How to explain that I don't feel like being recorded

[Coffeetree]

I'm a trustee for a charity and tonight I'm giving a seminar on an area of my expertise for our volunteers. Online zoom.

They were very keen and sweet about it. They said people from other charities wanted to come, I said sure.

Now even more people want to come but they can't make the time and anyway more people might want to watch it later so they want to record it.

I don't want it to be recorded. I do loads of recorded seminars for my paid job and they're a very different dynamic than the informal question-and-answer session I'm envisioning for this evening.

Plus if other volunteers are involved who knows where the recording will end up.

They're all acting surprised that I said no thanks to a recording.

Is this some new professional norm? There's a rebuttable presumption that everything must be recorded?

@Coffeetree

I couldn't charge in this format.

Yes, losing control of the material. It's a sensitive subject politically too.

Could the compromise be that you retain the initial recording and right to edit/remove segments, provided that edit does not change the meaning of what other people say?

That gets way too complicated.

@Coffeetree

Yes of course I realise than anyone can record you anywhere but I'm extending normal human trust to colleagues.

so would they be told that under no circumstances can they make a recording? Will there be notes or screens from the presentation or anything? I would just see it as being of limited use without any kind of backup material, especially if as you say its a complex and arcane subject.

I am surprised that so many people don't understand your position. Irrespective of how anyone feels about recording seminars, you agreed to do a particular thing under a particular set of circumstances. That's your choice and prerogative.
There's a setting on zoom that prevents participants from recording the session. Please stipulate /check that this happens. Yes participants could in theory use a camera to record what's onscreen but the quality should be awful, using a camera to record any onscreen content is usually very poor quality.

Yes I'm providing slides. It's not meant to train people up on how to practise, more like "Let's chat about this area of law".

@TheQueenOfTheNight

I am surprised that so many people don't understand your position. Irrespective of how anyone feels about recording seminars, you agreed to do a particular thing under a particular set of circumstances. That's your choice and prerogative. There's a setting on zoom that prevents participants from recording the session. Please stipulate /check that this happens. Yes participants could in theory use a camera to record what's onscreen but the quality should be awful, using a camera to record any onscreen content is usually very poor quality.

They would not need to use a camera to record the screen, there is a screen/audio recording feature build into Windows (and I am sure Macs as well), which totally bypasses the Zoom block feature, the only difference is that it will not be the build in Zoom record feature.

Well yes there are a number of ways people can record clandestinely but I'm going to assume they're normal people who wouldn't do that.

@TheQueenOfTheNight

I am surprised that so many people don't understand your position. Irrespective of how anyone feels about recording seminars, you agreed to do a particular thing under a particular set of circumstances. That's your choice and prerogative. There's a setting on zoom that prevents participants from recording the session. Please stipulate /check that this happens. Yes participants could in theory use a camera to record what's onscreen but the quality should be awful, using a camera to record any onscreen content is usually very poor quality.

I absolutely do understand and would say that if the OP doesn't want to be recorded, as the voluntary presenter then they absolutely should be able to say no. My point was that saying no doesn't mean it won't happen.

@MatildaIThink

Could the compromise be that you retain the initial recording and right to edit/remove segments, provided that edit does not change the meaning of what other people say?

Not much of a compromise. OP is doing them a favour, that’s more than enough of a compromise. They’re CFs.

@Coffeetree

Well yes there are a number of ways people can record clandestinely but I'm going to assume they're normal people who wouldn't do that.

Please don’t trust anyone. If people could record you without knowing it, they would record you. They would explain it away to themselves and still feel they are ‘normal’.

Well yes and my colleagues could be recording me going to the toilet, because they can.

I'm proceeding on the assumption that an online seminar with fuve colleagues is not recorded because they've asked that it not be recorded. Obviously I'm never "off the record" at work but you have to have a little trust to function! Otherwise I'd just stay at home with my tinfoil hat on.

*five

Just a thought - is this part of a larger event, and if so, is the whole thing being recorded?

No like I said it's informal seminar for some volunteers.

Another example, is in an informal live chat you can be more discursive and spontaneous, saying, "Oh there's this one case where the judge said x". Whereas in a recorded training you need to have the actual citation.

I think your reservations are sensible.

I wouldn’t want footage - outside of my control - of me talking about a sensitive area when it could possibly be “held against me” without the benefit of context/ when issues have moved on/ when I was speaking off the cuff.

I'm sure it's part of GDPR, everyone has the right to decline being recorded. If someone is desperate they can circulate a transcript, subject to your approval.

I don't think you're being unreasonable, presumably you're doing it for free too, if they want a recording that they presumably wish to circulate (probably without your say so) then they should pay for your time and draw up an agreement.

I am happy to be recorded when giving straightforward lectures on matters. I am not happy to record discussions, seminars, especially on sensitive topics. It discourages others from speaking, and there is a chance they could say something controversial or even criminal, I know of a case where this happened and although no action was taken, it was very stressful.

Recording the 20 min presentation, fine, recording interactions/chat/frank speaking amongst the participants, no I wouldn't want to do that and would happily state this. This is usually our policy at work and outside speakers sometimes request no recording not even of the main presentation if they want to retain intellectual property (e.g. new ideas) or it's on a controversial topic.

I think it has become standard that these things are available for those who can’t attend (esp volunteers) as that’s more accessible to those with caring commitments etc.
I do understand what your objection is. And if it’s Q&A I would tell the organisers not to record it so that participants are not intimidated from asking Qs.

A compromise would be having it available for a week on “catch up” zoom lets you do this and say that it needs to be only a week as the content will date right away.

Yanbu. I recently said no to being recorded and just stated that the presentation slides could be shared. End of. It’s your intellectual property so you get to say yes or no.

It's within your rights to refuse, but I can't understand your reservations.

It's an informal session where presumably you'll be in charge of the agenda? Were you planning to say anything that could be held against you?

If anyone asks any inappropriate questions or tries to derail the session then that's on them. You're not planning on using the recording are you? You can't control what the others are saying, but you're able to tell them if they've said something irrelevant or inappropriate. The important thing is you're fully in control of what you're saying.

Apologies for sounding critical, I'm just genuinely curious about what's holding you back, as I'm involved in recorded sessions regularly and this isn't something I've considered.

YANBU to not want to be recorded .

I know it's not the same thing but I recently underwent a training event where someone asked if it could be recorded. Given that the event included people sharing personal experiences I refused and said I didn't think it appropriate. I was participant BTW, not facilitator.

I was going to say YABU but you've clarified it's politically sensitive and is a discussion you wish to control the dispersal of material related so you're absolutely right not to agree. I wouldn't either in your situation. It wasn't clear in the OP that the issue is the material, rather than just a general dislike of being recorded. YANBU at all

Absolutely not unreasonable. I recently ran some training sessions and the final one was recorded, it was a totally different dynamic (and I had to wash my hair for that one…). Had to leave out my rubbish jokes and the “how’s everyone’s day been” chat.