Corona and Zoom: tips for conducting video calls

One of the interesting things about 2020 (okay, one of the not-terrible, interesting things about 2020) is that techniques we taught for years to executives and high-tech people have become necessary skills for all of us. 

Suddenly, not only managers and scientists need to know how to participate in conference calls or deliver a video conference presentation, in fact, almost every grandchild and grandmother accumulates mileage in Zoom and hangouts.

So we wanted to share our tools with you, and also give some learning opportunities.

Tips for conference call managers

Conference calls with many participants will only be successful if they are managed professionally, and even the most professional and expensive platform will not help when the speakers waste time or when they burst into words. Here are some powerful tips:

• decide and inform in advance about the framework
  Should everyone open cameras? Are they required to participate only in speech or also in chat? How long will the call last?
  Like any meeting and even more so, a conference call goes better if the participants know in advance what is expected of them.
  In days like these when regular arrangements have long been broken, it is sometimes difficult to demand that people arrive on time or be dressed for a meeting at short notice. Also, the amount of batmans jumps and participates and (including the conversation manager) may get stuck with a toddler who enters the room to fight with his sister. That is why it is useful to define to the participants as much time in advance as possible what is expected of them.
• Maximum control of the conversation (especially the option to mute the microphone for outbursts) 
  A normal meeting that turns into shouting can still be conducted - a video call cannot. In a normal meeting, yelling in a meeting is sometimes a good thing: brainstorming that goes on quietly probably doesn't excite anyone. In a video call it is impossible with the existing technology to understand more than 2-3 speakers at the same time.
  Therefore, in conversations of a formal nature, it is very useful for the manager to use systems that enable the silencing of participants, such as Zoom or Unico. For the same reason, when you want to have an informal conversation, choosing an egalitarian environment that does not allow silence (such as WhatsApp or Google Hangouts) is more suitable.
• Enter the call 10 minutes in advance (or ask one of the assistants to enter)  
  If you enter the conversation at the appointed time, it will take at least a few minutes for everyone to join, and of course all the malfunctions will have to be handled with everyone.
  When the gathering is 10-15 minutes in advance, you can start the conversation on time.
• Ask them to open a camera
• Correct use of chat and files
  Since a video call is a relatively slow medium, where you speak slowly, in order, and with lots of pauses, it can easily feel stuck and boring.
  Fortunately, most video systems have a parallel text channel for chat and files. And it has a lot of important uses that will speed up the conversation. for example:
• Update a participant who entered late (or disconnected) on what is happening without delaying everyone
• Ask participants to think of references to what was said at that moment
• Insert urgent updates that happen in real time without disturbing the speaker
• Relieve pressure in a charged meeting by allowing more participants to express themselves besides the speaker

Tips for participants in a conference call

• arrive prepared in advance
• Take care of proper and stable lighting
• Position for standing and sitting