From new startups to the Fortune 500, video conferencing has been on the rise since its humble beginnings nearly a decade ago. While just about anyone can have video conferencing equipment set up, it takes more than a few bucks to maximize the impact of this new technology.
Even for remote users like those that are on Blue Jeans, there are still some tips and tricks to this new trade. To say that using an application like Blue Jeans business video conferencing is the be all end all doesn’t quite cut it. So here are some age old communication tips and new tricks to help maximize the impact of you video conferencing experience from the get go.
Disengagement from Jobs.
The bad news is that according to a Gallup survey, up to 70 percent of young professionals feel disengaged at their jobs. Whether this be in the business world or those just entering the workforce with their degrees, employees today have more than one role to play in the company and at home. Because so many of our employees are already disengaged with their work because of other commitments in their lives, it makes sense to mitigate these distractions while at work.
A scheduled meeting calls for preparation time and an agenda which already creates more barriers at work. But what could be worse than frequently scheduled meetings? Unscheduled meetings that sets everyone’s work schedules behind. Naturally, we cannot submit to everyone’s wants and needs but reducing the number of meetings can certainly act to take some stresses away and maximize the efforts and impact of the lesser number of video conferencing calls that are being made.
What if these meetings must be had in order to maintain your consistent flow of communication you ask? How can the impact of the video conferencing be maximized in this case if the number cannot be reduced? One can look to taking time out of the office to plan these meetings.
By stepping away from their regular working duties, the work flow can be broken into segments and feel to be less of a burden and more of a break. Make the choice to take this work elsewhere and have employees look forward to the planning of these video conferencing meetings.
Learning to love what you do is the beginning of having greater power and impact in every task you are dealt. It is important to remember as an employer or manager that the key to a good meeting is to make sure it is essential to have and everyone that is physically present is also there mentally.
Encouraging Participation and Contribution
Because video conferencing is a virtual experience for most, we can often neglect the fact that this is a live feed of information coming from people reacting in real time. While you might plan to have a specific way of sharing information, brainstorming, judgment or facilitating discussion during in person meetings, the same cannot be said about video conferencing calls.
Most of us are already consumed by the idea of sitting in front of a screen and talking into a camera. In order to maximize the impact of our video conferencing calls we must take into consideration that our actions matter just as much during a video conferencing call as they do an in person meeting.
On the contrary, studies have shown that most people in fact do like meetings as they are an opportunity for most to be welcomed and heard for their thoughts. Make the video conferencing calls a good chance for participants to contribute.
This gesture will have most impact than most as employees will have the intrinsic motivation to gather their thoughts and work on their own time, prior to the meeting. So never again disregard what someone has to say, but rather, encourage those that do not usually speak to share their thoughts on the matter. After all, why else would you have them sit in on a grueling 4 hour long video conferencing call?
Timeliness saves money.
Last but not least, maximize the impact of your video conferencing but starting the meeting and ending the meeting on time. Have it be known that all participants must arrive on time to the virtual call. And just as they have respected your arrival and time of start, respect their time and consider when they should leave.
The last thing anyone wants is to sit through hours of unproductivity only to leave late and have fallen behind in their work. Ending the video conferencing call on time will also be a motivating factor to get right to the point of your meeting. With no time to waste, the impact of your video conferencing will be maximized in its impact to all parties involved.
