Videoconferencing

Many organizations have sufficient bandwidth to conduct videoconferences over the Internet, and some that have not yet reached that point have access via direct lines with videoconferencing centers in other cities or other facilities. The videoconference should be used when (because of graphics, presentation content, or physical disability) a teleconference would be insufficient to meet the need.

Videoconferences generally require a higher level of rehearsal and testing than other communications tools, because the technology is relatively unfamiliar to most users. Videoconferences are normally limited to one or two remote sites because of the few seconds of lag time involved in getting information from one site to the other. Although that may seem an inconsequential period of time, those seconds make the difference between normal conversation across a conference table and a stilted conversation with accidental overlaps and miscues.

Those awkward moments can be overcome through planning and coordination. The key in videoconferences is to identify gestures, cues, or handoffs that will facilitate more ordinary conversation. The other key is to encourage those who are not familiar to avoid some of the most common missteps or miscues of applying the technology. A classic example is the propensity for some videoconference users to stare at the television screen, rather than occasionally glance at the camera (if it is not properly placed adjacent to the receiving television screen). It causes the viewers on the “other end” to perceive that the focus of the discussion is elsewhere. The camera is the “eye” of the receiver, and a failure to look the other participants in the eyes can interfere with basic communication.

There is a need in videoconferences to limit some of the presentation graphic support material. Because some remote screens may be as small as 15 inches, highly detailed graphics may not be effectively supported. Otherwise, the content may be virtually the same as any other meeting.

Videoconferences are most frequently beset by their own technology. Even in organizations with dedicated videoconference rooms, the technology is often sufficiently daunting that full-time technical support becomes essential. That can sometimes limit the efficacy of such presentations.

Also, as with any remote transmission, time zones may become a consideration. A 4:00 p.m. presentation on the East coast of the United States will be happening at 9:00 p.m. in the United Kingdom, and at 6:00 a.m. in the Pacific Rim. The needs of the remote participants need to be taken into account in the videoconference environment.

Remote Presentations

Remote presentations take the videoconference to the next level. Remote presentations are presentations in which the receivers cannot actively participate, so the sender speaks to a large audience via technology similar to that applied in a videoconference. The difference is that because of the larger audience size and because the presentation is purely outbound, the focus on the sender is all the more intense. Concerns such as audience focus, proper language, decorum, and idiomatic language are amplified for the one presenter because nobody else is participating in the process. Success in the remote presentation environment is rooted in the same principles as success in the videoconference environment. Preparation and a thorough understanding of the audience, the technology, and the environment are essential to success.

In building a presentation for remote delivery, the content should be direct, clear, and unambiguous. Complex ideas should be rendered as less complex analogies that the audience can see or hear and readily understand. The content should be rendered in digestible segments, because one-way communication does not encourage active listening and participation. In video presentations, the graphics should be simple, because the presentation screens being used by the receivers may be as small as DVD playback units, which do not allow for a great deal of detail. (Granted, most remote presentations are projected on larger screens, but there is no guarantee of how the content will be used and reused.)

As with any presentation, the content should express the clear intent of the presentation at the outset, deliver that intent, and then affirm that the intent has been met. In dealing with remote media, presenters frequently forget the basics. Microphones do not require the presenter to use a louder voice. Cameras are the eyes of the audience, rather than monitors. In video production, the most common problem is a failure to look directly into the lens of the camera, as though it were the eyes of the audience. Because, for the presenter, the “audience” frequently consists of little more than a cameraman and a sound engineer, there is sometimes a temptation to present to those individuals. A warm relationship with the camera lens will convey the message more effectively.

Remote presentations do have their advantages. They allow the presentation or discussion to be reused, and they enable presentations in venues where temporal or physical constraints would normally render them impossible. Still, true communication is a two-way street, and the remote presentation is a one-way avenue.

Video/Snapshot Phone

In just the past few years, a cellular technology has taken hold like few others, that of the snapshot phone. Although such a novelty might seem inappropriate for business applications, nothing could be further from the truth. From validating the look and feel of potential deliverables to ensuring you can identify the person with whom you are dealing, the cell phones with built-in cameras and transmission protocols create the distinct advantage of generating a new opportunity to build clearer relationships and better understanding with peers on the other end.

While the pictures are small and do not afford any significant quality in resolution, they can be helpful in broader applications. Still, the same issues as exist with videoconferencing (proper use, focus, and decorum) need to be kept in mind in this much smaller-scale application.