What is video conferencing? In short, it is technology that is changing the way companies do business. It allows companies to effortlessly connect multiple offices from around the globe. It also offers companies the ability to work with a global pool of contacts, to interview remote candidates without having to pay travel expenses, to make better decisions more quickly, and more. In a real-time call connecting parties via the Internet, cameras and microphones allow participants to see and hear one another…to communicate and collaborate.
Three-way calling capabilities have been around for quite some time, but they simply aren’t as powerful or as efficient as live phone meetings. The technology didn’t always make remote collaboration or interviewing very practical. Telephones tend to produce inferior sound quality, and they don’t offer a venue for face-to-face communication.
Those asking “what is video conferencing?” should know that it essentially duplicates a face-to-face experience.
What is video conferencing offering in terms of sound quality?
Three-way calls are often full of static and requests like, “can you repeat that?” With the correctly specified video conferencing solution, however, the audio quality can be so good it’s akin to sitting in the very same room with all participants. In larger rooms, multiple microphones may be installed to give equal coverage to all participants. These microphones are very powerful and purposefully designed, which means they don’t suffer from feedback, echo or other issues.
What is video conferencing offering in terms of visual quality?
With remote meetings, body language and facial expressions are clearer. As much as eighty percent of communication is non-verbal, so being able to see those sometimes subtle cues allows participants engaged in conversation to receive all of the nuances and build camaraderie with remote co-workers. This is especially important during job interviews when prospective employers must assess how the candidate carries himself and evaluate his or her general demeanor.
This can be accomplished with the help of large, high-definition monitors and screens. These screens are, of course, multi-functional, and as capable of displaying a pre-made recording or presentation as they are of showing a live feed. Most tele-meeting setups are very flexible.
Remote meeting technology allows the group to look at the big picture.
Documents. PowerPoint presentations. Diagrams. Any type of collaboration and training is easier when the right remote meeting software or web conferencing application brings everything up close and personal for participants to view. In addition, some powerful software applications allow the members of the collaborative meeting to mark on a shared digital whiteboard, just as if they were all standing in the same room with access to a physical whiteboard.
Why take advantage of this power?
Many organizations can benefit from this capability. Businesses with multiple remote offices can work together in a seamless fashion. Lawyers can conduct remote depositions with witnesses without incurring travel expenses or losing the nuances of facial expressions and body language. Educators can offer true classroom instruction to students who are sitting in their own living rooms. Hiring managers can draw from a larger pool of candidates without putting prospective hires on a plane or paying for a hotel.
What is video conferencing? It is the next best thing to getting meeting participants from around the world together in the same room.