals to illustrate a point or demo some tech, and that’s fine. If you are doing that:
- Use relatively up-to-date versions of Keynote, PowerPoint or Google Slides, with a 16:9 aspect ratio (we are architecting tomorrow, not yesterday’s CRTs!).
- If you use video or audio, please talk to someone about it first.
- Share your slide deck in its original format and as a PDF. If it’s Google Slides, set the permissions so anyone with the link can access it, or ideally copy it into our shared Google Drive folder. Oliver will send you the link when you’re booked in.
Resources and reading for show notes
Any books, articles, podcasts, communities, events, people and so on that you mention during the recording: please add the URLs to the shared planning doc, which is also shared when you’re booked in. It’s much appreciated.
Your setup and technology stack
If we aren’t doing an in-person event or recording, try to set up as much of the following as you can, and ask Oliver or others for advice:
- A room that’s well lit and quiet.
- A computer with the current version of Zoom, and a mobile phone with the Zoom app as a backup.
- Headphones or earbuds to reduce feedback.
- A decent USB microphone if you have one. People tolerate poor audio far less than poor video.
- A webcam. A laptop’s built-in camera is fine, but an HD USB webcam or a camera is often much better, particularly if you don’t have great lighting.
- A wired internet connection rather than Wi-Fi (you might need an adapter for the ethernet cable). If you can’t use a cable, improve your Wi-Fi as best you can.
If you need any equipment, please let us know; we might be able to loan you some of the items above.
Arranging your applications
One or two monitors? If you have a second monitor, you can display your deck’s presentation mode in one window and presenter mode in the other. Be sure your presenter mode window and video camera are on the same monitor, or you’ll be looking away from the camera when you present (a no-no!). Whilst we prefer Architect Tomorrow to be natural and without notes as much as possible, if you need some, try keeping them in a separate window next to your Zoom window.
Home distractions. You’re likely presenting at home, which may mean kids and pets making their presence known. Do what you can to minimise distractions, but don’t worry: they are part of our new hybrid way of working. Your audience knows and appreciates that. They may even appreciate a cute face poking into your video, so no need to pretend those little creatures aren’t there.
App and tech distractions. Please:
- Turn your phone to silent and move it away from your computer and microphone, as these often create interference.
- Quit any applications that will distract you and rob you of bandwidth, and turn off notifications with your computer’s “Do Not Disturb” feature.
- Quit any other video conferencing applications (for example WebEx or Google Meet) that might try to keep control of your camera and microphone.
Looking your best
Camera framing. Sadly people mess this up quite regularly: don’t sit really far away, really close up or off centre. Whether you prefer sitting or standing, arrange your camera and chair so that you can look directly at the camera without looking up or down too much, and your face is close enough to fill most of the screen (your video inset will be very small while you are sharing your presentation).
Casually virtual. Avoid wearing stripes or checks. Whilst you should only be visible from the shoulders up, trousers are recommended!
Lighting. Experiment to make sure your face isn’t dark, but not massively overlit. If you have one, use a ring light. Failing that, a household or desk lamp will do. It doesn’t always need to point directly at you (particularly if you wear glasses), so try bouncing it off a nearby wall or surface.
Background. If possible, use a background that’s attractive (a bookshelf, say) and declutter as much as you can. If your room isn’t much to look at, use Zoom’s “Blur My Background” setting. An attractive background isn’t super important, especially if your head fills the screen. Avoid digital backgrounds, which can be distracting and often don’t work well unless you are using a physical green screen.
Anything missing?
Any tips or advice you’d add? Please message Oliver or post with #ArchitectTomorrow on LinkedIn.