Collaboration is a critical element to a company’s success. It’s not only essential to get the job done, but it also increases workplace satisfaction and bolsters employee morale.
Practical video conferencing tools make it easy for professionals to schedule, begin and join meetings. They also feature chat options and screen sharing for collaborative work.
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Recording
Video calls are a popular way to communicate and collaborate on projects with coworkers scattered across the country or even the world. But they aren’t without their frustrations, from technical glitches to a lack visual cues and muddled communication.
Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to make your video conference calls more productive and feel more like an in-person meeting. From making sure your camera is clear and you are in a quiet place to closing any blinds that might interfere with glare, the tips below can help your virtual meetings be more successful.
It’s also essential to habitually mutate your microphone when you aren’t talking, as paper shuffling, sound from the office, and typing or any background sounds can interfere with audio quality. Additionally, consider investing in a headset microphone that will boost audio fidelity and help you better emulate an in-person conversation by eliminating background noise and enhancing voice clarity.
Whiteboard
Whiteboards are a great tool to use for collaboration on video conference calls. They help to clarify discussions, move towards a solution, and make it easy for people working remotely to participate in meetings and collaborate effectively.
The key to a successful virtual whiteboard session is adding relevant visuals. Research shows that the brain processes visuals faster and retains them longer. It also helps keep participants engaged, especially when hearing audio-only video information.
Using a digital whiteboard tool like Miro makes it easy to create virtual brainstorming sessions. Its online whiteboard software enables everyone participating in a video call to work on the same canvas and share content in real-time. Participants can edit the same board, comment, add sticky notes, vote, and more. Some whiteboard tools even offer the option to duplicate a board or to save a page as a template for reuse. Moreover, they support participants by providing help center resources and keyboard shortcuts to speed up their interaction with the whiteboard.
Polls
Video conference calls support virtual work by allowing organizations to operate without physical offices and hire remote workers while maintaining human connections between teammates. Meetings conducted via video call also make it easier for team members to collaborate on projects from different locations, which helps speed up decision-making and improve productivity.
But despite the convenience of video calling, it can be difficult for team members to collaborate effectively online. Inconsistent audio and visual quality, interruptions from notifications, and a lack of facial expressions are all common barriers to effective collaboration.
The good news is that video conferencing software offers a variety of tools that can help you get the most out of your meetings. For example, you can use polls to encourage participation from your teammates. These can include various questions, from “What would you do?” to “Would you rather” and more. You can create and launch polls during meetings; the results are available in real time. You can even build a central library of polls to access them for future meetings easily.
Chat
Videoconferencing is becoming increasingly common, but as with any meeting, these calls can become unproductive if participants don’t follow proper business etiquette. A few simple tips can help boost productivity on conference calls.
First, choose a quiet and appropriate location for the call. Whether hosting from home, a coffee shop, or a central community area, finding a calm environment will prevent distractions such as barking dogs, loud music, or even other attendees talking over your voice during the meeting.
Another important tip is to arrive on time. Punctuality is just as important in virtual meetings as in face-to-face ones, and arriving early will allow you to test your audio and video camera before the session begins so that any issues can be addressed quickly. It will also enable you to welcome attendees as they join the meeting and avoid wasting time with the obligatory apology. Using the chat feature during the session is also a good idea to communicate any issues or questions.
