The Coming of Age of Video Conferencing

Published by admin | Filed under High Definition Video Conferencing, Video Conferencing

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The not so popular art of meetings have come a long way. It started with two people standing face-to-face to talk. It progressed to people from different place sitting down together in a boardroom to people in different places talking on a conference call from the other side of the world at the same time. The pinnacle - so far - is taking those people in different places in a conference call, and adding video through so they can both see and hear each other.

What if you are already using conference calls to save money? Why would you want to add video as well? On a conference call, you can hear the tones and inflections of your participants and gauge their demeanor, mood, and attitude. If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is live video worth? Daily it seems to be increasing with the rising costs of transportation.  However, being able to see the subtle expression changes in your participants and see what they really think. You could look them in the eye and know they will get the job done.

Another reason to do video conferences is to deal with a naughty human behavior trait almost everyone has: multi-tasking. When someone is talking on a conference call, the temptation is almost too great not to check your email, finish that memo, or look at your schedule. We are probably all guilty of this at one time or another, but the tell-tale signs are there. We suddenly hear our name spoken on the conference call and are jerked away from an email and we say, “I’m sorry, could you repeat that? What was the question?”

While multi-tasking is an excellent skill to have, there is a time and a place for it. On a video conference, you can’t be looking away for long periods of time, or under your desk fixing those pesky wires. You - and your participants - are held accountable by video to stay in the moment and at the meeting. Studies have shown that video conferences extend participants attention span and allow much less distractions. This means that your meetings will be much more productive.

And let’s not deny it, having people from all around the world looking and talking to one another is just plain cool!

Once you’ve taken the next step to video conferencing, what equipment will you need? Of course there isn’t just one solution for every company. You’ll have to look at what kind of video conferences best serve your company’s needs.

The top of the line, full body or life-size from the chest up video conference experience fits nicely into the old saying, “You get what you pay for.”  You will have the most realistic picture, no choppy pictures, no hang-ups and it will cost more. Video conferencing has come a long way in its technological advances.  Using lower bandwidths and compressing digital signals to achieve incredible video at very reasonable costs.
Video conferencing is not new, but the level of quality, expense, and ease of use are now such that it makes good sense to add it to your business arsenal.

Emmil Gaucher gives practical and usable advice regarding video conference systems.  Contact him at egaucher@bigumedia.com

or 813-984-2800