Tips for your business conference

In recent months, organisations have had to drastically adapt their communication systems to enable remote teams to carry on working together despite lockdowns and social distancing measures. At the forefront of this new way of working is video conferencing software such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Skype. To help virtual business meetings run smoothly, it’s important that everybody is up to speed with the tools and how to use them effectively. 

Setup

The move to working from home was very fast for many people around the world. Some will have been prepared with well set up home offices, but others may not have a dedicated space to work. Aside from the practical considerations such as a desk and perhaps a monitor. The main things to consider are connectivity as well as audio and video hardware. 

Video conferencing requires a good internet connection to avoid glitches. If possible, set up your workspace close to your internet router. If not, consider moving closer for more important calls or when you know you will be doing a lot of talking to try and reduce any connectivity issues. In addition, encourage anybody else using your internet connection to avoid bandwidth heavy activity such as video streaming whilst you’re on your video calls. 

To improve your video conferencing experience, consider boosting your setup by investing in a good microphone and external webcam. Improving the audio quality of your calls will make a considerable difference to your ability to communicate clearly and to improve the meeting experience for other attendees. In-built webcams are often positioned too low to get a good angle. Forcing you to stack your computer on a pile of books or to invest in a laptop stand. The combination of a monitor and external webcam is an easy way around this, allowing you to find the most flattering angle for your calls. This should be at or just above eye level. 

Navigating Web Conferences

Make the most of the software

Video conferencing software such as Zoom comes with a range of features. Using these can improve the experience of the meeting for everybody and ultimately help drive engagement and productivity. Back-to-back video calls can be exhausting and varying the visual experience of virtual meetings is an easy way to shake things up. One of these features that has been particularly popular is the virtual background. Try using a home background by Hello Backgrounds to get a change of scene and also maintain your privacy whilst working from home. Other ways to vary meetings are by sharing your screen whilst working on shared documents or using virtual whiteboard features to collaborate on brainstorming sessions or notes. 

Planning

Setting good agendas and circulating meeting information well in advance is particularly important for virtual meetings. The level of spontaneity available in face-to-face meetings does not exist on Zoom and meetings should be well organized if they are to stay focused and time-efficient. Using the scheduling features in your communication software is also an easy way to keep people in the loop and avoid any clashes. Think of it as setting the time and place of your meeting as you would for a physical meeting. The more advanced notice, the better. Scheduling tools can also be used to set up recurring meetings, avoiding the need to start a new call every week.  

Recording the session

Recording video calls is a useful feature for several reasons. Firstly, it provides an incontestable record of what was discussed and can replace or supplement meeting minutes for archives. Similarly, those who are unable to attend can easily catch up in their own time. This is particularly useful at a time when people’s routines may be unpredictable with family care responsibilities and extra pulls on time and attention. A general benefit of recording meetings is its impact on overall transparency and engagement. 


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