Every evil is for some good. This forced digitalization has compelled a large number of people to discover the charms of video conferencing and acquire skills they may not have wanted to possess. Although it may seem at first glance that this method of negotiation, agreement, and sometimes delivery will not survive once the epidemiological movement restrictions are lifted, believe me that this method of communication will have far-reaching effects on changing a part of the sales paradigm related to physical contact with potential clients, as well as maintaining contacts.

Of course, the effect itself does not arise from compliance with prescribed epidemiological measures as the main reason but from a much simpler consequence of that reason – significant savings in time and travel costs. Until now, this form of communication has been mainly represented in the ICT sector and in the business of multinational companies, but now most business people will be very familiar with it and its use will not represent a fear of the unknown or a hardware problem, so they will continue to use it in their business. 

Video conferences imply, along with organizational aspects, equally important technical aspects that will shape your first impression on interlocutors. It is not always easy to leave the impression of a professional while sitting in a ‘shirt up and pajamas down’ during a video conference, but it is not impossible either. As the old rule goes – there is no second chance for a first impression, consider these technical aspects that will give you the opportunity to provide interlocutors with a more pleasant contact and leave a much more professional impression.

1. After you have received the link with the ‘invitation’ to the video conference, download the application in advance or visit the website of the link. In most cases, you will receive the invitation much earlier than the meeting will be held, so you have enough time for registration and a technical trial of the application or its web version on your computer, mobile phone, or tablet. The technical trial implies that you ensure that the application recognizes your camera, speakers, and microphone. Do not be late for the scheduled meeting because you forgot access data or did not manage to click all the windows that open with permissions for the application to access your microphone, camera, and speakers. If problems do occur, most websites of these applications have very good technical support in the form of frequently asked questions in case there are problems with camera recognition or if the microphone and speaker are turned off or too quiet. —

   

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2. If you are not alone, use headphones. Household members should not be familiar with the content of business video conferences, especially if you do not indicate to the interlocutors that the conversation can be heard by other people. If you want everyone to hear you well, use a separate microphone. Built-in microphones in laptops are far from your mouth and pick up and process all background noises. Handsfree headphones that you received with your mobile phone more or less use the same type of connector that your laptop uses. The microphone will be close to your mouth and is less sensitive to background noises, and you will hear the sound from the headphones much more clearly while at the same time uninvited parties will not be familiar with the content of the conversation.
3. During the video conference, do not hold the device in your hand or on your knees – business conversations are not chit-chat with friends and the continuous ‘shaking’ of your frame will cause nervousness in the interlocutors similar to when someone in front of you nervously ‘bounces’ while explaining something or, worse, while silent. People want to be focused on the conversation, not on the constant change of pieces of individual frames. Also, if you are nervous, check that moving your legs does not shake the table on which the device you are connected to the video conference is placed. It often happens that you do not notice this yourself because you are not focused on your display during the conversation (in most cases) but on the interlocutors.
4. Pay attention to the angle of your camera and what you have in your frame – video conferencing applications have the option to preview your frame before joining the meeting. Check what is in the frame so that the interlocutors do not see details from your private life that you do not want them to know or see at that moment. Certainly, this includes checking whether only the upper part of your body with a shirt is visible or if the lower part of your pajamas is perhaps peeking through (in the best case). The camera should be positioned at face level so that the interlocutors do not have the impression that they are lying below you. You probably do not want such an impression at a business meeting, do you? To achieve the camera at face level, you can place your laptop or mobile phone on a couple of thicker books or a regular box.
5. If you are connecting to the video conference via a mobile phone or tablet, turn the device to a horizontal position or click on the option that will make your frame horizontal to align with the orientation of the other interlocutors’ displays. Business video calls often take place via laptops or desktop computers with stationary cameras, so displays are most often in horizontal orientation. —

   

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6. If you have an older camera, consider a higher resolution camera – if video conferences are going to become part of your daily routine and a larger part of contact with potential or existing customers will take place through them, you should also consider the quality of your personal display as a significant part of sales is pure non-verbal communication. This only applies if your laptop has a weaker camera or your stationary camera is from the time when WiFi was not widely available, as a higher resolution camera meant delays in video data transmission. Even an average HD camera will make a significant difference in the impression you leave during a video conference.
7. Reduce background noises – before entering the video conference, turn off all devices that produce sounds; silence your mobile phone, turn off the TV or radio, and close the window next to which you are sitting if you are near a road or some loud environment. What happens more often than you think – try not to rock on a squeaky chair even though you have not perceived that sound for years. Microphones will often automatically amplify all sounds unless the software has the option for automatic background noise suppression turned on. If you must use that option, be careful with it as it sometimes ‘cuts’ parts of your speech depending on the quality of the microphone and the software itself.
8. Turn off the microphone on your application (Mute option) while you are not speaking as this will reduce noise in the video conferencing channel since some microphones transmit breathing sounds depending on whether you are close to the device, and if you breathe loudly or have respiratory problems. It will also reduce noise as the echo of the interlocutor will not be heard since your speaker is close to the microphone if you are not using headphones, which can lead to the echo of the same sound. Not all microphones and software have the same sensitivity or ability to recognize and completely isolate the output sound from the speaker from retransmission. —

   

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9. Let there be light! – ensure sufficient light in the room while making sure it does not come from behind. For example, do not sit during the day with the window behind your back as your display will be dark, and the light will break through from the sides (while you will not look like a saint). Also, in a dark room, you can bring a desk lamp closer while ensuring it is not in the frame itself.
10. Pay attention to whether the conversation is being recorded – this is often an overlooked item, and for one awkwardly stated claim, there is then a permanent record. Before you decide to speak more openly, check whether the conversation is being recorded. Today, nothing is easier than publishing recordings and at the same time – nothing is harder than permanently removing them

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