For a remote team, video communication is a must.
When you have to be apart from your team members, video conferencing is much more engaging than phone calls. It’s like being in the same room.
Better quality of communication (over phone conferencing) increases the degree of understanding across colleagues. Reading people’s reactions gives so much more insight into how the conversation is going. Thus, keeping your teams aligned and connected is essential.
A by-product of videoconferencing is that your team will become more efficient. Teams typically conduct video conferences in a more agenda-focused manner reducing any wasted time at the beginning and end of meetings as people gather. It reduces costs on travel for team members that don’t typically work in the same office, and it saves times when mobilizing a team for a meeting when they have to move from their desks to a conference room.
When should people be video conferencing?
Initially team members could be shy about jumping on a video call – and wonder when they should be video conferencing. Gut in reality your team should TAKE ADVANTAGE of video conferencing every time they can.
Every Week One on One
One on One’s are a best practice for any organization – a time for managers to check in with those that report to them.
And being able to see each other – allows for you to truly get a comprehensive feel for how things are going.
Setting up meetings in the future
If you have any meeting scheduled with individuals that will not be sitting in the same office, a video conferencing link should be provided ahead of time. The video conference line provides a place for everyone to “meet up†and avoids any confusion about “who is calling who†or “I called and you didn’t answerâ€.
Meet Realtime with People
If a conversation is going to take longer than a minute, get on a video conference. Sporadically have video conferences to touch base with your team. Let them know what you are working on and ask for input. This is one of the best ways to keep a members of a team engaged all day!
Video Conferencing Tips for Success
Turn on your camera!
Ensure that you turn on your camera to reap the benefits of true interaction. Since you are going to be turning on your camera, make sure you are dressed professionally. While people understand that you are working remotely, it is always good to dress the part. Our company has a collared shirt policy.
Remove Distractions
You’ve had to find that perfect spot in your home that will be the best place for you to work remotely. It is important to ensure that when you are on a video conference, you remove all the distractions. It may not bother you, but distractions can impact the quality of the meeting for the other participants. Examples of common distractions are:
- barking dogs
- inquisitive children (mine are aware that a “closed door†means I’m working and they don’t need to enter),
- back lighting, and
- a distracting background
Headphones
If you find yourself having to work in a louder space or have a loud keyboard, you may want to consider getting a headset that can plug directly into your computer, phone or USB hub. In the beginning, your traditional phone headset will work to minimize the background noise.
Run an efficient Meeting
Like most meetings, it is critical to set a specific agenda to cover during the allotted time, arrive on time to your meetings, greet everyone and spend a moment connecting while setting expectations for the meeting – then dive into the meeting and finish on time
Include a Link to the Meeting at the time of Setup
When we create our calendar invites on the google platform, we have integrated Zoom so that a “Make it a Zoom Meeting†appears at the point of creation. When this button is pressed, a meeting link is automatically created and input into the “Location†field. This makes for everyone to be on the same page about how to access the meeting from the beginning.
Integrate Video Conferencing in your Instant Messaging Platform
Additionally, we integrate our Zoom accounts with our Slack accounts. Whenever we want to meet with someone immediately, a quick slack to say “Are you available now?†and then enter /Zoom <Enter> <Enter> and we can both log into a zoom meeting on the spot! •
Share your calendar!
Team members should have calendars made accessible to others in the organization so that others can see the best time to schedule a meeting without a lot of back and forth over email or slack.
Practice Makes Perfect!
Know that it will take some trial and error to ensure a smooth video conferencing culture. Each individual has their own hardware setup to ensure is in place, connectivity needs to not be an issue, and people need to understand HOW to access their video conferencing smoothly. But once your team is trained, you will find that meetings will be more intentional and productive within the allotted time frame and your team will have a boosted morale for getting to see each other.
If you are needing any additional help or someone to bounce ideas off of, contact us and we can go over your plan. Do not hesitate to ask us for help to EMPOWER your team to work remotely.
