Video conferencing is now part of almost every business set-up. Whichever industry you work for in any part of the world, you must have witnessed or participated in one or more video conferencing sessions. Video conferencing is the next level of more pervasive audio calls and conferencing needs higher technology and more advanced equipment. It serves the purpose of a face-to-face interaction bringing more clarity, understanding, and familiarity between the participating parties. In recent years, video conferencing has increasingly become more popular as the preferred choice of business meetings for a variety of reasons, thanks to the advances made in the technology making it accessible, friendly and cost-effective.
Apart from the very obvious reasons of saving time, cost and man-hours spent on travel, studies have shown that video conferencing brings many more advantages for the enterprise using the technology. It markedly enhances productivity as participants are able to focus and remained engaged much more than audio conferencing. It also encourages team spirit and fosters familiarity when people see each other, their body language, etc. and are able to relate to the team members working from spread out locations.
But, like with every developing technology, video conferencing has its own share of operational troubles owing either to technology, low band-width or lack of awareness and understanding on how to get best out of the video conferencing set-up. When not taken care, video conferencing may turn out to be a frustrating experience with wastage of time and effort because of technology glitches and poor organization. That’s why it’s important that you take care of the following things while arranging video conferencing sessions to avoid nightmares that ruin the otherwise seamless and valuable collaboration.
Background Noise
Video conferencing works best when participants are able to see and hear each other with clarity. Any distraction in the background fetters the focus. You should ensure that any kind of background noise within or outside the room is avoided and minimized. Any kind of extra noise like of kids, pets, mobile and desktop phones, alarms, or any other device should be avoided.
Remember to Mute
Always take care that you mute yourself when others are speaking, or while you are looking for some document on your laptop or in files, ordering coffee, or answering a phone call when the video conferencing is on.
Be Prepared with the Technology
Ensure that there is a steady internet connection. Blanked off from an ongoing video conferencing call leads to you missing out on the important things being discussed. It also wastes time when you are trying to put yourself back in the call.
Always Do a Dry Run
It is important that you are familiar with the system and applications being used for the video conferencing session. You should know how to put the conference back in place if some technology glitch disrupts it. Always do a dry run and make yourself completely familiar with the technology. It is always advisable to have a backup like a video conferencing app on your phone or tablet.
Also, do check all the microphones, cameras, displays and other connections necessary for a successful collaboration session.
