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Be There Without Being There With Video-Conferencing
Advances in technology and fast internet service have made video a medium available to just about anyone. Even if you don't have the equipment at your business, third parties such as a court reporting agency can provide the service.
Advantages of Video-Conferencing
Scheduling a meeting with people in the same building is hard enough, but trying to schedule meetings with people from other locations can be impossible. Conference calls work for some applications, but often you need a picture to get the full benefit of the information presented.
Video-conferencing makes scheduling easier for everyone. You no longer have to include travel time for people from other locations in the city. Nor do people from far distant offices have to spend a day traveling just for a two-hour meeting.
Not only will you save on travel expenses, an important benefit in these days of rising fuel prices, but you save on employee time. Your staff isn't wasting time driving and flying and can get more work done in the time allotted. Finally, you get a video record of the conference which might be important for later.
Court Reporters Add a New Dimension to Video-Conferencing
If you should get your video-conferencing service through a court reporting agency, the services of a certified court reporter can provide additional features to the conference.
Live closed captioning allows your hearing-impaired employees to attend the conference without restriction. People who want to monitor the conference but don't have the audio-video equipment to do so can still get a streaming text feed. A comprehensive and accurate transcript of the session enhances the video record.
Court reporting adds authority to video-conferencing. This may not be necessary for basic conference meetings, but for other events having the documentation of a certified but disinterested third party can be critical.
Tips for Good Conferences
Everyone should be in position at least 10-15 minutes before the beginning of the conference. This allows everyone to get familiar with the facility and allows the equipment operators to get everything up and running by the start of the meeting.
Even if your company doesn't have a dress code, clothing matters on video. Stripes and patterns can create bizarre interference effects while white clothing can cause glare. Solids in muted colors show up best on screen.
Have everyone in the conference introduce themselves, even people who aren't on camera. This roll call ensures that everyone is connected. Microphones are sensitive so should be muted when not in use. They easily pick up sounds like drumming fingers, coughs, and whispered comments.
Visual aids are common in, and often the reason for, video-conferencing. Charts and other displays should be simple because they will be reduced on camera. They should be in landscape rather than portrait format since video screens are wider than they are tall.
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