Summary: The best video conferencing equipment in the world can't make you and your business look fantastic if your people do not use the set-up to their advantage. These 8 video conferencing tips will definitely help you look great.
Even the best video conferencing equipment on the market does not solve all of your communication problems. Some issues spring from the actions of the participants and have more to do with inexperience, bad manners and lack of consideration than with the quality of the mics, monitors and connections.
To make your long distance video communication events go smoothly, keep the following 8 things in mind:
1. Set up rules for participation ahead of time. Will everyone speak freely or will only one or two people do the bulk of the talking? While you can't be sure the people on the other end will speak in an organized and orderly fashion, you should do everything possible to be sure you maintain a disciplined approach on your end.
2. Do a test run to make certain everyone understands how things work. While modern video conferencing equipment is intuitive and simple to use, letting people who are unacquainted with its operation, practice a bit, is an excellent idea. Set up a chat with another regional office or a trustworthy co-worker who will tell you truthfully if you and you staff are coming across well.
3. Be conscious of the cameras but not preoccupied by them. Think about how experienced news reporters engage with the camera. They communicate to the individual watching the broadcast, not to the camera. They do not compulsively think about being a centimeter or two off their marks, but they don't purposely step outside the frame either. They appear at ease at all times.
4. Eliminate outside diversions from the meeting room. Modern mikes are more sensitive than ever, so close the door to the room where the conference is being held, silence pagers, watches and cell-phones and keep paper rustling to a minimum. Always presume that extraneous sounds are being picked up even though they may not be.
5. Avoid wearing distracting or heavily decorated clothing. Cross-hatch patterns may react with a camera in strange and distraction ways, and very small decorations might not be visible. Stick to decorated clothing to avoid making distractions that can take attention away from your carefully planned words during your teleconference.
6. Have a clear goal. Exactly like in a face to face meeting, be clear about what's to be discussed. Otherwise, you will never know when your discussion is complete. For video conference meetings, this means creating a clear agenda and sharing it with all locations.
7. Be certain an appointed person is in control at every location and over the whole meeting. One person should be able to call time when the meeting runs longs, and somebody at each location should be responsible for informing other locations when there is a communication problem. If no one is appointed to be in charge of a location, it's possible that no-one will speak out if something goes wrong, and time could be wasted.
8. Provide digital presentations and handouts ahead of time. People frequently choose to view handouts and presentations in their own time so they can prepare prior to a meeting, so provide digital presentations and email copies of handouts in advance , allowing those who need to study the chance to do it. That may also save a meeting if a presentation don't want to transmit at the proper time.
When you keep these 8 commonsense tips in consideration during your live video conferencing events, you can be sure that your words amount to true communication and don't fall on deaf ears. Making the optimum use of your video conferencing equipment means guaranteeing people know how to work with it instead of against it.
Even the best video conferencing equipment on the market does not solve all of your communication problems. Some issues spring from the actions of the participants and have more to do with inexperience, bad manners and lack of consideration than with the quality of the mics, monitors and connections.
To make your long distance video communication events go smoothly, keep the following 8 things in mind:
1. Set up rules for participation ahead of time. Will everyone speak freely or will only one or two people do the bulk of the talking? While you can't be sure the people on the other end will speak in an organized and orderly fashion, you should do everything possible to be sure you maintain a disciplined approach on your end.
2. Do a test run to make certain everyone understands how things work. While modern video conferencing equipment is intuitive and simple to use, letting people who are unacquainted with its operation, practice a bit, is an excellent idea. Set up a chat with another regional office or a trustworthy co-worker who will tell you truthfully if you and you staff are coming across well.
3. Be conscious of the cameras but not preoccupied by them. Think about how experienced news reporters engage with the camera. They communicate to the individual watching the broadcast, not to the camera. They do not compulsively think about being a centimeter or two off their marks, but they don't purposely step outside the frame either. They appear at ease at all times.
4. Eliminate outside diversions from the meeting room. Modern mikes are more sensitive than ever, so close the door to the room where the conference is being held, silence pagers, watches and cell-phones and keep paper rustling to a minimum. Always presume that extraneous sounds are being picked up even though they may not be.
5. Avoid wearing distracting or heavily decorated clothing. Cross-hatch patterns may react with a camera in strange and distraction ways, and very small decorations might not be visible. Stick to decorated clothing to avoid making distractions that can take attention away from your carefully planned words during your teleconference.
6. Have a clear goal. Exactly like in a face to face meeting, be clear about what's to be discussed. Otherwise, you will never know when your discussion is complete. For video conference meetings, this means creating a clear agenda and sharing it with all locations.
7. Be certain an appointed person is in control at every location and over the whole meeting. One person should be able to call time when the meeting runs longs, and somebody at each location should be responsible for informing other locations when there is a communication problem. If no one is appointed to be in charge of a location, it's possible that no-one will speak out if something goes wrong, and time could be wasted.
8. Provide digital presentations and handouts ahead of time. People frequently choose to view handouts and presentations in their own time so they can prepare prior to a meeting, so provide digital presentations and email copies of handouts in advance , allowing those who need to study the chance to do it. That may also save a meeting if a presentation don't want to transmit at the proper time.
When you keep these 8 commonsense tips in consideration during your live video conferencing events, you can be sure that your words amount to true communication and don't fall on deaf ears. Making the optimum use of your video conferencing equipment means guaranteeing people know how to work with it instead of against it.
About the Author:
Paul Fraser is owner at AVT and writes about video conferencing equipment and others issues connected to distance communication. He knows that good skills combined with great equipment can lead to successful video conferencing events.
The Communication Blog
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