Video conferences are not new to the business world. In fact, they have become so common anyone with an Internet connection, a substantial bandwidth, and a fully functional computer can now hold video conferences with friends, employees, clients, or business contacts from anywhere in the globe.
You could video conferences when you:
* want to hold meetings online.
* need to demonstrate products and services to potential clients from half a world away.
* train new employees in another country.
* Conduct after-sales servicing of products or software.
While video conferences may strike people as informal versions of the usual corporate meet and greet with the bigwigs, never forget that it is still a meeting. Here are some tips that will help you look and sound professional during a video conference.
1. Pay special attention to lighting.
You need to view the speaker and the presentation. Thus, good lighting is important. If, on the other hand, you are the speaker, avoid staying in a dark area. If you stay in one, all that the conference participants would be able to see of you is your silhouette. The same holds true for areas that are overly flooded with light.
2. Maintain eye contact. Eye contact is essential to almost all forms of human interaction. Video conferences are no exemption. As much as possible, look participants directly in the eye, even if you have to do this from a webcam.
3. Speak audibly. In video conferences, audio could sometimes be garbled. Make it a point to speak in a very clear voice. Do not chew your words or speak in monotone.
4. Make your presentation interesting.
5. If you are not the one speaking, give the speaker your full attention. Show that the other person's presentation interests you. Avoid yawning or fidgeting. These two actions are a dead giveaway that you are not following the discussion.
6. Hours or even days before the video conference, check on your computer's technical settings. Try holding a mock video conference with a colleague. Ask your colleague to evaluate your audio and video quality. Can your colleague see you? Can your colleague hear you? Tests like these are useful because they will reveal possible glitches that you might encounter during the actual video conference.
Without a doubt, video conference is an efficient and effective medium for online interaction. With the advent of the Information Age, it is seeing wider and more accepted use not only in the corporate world but also from homes and universities.
