What is video conferencing? Video conferencing is a real time communications technology that incorporates video and voice computer technology across time zones and locations. In essence, it is a live connection between people in separate locations, providing full-motion video images and high-quality audio.
Video conference participants view and listen to each other during the conference, enabling an inter-action among the participants. Video conference technology usually includes access to a network, conferencing equipment (monitor, camera, microphone and speakers), an audio system, and a coder/decoder.Video conferencing integrates video and voice technology to connect remote users with each other as if they were in the same room. Each video conference user needs a computer, webcam, microphone and broadband internet connection for participation. Users see and hear each other in real-time, allowing natural inter-action between participants not previously possible with voice-only communications technology.
The benefits of video conferencing can go a long way to increase productivity and reduce costs. With the time lost in travelling to meetings and the increasingly high cost of travel, video conferencing brings the technology to host meetings remotely and therefore share information, discuss and make decisions with colleagues and people from different locations in the country or on the other side of the globe.
Used effectively, video conferencing can have a dramatic effect on the way you do business. Video conferencing enables you to strengthen bonds with remote colleagues and customers, gives flexibility and enables you to hold urgent, last minute meetings instantly without the need for lengthy travel. Video conferencing brings face-to-face contact enabling an inter-action not possible with telephone exchanges.
Video conferencing can alter the way you do business, which can lead to the way an employee accomplishes their daily responsibilities. Video conferencing allows you to work in a smarter and more effective manner, producing a more practical way to proceed in getting the job done. With video conferencing, because information will be transmitted more quickly, decisions can be made faster, thus enabling companies to remain ahead of competition.
The time saving element of video conferencing is one of its key benefits. When employees have a conference scheduled, they will be able to deliver a full morning or afternoon's work either side of the conference, thus eliminating wasteful downtime getting to a meeting. With the right technology it is also possible for colleagues to attend meetings when working from home and with flexible and home working becoming ever popular video conference is the way forward.
Video conferencing is now used in the classroom giving remote students the chance to interact with each other and the instructor or with guest speakers allowing students to be transported to virtual field trips and connect them with students in other areas.
In today's green conscious times, video conferencing goes a long way to cutting a company's greenhouse gas emissions. By drastically reducing travelling and the associated carbon emissions coupled with travel, video conferencing allows individuals to reduce their commuting carbon footprint and therefore can maintain a better home/work life balance, reduce stress and ensure lasting benefits to both the company and the employee.
The organisational benefits of video conferencing are increased meeting attendance by participants who are otherwise unable to attend, which in turn will strengthen relationships with remote colleagues and enable projects involving geographically dispersed colleagues to be managed more efficiently. It is understandable therefore, that video conferencing has become a popular communication tool for successful companies today.