Our Top Tips On Video Conferencing

In all of our Glandore meeting rooms, you will spot our state of the art video conferencing equipment, but setting up a conference call in a boardroom is very different to setting it up correctly at home. We have put together some tips on how to ensure you avoid some faux pas and how to increase your confidence around holding video conferences for your team and wider network.

All About Timing!

Be there on time, maybe a couple of minutes early so you can be there to welcome people (and double check your mic and camera). Otherwise, any early people will be looking at a message saying “waiting for the host to start the meeting” and then get bored and go off to check their email

Stay Visible

As well as being punctual, you really need to be visible to your team to engage properly with your team. Make sure people can see you clearly. If you’re sitting with a window behind you, your team will only see your silhouette. Bright lights or sunshine will really harm your video quality, so always set up your station in a space where you are confident there is no glare or distractions.

Introductions

Be prepared for some small talk or a very general welcome and introduction at the beginning, because not everyone will join the call on time. If you set the meeting time for 10am, some people will still be downloading Teams or Zoom and getting set up at 10:05am, and some people will already be in the meeting. There may be teething problems at the beginning, so be sure to do some smaller team video calls first to make sure everything is running smoothly before dialling in to a more larger scale one.

First Impressions

Check your appearance in a mirror before the call. Most people will see themselves for the first time on screen and be reluctant to turn their cameras on, so be sure to attend to hair mishaps before the call takes place!

Microphones

If you aren’t speaking, it is best to put your microphone on silent. Remember if you are typing at the same time, your colleagues will be able to hear this and will get quite distracted. Never send anyone on your team an email  during the call as the noise will come through and will also be quite off-putting for people.

Eye Contact

Remember you will need to look into the camera if you are speaking directly. It’s not necessary to do this all the time, but now and again it is good practice to look up from the screen every so often. When you look into the camera it is really mimicking what actions you would make when looking into someone’s eyes.

Hands Up!

Be polite and excuse yourself if would like to add some points to the conversation. Raise your hand if you would like to chime in on a point. Even if it is a small group of just six participants, it makes it easier to notice when someone wants to talk. Make sure that everyone has time to add in their opinions. Some people may be louder than others so listen out for any of the quieter voices that may like to get involved.

Phone vs Desktop

Remember that some people will be using Zoom or Teams on their phones and will be wandering around their office or putting the kettle on while you talk. That can be disconcerting at first, so be prepared for working around people and their environments. Both will work equally well, as long as you have set up the call correctly.

Laugh It Off!

We have all noticed those awkward moments on video calls, whether it may be children screaming in the background, or tugging on your leg to pressing mute by mistake and not realising when you are trying to speak! Our top tip is to smile and rectify the noise or distraction as quickly as possible and get back to the call. Don’t get annoyed or feel bad – you won’t be the first person that this happened to , nor will you be the last. A quick smile or laugh will put everyone in the video call at ease and allow the call to quickly return to where it left off.