Lights, camera, action: bad news for the camera shy, as it seems video is here to stay. Whether for a job interview, connecting with colleagues around the globe, or trying to impress in a client briefing, many employees and business bosses have faced a video call with trepidation. As more and more small businesses begin to use video as part of their communications infrastructure, it’s time we all got to grips with it. Here’s our advice on making sure your next video conference calls goes smoothly:
Have an agenda
Just because you’re at a safe distance from the person you’re talking to, doesn’t meet you get to throw your meetings rulebook out the window when it takes the form of a video conference call.
Jahied Ahmed, who works at web design agency The Rocket Factory, says key to making the most of each call with his colleagues is to set an agenda – and stick to it. “We have an agenda that we send to each other before the call. It is the only way we can do it without meeting up with each other all the time. We use a project management app called Wunderlist,” he says.
On top of the agenda, one person from the team will be assigned to take minutes, or they will record the call so the minutes can be taken later. “We are literally able to be on the go and still stay on top of everything as much as possible this way,” says Ahmed.
The team at The Rocket Factory found that when they started up many of their clientele weren’t very “digitally savvy”, and not accustomed to interacting over video calls. However, they found a way to slowly get them used to a new way of working.
Ahmed says: “For some of our younger clients we introduced WhatsApp groups for some projects. That way they became a bit more used to not having to call us or not having to have a meeting.”
From there, they migrated to video calls, and Ahmed says now their clients have become accustomed to their way of working, and tasks are accomplished faster without the need to book meetings in person days in advance.
Do your research
Victoria Olubi, the founder of tutoring business The Tutoress, is able to teach children from all over the world thanks to video conferencing. She uses it both to initially interact with parents and discuss the benefits of tutoring, and to teach children aged from six to 11. “Video conferencing means they get to know a bit about me and how I teach,” she says.
Olubi finds that because children are quite “tech savvy” these days, the format works. “They get to have a lesson through video conferencing rather than a face-toface lesson that can be quite boring because it is not that different from school,” she adds.
However, to keep things interesting, Olubi says she uses a variety of different websites and tools. “I use screen sharing so the children can see my computer or what’s on my screen,” she says.
“There’s an online whiteboard I use as well so you can switch between the student seeing me and my whiteboard. There are all sorts of little tools and devices I use. “When I first started doing online tuition the video conferencing I started with was basic software, but now I am always reading of on the next big thing.”
Lesson learned: small businesses should do their research into what is available for their video conference calls, and make them as interesting, and interactive, as possible.
Stick to the point
James Morris is the owner of JF Marquees and Trafalgar Marquees. As he spends a lot of time out of the office, he uses conference calls to interact with colleagues, key suppliers and some of his clients across different types of devices.
As with a face-to-face meeting, Morris says key to engaging your audience is to set the right tone for the people on the call and to stick to the point. As you will be making the call remotely, this is especially important: “We all have pretty short attention spans, especially if we are also engaging with social media,” he says.
“The key thing is to collaborate with your client and who you are having the meeting with. Do your research and try and set the tone, and keep on the ball with the latest technology.”
Appearance matters – get the lighting and positioning right
To appear professional, make sure the lighting is right, and that you pick a good space at home or in your office with “minimal footfall traffic behind your head,” says Thom Gibbons, business development director at Callmaster Mobile. “Open plan offices are full of distractions in the background – you want to keep the call on subject.”
Bad audio quality is a bugbear for a lot of people on video calls, as is background noise - sounds such as dogs barking, people eating or you tapping on the keyboard, should be avoided. Make sure you mute the sound when you are not talking, especially if you can’t avoid being in a loud place.
Gibbons adds: “Get set up on the strongest possible data connection – there is nothing worse than replicating personal contact to find that you sound like a Dalek and your picture is running five seconds behind your audio. If you are video calling someone for the first time, do a preflight check of all your systems.”
Make a test call
Jacqui Keep, content marketing manager at Powwownow, says: “It’s absolutely vital to be prepared when video conferencing. Ensuring that the technology and equipment is all in working order by making a test call beforehand is definitely a task worth doing.”
It is important to have a period of calm when preparing for your call, as that will put you at ease – something that is bound to come across when your video call begins.
Keep adds: “Nobody is at their best when rushing about or flustered and being ready in plenty of time will alleviate this. Whether the video call is internal or external, neither party will want to wait for the other so being on time is essential as with any meeting.”
Content on this page is paid for and produced to a brief agreed with Powwownow, sponsor of the Guardian Small Business Network Smarter Working hub.
Other articles from the Powwownow partner zone:
How to manage teams in different timezones
Business owners: How to work on the move
