If you’re responsible for organizing and running video conference calls, you know how much of a difference it can make to have participants that are paying attention and engaged with the call. As much as technology has advanced to make video conferencing as easy as possible, you still need to consider some simple things in order to ensure your next call is productive.
Just because you’re not all in the same room doesn’t mean you can’t have a productive meeting. In fact, running a video conference call is a great way to get the team together without leaving the office. But if you want to make the most of your time, there are a few things you need to keep in mind.
Introduce Yourself Before Speaking
When you’re joining a video conference call, it’s important to introduce yourself before speaking. This is especially important if you have more than one speaker on the call. When you say your name, it helps the other participants know who you are and what they can expect from your presentation. Introducing yourself also sets an informal tone that will help make the call more productive and less formal.
Limit your introduction to just a sentence or two. In addition, make sure you’re talking about something interesting or relevant to the call topic – don’t go into too much detail about things unrelated to the conversation at hand.
This way, everyone on the call knows who you are and what you’re saying. Remember, it’s important to be clear and concise when speaking. So make sure to introduce yourself and get right to the point. You don’t want to waste anyone’s time!
Behave As You Would In Person
When you’re on a video conference call, it’s important to behave as you would in person. This means being respectful of your colleagues and being mindful of your surroundings. It also means staying focused on the call and not letting yourself be distracted by things going on in the background. You never know who might be watching or listening, so it’s best to err on the side of caution. And finally, remember to speak up and project your voice. There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to have a conversation with someone who’s mumbling into their computer mic.
Keep Your Background Clean And Professional
When you’re on a video conference call, the last thing you want is for people to be distracted by your messy background. Make sure to clean up your space before the call starts, and try to find a spot with a nice, neutral background. If you can’t find a good spot in your home, consider heading to a quiet coffee shop or library. And whatever you do, avoid having people in the background or any loud noises that might take people’s attention away from the call.
Show Up on Time and Come Prepared
Being on time and prepared is key to running a successful video conference call. If you’re late, it throws off the whole meeting. And if you’re not prepared, you’re wasting everyone’s time. So make sure you show up on time and come prepared with all of your materials. That means having your agenda ready, your laptop open, and your phone muted. And if there’s something you need to share, make sure you do it in a clear and concise way. Remember, the goal of a video conference call is to get things done, so make sure you’re respectful of everyone’s time and stay focused on the task at hand.
Stay Mentally and Physically Present
When you’re on a video conference call, it’s important to stay mentally and physically present. That means turning off your distractions and paying attention to the conversation. It can be easy to get lost in your work, but that’s not going to help anybody. When you’re on a video call, you need to be completely focused so that you can contribute to the discussion. And don’t forget to take care of yourself physically too. Make sure you’re in a comfortable place with good lighting and a solid internet connection. If you’re not in a good environment, it’s going to show in your video conference call.
Let Everyone Participate
Not everyone is comfortable speaking up in a group setting, especially when they’re not familiar with everyone in the room. So one of your goals as the host should be to make everyone feel comfortable participating. This means giving everyone a chance to speak, and not just letting the loudest voices control the conversation. You can do this by calling on people randomly, or by using a chat tool to solicit input from everyone. Whatever you do, make sure that everyone feels like they have a voice in the discussion. That way, you’ll get the most out of your video conference call.
Turn Your Video Off Whenever You Need To Get Up
When you’re running a video conference call, it’s important to be professional. This means keeping your video on at all times unless you need to get up. If you need to get up, make sure to turn your video off. This will ensure that your colleagues don’t see you walking around or getting coffee, and it will help keep the conversation flowing smoothly. It can be tough to stay focused during a video conference call, but by following these simple things, you’ll be able to make the most of your time and get the most out of the meeting.
Take Care of Noise
When you’re running a video conference call, the last thing you want is for people to be distracted by the noise in the background. Make sure you take steps to prevent this from happening. Find a quiet space to hold the meeting. Ask people to mute their microphones when they’re not speaking. Make sure the volume on your participants’ microphones is turned up correctly. If there’s background noise, ask people to move to a quieter location. Put a limit on how long people can speak. This will help keep things moving along and prevent people from talking over each other.
Attack The Problem, Not The Person
When things start to go off the rails in a video conference call, it’s all too easy to start pointing the finger at someone. But this is rarely productive. Instead of attacking the person, try attacking the problem. This might mean getting specific about what’s not working, or coming up with a plan of action to get things back on track. By staying focused on the task at hand, you’ll be able to resolve any issues that come up and get your meeting back on track.
Conclusion
Video conference calls can be an efficient and cost-effective way to stay connected with your team. However, they are not always the most productive way of doing so. Limit the number of people on your call by inviting only those who need to be there. Provide everyone with a clear agenda before starting the meeting. Ask participants to summarize their key points at the end of each topic. Create time for one-on-one conversations about issues that may not have been discussed in detail during the video conference call. To ensure that your next video conference call is successful, try following these tips.