14 Best video conferencing tips for your business

Member Blog Feature by Jutta of V-Assist

Video conferencing has become a very cost effective and time saving way for businesses to communicate with their staff, clients and business networks across the globe. However, this means educating staff on the video conferencing etiquette

Here are a few suggestions to enhance the quality of your video conference and keep the participants engaged

Mute your Microphone – whenever you are not speaking, ensure your mic is muted to avoid distractions
Check settings – make sure your camera and Mic are On before speaking and Off when not speaking
Test your equipment – no matter how important the meeting is, you need to make sure the mic and camera are working, so ideally go into the conference at least 30 minutes before and test by having a chat with the facilitator.
Camera positioning – the camera must be at eye-level so that your colleagues see your face clearly. In bigger conference calls, it may be good to have a 2^nd roving camera, to keep people engaged in the discussion.
Lighting – you should have side or overhead lighting, rather than back lighting, to ensure your face is clear and visible.
Dress Appropriately – dress as though you will be meeting everyone in person, even if you are working from home or an office all by yourself. It will give you confidence and should you need to stand up, you look professional. An interesting idea I recently read was to avoid solid dark or bold colors, such as black, red or navy, even white can be hard on the eyes on a conference call. Rather used muted or broken colors. Flashy jewelry that catches the light can be distracting
Your surroundings – your wall décor, furnishings and desk should be business related or at least appropriate to the environment. Remember the other participants are seeing you and your backdrop, so you don’t want them distracted by something behind you. Ensure it is neat and tidy, with no cups, ashtrays, piles of paper etc. surrounding you. Often when using a mounted camera, it gets moved/ dislodged and could really embarrass you.
Introductions – this is particularly important if you are in a meeting without a video, but at any time it is important to lead with “Good morning/ Afternoon/ Hi, my name is J…. from XYZ company/ division. Remember you may have new people on the conference and even in regular meetings, it makes it easier for the person taking minutes, if you say who you are
Engage – stay engaged in the meeting even when you are muted and off video, by not reading emails or doing other work. It’s very easy for other participants to pick up if you have been participating
Look into the camera – this is a difficult one, but with practice you will get it right. Look into the camera, as if you are talking to each and every person in the “room”. Don’t get distracted by your picture on the screen.
Speak in normal tones – use your normal tone of voice when speaking as the sound is amplified and audible to everyone. You should also not be rustling paper, tapping pens or suchlike, as the amplification will pick up all these background sounds
Remain still – don’t speak with your hands or fidget when on camera, as this is very distracting and displays nervousness.
Transmission delays – allow for technology delays and possible echoes, so speak slowly and clearly. You may also have foreign language speakers on the call, so by enunciating and speaking slowly, you allow for them to understand you better.
Name cards/ tags – in meeting with new members, have a name card on the table in front of you, which is large enough to read from a distance and printed black on white. You could also use a name tag for ease of reading. This helps people familiarize themselves with you, as you would at an open conference

Video conferencing will enhance your business network and productivity at the same time as keeping your overheads down and saving you travelling time. Using it correctly will boost your standing with your associates and clients. Have fun with the platform you use.

@V-Assist our preferred video conference platform is @LetsCrovv, which we use on a regular basis.

For more on Jutta and how her business V-Assist can assist you, please do visit our members page.