Top 7 video conferencing tips to ensure effective virtual meetings

Video conferencing shortens the distance between people and places while maximizing time by utilizing technology to substitute physical meetings with more time and cost effective virtual meetings. If a video conference is conducted successfully, then the conference participants will have given and taken exactly what they needed from the meeting, and they will feel that their time was productive.

However, if the meeting did not go as planned, if the conference equipment fails, or if it led to greater confusion than before, then fewer video conferences may be conducted, which will not promote the company's communication systems. These systems must be used to remain cost effective and realize a positive ROI. To prevent video conferencing mishaps from happening, here are seven guidelines that will lead to successful video conferencing every time.

1. Test the conferencing equipment in advance and ensure that you have a contingency plan for emergencies so everyone will feel more comfortable during the conference. It's also a good idea to have a dress rehearsal with conference participants for everyone to familiarize themselves with the equipment and system set-up. For example, if you have a voice-activated system in a multi-point conference (a conference that involves more than one site), participants need to be aware of this. 
    
2. Ensure that the video conference participants have a prepared agenda in front of them including the participants' names along with clear objectives that should be followed during the meeting. 
    
3. Everyone's appearance at the meeting does count. Conference participants need to be reminded that the dress is business and that certain colors may not show up well on the video screen. For example, red tends to bleed into other colors, black absorbs color on a person's face, and white makes a person disappear. The best colors for video conferences are pastels, bright patterns or solids. 
    
4. When the video conference has begun on time, introduce all of the conference participants. It's a good idea to have name plates in front of everyone, so that names can be easily read. Remember to speak loud and clear and to make eye contact with the camera and the other conference participants. 
    
5. Basic etiquette tips: once underway, don't interrupt other conference participants by speaking "over" them, don't lean in too close to the camera and remember to focus attention on the camera -- body language and facial expression count in a video conference. Remind everyone at the meeting not to rustle papers or make any other background noise. It's a good idea to set the audio to mute when your side isn't speaking. Bothersome background noise also includes beepers and cell phones -- turn them off or set them to vibrate! Finally, don't leave the meeting room unless it's an emergency. 
    
6. Having good quality audio equipment is vital to the success of the conference -- if there's no sound, then there's no interactive communication at the meeting. The microphones need to pick up the speakers' voices without effort on their part, while the speakers need to be far enough away from the microphones to prevent feedback and interference with each other. 
    
7. The cameras at the meeting need to capture a clear image and they should auto-adjust and auto-focus for the lighting conditions. Remember, interference on your conference site will have an impact on the other site's video and audio. Check out the "self view" in the camera before the meeting starts and occasionally during the call to see if the lighting is right, if the conference participants are in view, and if the speaker is looking into the camera. Also, remember, it's distracting to keep adjusting the camera and the other conference equipment during the meeting.

Video conferencing is now a mature medium, but these steps need to be reviewed every so often since they never go out of style. If these simple guidelines are followed, video conferences will proceed smoother, everyone will feel confident and comfortable, and the purpose and objectives of the meeting will be met. Most of all, after successful video conferences, conference participants will be more likely to use the equipment and conference systems for future meetings.