Video conferencing is not rocket science, but meeting your virtual team from different time zones the world over can become another April Fool’s trick. If you have been working with remote workers from countries A to Z, know that language barrier is too much of a hassle already, other than finding suitable time zones that can work out for everybody. While online meetings can help bridge that geographical gap with the help of technology, it may not be as good as the real thing when it comes to connecting your team emotionally. So, how do you make it work?
How to Make Your Online Meeting a Success
To make your online conferences more productive, you need:
A Good Internet Connection
There will always be issues on quality and stability when you’re meeting someone online via video conferencing tools. It’s an absolute must that you check your connection by doing a simple speed test as the last thing you want is a chappy, unreliable line.
The Right Technology
Before you go into an online meeting, make sure you have the best quality microphone, web camera, speakers or headset to start with. You can always test it out by going to the Control Panel of your PC. You also need to reboot your computer as you don’t want to get bogged down and have everyone wait for you to hit restart. Having a backup connection just in case something goes wrong is smart too. You can get a DSL line from your local service provider to be sure. You can also have a backup battery just in case the power gets knocked off. The idea here is to expect the unexpected. This also goes for the web conferencing tool you are going to use. Make sure you inform your team of alternatives, just in case there will be connectivity issues.
Proper Preparation
When you’re doing an online meeting, it is easy to get distracted with other tasks. Make sure that you focus on the meeting and do it in a location where you won’t be disturbed. Imagine how awkward it is for the other parties to hear your dog or see your kid show up on the screen. Being 10 – 15 minutes early won’t hurt as well as this will give you lead time if ever there are minor issues to be encountered. The best preparation time would be 24 to 48 hours in advance, especially when you are meeting someone from a different time zone.
Convenient Time
Finding a suitable time for online meetings can be a bit tricky and you may start with a World Time and Date Converter. There are plenty of great tools online for you to choose from. Gigaom suggested World Clock Meeting Planner and Event Time Announcer in one of their recent blogs. The last thing your team needs is to make a mistake in time conversion and be a few hours ahead or late in your meeting. If there’s really no convenient time, you can always rotate your meeting time every few months. This will work well if let’s say you’re in the U.S. and your team is located in South Asia.
Common Sense
A lot of online conferencing tools support both audio and video. You can even give your team a certain link to access your private meeting. Whichever tool you’re using, it only makes sense to shut off programs that eat too much of your computing space. So, close that video editing software, photoshop and many more… if you don’t want your PC to crash in the middle of your chat. Try not to download data while you do an online meeting as it can affect voice connectivity. Your goal is free up your PC and internet space so you can hear A-Ok and be heard clearly as well.
Netiquette 101
It is only proper that you send any visuals, presentations or documents in advance so that everyone will come prepared. When you’re already signed in, make sure that you speak slowly and clearly so everyone can follow what you’re saying. If video is on, you need to look into the camera and position it in a way that everyone can see a good image of you. Debates are natural in meetings so if you want to prove your point, argue politely and let others talk. You can always follow up through a phone call or email to give more details about your thoughts and this also goes for sending minutes after the meeting is over.
Skype offers group video calling feature for those with a premium or a business account. The tool allows you to share and collaborate with up to ten people max ( although it is recommended that for best quality, you invite up to five people only ).
These tips are definitely no secret at all and the real secret to a successful online meeting is your TRUST in the people you work with and going to your virtual conference like you would meet your peers in the real world!
What online conferencing tool do you use? Share your tips on the comment below.
How to Follow Video Conference Etiquette
Something Interesting:
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