Video conferencing meetings > the online meeting revolution

Although it was introduced several years ago, the practice of web conferencing has only recently begun to be used in the digital workplace.

In fact, video conferencing technologies have only become affordable since the 2000s. It was from this time that videoconferencing became available at reasonable cost, always assuming that the Internet connection was consonant to allow good quality of service.

The application of this technological solution, despite a slow start, is now very much in vogue in the professional sphere. Video conferencing meetings have become, today, the order of the day. But let's explore this concept a little further.

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What is meant by videoconferencing?

Videoconferencing refers to a mode of meeting mediated by technological aids of people who are not in the same place.

Through videoconferencing, meeting participants will have the opportunity to connect, have a conversation, and see each other while not being physically close.

Videoconferencing is a means of nullifying the physical distances present between people and makes it possible for them to allow interchanges almost as if they were present in the same place.

The introduction of Smart Working and video conferencing

Following the spread of Smart Working as a work practice integrated into the dynamics of companies, videoconferencing has become particularly popular.

The application of videoconferencing as a tool to support work and no longer as a pure means of communicating with friends and family had already been in use for several years. However, only recently has it seen its scope broadened. Now not only sporadic meetings with distant employees or international clients: video conferencing has become the usual means of holding classic business meetings as well.

Video conferencing meetings

Corporate meetings are moments designed for sharing opinions, discussing work practices, discussing issues of business relevance, deliberating on business issues, etc. They are moments designed to encourage the exchange of opinions by bringing together the employees of a company in one place where they can communicate openly.

Normally, we are used to thinking of meetings as formal convocations of company members in an office or room for the purpose of making decisions concerning the progress of business activities. Nowadays, however, meetings are increasingly being held remotely, via video conferencing.

Online meetings some time ago would have seemed to us an alien and distant practice. Now, however, they have become absolutely familiar. Indeed, it is not uncommon for offices to have meeting rooms equipped for videoconferencing, i.e., equipped with monitors, video cameras, microphones and headsets, soundproof panels, etc.

Until not so long ago, the practices of applying technology to facilitate remote business meetings were mistrusted. In fact, they were perceived as a means of alienating employees from the corporate community, as a tool that fostered depersonalization of relationships and, therefore, alienation in the work environment.

Having overcome the initial stumbling block of mistrust, however, today there is a tendency to particularly appreciate the use of new technologies in video conferencing to hold online business meetings. This methodology, in fact, has revealed undeniable advantages associated with its use, as we shall see more fully below.

Video conferencing meetings ... do they work?

Video conferencing meetings work, just take care to set them up properly.

However, online meetings can also fail. What can most compromise the success of a videoconference meeting is definitely the quality of the call. In fact, in case you cannot see and/or hear a colleague distinctly and continuously, the meeting is unlikely to achieve its goals.

To avoid this kind of inconvenience, it is good to implement some best practices. Let's look at them together.

Video conferencing meetings: where do you start?

In order to be able to run video conference meetings without running into too many hiccups, it is first important to equip yourself with the right supporting technologies.

In fact, since videoconferences are meetings that are carried out through the mediation of technological means, it is clear that they are completely dependent on the proper functioning of the latter. So, if the technology is lacking, or the Internet connection is poor, video conferencing will be compromised.

Some practical advice

It is necessary, therefore, to check that the equipment is working properly. Therefore, some practical tips to check their adequacy can be:

• Carry out a prior check-up of the sound and video quality to avoid unpleasant surprises at the time of the meeting. In this regard, the webcam preview option is very useful.
• Adjust the framing of the camera so that it allows us to see ourselves and the interlocutor optimally.
• Adjust the lighting of the camera, as well as the lighting of the environment you are in.
• Pay attention to the background: it will be seen by anyone participating in the video call, so it is good to adjust accordingly.
• It is often advisable to have earphones, so as to compensate for the poor performance capability of many microphones included on laptops. The sound check can be performed by a test call to any acquaintance at a time before the meeting.
• Operate a check on the speed of the available internet : poorly performing connections will inevitably cause problems during the video call.

Video conferencing meetings: the advantages for the company

As we have said, video conferencing meetings can have benefits for the company and all employees.

What are they?

→ Reduction in the expenditure of time and money

• Reduction in travel-related costs;
• Reduction in employee training costs;
• Reduction in organization time.

  → Increased flexibility

In principle, online meetings can be held at any time within a 24-hour period, in different parts of the world, and workers can participate in them from any location and place. Participating in the meeting, in fact, is very simple: just click on a button and you are connected in real time to the virtual meeting.

Even for those working from home, participation is possible without difficulty, because the user in question does not have to be required to show up at the office: his conference room will be his study or living room.

In addition, meetings can be attended through the support of potentially most mobile devices. In fact, both tablets and smartphones are now equally well-suited to serve as support for online meeting attendance.

→ Increased employee engagement

• Video conferencing makes it possible to compensate for shortcomings caused by distance. Video conferencing enables the recovery of the potential of exchanging nonverbal communications. This makes it possible to increase the community sense of the co-participants (employees and customers).
• Online meetings offer the possibility of holding more meetings since participation in it causes less time expenditure (time related to travel, any interpersonal meetings, etc. are eliminated). As a result, the business climate can become more communicative, and this can allow for a higher degree of participation in the company.
• Video conferencing meetings can contribute to better communication of information among members of the business team.

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How to hold video conference meetings: good practices during a meeting

In order to put on a proper videoconference meeting, some good practices are to be put in place, such as:

• Turn off your personal microphone in group meetings at times when you are not speaking. In fact, turning off the sound for your own computer can promote better overall sound quality and avoid noise pollution of various kinds.
• If it is up to you to plan meetings, it is a good idea to plan a precise agenda equipped with reminders that can remind employees of the task at hand. In fact, especially if workers are active in Smart mode, it can happen more easily that a meeting, especially if not scheduled on a constant basis, is forgotten.
• In case content has to be submitted, it is good to familiarize yourself in advance with the apps to be used. They are different depending on the platform used for video conferencing (Google Meet, Skype, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Pexip, etc. are all available in free versions and all offer free service), such as how to operate a screen share.
• It is best to plan concise and engaging speeches: even more so than in presential, in online meetings people can become bored and apathetic to stimuli very quickly.
• Although videoconference meetings can technically be held more frequently than regular meetings without putting too much of a dent in business productivity, it is, in general, a good idea not to abound with meetings even in videoconferencing. As is the case with regular meetings, in fact, too high a frequency of meetings can decrease their relevance and cause more of a waste of time than a useful investment for the company.