Videoconferences are here to stay. What to do?

In March 2021 Portugal completed one year of pandemic. A lot has changed in our lives, one of the most changes being social distancing and its consequences. One of them was the migration to videoconferencing platforms as an alternative to face-to-face meetings and classes. If you're like most professionals or students, you're likely to spend most of your workdays on Zoom (or Google Meet, MS Teams, Webex, or another such platform). And even when you With the return to offices and face-to-face classes, all studies point to the maintenance of many of the practices adopted in this period, such as online meetings and remote work. So when life gets back to normal you will continue to spend a lot of time in video meetings.

 

Because this change was so sudden, there was no time for training on how to get the most out of video conferencing. But it's not too late! We left some tips to take your online meetings to the next level!

 

 1 - Find the right space

If you usually do video conferences from any space in the house, it's time to create a place that you know you can always use for that and prepare it. Choose a comfortable area, with good lighting and acoustics and with some privacy. Make sure your laptop is positioned so that you are looking directly into the camera.

 

2 - Get the kit.

These are the devices that will help you get the most out of online meetings or classes, without having to make a big investment:

• Green screen - allows you to use a convincing image for your background and change it whenever you see fit. When you simply use a virtual background without green screen, the person's body starts to blend in with what's behind them and this distracts you and the other meeting participants.
• Microphone - Interference and bad audio are one of the most annoying elements of online meetings. Make your voice clear and reduce ambient noise with earphones or an external microphone
• Lighting - this variable has the power to greatly enhance or destroy your appearance. In some cases, this may not even be an important factor, but if it's a serious meeting or a job interview, for example, it will have a lot of influence. A few LED lights, at an affordable price, will make all the difference.
• Cable connection - Wifi, even in the best served parts of the country and the world, is not always reliable and video call communications require a lot of bandwidth. To make sure your camera doesn't freeze when you're giving a presentation, it's best to get a cable to connect your computer directly to the router.

 

3 - Get ready.

In the office, you didn't need much preparation for a meeting, just leave your desk and go to the meeting room. At home, the case changes shape. There are some precautions to be taken:

• Keep your computer, cell phone, headphones and lights ready to go. Before going to sleep, leave everything to load so you don't have unpleasant surprises when you need them.
• The constant interruptions are annoying and diminish your productivity and professionalism. To avoid them, turn off ringtones, alarms and notifications on all your devices. Put a do not disturb sign on the door of the room where you are working. Make sure you don't schedule deliveries during the most important meeting hours

 

Some like it more than others.But video conferencing is here to stay, regardless of whether we physically return to the office or to classes By adopting these practices, you will improve your performance and stand out in your place of work online!

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