Video conferencing is quickly becoming one of the most convenient and cutting edge ways to connect with employees for business collaborations, essential meetings, and training sessions. However, it’s not without its occasional difficulties. Here are some tips to help keep your video meetings as successful and productive as possible in the face of some common sources of stress.
- Don’t Let Faulty Setup Be Your First Headache
This tip should go without saying, but often it’s the most basic of steps that wind up overlooked. Always be sure to check your Internet connection and any equipment that you may be using well in advance of your meeting time. Try a sound test to make sure that you are audible on the microphone, and adjust your lighting so that you are visible. Northwestern University’s Information Technology department suggests a backup method of communication, like instant messaging, set up for side discussions outside of the main meeting, but you might want to keep this tip in mind as a backup for keeping someone involved and in the loop in just case their sound or video connections fail.
- Have a Backup Plan – Literally
There are few technological pratfalls as frustrating and harmful as the loss of important data, and you can’t afford to lose precious time and energy dealing with the repercussions as you try to recover or recreate what has been lost. To avoid situations like this, you might want to consider using a cloud based video conferencing service like the one provided by Blue Jeans, as any data or files shared during the video meeting will be saved to the cloud and thus safe from casualties like a hardware crash. Most importantly, BlueJeans has the added convenience of recording capabilities, meaning that your entire video meeting can be recorded, archived and accessed again any time. You won’t have to worry about losing information after your video meeting is over or depend on anyone attending to take notes or minutes.
- Find a Comfortable Schedule
Sometimes, schedules and availability don’t always match up. Perhaps some of your employees work off-site or are part of a separate branch of your organization, located hundreds of miles away or even outside the country, causing you to plan meetings across drastically differing time zones. Planning ahead to be sure that all of the participants involved are meeting at a convenient time is conducive to a successful, comfortable conference. Keeping in mind that some meeting attendees may have to meet while at home or even while on the go, you might want to plan for and offer several different meeting times to choose from. Even if every employee is still not able to attend, a range of times will ensure that you wind up with the highest possible attendance. Doing all you can to ensure that nobody will have to connect to the meeting at an awkward or inconvenient time will keep morale and preparedness high, and you’re less likely to experience an issue with irritated employees who feel put-upon or as if they are having their workflow—or personal daily routine—abruptly interrupted.
- Create a Clear Agenda
Whether you’re leading the conference or just a participant, planning ahead is essential in order to get your ideas across clearly and effectively. Forbes advises that successful meetings should have a specific objective, and you should go into your meeting knowing exactly what you would like to accomplish. Try to avoid flying blind into a video meeting if you can help it, and treat it the same as any other in-person meeting you may have. Don’t forget that this isn’t the same as a conference call; you’ll be visible to all. Other participants will be able to literally see that you aren’t prepared. Additionally, reasons for holding a video meeting rather than a face to face meeting are usually due to time constraints or conflicting schedules. Basically, it’s a matter of convenience, and you don’t want to hold up the meeting by being unprepared.
- Maintain a Level of Personal Connection
Of course you want to keep things professional, but there’s nothing wrong with a bit of light-hearted conversation or casual interaction. You want to keep thing on a human level, and lessen the pressures that participants may feel. Let employees joining in from home know that it’s okay for them to be in casual clothing or perhaps enjoying their morning coffee and bagel while in the meeting. Keeping with that idea, a video meeting over lunch, for example, might be a great way to keep things relaxed. Most importantly, you’ll want to keep everyone involved. Entrepreneur strongly suggests creating a friendly, participatory atmosphere where the sharing of ideas is encouraged.
Video conferencing can be daunting, especially if you are new to the technology. The benefits vastly outweigh the possible troubles, however, and with time you’ll discover how effortless and stress-free video meetings can be.
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