10 Reasons to Switch On Video for Next Work Meeting
Why are video calls required now more than ever before
Many organisations have been forced to adopt Telecommuting as a new norm to their day to day operations, all thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. In continuation to the Telecommuting series I have been writing for sometime, this article talks about Video conferencing (VC) and why it is more important to be adopted now.
I am Pratik Hegde, Sr. UX designer at a Healthcare IT company. In this article I want to share my views on why Video call is more important in the current scenario. Even if you have championed the use of VC in your organisation, I still urge you to go ahead and read through the 10 points below.
1. Feels More Human
It feels natural to talk in a video call. When each conference member is visible, we’re inclined to use the communication skills we’ve all practiced all our our life.
2. Creates a Digital Workspace
When we are in a video call, we are conscious of the space we chose to sit in for work, what clothes we wear while working. All of these things have a psychological effect on our remote working style.
For example, sitting in a very confined and small space provokes detail oriented thinking while sitting in a large room with good spacing provokes creative and more freer thinking (Cathedral Effect). Pajamas or night wear are associated to relaxation and sleep, while athletic tracks are associated to energy and motivation.
3. Provides Immediate Feedback
Feedback in terms of expressions of satisfaction, concern, or understanding can be captured immediately and more easily on a video call.
4. Helps Maintain Connect
Real-time face-to-face interactions are the richest to any other alternative to in-person meetings. Employees working remotely can see each other in flesh and still have close relationships with each other.
5. Enables Effective Communication
Non-verbal communication constitutes about 70% of our communication. Eye contact, facial expressions, head & shoulder movements, arm gestures, body language are all necessary for creating essential social bonds and shared understandings. In case of just voice communication, these all visual cues are lost and we might not be able to effectively convey what we wanted to, or on the contrary, effectively grasp what the communicator is trying to convey.
6. Reduces Interruptions and Distractions
Everyone of us must have experienced this during conference calls, few people speak together and end up interrupting each other. Sometimes its the other way round; everyone is silent as they are waiting for the other person to speak. Chances of these happening over a video call are less since we can see if the person is done talking or not.
Distractions are more from an environment perspective like family members coming and going, not going on mute when needed etc. We consciously try to account for these distractions and try to avoid whenever there is a video call.
A short video to demonstrate this point in a hilarious way.
7. Improves Attention Span
Every one of us have zoned out some or the other time during audio conferences. It is because we feel disconnected and multitask, which drives us further away from the ongoing conversation. However, with video, there is pressure to maintain that virtual eye contact, resulting into superior levels of engagement.
8. Improves Retention
Human beings are visual creatures. Studies show that human brain processes visual information faster and retains it with 90% more accuracy than non-visual information. Therefore, when we have video conferencing meetings, we tend to retain more information and comprehend it more effectively than we would as compared to meeting via audio.
9. Reduces Number of Meetings
Video-centric communications allow participants to make use of multiple senses instead of just hearing senses. This boosts concentration levels and allows participants to absorb more information, thereby needing to have lesser number of meetings on the same topics. It goes without saying that reduced number of meetings have direct positive impact on productivity.
10. Builds Trust Between Employer and an Employee
Teams are becoming increasingly geographically distributed for several reasons, mainly due to pandemic given the current situation. Bringing the entire team to video for couple of minutes goes distance in creating higher comfort level in employers mind and acts as a reassurance on employee’s availability for work.
Conclusion
Video Conferencing is not just to reduce travel and save time, real benefit is to improve the way we communicate on a daily basis.
Let us switch on that video for next work call and experience the magic happen!
Thank you for giving your time to stay with me and read this article. I wish you and your family good health and safety. Feel free to share this if you think it will help someone.
