Mastering the Art of Videoconferencing

• Trends
• July 1, 2014
• by Rebecca Shaw

Personal videoconferencing is expected to continue to increase in popularity for both personal and business use according to Wainhouse Research, a Boston market-research firm.  Videoconferencing has become the fallback approach in job interviews when in person interviews are prohibitive – it’s quick, easy, and free with applications like Skype and Apple’s FaceTime. 

However, beware of the siren’s call with this technology. According to a 2008 study in Management Science, people watching someone on a video phone call are more focused on the speaker’s “likeability” than the substance of the discussion. Research shows that it’s easy to become distracted and harder to process what is being said while watching someone on video, just the opposite of in-person communication. The study’s conclusion was that job applicants score lower and are less likely to be hired from a videoconference interview than in person interview. 

So, what can you do about it? You can improve your videoconferencing skills by remembering to:

• Smile and look at the lens for the appearance of eye contact with the listener. Looking down at your notes or aside while you listen or contemplate disengages the person you most want to influence.
• Ask questions – this is not television, it’s an interactive medium.
• Be genuine and animated.  Energy and passion are compelling and contagious even on a video call.
• Be fearless and creative with this medium because it’s here to stay.