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Digital communication represents significant challenges for professionals because besides coordinating a coherent dialogue, it’s necessary they perfectly handle the technological tools. In recent months, driven by the telecommuting modality, many people have seen themselves forced to learn to use platforms such as Zoom, Teams, Be life, Google’s Hangouts Meet, amongst others. Some have learned to use them at just a basic level and others have managed to make the most of their potentialities.
In the case of video calls, it’s necessary to clarify that in order to achieve good communication it’s not enough to count on modern equipment and Internet connection but it’s also necessary to know techniques that allow you to take advantage of the resources in an appropriate manner. Let’s remember that speaking in person and digitally are not the same. Have you thought about all the differences that exist between both ways of communicating?
Today we share some technical errors that must be avoided during video calls if you want your message to properly reach its public.
1.- Looking into the other person's eyes, instead of looking at the camera. It’s important to know that, in order to connect with the other person, one must look directly at the camera.
2.- Placing the camera near your face and below the level of the eyes. That position makes the face look overweight and shows an image that intimidates the other person.
3.- Locating in a room that has a window in the background. That makes the other person distracted by seeing movements and images. It’s better to have a static background.
4.- Backlighting, showing a dark and confusing face. It’s essential the face is clear, hence the importance of selecting a place with the adequate light.
5.- Having zenithal light -from top to bottom- whose reflection generates a shadow on the face and the silhouette of the person. Light must be placed next to the camera to provide a proper image.
6.- Pointing to the camera or bringing objects closer to it. It’s better to keep a distance between the hands and the camera.
7.- The computer turns off due to some update or any other reason. It’s essential to check those details before making the video call.
8.- Having connection problems during the transmission that could generate a distorted picture or choppy audio. In order to avoid that, it’s better to connect to the Internet directly through a wire, instead of via WIFI.
9.- Taking advantage of the video call to download files, run antivirus or any other maintenance process of the equipment. That’s not the right time to do that, on the contrary, it’s important you only keep open the windows needed and do not download anything while you are on a video call.
10.- Wearing exaggerated headphones that cover all of your ears. It’s preferable to wear small and discrete headphones in order to not divert people’s attention.
11.- Speaking with a defective microphone or with noise. Such problems prevent the message from arriving correctly and disturb the rest of the people who are participating on the video call. It’s recommended to use high quality microphones with USB connection.
12.- Using a poor quality camera. Sometimes, the computer camera doesn’t give enough quality to offer a good image. It’s better to use an external camera to obtain a clearer image.
Do you know other common mistakes on video calls? If that’s so, share them in the comments so others avoid repeating them and manage to communicate more efficiently within the digital world.
