Turning On Video During Meetings
Why turning on video during meetings is essential? The Coronavirus pandemic of the last year has greatly changed how many of us live our day-to-day lives. With so many restrictions, stay at home mandates, and social distancing practices put into place, there has been a huge shift in the way people connect and communicate with one another.
Many people are now studying and working from home. It’s even changed the way we connect and communicate with friends and loved ones. Many more people than ever are using SMS, instant messaging, social media platforms, and other online communications to keep in touch with the important people in their professional and private lives.
This “new normal” has also given rise to a growing trend in the use of pure conference call provider software. Seeing the people on screen, on the other hand, facilitates genuine engagement and dialogue. It also helps to avoid miscommunication. As a result, the visual link fosters trust and belief that you can complete your tasks and that your coworkers will assist you if you need assistance.
Let’s face the facts: video conference calling is quickly becoming the new default for communication. In a post-pandemic world, video calling has become the new telephone call.
In this article, we will examine a few reasons why turning on video can greatly benefit communication and productivity during conference calls and virtual meetings.
1. Better Engagement
One of the biggest drawbacks of audio conferencing is that people tend to pay less attention. The truth is that most of us are guilty of it. There is a tendency to tune out and multitask during voice calls, and it’s easy to feel disconnected from other members of the meeting. When participating in video conference calls, there’s more pressure to maintain “virtual eye contact”. This in turn translates into a higher level of engagement for all participants involved, leading to a more productive call.
When each conference member is visible, there is more of an inclination to use the communication skills we’ve all practiced in routine face-to-face conversations. Even in a socially-distanced world, it’s still important to rely on interpersonal conversational skills.
2. Improved Efficiency and Cost
One of the more obvious and significant benefits of video conference calling is the reduction in commute time. In-person meetings with clients, colleagues and collaborators can take up valuable hours of your day. Commute time can even potentially turn an hour long morning meeting into a several hour affair, creating frustration and inefficiency–not to mention the cost in gas, and vehicle maintenance over time.
While video conferencing doesn’t completely replace the need for face-to-face meetings, it has become a valued and indispensable alternative for in-person meetings.
3. Facilitates Better Communication
When turning on video in any meeting or conference, attendees will have the tendency to retain more information and gain a better comprehension of the topics and information being presented than they would if the meeting were being held via audio only.
Research has shown that the reason for this is due to the fact that humans process visual information more quickly and accurately than text and audio. People learn and more readily absorb information better when a presentation is accompanied by visual aides.
4. Improves Record Keeping
With traditional in-person meetings and audio-only calls, the responsibility of being the scribe who keeps a record of important keynotes from the conference call will inevitably fall on someone in attendance. The drawback of this is that details can easily fall through the cracks or be misinterpreted due to human error and the fast pace of the call.
Many video conference software available have the added functionality to record and transcribe meetings, leaving all important details intact. This allows the ability to refer directly to the audio transcription in the event questions arise. It also allows you to share the session with those who couldn’t attend, which makes it easier to keep everyone on the same page.
5. Increased Productivity
Video conference calling software makes it easier to collaborate on projects, and eliminates the hassle of long email chains, lost messages, and in-document comments.
With the ability to call and connect via video in real-time, everyone involved has the ability to reach out with any questions or valuable insights they have, and ensures that everyone has an understanding of the tasks at hand. It also facilitates better group brainstorming sessions, and gives people the ability to work in tandem with one another as though they were in the same room.
6. Collaboration Over Greater Distances
Another benefit of video conference call software’s is the ability to host live interactive events with clients, collaborators and even the public. From team-building activities, meet and greets and virtual conferences, video conferencing allows for easy link sharing to a session, and makes it simple for people to connect and interact across the globe.
In a socially-distanced world, technology has brought us all a little bit closer together. It’s easy to see why video conferencing is not going anywhere soon. So the importance of turning on video is understood.
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