How can you leverage video conferencing to enhance your business communication skills?

1 Choose the right platform

Not all video conferencing platforms are created equal. Depending on your purpose, audience, and budget, you may want to choose a platform that suits your needs and preferences. Some factors to consider are the quality of the video and audio, the ease of use, the security and privacy, the features and functions, and the compatibility and integration with other tools. For example, if you need to share your screen, record your session, or use interactive elements like polls or quizzes, you may want to look for a platform that supports these options. Alternatively, if you need to communicate with a large or diverse group of people, you may want to look for a platform that can accommodate different languages, devices, and bandwidths.

2 Prepare and practice

Like any other form of communication, video conferencing requires preparation and practice. Before you join or host a video conference, make sure you have a clear agenda, a reliable internet connection, a suitable device and software, and a professional and comfortable environment. Check your camera, microphone, and speakers, and adjust the lighting, background, and angle to ensure a good visual and audio quality. Also, practice your presentation, speech, or conversation beforehand, and anticipate any questions, feedback, or technical issues that may arise. You can also ask a friend or colleague to do a test run with you and give you some constructive feedback.

3 Engage and connect

Video conferencing can be a great way to build rapport and trust with your interlocutors, but it can also be challenging to maintain attention and interest in a virtual setting. To engage and connect with your audience, try using eye contact and facial expressions to convey your emotions, gestures and body language to emphasize points, vocal variety and pauses to modulate tone and pace, humor and stories to add personality, questions and polls to invite participation, visuals and media to illustrate ideas, and chat and emojis to encourage interaction.

4 Be respectful and professional

Video conferencing may appear to be more casual and informal than face-to-face communication, but it is still important to show respect and professionalism. To avoid misunderstandings and conflicts, you should be punctual and courteous, introduce yourself and others, mute yourself when not speaking, avoid interruptions and distractions, follow the agenda and the time limit, acknowledge and address technical difficulties, and thank your interlocutors before ending the call. Additionally, it is important to follow up with your interlocutors after the call.

5 Learn and improve

Video conferencing is a skill that can be learned and improved with time. You can evaluate your performance and identify your strengths and weaknesses by asking for feedback from interlocutors or observers, reviewing the recording or transcript of your session, reflecting on your goals and outcomes, seeking advice or coaching from experts or mentors, and exploring new tools or techniques to enhance your video conferencing skills. Through these tips, you can use video conferencing to communicate with business partners, colleagues, and customers in an effective manner and reach your desired results.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?