The COVID-19 outbreak has challenged many different industries to adjust to a work-life that is centered on staying at home. Now that non-essential workers are clocking in remotely, there has been a particular need for digital communication networks to keep employees engaged with company progress. SEO services company in Los Angeles, along with many other businesses, have discovered video conferencing as a very suitable alternative to in-person meetings.
In the past, remote meetings may have been conducted simply through a conference call. While these kinds of meetings can work to deliver certain information that is too lengthy for an email, they are not the most efficient method of inspiring participation or focus. Employees can easily tune out phone calls and work on other things while listening in. Additionally, conference calls are usually headed by a couple of voices, while the rest stay silent.
Thankfully, online video meetings have allowed businesses to regain a sense of control and hold employees accountable for their engagement. Companies providing SEO services in Los Angeles find that, once businesses get into the routine of holding video conferences, they will notice the difference in productivity levels that this medium provides over conference calls.
If you are a business that is new to video conferencing or you do not use it very often, a company offering SEO services in Los Angeles has some tips to help you maintain a positive and productive meeting with employees.
Video is Key
Many companies have found that using the video feature allows people to feel more connected to their coworkers. When people can see other faces (and know that their face can be seen), they will start to behave more like they would at an in-person meeting. This will encourage people to smile, respond to questions, and address themselves in a more professional way. Skype and Zoom are some examples of conference technology that allow businesses to have their remote meetings in a refined way.
The only caveat with video calls is that they require a strong Wi-Fi signal to function well. Lagging or freezing video images can certainly halt a meeting’s productive order. If this is the case, meeting participants can always remove their video options and stay at the conference through simple audio functions. Video is a solid first choice for online meetings; however, it is always good to remain flexible.
Make a Test Call
Before settling into your very important company meeting, it is a good idea to test your web conference software first. This will hopefully prevent any technical issues on the day of the meeting and, thus, save valuable time. Businesses should send out instructions to employees a few hours in advance or even a day in advance to allow time for downloading software, creating accounts, and testing out video functions. If anyone is new to the online meeting process, it can be a bit overwhelming to figure out the technology and come prepared with ideas to share without adequate time. If possible, you may find it helpful to run a 10-minute test meeting, just to ensure that everyone is able to join the video conference without complications.
Stay Organized
Virtual meetings, like in-person meetings, are most efficient when there is a standard procedure and an outline. Every meeting should have a clear, communicated purpose and employees should have advanced notice if they need to prepare any reports to share. It may be helpful if employees share their documents in advance with coworkers, in order to ensure that meeting time is reserved for questions and discussion. Depending on the length of your meeting, you may allow mini-breaks or a short introduction period where employees can catch up in order to keep spirits high and maintain a sense of community.
Keep Presentations Brief
Video conferences are certainly more engaging than conference calls, however, they are still a digital medium. It is best to keep people’s attention with brief, to-the-point messages on each talking point. This is when it is helpful to have pre-meeting documents for employees to read before they jump on the video meeting. This virtual medium is great for covering the most important info. So, keep the minor details to other formats. Screen sharing tools can be a particularly useful resource when going through tutorials and sharing powerpoints.
Guide Conversations and Encourage Participation
Video conferences can take some getting used to because of their digital format. Usually, people have a hard time understanding when it is appropriate to talk and employees can unintentionally start talking over one another with the occasional audio lag. The best way to conduct a video conference is to have someone lead the discussion. If one person is assigned to guiding conversation topics and calling on certain employees to share, then this will help the meeting run a lot smoother. The advantage of using video conference software is that you also have access to certain polling features and hand-raising features that encourage all employees to participate in the way that they are able. More soft-spoken individuals will be grateful when this organization allows all voices to be heard.
Ask for Feedback
For many companies, successful video conferences will require some prior trial and error. Not every video conference style is going to work for every kind of business, which is why it is important to take note of the things that are working and not working and adjust every meeting to meet your standards. Employee feedback will be an essential source of information for meeting adjustments. In order for a meeting to achieve optimum efficiency, everyone needs to be on board with the system. So, encourage open communication with employees and allow a period of transition for meetings to hit their groove.
At the moment, few businesses are able to predict how long employees are going to need to work from home. So, it is best to adjust to the circumstances and make the most of our situation. Until we can return to an office environment, video conferencing is a motivating tool to help connect employees to their work community.
