With video conferencing, there are Do’s, Don’ts, and the rare but always embarrassing moment of, “Oh no! Is this thing on?!”. Perhaps no one is exempt from the occasional moment of chagrin, yet such episodes often reflect a lack of comfort navigating the video conferencing universe. And that, my friends, is totally fixable.
Enter FreeConferenceCall.com, where online meetings are our sweet spot. We asked around the office, where many of our own employees work remotely on-the-go, and collected 13 video conferencing tips and tricks guaranteed to up your game.
- Check settings before the call. Make sure you can easily connect to the web conferencing platform and arrive on time.
- Get very familiar with the mute button. It’s your go-to. If you’re not speaking, you should be muted. Trust us, it’s safer that way. Plus, muting will help cut down on unwanted background noise and echoing.
- Skip the ubiquitous, “Can everyone hear me?” Use regular volume. People will tell you if they’re having a problem.
- Briefly identify yourself. Before speaking on large calls or calls with new faces, let everyone know who you are. For example, “Michelle here” or “Michelle from Marketing here”.
- Avoid visual snafus. First, keep in mind that a wonky camera angle is not tres chic. It’s tres distracting. Stick with keeping your webcam at eye-level. Second, don’t forget to double check the background. Neat and tidy office=good, bathroom door=bad (yes, that actually happened).
- Dress for success.. Speaking of visual snafus, there’s a lot of talk out there about not wearing plaid or stripes and opting for bright, neutral colors. Our advice? If you’re hosting a presentation, go ahead and be easy on the eyes. But in the increasingly common reality of daily video conferencing, wear what you wear and don’t worry about it. It’s more important to dress business-appropriate, whatever that means for your line of work.
- Choose the right platform. We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again. Whatever platform you choose, make sure you’re comfortable navigating through it. Opt for a solution that is intuitive and agile. Remember, the goal is a fluid exchange of ideas and information, so the technology should meet your requirements and then get out of the way. Make sure the video conferencing solution offers a variety of ways to connect and is a no-brainer for participants to join.
- Build relationships. To facilitate collaboration, call organizers should help develop trust amongst team members.Try to block out time for a little chitchat in the beginning of the call (this can double as an audio/video check). A bit of lightheartedness fosters camaraderie and makes it easier for team members to share ideas as the call progresses.This is especially critical for remote workers who lack face-time opportunities.
- Ditch the dictatorship. You’ll get more out of the meeting if participants are engaged. Model good video conferencing etiquette by inviting ideas and input instead of simply directing traffic. If someone has an accessibility issue or difficulty piping up, employ Chat to draw out questions, responses or feedback.
- Be patient. If someone doesn’t respond immediately, give them a few seconds. Participants might be desperately trying to unmute themselves.
- If you are presenting, practice. Record yourself and play it back to scan for any weak points or choppy transitions. When the time comes, smooth out your presentation by minimizing the windows you need to access in order of viewing.
- Set a clear agenda. Know what you want to cover and keep your virtual meeting grounded in reality. This might be obvious, but it can’t be stressed enough. Web conferencing etiquette states that structure matters, particularly when you’re not meeting in person. Reward the effort it takes for participants to get on a conference call by showing you aren’t wasting their time.
- Don’t get wrapped up in the “techiness” of it all. In other words, relax. Be you. Video conferencing is simply another way to work, so treat it like it’s just an everyday meeting. One, of course, with a mute button.
That’s all from the experts at FreeConferenceCall.com. Our exceptional Customer Care team is around for live help 24/7. Feel free to call (844) 844-1322 for a video conferencing walkthrough.