subject: How Video Conferences Transform Business Communications [print this page] In the age of text conversations, via email and cellular phones, a common concern and complaint is that miscommunication is becoming more prevalent. Without hearing a person's tone and seeing his body language, it's all too easy to misinterpret the exact meaning behind his words. Unfortunately, the same goes for telephone conversations.
Imagine for a moment that you're on the phone with a local restaurant manager, and that you're asking for a partial refund because your delivery was 20 minutes late. You're mildly abrasive toward him, because you're upset that the late delivery put a kink in your schedule. The manager is a fun-loving, easygoing gentleman who is somewhat playful when confronted.
He says, "Oh, I guess you can have your refund." He's truly apologetic for your delay. But because you can't see his friendly smile through the phone, you may assume that, in spite of his soft tone, he's being stubborn, grumpy or condescending. While an on-site conversation may have gone well between you two, you're now annoyed-and he just lost a customer.
Emoticons can alleviate miscommunication in text, just as tone can change the underlying meaning of words in a telephone conversation, but the best and most direct form of communication is a face-to-face discussion. With the combination of words, tone, gestures and facial expressions, our interpretations of each other are much more accurate. And in no place is this more important to your time and bottom line than in a business environment.
High-definition video conferencing allows you and your clients or business associates to speak face to face, literally, while being in separate locations. With clear audio and a crisp image of the person you're speaking with, it's the closest encounter you can have without the hassle and inconvenience of a real-life meeting. Rather than having conference attendees fill their busy schedules with travel and roundtable discussions, you can save them and yourself some time and money by meeting via video conference.
With the right equipment and software supporting this feature, it's also possible to share diagrams and presentations, and even collaborate in real time with the person on the receiving end of your call. When trying to land that big contract for your work, this communication option allows you to show your work, in real time, more clearly than images would.
Some VoIP service providers may enable this feature for free on a video-capable phone or downloadable soft phone, which is yet another benefit to your bottom line when using high-definition video conferencing for business communications.
