The demand for virtual communication is at an all-time high with COVID-19 as many organizations have moved to remote work policies. Working from home has employees communicating virtually through audio and video conferencing.  How organizations choose to communicate can impact the overall productivity and engagement with their employees. In this blog we will review the positive effects video conferencing can have on your organization’s culture, productivity and collaboration in a work-from-home setting.
 

 

Looking at the Stats

According to a UCLA study published on Forbes.com, gestures count for 55% of the impact you have on an audience, while tone of voice makes up 38%, resulting in non-verbal part of your presentation accounting for 93% of the impact. Knowing that your words alone only count for 7% of attendees’ attention, audio conferencing alone is not enough. If your organization is using audio conferencing as its primary communication tool, it might be time to switch over to video conferencing to improve your connection with your audience.

Attendees are more engaged with video conferences by seeing each other's facial expressions and body language. Encouraging all attendees to use video removes cohesion. If only a few users activate their video, distracting thoughts of “it’s not fair” or “I know they aren’t paying attention” occurs. About 83% of video users are less likely to multitask when they are on a video call rather than an audio call.  During these unprecedented times, users are more likely to engage in negative thinking, which distracts them from the meeting.  By encouraging all attendees to use their webcam to help recreate an office setting, it can increase engagement and productivity. 

Attendees are more likely to pay attention and be engaged if they are on video. Knowing others can see you discourages attendees from being distracted by their phones or fade into a daydream. Strong attentiveness can decrease the length of meetings. According to a survey featured on Microsoft.com, 89% of respondents believed video conferencing helped them complete projects or tasks faster. Video conferences on average are shorter because it saves time from lengthy emails and screen sharing allow attendees to follow along and avoid confusion. Furthermore, muting all attendees and using the chat box features for questions minimizes disruption and assist with sticking to the agenda.
 

Happy Calling!

While being away from the office, video conferencing helps with clarifications. If you question whether your colleagues are aware of something, share it anyway. Return emails and calls promptly and remember to take the time for “water cooler” chats. Just because you are not physically together does not mean you should not check-in with each other. In fact, a recent survey reveals that 98% of respondent believe that video conferencing helps build relationships. Video conferencing engages attendees in more ways than one and brings a bit of normalcy into these unprecedented times.