Don’t spend your remote deposition fiddling with volume, wondering if you’re hearing correctly, asking other parties to repeat themselves. Remote depositions are now commonplace but still not without their challenges! Excellent audio is essential to the remote deposition, but it can be a trial getting there! If that has been the case for you, try these tips to experience strong audio in your next remote deposition.

Use wired internet. Wired (ethernet cable) internet will provide the strongest connection, so there are no lags or buffering or disconnects. Simply connect the cable directly from your computer into the wireless router and disable wireless on your computer to achieve the wired connection. Essentially you want to be the only one on your network, so everything “internety” is focused on you and your successful remote deposition.

Speed up the connection! I still remember dial-up internet and the agony it was waiting to connect. Internet has come a long way since those days! Make sure yours is up to speed, at least 3-5 Mbps for videoconference. Check your internet speed at https://fast.com/.

Use a standalone phone for best audio. If you notice audio issues during the meeting, dial into the meeting from a standalone phone and disable the videoconferencing audio to avoid feedback.

Choose a quiet room – this is imperative. It’s easy to keep the noise down in an office setting – well, usually. If someone is participating from home, however, it can be trickier to achieve peace and quiet for a videoconference meeting. If you don’t have an office set up at home, just choose a room with a door, as far removed from communal spaces as possible.

Try a noise-canceling app, like Krisp, which eliminates all acoustic noise and echoes that could interfere with the proceeding. Krisp actually blocks background noises on both ends of the call, making it easier for all parties to hear and understand each other. This means fewer interruptions to clarify or ask someone to repeat what they just said.

Test before the deposition. This is vital to ensure there are no lags in the audio (or video). This is your chance to give your microphone, speakers, headset (if applicable), and room a trial before the actual remote deposition. You can also ask the technician any questions you may have and receive the benefit of their expertise even before the deposition.

Before you log in to the remote deposition (early!), reboot your computer. Rebooting will help clear out any temporary files. Make sure to close any applications that aren’t necessary for the deposition as well. You and your device need to be 100% zeroed in on the virtual deposition.