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Survey: 10 global video conferencing trends and etiquette

If you’ve ever thought that video conferencing does not need an etiquette guide, you are wrong. There are several do and don’ts where video conferencing is concerned. While this collaboration tool may seem simple to use, there are various caveats that users of video conferencing need to keep in mind.

Polycom commissioned a global survey of 1,205 business decision-makers in 12 countries to explore global video conferencing trends and etiquette. The results are fascinating, to say the least. So here goes with an insight into the global trends regarding video conferencing…

1) Video conferencing to become the world’s most preferred collaboration tool: This will happen by 2016 as opposed to Email is the world’s most preferred collaboration tool in 2013.

2) Video conferencing to become almost ubiquitous: Almost 96% of business decision-makers believe video conferencing improves productivity between teams in different locations. Also, about 76% of business decision-makers now use video conferencing at work. About 56% of business decision-makers who use video today participate in at least one video meeting per week.

3) Video conferencing participants should speak up: About 69% of business decision-makers said that the ability to hear everyone is important, so you need to ensure that microphones are well-positioned and you also need to ensure that everyone speaks clearly and slowly especially when bilingual participants are involved.

4) Video conferencing participants should keep it simple: Around 60% of business decision-makers said that straightforward technology is key. So, the easier you make your technology to access and use, the more people will adopt it.

5) Video conferencing should involve constant eye contact: About 58% of participants said that good eye contact is vital to a successful video meeting. So, you need to look at your on-screen colleagues as if they are in the room.

6) Video conferencing should not have a noisy background: While this seems obvious, it is often not followed by participants. Around 50% of participants say that they are distracted by music, noise, or decor. So, do turn off those tunes before you join a video call.

7) Video conferencing needs participants to be fully focused on the meeting: About 51% of participants noticed people who were either multitasking or looking bored during the video meeting. So, do ensure that you are fully focused on the meeting rather than on Facebook.

8) Video conferencing should take place at an appropriate location: Around 52% of participants advised against joining meetings from inappropriate locations. So, try to avoid joining meetings from planes, trains and shopping malls.

9) Video conferencing should not be disturbed by mobile phones: About 58% of participants said that mobile phones going off at a meeting is a meeting killer. So, ensure that your mobile phone is switched off during a video meeting.

10) Video conferencing etiquette is influenced by culture: Different countries have different video conferencing etiquette rules. So, for example, users in the UK and Germany do not mind pets in the room during a video conference. This is, however, not acceptable to participants in India and Poland. Also, while users in Australia do not mind casual attire during a video conference, this is not acceptable to users in Singapore and Germany.

So, now you know more about global video conferencing etiquette trends. Do keep these in mind when organizing and executing your next video conference. Here’s to seamless and appropriate video conferencing!

For more information on setting up a video conferencing solution for your business, contact Actis at 022-30808080 or at contact@actis.co.in.

(Content and Images courtesy: www.polycom.com)

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