Tips and Techniques for Successful Video Conferencing

Keep these tips in mind as you plan your next video conference:

• Distribute detailed documents before the meeting.
• Bring your confirmation form to the meeting – it has all the phone numbers in case there's a problem.
• Arrive 15 minutes early ... if you are using switched, dial-up network services, call the phone number on your confirmation form to begin call setup.
• Speak and act naturally; use verbal and visual cues.
• Be aware of the transmission delay ... pause for others to comment.
• Avoid shuffling papers or tapping objects near the microphone.
• Avoid distracting side conversations.
• On multipoint video conferences mute your location when not speaking.

Pointers for preparing presentation materials:

• Use a bold typeface of at least 14 points.
• Use only two-thirds of an 8 1/2" x 11" page, leaving the margins free.
• Use landscape mode.
• Use graphics that are easy to understand – such as simple bar and pie charts.
• If you're presenting, don't wear white! A medium blue or pastel shirt with a medium-to-dark jacket is a good bet. Avoid busy patterns and flashy jewelry that will reflect light.

Tips for the video conference manager:

• Set clear goals for the meeting; distribute an agenda.
• Start and conclude on time.
• Introduce all participants.
• Encourage participation, take polls, and direct questions appropriately.
• Adjust the camera during the video conference using zoom and pan controls to keep things interesting.
• Be aware of fatigue and arrange regular breaks.
• Summarize key points and plan active follow-up.
• Schedule the next video conference.

Special Information for Managing Multipoint Video Conferences

Certain key people are needed to manage a video conference across multiple sites: a location manager for each videoconferencing room involved in the call, and an overall video conference manager.

The Location Manager's Job

The location manager acts as a general organizer and host for each specific site, and has these responsibilities:

Before the Video Conference

• Obtain the following important telephone numbers:
  • A voice telephone number in the video conferencing room of the person
  • acting as overall video conference manager
  • The trouble reporting number of the AT&T Video Center
  • The dial-in numbers for each location
• Be sure you have the reservation confirmation with you; it contains important information and phone numbers you'll need in the event of technical problems.
• Become familiar with how to:
  • Work the control panel for the video room equipment
  • Preset the video camera positions (if your equipment allows this)
  • Use dual monitors, if they will be present at the conference
  • Work the microphone mute button and adjust volume
• Preview all slides and charts on the video conference room's document camera for clarity, type readability, and overall impact.
• Make sure that the agenda is prepared and sent to all locations, along with a copy of the confirmation form.
• At the home site of the video conference manager, make sure this individual knows how to switch the video camera, use the microphone mute button, and adjust the volume.
• If you are using domestic switched network services, dial into the video conference 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time

At Conference Time

• Distribute agendas to all participants at your location before the conference begins.
• Introduce the participants at your site to one another before the conference call is made.
• After the video conference manager introduces each location, introduce the participants at your location. You will need to switch the camera as each person is introduced.
• Mute and unmute the microphone button as each person speaks, adjusting the volume as needed. Please refer to your equipment user manual to understand if muting your microphone will improve audio quality. In some cases, it may add distortion if all microphones are muted.
• If the video conference manager is at your location, it's best to let that individual handle the microphone.

The Video Conference Manager's Job

One person should be designated to manage an entire multipoint video conference, with these responsibilities:

Before the Conference

• Chat with the location manager for your site. This person can help familiarize you with switching cameras, using dual monitors, working the microphone mute button, and adjusting the volume.
• Obtain a list of the voice telephone numbers for each location, and the names of location managers at each site.
• Establish a list of codes – numbers, letters, or some other code – to identify each participating site. Use this list to poll each site in a predetermined sequence during the video conference, checking off each location before proceeding to the next. This keeps things moving, gives people a frame of reference, and avoids leaving a location out.
• Make sure an agenda is prepared for the meeting and sent to all locations, along with a copy of the reservation confirmation form. If any of the locations experience technical difficulty, this form contains information needed to resolve the trouble with the AT&T Video Center.

At Conference Time

• Once the video conference call is established and all locations are connected, open the meeting with introductions – even if participants know each other. Begin with the video conference manager's location, and move the camera around so that all locations will see the person being introduced. (It is best to have the video conference manager make the introductions so that the volume does not have to be adjusted each time a person speaks.)
• After introductions at the video conference manager's site, poll the other sites in the designated order, so that the location managers can introduce the people at their site.
• Describe the polling sequence – the order in which each location will be called upon to participate.
• During the conference, poll sites frequently and adjust the time allotted to each as needed.
• As the conference continues, ensure that each location mutes their microphone when another location is speaking, and turns up the microphone when their own location is speaking.
• The video conference manager should mute and unmute the microphone in their location, and adjust the volume when each participant speaks.
• If the meeting requires an open discussion – which is not advisable for calls with more than three locations - and two locations begin to speak at the same time, intercede and remind the group of the need for orderly responses.
• When visual aids are presented, the camera will pause for half a second before switching from the previous speaker to the visual aid. Give the group time to absorb the visual information, then switch the camera back to the presenter.
• If a dual monitor is used, the visual display should be frozen so that live action can be resumed as soon as the frozen display is seen.
• If there is interest in extending the video conference beyond the scheduled time, the decision must be made more than 15 minutes before the scheduled end time. At that point, a call should be made to the AT&T Video Center to determine whether an extension can be accommodated.
• Allow a few minutes before the scheduled end of the conference to poll each location to wrap things up.