Speaking is probably something you don’t think too much about. After all, most of us do it on a daily basis and quite frequently. When it comes to preparing for your videoconference nothing could really be more important than your ability to effectively and accurately communicate. There are certainly other important factors such as appearance and etiquette and lighting and…well the list continues.
And for good reason, videoconferencing isn’t just something of the future any more. It’s here and now and because so many of us use some sort of webcam for communication on a daily basis it is important to remember the following key elements in being able to communicate properly in a business manner.
Table of Contents
Too Familiar, Too Quick
Getting too familiar, too quickly can drain the respect your colleagues have for you. The opposite can hold true and you can be boring and a total stick in the mud. You don’t want to be the one bringing down the group energy. One of the easiest ways to gauge this is simple but takes some time to truly hone before you can consider yourself a master at it. This is the basic notion of observing.
Instead of feeling like you have to be the first one out of the gate with conversation let the group dynamics have a little time to settle in. Once they gel then you can get into the pacing of conversation that is required to help increase productivity.
Not Your Friends
In most cases you may have already established some of your coworkers as friends in your outside life, more than likely through some form of social media. This can make the work place a lot more fun and relaxed, but there is certainly a time and place to flaunt the unique friendships that you have with your different coworkers, and this isn’t one of them.
The purpose of practicing a little restraint in this regard is to lead you more into a state of mind that is focused on the group and the task hand. Those lovely old sayings about mixing work with pleasure may have fallen by the wayside over the years, but they still hold some of their truth.
Practice Good Speaking Daily
From time to time we all do the “…um…um…um…where you know what I’m saying? Know what I’m talking about? For sure, for real, and right on.” This sort of language is essentially filler language that gives our brain a quick second to catch up with our mouth. Or vice versa. Regardless, the end result is that you sound like you don’t know what you’re talking about, that you’re unfocused, and not committed to the group.
Clearly a little bit of language of this nature seeps its way in to conversation from time to time. That is pretty common. The main thing is to focus on eliminating it in your casual speaking. Look at it as a bad habit that needs kicking.
Stop Directing Traffic
A well placed gesture can add distinction and strength to what you’re saying but this too needs to be limited. One of the main reasons it is distracting when your videoconferencing is that the other members of your team aren’t seeing you quite the same way they would if you were standing in behind a podium.
Depending on your setup, there’s even a chance that they only see you from the shoulders up. That means that every time you motion with your hands your team is probably only seeing a real quick hummingbird flutter of your hand as it passes in front of your webcam. Sit on your hands if you have to and focus more on what you are saying than how you are saying it.
Hold Your Own
If big words aren’t naturally in your vocabulary than don’t suddenly try to impress others with the few fifty-cent words that you have stashed away in your memory banks. It’s much more important to be comfortable in your own skin when you are working than to be trying to sing for your meal.
Also, another big thing to remember in regard to staying natural to your true voice is that you don’t always have to speak up. If you don’t know something, don’t risk putting your foot in your mouth. Instead, be sure to adequately contribute when you do have something to say. This will help you keep your feet on the ground and stop you from possibly embarrassing yourself.
Sticking to Standards
Effective videoconferencing really does take practice. It combines many different elements of daily business life and really should be approached in the same manner as routine business. Don’t let yourself loose to the point where you are carrying on your work conferences like you do your personal calls. It seems like a common sense thing but as we use video calling in our everyday lives it is tempting to lose the business aspect. Who doesn’t relish the idea of making business calls from the beach? Sounds like fun, but it’s not very professional.
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