Conference Calls have been around for decades, but are they really the most efficient way to communicate? Many companies still use conference calls as a main form of communication. The problem with this is that it takes up time and resources. Video Conferencing allows businesses to be more productive by saving time and money while also giving them a better connection with their employees or customers.
This blog post will teach you why video conferencing is the future of conference calls!
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The benefits of video conferencing
- The ability to have a face-to-face meeting, even if the other party is on another continent
- Video conferencing can bring people together from all around the world.
- They are useful for large organizations with employees across multiple time zones or far distances.
- It’s a great way to ensure you have everyone in one place without having them travel.
- Video conferencing allows for collaboration and problem solving that wouldn’t be possible otherwise because it becomes easier to read people’s facial expressions and body language.
- Video conferencing is also a great tool for presentations.
- It can be used to train remote employees and provide them with the same knowledge as those in the office.
- Video conferencing is perfect for meetings, conferences, or lectures conducted by people who are too ill to attend in person.
Why Video Conferencing is the Future of Conference Calls
Video conferencing is one of the fastest-growing sectors in business today. It is the future of conference calls for a number of reasons.
- First, it’s easier to schedule than in-person meetings and phone conferences. You can also use video conferencing like text messaging: you don’t have to be “on” at all times or even start the call – instead, you send an invitation to those who are interested.
- Second, no one has any excuse not to participate because everyone already owns a webcam that will work with most services (both Macs and PCs). Third, video conferencing tools make collaboration more efficient by giving participants access to what other people on the call are typing without actually having them present (e.g., if someone sends over documents during your meeting)
- Finally, video conferencing is cost-effective. You can use free services like Skype for Business to take care of your business needs and avoid overhead costs associated with physical meeting space or conference lines (e.g., renting office space). Plus, you’ll never have to worry about missing anything important because the audio quality is so good that it’s easy to pick up every word said on the call.
How to prepare for a successful video call
- Research the company and its culture to find out what is most important to them. The more you know about their values and how they express these, the better your meeting will go.
- Prepare an agenda for each person on the call with specific topics of discussion along with a list of questions that may be asked by others during the conversation. Review this before joining in, so you are prepared when needed throughout the video conference.
- Send over any visual aids or documents ahead of time if possible, so participants have access prior to starting. You can then use tools like Zoom as a whiteboard option while presenting information items together in real-time from different locations around the world. This creates a live picture frame feel which helps others stay focused on the call.
- Invite participants to remote locations if possible and use a video conferencing system like Zoom or WebEx where they can join in from their home office, work station, or other location outside of your meeting room. This will free up space for those who do not need to be there but wish to participate remotely!
- Set guidelines with participants before you begin so everyone knows what is expected during the discussion – this means how long each person should speak as well as whether any specific topics are off-limits.
Tips and tricks for using the technology
Video conferencing is the future of conference calls. If you’re new to Polycom Video Conferencing, then there are a few tricks that will make your life easier and help you take advantage of all it has to offer. Here’s how:
- Make sure the lighting in the room where you’ll be using your camera is good so that people on the other end can see you clearly. You don’t want any shadows or glares obscuring your face when others are trying to look at it. Use lamps for better light instead of overhead lights; this avoids glare as well. Turn off ceiling fans, so they don’t interfere with sound quality either.
- Know what kind of network connection each person has before starting a call. If you’re on wifi, make sure the other person is also on a reliable connection.
- Have everyone mute their computer speakers (You can purchase speakers at a computer shop) and disable any notifications that may be coming through to them – if they have an email or chat notification pop up during your call, it can break concentration for people trying to listen in but not speak.
- Make sure you’ve prepared everything before starting the conference with others: know what kind of presentation materials will be used and where these are available so that participants don’t have to keep asking each other, “where’s this?” or “how do I open this?”. Don’t forget pens. You never know when one might run out halfway through the meeting!
- If you’re using a video conference system, make sure your camera is in view and positioned well.
- When there are multiple people on the call (such as an interview), be sure to switch who’s speaking so that no one person talks for too long without pause or starts talking over another person. It might also help to take these turns by asking each participant, “who would like to ask the next question?”
- Make it clear from the start if meeting attendees should type their questions into chat during the session rather than calling out loud – this way, everyone can follow along with what happens during the event and not miss anything important!
Conclusion
Video conferencing is the future of conference calls. In a world where we actively use technology to communicate with others, video conferencing will be an integral part of our lives. With that said, there are many benefits to using this medium, and it’s time you started investing in your business by utilizing these tools. What do you think about video conferences? Have you tried any yet?