Video meetings have become more popular than ever during the COVID-19 era. Businesses across the globe are adopting remote video meetings as the new standard of conference calls/online meetings, and it’s exciting to see so many great conference calling services offering everything from stable meeting platforms to live streaming and webinar services and beyond.
Hosting a video meeting offers a different take on the traditional meeting via phone or conference room, and it’s clear that video conferencing holds distinct advantages over its counterparts. These include:
- Accountability
- Body Language
- Clear Communication Means Fewer Errors
- Screen Sharing
- Relationship-building
Let’s take a closer look at these five reasons why video meetings are more productive than audio meetings.
1. Accountability
One of the great things about video meetings is that they allow for a certain level of accountability. Because callers show their face on video, you know exactly who you’re talking to. This helps you keep employees accountable, and also increases the overall security of the call.
With cyber crime climbing in the wake of COVID-19, privacy and security in business are more important than ever. It’s estimated that cyberattacks rose by nearly 400% between February and May of 2020, and many industries have seen widespread scams and brute force attacks as more employees move to remote work.
Using a video call ensures you’re actually talking to the right people. Plus, it’s a nice change to see everyone’s face after you’ve been working from home for so long!
2. Body language
A large percentage of overall communication is actually non-verbal. Body language and facial cues help reinforce a message and clarify what the speaker is trying to say. Without the video feed, we’re missing the body language aspect of communication.
It’s important to use a platform that supports HD video and audio so you’re getting the best results. If you’re using outdated or sub-par software, you’ll have trouble making sense of that non-verbal communication.
3. Clear communication means fewer errors
When body language is clarified via video conferencing, there are bound to be fewer errors. The problem with audio calls is that they exclude the body language aspect of communication, which can lead to mistakes. Messages aren’t always conveyed properly without hand signals and facial cues. Think about how you talk; do you use your hands to support what you’re saying? What about smiling, frowning, eye-rolling, and other facial language?
Fewer errors because of communication can only mean one thing: your business is saving money. Think about all the errors you’ve had to deal with in the past. How many of them were due to communication errors? In a remote team, good communication is even more important, since the geographical distance is a huge barrier in itself.
So, the next time you’re scheduling a conference call, try a video call instead of an audio-only call. Some team members might need to warm up to the idea, as not everyone is 100% comfortable on camera.
4. Screen sharing
Successful meetings often include visual aids to reinforce topics of conversation, but it’s impossible to use visual aids if you’re calling over the phone. That’s where screen-sharing comes in. Many conferencing services offer screen-sharing software so you can show each caller exactly what’s on your screen. You can present videos, PowerPoint presentations, graphs and charts, and much more.
This helpful tool can enhance the call and the way the callers learn about the discussion topics. Let’s not forget that visual aids are more engaging. Creating engaging content is the best way to ensure everyone in the call participates.
5. Relationship-Building
Relationship-building is crucial to creating an awesome team, and with video conferencing, you can enhance this process. Referencing our previous section, we learned that clear communication requires good body language, and this is true for relationship-building as well. While you can certainly build a relationship with someone via an audio call, it’s infinitely easier to do so with body language.
You’ll learn more about the person when you can see their face and connect it to a name. Team-building exercises are also easier when everyone is present and can clearly communicate with one another.
It’s important to encourage team members to interact with one another and build strong relationships. It’s been proven that teams with strong interpersonal skills and relationships tend to perform better than those without. It’s easier to unite a team to achieve a common goal when everyone understands one another.
One of the best skills for team-building is empathy. This is an emotion that allows people to connect with one another by “stepping into each other’s shoes”, or seeing things from someone’s perspective and feeling compassion. Encouraging empathy can improve the overall cohesiveness of your team and bring everyone closer together.
Conclusion
Video meetings are more productive overall than audio calls because they encourage accountability, team-building, and more. They also allow for the use of visual aids like screen-sharing software. The next time you host a meeting, try a video meeting instead.