Video Conferencing Overview
Your company is growing, offices are expanding across the world and your employees are asking for flexible work schedules, online meeting tools and more modern and effective collaboration spaces. While you know video conferencing can help address these requests and create better communication and collaboration across dispersed sites, the idea of implementing it seems a bit overwhelming. First, let’s define what video conferencing actually is.
What is video conferencing?
Video conferencing is a live video-based meeting between two or more people in different locations using video-enabled devices. Video conferencing allows multiple people to meet and collaborate face to face long distance by transmitting audio, video, text and presentations in real time through the internet.
80% of executives say turning on video for internal communications is becoming the norm; 84% say the same for external meetings.
87% more people use video conferencing today than two years ago
75% of remote workers experience increased productivity and an enhanced work-life balance
64% of companies have video conferencing setups in small huddle rooms
Intro to Video Conferencing:
In this guide, we’ll break down the basics of video conferencing — from where it all started, reasons it’s worth the investment and some tips and tricks on choosing the right video conferencing solution for your business’s unique needs. Here’s what you can expect to find in this guide.
The Evolution of the Conference Call
Dating back to the late 1950s, early conference calling technology provided a way to host multiple people on a telephone call. This was great for reducing air travel and speeding up decision making, but it relied entirely on audio and lacked the human element of an in-person meeting. Fast forward 60 years and you can see the evolution of the conference call has taken two major forms: web conferencing and video conferencing. Learn more about The Evolution of the Conference Call.
Video Conferencing Solution Breakdown
Today’s video conferencing solution is made up of a central cloud-hosted infrastructure routing calls between personal video-enabled devices and meeting room device endpoints. Cloud-based delivery models make it easy to turn just about any room with an internet connection and a power outlet into a video-enabled collaboration space but not all video solutions are created equal. Learn more about Video Conferencing Solution Breakdown.
Video Conferencing Best Practices
Whether you’re joining your team’s weekly video standup or meeting with a job candidate for the first time through a video interview, there are a few best practices you should follow to ensure that your video call is as effective and productive as possible. Small details like using a headset, muting your audio when you’re not speaking and using the proper lighting can add to the success of your video conference call. Learn more about Video Conferencing Best Practices.
Optimizing Your Meeting Rooms for Video Conferencing
With the shift towards “open plan” offices and the new affordability of video conferencing technology, many organizations are integrating video connectivity into every sized meeting room around the office. Mini rooms that were formerly telephone rooms are among the fastest-growing meeting spaces today as businesses add inexpensive video conferencing solutions to these underutilized spaces. Learn more about Optimizing Your Meeting Rooms for Video Conferencing.
How to Build a Video-First Organizational Culture
By making video conferencing tools a priority, employees are not only more focused and engaged during meetings, they also benefit from nonverbal cues and body language to create better, more authentic relationships with their remote coworkers and customers. Face-to-face video-first communications are sought by both startups and established enterprises because of the technology’s competitive edge. Learn more about How to Build a Video-First Organizational Culture.
Selecting a Video Conferencing Solution
Selecting the right video conferencing solution can be daunting. It’s important to consider both your core team needs as well as the scalability and security requirements for your organization when selecting a video conferencing solution. The nice thing about a cloud-based video conferencing solution is that as those needs change, you can easily scale up or down to match. Learn more about Selecting a Video Conferencing Solution.
Video Conferencing Terminology: A-Z
For a full list of video conferencing acronyms, compression standards and definitions, check out Video Conferencing Terminology page. After all, everyone needs a cheat sheet sometimes.
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