subject: Digital Meetings For A Digital Age [print this page] Business has certainly has changed over the past several decades and the Internet has brought about some of the biggest changes of all. One of the ways in which things have now become different is in the way that we collaborate with others, both inside and outside of our business. When you consider the webcasting software that is now available, it is really possible for you to reach a large audience in a very short amount of time. Of course, there is some reason for you to consider the etiquette that goes into these web conferences, and here are some tips which can help you to say and do the right things.
Perhaps one of the most important things that you should do when holding a webinar is to give the proper introductions. If you are going to be the primary speaker, make sure that you introduce yourself to your audience as well as introducing any other speakers that may be taking part in the conference. The reason why that is so important is because some individuals on the call are going to recognize your voice but others may not recognize it. By getting the introductions out of the way first, you will help people to focus more on what you are saying.
If you are the administrator of the conference, you need to make sure that you set the permissions properly and change them as necessary throughout the conference. The right type of media management software will make this a relatively easy task. An example of what should be done is that the entire system should be muted except for the person that is speaking, so that they can speak uninterrupted. Once a speaker stops speaking, their line should also be muted to avoid having them talk over the other individuals that are taking part in the conference.
Are you using a camera with your web conference? If you are, make sure that you are making appropriate eye contact with the camera regularly. This will help the individuals who are on the conference to feel as if you were speaking to them directly. It may also be a good idea to use a picture of the speaker when there is not a video that is available. Again, this will help people to feel more comfortable with the overall process.
If people are going to be accessing from multiple locations, make sure that you have some type of slide show or other information available before the conference starts. This will allow those who are unfamiliar with using this type of system to feel at ease, knowing that they have logged in properly. You should also make sure that any announcement features are disabled on the call as well. You can either do this during the conference itself or you can disable them from the very start. This tend to be a feature that is rather gimmicky, and although it is a good idea for you to know how many people were on the conference, you don't need to be constantly interrupted by those that are coming and going while the conference is taking place.
