Probably the most important thing you can do to improve the quality of an online lecture, whether you're running a live session or pre-recording, is using a headset with a microphone.

The microphone built into your laptop (or tablet) will do the job, but the sound quality will be significantly improved if you have a headset with a noise canceling microphone. IDS has been buying headsets for a while, and we have a couple of recommendations, but frankly any sound-canceling headset will work.

The Logitech USB Headset H390 with Noise Cancelling Mic is decent but perhaps not the most durable. The sound quality is pretty good and the earphones are pretty comfortable. We used these for quite a while.

The other is the Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000. It's a much better headset overall, more comfortable, and has slightly better sound quality from the mic and the earphones. It's also a little more expensive than the Logitech.