Over 40 percent of US companies in 2012 used video conferencing and online chats to communicate with their employees for board meetings and seminars, as well as prospective job candidates for the first round of their respective interviews, according to Slideshare.net. As is the case with any professional tool or system that is used in your company, increasing overall efficiency should always remain a top priority. There are several quick steps you can follow to ensure this takes place.
Test Your Equipment Thoroughly
Before hosting any video conferencing session, take the time to thoroughly test the equipment that is being used. Keep in mind that the overall efficiency and productivity of a corporate online video conferencing session can quickly go right out of the window due to faulty equipment and excessive technical glitches that could have been addressed and resolved beforehand. Check your cameras to make sure they capture clear, high-quality visual images. Regardless of the type of audio equipment and devices you will be using, there is nothing wrong with conducting a quick sound check to make sure that everything is working the way that it should.
Minimize the Number of Resources Used
It is imperative that you take your Internet speed and overall bandwidth into consideration, as well. Keep in mind that a large video conference can quickly drain a substantial number of your available resources. This is going to require you to properly instruct your attendees when it comes to optimizing their own connection. For example, advise them to close all other applications and programs on their computer besides the programs that they will need for the online video conferencing session. Otherwise, they may quickly start to experience delayed connections and lags in what they hear and see, which can create a chain reaction that eventually derails the entire conference.
Conduct a Quick Dry Run
After the equipment has been tested and everything checks out, make sure that you conduct a quick test on the overall operations. Take your entire setup through a quick dry run, just to make sure that everything flows the way that it should from start to finish. Even though it is highly recommended to do so, you don’t have to go through your entire presentation and everything that will be covered during this dry run. That should definitely be done offline, though, in order to fully prepare yourself in advance. A dry run will allow you to make sure that everything checks out visually and audibly, especially when it comes to lighting quality and overall clarity, according to The Ladders.
Maintain Visual Contact with the Camera
When it comes to efficiently communicating with your audience in general, seven percent of how you are communicating is based on the actual words that you are using. Studies have confirmed that visual contact and body language are worth well over 50 percent, according to Yahoo Finance. Even though you will be communicating with your audience through a camera and Internet connection, you should still make sure that you are able to establish this visual contact. Make sure that you and your audience members are looking at the camera, because doing so will make it easy to maintain a virtual alternative to direct eye contact. You will be able to see them, and they will be able to see as well – just as if you were in the same room together.
The Bottom Line
The last thing that you should want is to make a traditional conference more effective for your company than an online video conferencing session simply because you were not focused on using this tool wisely. Follow these steps to improve the efficiency of video conferencing online and experience all of the benefits that come along with it.
[Image via mrwilleeumm via Compfight cc]
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