Video conferences are a convenient way to save money, and time and environmental impact, while still getting work done. They are hi-tech and still relatively new which may make them intimidating. Nobody wants to look foolish, much less in a business setting and even less on video that might even be recorded. If you put in the time and planning, your video conferences can be smooth and effective.
Video tips that will help you improve what your video conference attendees SEE.
Look at the camera
It may feel strange, but you shouldn't spend all your time looking at the people on your screen, especially when you are speaking. The best place to look while speaking is directly at the camera. Your participants will get the impression that you are looking right at them. This creates a better connection between them and you. To help with this, you can position the camera as close as possible to the screen so your eyes don't have far to travel. This results in near eye contact when you are looking at the screen. Eye contact is important for interpersonal communication. If the camera cannot be place close to the screen, then consider practicing facing and talking into the camera, not looking at the other party's image. You want to avoid the situation where you have two people watching each other watching their computer screens.
The Lighting
Hollywood movies have lighting designers for a reason. Light is important for video. Have plenty of light on your face. If you don't, you may appear as a silhouette. Also try to eliminate shadows. A shadow of your hand, for example, looks like another hand to the camera, so the motion of that shadow results in twice as much motion handling as it would normally do, with a subsequent reduction in perceived video quality.
The Setting
The location that you chose to do your conference from will say something about you. Other than the obvious point that what you have on your desk and behind you will make impressions on your participants, what is in that background can be detrimental to your video quality. Try to have a clean or bare background with a neutral color. Keep all camera-visible areas neat and decluttered. You will look better on screen, so as much as you have control in your work environment, be mindful of the background for your video conference.
The Clothes
What you wear can alter the hue of your skin, and possibly distract your video conference attendees.
- Avoid wearing clothing that has bright colours and busy patterns.
- Wear plain or fabrics of muted colours like pastels.
- Avoid bold colors, especially red and black
- Avoid jewelry that may brush against microphones or tabletops and cause feedback
- Solid shades of blue or gray generally bring out healthy skin tones and do not create a visual distraction.
- On a television monitor, black and white clothing colors can also enhance the skin tones,
- Avoid too sharp or too little contrast between your clothing and your skin and hair tone.
- Avoid wearing bold red, green and orange, as these colors can cause an unfriendly hue for your skin
Be in the picture
Frame yourself in the picture by practicing with your camera prior to the meeting. You want to avoid disappearing off of the screen. Knowing how far you can lean will help you stay on-screen during the conference.
You might consider using your mouse as your anchor point. Holding on to the mouse naturally while setting up your camera may help you maintain a good sense of where you are.
As you move back and forth be aware that the camera may exaggerate your motion.
Because movement is compressed and decompressed in videoconferencing, it is important that motion be minimized.
Audio tips that will help you improve what your video conference attendees HEAR.
OK, assuming that we all know how to use a phone, or talk in a normal meeting, videoconferencing is a little different because of audio delays, a general unfamiliarity of how to behave around a live microphone, and the loss of queues a face to face meeting would otherwise provide.
Mute is your friend. use it.
An issue specific to virtual meetings is the mute button. Mute buttons are essential to having a well-ordered and quiet meeting, and their use should be encouraged. This minimizes interruption such as coughing, sneezing, and paper shuffling. Being aware of muted attendees allows you to give attendees a few extra seconds to respond to questions. By allowing them time to unmute themselves. Limit verbal interruptions by providing non-verbal feedback through, nodding or shaking your head. Some video conference systems drop the other party's audio when the microphone is active, so mute avoids unnecessarily dropping the other's audio.
Speak Clearly
Clearly enunciate and speak more slowly than the normal rate of speech. Auditory dynamics such as pitch, tone, volume, pausing, and pacing are crucial during a video conference. Audio compression may remove parts of the audio so careful speech improves the chance that your message will be received clearly
Verbal acknowledgement and identification
- Address people by name especially for questions
- Acknowledge individual comments and ideas
- Identify yourself (and your site if appropriate) before speaking if there are more than three participants
- Ask participants to raise their hand if they wish to speak
- Allow a couple seconds for transmission delay when speaking;
- Pause after the end of your comments to allow time for remote sites to respond to a question or comment
Etiquette tips that will help you improve the flow of your video conference.
Etiquette
- Direct questions or comments to a particular person or site (especially important in multipoint conferences)
- If participating in a large multi-point meeting, it is advised that you say your name and location each time you speak
- Avoid side conversations
- Announce actions to the others when possible (e.g. John from HR has just joined us here)
- If your video conference session is primarily a presentation/lecture, it is recommended that the "audience" mute their microphones.
Bonus Video
Here is a great, funny video from the University of Washington which highlights some good video conference practices. (worth a watch).
http://www.digitalwell.
Source credits:
http://ezinearticles.com/
http://www.tss.uoguelph.
http://www.tsl.state.tx.
http://www.video-
http://www.packetizer.
Cheers, I hope you find these video conferencing tips helpful.
Greg.
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