Business video conferencing is becoming a very important and popular way to keeping up with business and partners outside of a company’s main city, state, or even country. But there are of course, rules to be conducted. Here are business video conferencing don’ts to avoid.
- Not Being Prepared– This is a top one, regardless of situations. For business video conferencing, it may not just mean you haven’t dressed for success.
- Not Scheduling Properly – For most video conferencing uses, the speakers are in separate locations. And with these separate locations are time differences. Not knowing what the time difference is with the person you will be conferencing with is just bad planning.
- Outside Distractions – Any distraction or interruption that is not a part of the conference or not an emergency should be avoided. This means letting those that will not be a part of the conferencing group know that they are not to be disturbed.
- Non-Coordination – Going along with the first don’t of not being prepared, this is not coordinating your conference with those you are connecting to.
- Not Dressing for Success – Appearance is extremely important in the business world and it goes without saying that you should be dressed for a video conference. Even if they can only see a portion of you, make sure that portion shows that you are conducting a business meeting, even if it is through the computer and a web camera.
6. Not Arriving on Time – Whether you have set up the video conferencing or someone else, the most important thing is to show up on time. Make a point of showing up at least fifteen minutes before the meeting.
7. Not Thinking This is Another Meeting – The problem with the Internet sometimes is that people don’t treat it the way they would anything else in real life.
8. Not Testing the Equipment – You’re about to start the conference and then realize that the sound isn’t working or the camera isn’t working. Always make sure to test the equipment in advance before your meeting.
9. Not Speaking Clearly – When conferencing, it’s best to make sure you’re speaking clearly so that others will hear you. This saves time as you aren’t repeating everything you say.
10. Not Making Introductions – This should be the first thing you do; while some members of your team may have met the members of the other company, it is still proper to make introductions in case there are people that do not know each other.
The best way to avoid the above situations is to be prepared; make sure to test the equipment both in your local office and with the business you are meeting with. It may be a good idea to have alternatives in case the equipment – though working in the days or weeks before – fails for some reason. There are a few different web solutions that you can try – Windows Messenger, Skype, and other software.
Along with these free versions, there are also solutions that are fee-based that your company may want to look into, in the case that the company begins to make more video conferencing calls in the future.
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