Video conference
An online meeting that exchanges video and audio over the internet, held on platforms such as Zoom or Teams.
A video conference is an online meeting in which video and audio are exchanged over the internet. It is sometimes also called a “web meeting” or an “online meeting,” but these are essentially the same thing, and with the spread of remote work it has become the standard format replacing in-person meetings.
What to consider when choosing a tool
The features of video conferencing tools have matured, and the differences in basic features such as video, audio, and screen sharing are small. What actually matters in choosing one is operational fit: integration with the calendar and chat platforms your organization uses (automatically issuing meeting URLs and attaching them to events), whether outside participants can join with just a browser without installing an app, and whether the time limit of the free plan matches the length of your meetings. Especially when you have many meetings with outside parties, the most important consideration is “whether there is a way to join that does not burden the other side.”
Points specific to running video conferences
Things to pay more attention to than in in-person meetings
- Agree in advance on camera on or off (according to the organization’s culture)
- Use the first 2-3 minutes to check connections and audio
- Everyone except the speaker stays muted (to keep out background noise)
- Prepare screen sharing in advance (wait with the materials already open)
- Name the note-taker at the start of the meeting
The cost and value of keeping cameras on
An essay (2021) by Professor Bailenson of Stanford University points out that keeping the camera on continuously creates nonverbal burdens, such as close-up eye gaze and constantly seeing your own image, which lead to “Zoom fatigue.” On the other hand, having cameras on also helps support a sense of team unity, so it needs to be managed with the trade-off in mind. A widely adopted policy is to have cameras on for one-on-ones and client meetings, and to allow them off for recurring progress updates.