Welcome back to the BCRS blog. Staying on the topic of videos, this week I will be giving you some tips for video conferencing. Digital communication is even more important than ever before in these uncertain times.
Teams, families and friends are connecting with each other via video call every day to keep in touch.
From a business’ point of view what exactly makes a video call successful?
Yes, you can talk to your contacts face to face and you are also able to see their body language and facial expressions unlike phone calls. However, other features are also helpful for team meetings and conference calls to make the experience even more interactive and engaging for you and your participants. Keep reading to find out more…
Messaging
Messages or chats are a useful tool to greet people when entering a meeting. Ask your audience a question and gain their opinions during the call. The team can quickly respond to discussions via messages without interrupting the person speaking. These messages can them be picked up at an appropriate point in the discussion and addressed where necessary.
Recording
This is a great option when taking part in a presentation or a webinar. The session can be recorded so that participants can look back on content later or it can be sent to those who were not able to attend. You can even use recording to record a message for your team-mates for them to view at their leisure. These recordings are great for taking meeting minutes too. Always make sure you let people know you are recording and gain permission to record where necessary.
Screen share
Sharing your screen with others enables them to see what you see. This is a useful tool for presenting information to your audience or showcasing documents that have been put together. Some platforms allow the audience to edit the document that is on screen (with permission from the person sharing) creating a more collaborative approach to working projects. At BCRS we use screen share to operate a weekly quiz to take time out of our busy work schedule and have fun.
Polling
Polling can be a great way to engage with your audience. If you are in a conference call with a large group of people, it is good to check in with everyone. Ask questions about the topic you have just spoken about, allow people to give their opinions. This gives a better experience for everyone as we all know that having a large group of people respond to your questions face-to-face can be difficult so you can only imagine how difficult it would be over video call! This way, everybody gets their say on the subject at hand. You can also see who was paying attention too!
Whiteboards
Whiteboards are commonly seen in your usual meeting rooms, but did you know that some video call programs also have virtual whiteboards. This can be useful for conducting a meeting where you would usually use a whiteboard in the office. Drawing your ideas on screen will help you and your audience communicate effectively and this masterpiece can also be saved on your computer for future reference. No need for scribbling down content into your notepad or dodgy photos with glare from the lights in the conference room! Win win!
Your environment
One last tip from me. Remember the type of call you are going into. If it’s a friendly chat amongst colleagues, there may not be a strict dress code. However, if you are hosting a webinar, networking event or a conference call you may need to consider the environment you are in. Avoid noise as much as possible, keep the children entertained, put your phone on silent, sit in a quiet room with good lighting and most importantly ensure you have a good Wi-Fi connection – there’s nothing worse than a freeze frame in the middle of a conversation.
Come back next week for another topical blog post.
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Published by – Lauren McGowan – Digital marketing Assistant
