As we all got used to a lockdown world earlier this year when the COVID-19 lockdown forced us all to work from home, meetings that would usually take place in conference rooms now take place using free video conference calling software.
If you are new to the world of free group conference calling, we are here to help you out.
- Close your other apps down. Before you start your video conference, save any work you have open and close all of your other tabs down – especially if you have anything open that contains personal data or which use a lot of CPU as these will slow your computer down.
- Take precautions before sharing your screen. If you are going to be called upon to share your screen during your video call, take a good luck at what else is on there before you do. If you have followed our first tip you will have already closed all other tabs, but you may also want to enable do not disturb notifications as well.
- Pick a bright spot in your home, with a neutral background. It is best to make video calls from an area in your home that has lots of natural light so that people can see your face clearly. It is also best to choose a spot with a neutral background so that people aren’t distracted from what you are saying by that.
- Test your audio and video before you start. Before your video call starts, check both your audio and video connection – most conferencing tool software will have a ‘test call’ option.
- Make sure the camera is positioned at eye level. The camera should be positioned at eye level so that you are looking straight at it during the meeting – your colleagues don’t need to see up your nostrils or see your double chin! Also, don’t look at yourself in the chat window during the conversation, keep looking at your colleagues or they may think that you are distracted and not concentrating on what they are saying
- Organise yourself beforehand. If you are the one who is running the meeting, make sure you have all your documents and talking points to hand before the meeting starts. If you need to share a document with your colleagues, then send it to them before the call and make sure they all have access to it before the meeting. This way, you won’t have to spend the first ten minutes of the meeting making sure everyone is up to speed.
There really is nothing to worry about when it comes to video conferencing. Meeting Rooms, free group video conference software is easy to set up (no downloads required) and really easy to use too.