3 Reasons Videoconferencing is Greater Than Teleconferencing
Before I delve into the magical three reasons that video meetings are better than teleconferencing- I want to give one reason that teleconferencing is greater than video...
You can "participate" in a meeting while not paying attention, not contributing, and not taking anything valuable away from the meeting- and no one has a clue.
Don't lie- you've been there. Sitting on a teleconference with your phone muted, chatting with other people in the office, propping your feet up on the desk for a little shut-eye, or most commonly, working on unrelated tasks. I am fairly confident that we have all participated in teleconference calls like this. We are not necessarily meaning to ignore the actual meeting we are in- but it's kind of second nature to this set up. Now we don't mean to take away your office nap-time by suggesting you give up teleconferencing, but you may not need a nap if your day is a little more efficient and a little less wasteful.
1: Body Language aka Non-Verbal Communication. These things are important. When I am expressing an idea or a point-- I talk with my hands. When I don't understand or agree with someone I may raise my eye brows or show concern in my forehead. When I am engaged in a conversation, I am making eye contact, and squarely facing the person or people I am listening to. If I'm on the phone-- you won't know if I am or am not doing any of this. As you see below on the pie graph from www.kingpinlifestlyle.com , there is a lot that goes into talking, besides what we are saying. Seeing, is believing, my friend.
2: Know your partners, competitors and co-workers. Have you ever spoken with someone on the phone before meeting them, and then been completely dumbfounded by a part of the appearance when you do meet them? My husband always comments on my ability to match the people I am talking to and how I can connect so quickly with a complete stranger. Matching and mirroring is important, and to do so- you need to know who you are talking to. If you can't see someone, and you haven't met them- how do you know what level to connect on. Are they a polished businessman in a three piece suit who wants to hear facts and figures, or a relaxed sales guy sporting a University of Pittsburgh golf shirt who wants examples of how other people are using the product. I believe we can all relate to each other in some way, we just need to be given the opportunity, the window, or the video conference to see each other and find out what our common ground is. Ya know, seeing- is believing?
3: Sharing ideas, presentations and content- in real time. Don't get me wrong, email is great. I just recently was chatting with our sales manager and expressed my disbelief in how businesses even operated when the only option was snail mail. But if I have spent the time to put together a presentation, a document, or a business case- I would also like the opportunity to present it TO YOU. I want to highlight specific words to make my point, and I need to know when to explain something more in depth because you raised your eyebrows in concern, or when to breeze through a section that is all too familiar to you. You deserve to see the "picture I have painted" at the rate that it is being presented. How are we suppose to discuss changes on page 7, when only one of us is looking at page 7?
These aren't new ideas, and neither is video conferencing. But for some reason, having a 6-way teleconference still seems more efficient than a video meeting? Give it a try- We're efficient, we're affordable, and we're easy- what more can you ask for in a service provider?
Did I mention.... Seeing, is believing :) Give the Easymeeting video conferencing services a try for 14 days- commitment free!
