As well as delivering training courses, I provide deskside IT support to hundreds of users.
Most people at my workplace now have laptops rather than desktop PC’s. As I go around people’s desks, I’ve noticed that many users work with the laptop lid closed but have the laptop connected to an external monitor.
One of the first things I tell them is that by opening the lid and configuring their laptop to use “extended desktop” rather than “cloned desktop”, they can use both screens and will have a much bigger working area. There’s a whole host of reasons for doing this…
Suppose you had to compare data on 2 spreadsheets. It’s a lot easier to do it where each one is maximised on a separate screen. Or what about having one monitor with your email and IM clients on it and the other monitor with your “real work” on it (e.g. a Word document or PowerPoint presentation you are working on).
When it comes to delivering a training course or presentation via Webex, there are a couple of benefits too:
Monitor the Questions
With an external monitor connected, selecting “Share Desktop” in Webex allows you to select which monitor to share. Whichever monitor you choose not to share should have the Chat Panel and the Participants Panel on it and that way you can constantly monitor for any questions and keep your eye on the attendees list (most people don’t have the benefit of a “meeting facilitator”).
Speakers Notes
Configure your computer to use extended desktop, tick the “Use Presenter View” box on the Slide Show tab in PowerPoint, enable “Share your Desktop” in Webex and run the Slideshow in Powerpoint.
Assuming you have shared the monitor that the slideshow is running on, the other monitor should be displaying the “speakers notes view” which shows you a small version of the current slide, any notes that you typed into the “notes box” in PowerPoint for the current slide and thumbnails of the next few upcoming slides.
“With an external monitor connected, selecting “Share Desktop” in Webex allows you to select which monitor to share.”
How? I can’t find any option to do this. I am running webex on MAC OS.
Hi Sean
I’ve tested this on my Mac, running Lion. There is no option to select which screen you want to share. In my day job, I’m a Windows user and running Webex on Windows does allow you to choose which screen to share. I have a continuing dialogue with Webex regarding their timescale for adding this feature to the Mac. I’ll let you know as soon as I have an answer.
-Mike-
I am also very interested in the multi-screen feature for Mac users. Please let me know if you hear anything.
Any news on multi-screen sharing for mac?
We run a Mac OS system and when you use presenter viewer (presenter notes) whoever is watching online will end seeing the presenter notes rather than just the power point slides.
I would like this too for Mac.
GoToMeeting has this functionality for the Mac – works pretty well.
Allows me to share my smaller monitor – and not my 30″ monitor.
The answer to presenter viewer or multiple screen view is:
After you have connected your computer to a projector, go system preferences, displays and tick off the mirror imaging. Afterwards, move the white bar from one box (screen) to the other in the display window. This will change your primary screen from your laptop to the projected one, enabling you to broadcast what goes to the projector and not what is presented on your laptop.
This answer was for Mac OS.
Bingo!
Thanks!!
You’re the best! This totally works!
Thank you – works great for Mac OSX
Thank you! This has been frustrating me for months!
That little tip is brilliant, thanks.
thank you! – encountered this issue in preparation for a presentation – your comments were a life saver!