When considering which device to use for your video call, there are a couple of practical considerations. Mobile phones are ok to use but please spare a thought for the other attendees when it comes to the movements that will be inevitable if you are holding the phone. If you are out and about moving at the time, there are bound to be more interruptions to your thought processes (distractions) as well as possibly signal feed. You won't necessarily realise what impact you are having on the general experience for all: if your video keeps freezing or your verbals are muffled or let's be clear if you are struggling to keep on point because you are distracted. When you facetime a friend or family, they are happy to put up with all of those factors, but business people communicate for other reasons and efficiency comes pretty high on attendees priorities. The other limitation with using a mobile is the functionality, the technical options available to you are not quite so obvious as with a standalone pc or laptop. The visibility on the screen is restricted, and it is just not obvious how to do certain things. Again, it often comes down to time, where you are now asking attendees to pause while you 'play around on the phone' to find the 'call log' or connect to the whiteboard or customer survey link etc.
Where to be in the house? I recently saw a video call on the BBC where the interviewee was all dressed in a suit, talking very seriously about COVID-19 while sitting on his bed facing the door to the bedroom. The tension it created was unbelievable. I was just praying that the family dog or 5-year-old toddler didn't give a sudden guest appearance to millions of UK viewers! The visual background for where you sit is not overly important because there are options to make it fuzzy to other viewers or you can utilise a virtual background. But the potential for interruptions is the key. In these days where everyone is working from home, people generally recognise the challenge this brings.
How do you connect up to the video call? It is normally very easy. The age of your equipment will have some bearing on this point. Processor speeds, wifi feed, software levels can affect the experience. You won't know of course, until you try it. You might be sent a personal 'link' to the meeting via an email or text, or there will be a 'link' provided on a social media post which everyone can see, copy and then paste when prompted to by the platform host. When I say 'link' some may not know what I'm referring to. When I email a BIG TOM customer a 'link' for a meet on Microsoft Teams, all that is needed is literally to click where instructed to. The message will go something like:
Hi Helen,
Looking forward to meeting up this morning at 10am, please click on the message below when you are ready to join:
It is not normally a requirement to download a certain app to connect. There are so many platforms available to everyone these days, that often, you can simply connect up by clicking on the link. By platforms, I'm referring to who the host of your meeting is using to conduct the call, e.g. zoom, microsoft teams, skype, google hangouts. As an attendee, you don't control that side of things, but rest assured all of these companies are fighting hard at providing a good quality, free, user experience.
Which browser you use when you connect up and how well updated your software is can have an impact on the ease at which you connect. But as a general rule, don't be frightened, you can't 'break' anything. Never be afraid to try these things out, you may well be pleasantly surprised at just how easy the process is.
You're in, what happens next? You are probably going to be prompted to formally allow the host platform to use your microphone and camera for the purposes of the video call. You simply click on the 'yes' box. If the session is being recorded*, you may be asked to formally agree to that too, before you join everyone. When you 'arrive' into the video call, you probably will have your microphone automatically muted. When you are muted, there will be a small microphone sign visible to you, with a line through it - telling you that if you talk, no-one can actually hear you. You have to click on that symbol to unmute your microphone. Your arrival may automatically be announced to everyone already in the call, although that particular feature is losing favour as it is often tiresome and distracting. In which case, you could choose to simply smile and wave without unmuting your microphone, or very likely, if able, the host to the call will notice you have joined, welcome you, and that is your prompt to unmute the microphone and say your greetings (remember to smile).
There is a whole range of features that can be utilised depending on the group needs; just allow your host to guide you. Enjoy!
Before I close, there are a few little traps to beware of. Don't be afraid about this; I've committed all of these and some horrendous howlers. But some nice little tips might help you on your way?
Wear earphones. There are loads of reasons why that is good advice, just enter the meeting already wearing earphones.
Don't talk loudly. Everyone can hear you just fine.
Mute yourself when you are in listening mode. You won't then transmit to everyone on the call any noise that you make.
Don't get too close to the camera - your face will be really big.
Keep on track - it is so easy to ramble off on an unrelated subject. This isn't a phone call; you have 5, 10, 20 + people all getting bored to tears with your ramble. There is nothing quite so off-putting as having to watch and listen to a person who is full of their self-importance, banging on about something that is off point, boring and taking ages to tell the story!
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