Video conferencing is the new way to have a meeting and therefore you want to ensure that you make a good impression.
If you have been doing some video conferencing recently with groups you will notice that some people look more professional than others and it does make a real difference.
It’s not necessarily the “so called” professionals that look best as some are not great at all.
Then some people look really clear online and you can hear them well too.
Ideally you want to be seen and heard well, without having to spend too much on the professional video conferencing equipment.
So you may be asking what equipment do I need for video conferencing?
What Makes The Most Difference?
There are a few things that you could focus on, and they do not need to be expensive.
Remember the main thing you want is for people to see you and hear you clearly.
Be seen – laptops have inbuilt cameras and you can get some cheap webcams to use with both laptops and PC’s, and while they will show you online they often will not stay in focus and without good lighting you will not look great. Talk with the experts and there are some very good lighting set up’s that you can buy, but of course they are not cheap.
But you can get some webcams now that have an HD optical lens to capture high definition image and video in 2K pixels (2560 x 1440). These webcams will deliver clearer and more vivid images and with an auto-focus they remain in focus even if you move. And to ensure that you will look good on camera some new webcams have a built-in ring light that offers lighting compensation at 3 different levels with touch control.
The combination of a HD optical lens, auto focus and a light ring make a huge difference.
You can get a new webcam online today.
And then you need to think about being heard.
Be Heard – one of the most frustrating things with video conferencing is not being able to hear people properly. If you are meeting in person then you can move closer or shut out the background noise, but when meeting online you have very little control on how you can hear others.
If you cannot hear them properly then you will switch off or miss things, so if you are the person presenting (talking) then you want to make sure that you get heard.
A good microphone can make all the difference, and again you do not need to spend a fortune to buy a studio grade microphone when there are some very good computer microphones available at affordable prices.
You will never regret getting a dedicated microphone.
What Else Can I Do To Help?
It depends on how professional you want to be, and how you see your business being online.
If you are “very serious” with your online business then you may want to set up a professional studio, but for most small business people then you want to have a better experience at your desk.