Introduction
In today’s day of age, many businesses and companies are hosting a video conference instead of hosting meetings or conferences face to face. With so many people on the road and being busy with their daily lives, hosting a video conference is the easiest method. A video conference allows you to have meetings with colleagues who are away on business who are working remotely.
Step 1
Organize: When wanting to host a video conference, you'll need to organize a time and date in which the conference will be held. Make sure you decide on a time and date that is suitable for everyone who will be hosting. Also, setting the time and date first, will allow you to get a good head count on all the attendees.
Step 2
Find A Video Conference Company: When hosting a video conference, you'll have tons and tons of conference companies you can choose from. There are literally thousands of online video conference site's, some are entirely free and some will cost you. However, you want to do your research on this topic in order to find the very best one for your situation.
Step 3
Sign Up: Once you find a video conference company that suites you needs, you'll need to make an account and officially sign up for the company. Since the majority of video conference companies make you pay to use their services, you'll more than likely need a credit card to pay for the membership to the company.
Step 4
Make Sure All The Attendee's Have The Proper Equipment: The great thing about video conference companies is that they usually do not require you to download anything. All of the services are available right through the web. However, you do need to make sure that all the attendee's have the necessary equipment to be part of the conference. Things like a computer, microphone and sometimes, a web cam are needed.
Step 5
Utilize and Use All the Features Available to You: Most video conference companies have an extensive list of features you can use during your meeting. Make sure to look over and get an overall idea of all the features available to you.
Tips
Some of the best video conference software available to users, are as follows:
- PalTalk
- GoToMeeting
- WebEx
- Cisco Video Conferencing
- Life Size
- Adobe ConnectNow
- Dabble Board
- DimDim
- Doodle
- ooVoo
- Spring Note
- Skype 4.0
- TokBox
Tips for a Successful Meeting
Before your video conference, it should try to have an agenda already at hand. Make sure all the materials needed are set and ready to be used during the meeting. Also, it is a great idea to avoid all distractions. If working remotely, make sure all participants know that they need to be in a quiet room, without babies crying, dogs barking or any other kind of distractions that can get in the way of the overall meeting. Another great tip for hosting a video conference is to test everything ahead of time. Ask the participants to make sure all their equipment is working properly with the software and that everything is running smoothly. Lastly, the first step to a video conference is to make sure everyone can introduce themselves. It is polite and considered etiquette. It also allows people who do not know one another to get more comfortable.
