10 Tips for Effective Video Conferencing

Video Conferencing allows you to converse with customers, suppliers, distributors, fellow employees or stakeholders all across the world without leaving the office. The world just got a whole lot smaller, and you don't want to get lost in the details!

10 Things you can do to optimize your Video Conferencing experience -and why:

1. Set up the camera in a quiet and calm room without to many distractions going on behind you. - You want the person on the other side to be paying attention to you and not to distracted by the way your office looks.

2. Be confident and sure of yourself. - If you look uncomfortable, then the person on the other side can see that. You need to present an aura of calm and comfort and that will translate over to the person on the other side.

3.  Do not fidgit or fiddle with toys. - This is distracting and it shows that the speaker is not comfortable.

4. Close the door. - You don't want voices or people from outside walking in on your video conference. They provide additional distractions.

5. Look presentable and comb your hair. - You image is seen before you say your first word. So the best chance to give a first impression is by how you look, not always by what you say.

6. Practice makes perfect. - It sounds cliche, but it is important. To show confidence and control you need to be prepared, and practicing what you are going to say will make you more at ease when you say it over again to the person on the other side of the camera.

7. Focus the camera on you before beginning. - The person on the other side has no interest in watching you adjust your camera, it gives the impression that you were unprepared for the call or meeting. Make sure the camera is focused right on you before starting a call.

8. Don't pay more then you have to. - Make sure that Hardware or Service you are using for video Conferencing is high quality and you are covered in case of a defect by a warrenty. Also don't buy packages with many more functions then you will ever be using. Stick to what you need or what you will use, it is not worth it to buy 20 features if you only use 3. Find a plan that matches your needs and your requirements.

9. Video Conferencing reduces your travelling bills but it will not remove them entirely. - Video Conferencing is very useful as it lets you talk to people all over the World without leaving your office, but it does not completely replace the effect of being there in person. There are times that you still have to go and see people.

10.  Be respectful, stay still, and remember that you are on camera. - Video Conferencing has an etiquette protocol. Moving around to much can be distracting. Taking you eyes away from the camera to often can be rude if it seems you are not paying attention, and remember that you are on camera so use hand gestures if you want but only sparingly.

These 10 tips are all for once you already have a Video Conferencing system in place, but another important detail is finding the right Video Conferencing Hardware or Service.  Your video conferencing provider does make a big difference. A customer or client will not be impressed if your image is blurry or your connection is fuzzy. The connection quality is your first impression it is one of the first things that the person you are talking to sees.
When looking for a provider there a few things to look for:

 - A private and protected network
 - High Quality video - maybe even High Def
 - Inexpensive
 - They meet your needs NOT Your needs change to meet thiers
 - Do not just find the cheapest one out there.
 
 
Video Conferencing is a great tool if used wisely. Sometimes buying the Hardware and software is very expensive so it is worth looking into finding video conferencing as a service, so you get all the technology you need, but only for the time that you need it. 

Video Conferencing is on the rise and it is a powerful tool for communication and also slashing travel expenses. Finding high quality video conferencing software or software makes a visibly significant first impression.