Video conferencing is similar to popular video phones where you can call anyone around the world and not just talk to them, but watch them on your computer or television screen during the conversation. The difference is that video conferencing is designed to work for larger conferences rather than meeting the needs of individual consumers, often using closed circuit television.
While many companies have taken this technology as a useful tool, there are pros and cons of video conferencing that should be considered before deciding whether or not it will work for your meeting needs.
Advantage
1. Contact anyone you need to contact immediately, regardless of the time of day for anyone involved. Time differences between states and countries can be overlooked without anyone traveling long distances to attend the conference.
2. While one phone call may be enough for two people who need to have a short conversation, web-based conferencing allows large rooms of people in different locations to interact with each other effectively. Ten business executives in Amsterdam can easily interact with five others in New York and two in Tokyo to create a comprehensive conference where everyone can see and hear perfectly.
3. PowerPoint and other visual presentations can be shared with all conference attendees at the same time, giving the feeling that everyone is in one room and keeping everyone on task and focused.
4. Virtual whiteboards allow people from different locations to add their own thoughts or ideas in a collaborative space. This allows everyone to form an action plan or collaborate on a design or slogan instantly.
5. It is possible, with some services, for everyone to have access to another computer, seeing whatever is on that computer’s screen. With more advanced services, you can even change a document and write it directly from other computers connected to the conference. Companies that require active collaboration on a project form can greatly improve with this possibility.
Disadvantages
1. Price may be the biggest drawback for some people, although there are very inexpensive options if you don’t need the more advanced features. Typically, a business that can make good use of more advanced features will often find that the money they save for customers or employees who travel across the country or the world more than outweighs the cost of the service provider. As fuel becomes a problem around the world, price becomes less of a disadvantage and more of an advantage.
2. There are some humane ways of communicating that don’t translate very well from a distance, like eye contact. When you sit in the same room with someone and listen to a speech or presentation, you will make eye contact and they will judge who is paying attention by looking around the room. Much of this contact is not easily transmitted through a webcam.
The advantages and disadvantages of video conferencing must be weighed against its purpose and whether there will be something valuable lost through this technology that you don’t want to give up.