As businesses continue to find better ways to conduct their meetings
and make business processes more efficient, technology continues to rise
to the occasion and serves as a reliable partner in not only expediting
processes and providing unparalleled convenience, but also steadily
increasing return of investments and company savings. One of these
advantageous technological advancements getting more widely used
throughout an extensive range of businesses is video conferencing.
In today’s modern corporate setting where businesses are more often
going global and linking with other businesses to form lucrative new
ventures, video conferencing has become an indispensable communication
medium. Through video conferencing, companies from opposite sides of the
world can conduct their business efficiently in the comfort of their
own offices, and the millions usually spent by companies for travel
expenses are saved.
With such innovative and beneficial business and conferencing
solutions at our fingertips, we must ensure that it is used to in the
right manner to produce all the benefits it can offer. Not all members
of a business may be comfortable with such innovative conferencing
solutions and would prefer the old but costly methods of conducting a
meeting. To make sure the experience is pleasant for everyone and
consequently, easily adopted as part of a company’s standard procedures,
certain steps must be followed. Below are some of these steps
businesses can follow in order to ensure all members have a
positive
first impression and make the most of their video conferencing service.
Before Video Conferencing
· Ensure that all members involved are familiar and comfortable with
using video conferencing. This may involve self-guided education,
trainings and promotional programs for easy and effective adoption to
the system.
· Schedule video conferences and inform all involved people and parties ahead of time.
· Create an agenda to make sure the video conference goes smoothly
and tackles all necessary topics. Share this agenda in advance so all
those involved will know what to expect and think ahead of what other
points they may want to discuss.
· Choose or have a facilitator who can effectively manage the flow of the meeting.
· Have all needed items ready (products, charts, etc.).
· Check that all the hardware (microphones, speakers, camera,
lighting) are functioning properly and are suitable for the meeting. The
camera should be positioned straight at the people involved showing
their upper torso up to their head, and lights should be above the
camera, not beside or in front of it.
· Dress appropriately for the meeting. Because a video conference
displays all users in one screen, it can be very easy to spot
differences or distracting details, like brightly coloured outfits or
dangling jewellery.
· Put off or in silent mode all electronic gadgets that may disrupt the meeting.
· Recording meetings is one great advantage of video conferencing and
can be very useful for any company. Before you start recording though,
you must ask permission from those involved as not everyone may feel
comfortable with being recorded.
· If speaking with users from another country and culture, make sure
to familiarise yourself with their basic speaking etiquette.
During Video Conferencing
· Speak clearly and slowly, and properly introduce those in attendance.
· Follow the flow of the agenda and pay attention to the proceedings.
· Be polite. Do not interrupt those speaking or make distracting
movements or noises. Eating would not be recommended during the meeting
as this can cause a lot of noise and be very distracting.
· Try to engage everyone involved. Make them feel their importance in
the meeting. Much of the success of your very first video conference
and the many to follow will depend upon the users’ initial reactions, so
make them feel that it is a success with their participation.
· Do not disclose private or highly classified information during the
meeting, such as passwords and sensitive company information.
When you need specialists to provide your business with exceptional
conferencing systems, in Australia you can call on Chorus Call.
Chorus Call
is the preferred supplier for many companies and organisations seeking
quality, value and accommodating customer service. They provide state of
the art conferencing services including
video conferencing,
telephone conferencing,
web streaming and
IR communications.
Chorus Call Australia will make sure that all your video conferencing
experiences will produce nothing but positive feedback and great
results.
