“Communication is to bring people together using a medium.”  As technology progresses the standard of the communication medium keeps on advancing to the next level. Today the stage has arrived where most industries have started using Video conferences for communication. Today even in pandemic situations the workflow of many firms remained unaffected due to Video conferences facilitating work from home. This video conference can be user-friendly and flexible for ease of use following certain tips. So this blog aims to elaborate on the guidelines and measures to be followed for an effective video conference.

 

Following are ways to set up an environment before Video conference-

1. Choose a room-

Choose a place where there will be no disturbance. The environment where the employee is working should have silence. No noise should interrupt between ongoing video conference. Care should also be taken about the background that is to be presented behind the employee on camera. The background should be clean and tidy.

2. Machine setup-

Before attending the conference video call it is very important to check the hardware and software status of the machine. At running video call no reasons are appropriate for machine or any hardware device failure. Camera settings should also be adjusted in advance and the device should focus from face to shoulder. Similarly, microphone and mike testing should be done well in advance.

3. Internet connection-

An online video conference is dependent totally on internet speed. Many times due to slow or poor internet speed the video call lags or it gets disconnected. Poor internet creates inconvenience for other team members to communicate with you on the conference. So it becomes very important to test internet wire connectivity through wire/Wi-Fi. 

4. Lighting-

Lighting is also one of the important factors when you are speaking through the camera. Poor lighting or darkness can make employee’s face invisible to other team members. Even too much bright light may disturb the sight of other team members. So proper lighting should be made at the place where a member seats for conference to be visible for others.

5. Testing of software-

There are many types of software in markets for video conferences. So there may be chances that one person cannot be aware of using or cannot be user friendly to all software. So note that if new software is to be used then it should be learned and tested well before hands before the video conference call.

 

Following are tips to follow during Video conference-

1. Time-

Time is a very important concern when it comes to video conferences. Late joiner will miss the meeting knowing nothing about scope discussed and it will waste the time of team to explain discussion again. An employee should be ready 15 minutes in advance before the meeting starts.

 

2. Dressing-

Even though the employee is serving by work from home it is very important to dress like a professional. Dressing professional presents employee before organization via video calling. Casual looks don’t imply that an employee is working for the company.

3. Mute/Unmute mike-

Care should be taken that mike should be on mute till the employee’s turn come for communication. Keeping multiple mikes unmute in a single video conference can create confusion among team members. Moreover, other team members should not interrupt when one individual is speaking at a time.

4. Introduction-

At the start of video conference self-introduction is very necessary for each team member. This creates an introduction about the team for new members joined recently. Moreover, self-introduction also makes other team members to understand your role.

5. Speech-

Speech should be audible and clear. Communication should be done in such a way that other team members should understand it properly. Make use of common terms that are easily known to others. A member should speak slowly and gently.

 

Following are points to plan before the Video conference-

1. Agenda-

The purpose or scope of video conference should be mentioned well in advance before scheduling online meeting. These will surely help team members to prepare for online video conferences with their role to participate in meeting.

2. Schedule-

Meetings should be scheduled and informed to all participants via official email platforms or chats. The online conference should be scheduled in advance to assure that all team members are able to attend the meeting.

3. Participation-

Total members participating in meeting should be kept minimum as members more than limit will create confusion with long meetings. All the participants should be informed in advance prior to the meeting.

4. Punctuality-

All the members are expected to attend the video conference on time before the meeting starts. Late arrivals create problem as more time is required to repeat the discussion. A reminder email should be send to all participants 10 minutes before scheduled meeting.

5. Conclusion-

A meeting should end with proper conclusion. The agenda or scope of meeting should get accomplish with positive results.

 

So it is concluded that upcoming era demands for video conference for online meeting facilitating work from home. Scheduling scrums and important online meetings and executing them requires proper management by experts. Management is skill of completing process with respect to time, resources and budget. As project management being a skill can be developed only with learning and practicing it by applying for a management course. A project manager plays an important key role in managing and scheduling successful meetings and should also have technical knowledge about different video conference tools. So for project management to lead for successful projects these competitive market demands PMP-certified project manager and other management professionals to be a part of their business. So Monks Learning lab is trying to help candidates by providing online PMP certification course to transform them into best professionals. Also candidates will be able to improve skills and get practical based knowledge form real industry-based experts. Monks learning lab have given rise to many milestones and willing to create more. So join Monks learning lab to get benefit from the opportunity to be part of best industry.