Technology. We love it, right? It’s the very best! Except when it isn’t. And it seems that, in online meetings at least, technology often isn’t the best. This week, we start a series on meeting technology. We’ll cover webcams, chat, how to have effective audio, and more. Webcams are often a source of fear and apprehension so, in the name of staring death in the face, let’s starts there.
It seems that people fall into one of two camps: Either they love being on camera or they hate it. Based on the “I like seeing other people on webcam but I don’t want to do it myself” conversations we’ve heard around CSS, most of us fall into the "hate it" category. Unfortunately for us, webcams are one of the best ways to increase engagement in meetings. Ideally, in all meetings the speakers should always be on webcam, and if the meeting is small enough, all participants should be on webcam. Humans pay more attention when they see a face, body language increases communication, and being able to pick your coworkers out of a lineup is always a good thing.
(Robot lineup via http://themetapicture.com/robot-lineup/.)
Luckily, as with just about everything in life, being on a webcam gets easier with practice. And a few tips will go a long way towards making being on camera if not fun, at least tolerable. Here are some ideas to make your webcam experience better.
Be prepared:
- Check the meeting invite to find out if webcams are expected ahead of time. Don’t discover you have to be on webcam 5 minutes before a meeting on a day when you haven’t combed your hair yet.
- Set up your work space to maximize webcams. Good lighting and a clean background go a long way to a good webcam experience. Also consider how your computer and internet setup impact webcams.
- Think about who is attending the meeting, how you want to present yourself to your coworkers, and what your department’s cultural expectations are for dress. Business casual is the standard for the Minneapolis office; that can be a useful guideline when deciding what to wear. Think about what makes you feel confident in a meeting on a webcam, and do that.
See tips on...
Practice:
- Use the “Meet Now” feature in Skype to get used to seeing yourself on camera.
- Spend time using the different features in Skype so you can move comfortably between them. The only thing worse than feeling flustered in a meeting is feeling flustered while on camera.
See tips on...
Meeting planners, are you trying to decide to webcam or not to webcam? Here are a few things to consider.
- Webcams increase communication by providing body language to the viewers.
- For those of us who may come across as more rigid or unfeeling, letting an audience see excitement or empathy when we talk helps build trust and understanding.
- Seeing into each other’s lives promotes team building. Dogs, cats, and kids are usually a welcome addition to any meeting, as long as understandable distractions are handled well.
- There’s nothing like being on camera to make people pay attention and avoid multitasking!
- In Skype, each participant can customize their view based on their needs. You don’t need to worry about a webcam distracting from whatever content you are trying to share.
It is best practice to tell attendees if webcams are required in the meeting invite. It is unfair to tell people once they are in the meeting that they must be on webcam if they didn’t know ahead of time. There are factors that impact webcams beyond whether or not someone is wearing their bunny pajamas.
(Pug Easter Bunnies via https://www.flickr.com/photos/dapuglet/8573525912.)
Managers and Directors:
Webcams introduce a cultural shift to the way we work, especially for completely remote staff. In the days of phone meetings, when working from home, no one needed to worry about what they looked like, what their workspace looked like, and whether their constant pacing during meetings drove anyone on the call crazy. Adding a visual element to meetings has a significant impact in a number of areas. People need to know what their departmental expectations are. Are webcams always required? What is appropriate attire when meeting with inter-departmental teams? How about people outside the department? Are people expected to dress and behave as they would in a face-to-face meeting, or is it OK to wear a tee-shirt and put your feet up on the desk? Confronting head-on the often uncomfortable cultural changes that come with webcams will give your teams the guidance and support they need to embrace the improved communication and, frankly, the fun that can come with well-implemented webcams in meetings.
Do you have thoughts about how webcams improve meetings or an argument for not using them? We want to hear it all! Join the conversation on Yammer.
Next week, we will continue our technology conversation by looking at using chat effectively. Until then, we hope to see you (literally!) online.
Anne, Lisa, Amber, and Erin
Remote Experience Working Group
Internet connection & computer setup
There are two pieces to a bad connection in a meeting. They are the presenter's computer and internet connection and the attendee's. An issue on either end can impact the quality of audio and video (both webcam and screen/file sharing) in a meeting. Everyone in a meeting should know and understand how to maximize their internet connection and their computer setup, regardless of whether they are actively sharing audio or video. Don't always assume the issue is with the other person.
Internet Connection:
Ethernet, good. Wireless, bad.
When meeting virtually, use an ethernet connection, not a wireless connection, whenever possible. In the Minneapolis office, most conference rooms have one ethernet cable. At home, run an ethernet cable from your wireless router. Unless you have blazingly fast wireless internet and no one else is using it, an ethernet connection will give you a noticeable improvement in your meetings, especially if you are using webcams and screen sharing. At the very least, know how your wireless connection will impact your meetings and adjust appropriately when needed.
The wireless connection in the Minneapolis office can be challenging, especially when there are a lot of people trying to use it with webcams. In the Minneapolis office, whenever possible use an ethernet connection for your meetings. This is another reason to meet from your desk rather than have a bunch of people in a conference room. If you do need to meet in a conference room, consider using the conference webcam instead of individual webcams for each person. If you do use the conference webcam, make sure you set it up so that everyone is always in the shot.
Internet connection notification in Skype:
Skype will let you know if your connection isn't good. Click the Network Connection indicator in the top right corner to see the quality of your connection. The indicator will report both the quality of your connection and those in the meeting with you.
White bars= good connection
Yellow bars= OK, connection, but not great
Red bars= bad connection
VPN:
VPN will slow your internet speed. It is best practice to stay off of VPN unless you are actively using a program that requires it. VPN will definitely impact your ability to use a webcam in meetings.
Computer Setup:
What you are doing on your computer will impact your online meetings. Ideally, if you are using webcams and screen sharing, you shouldn't have a lot of other programs open. Skype is something of a resource hog on your computer, meaning it will use up a lot of your computer's power. If Skype has to fight with other programs to get access to that power, you may see problems in your meeting. Chrome is another resource hog. If you are someone who loves to have a bunch of Chrome tabs open, that will impact your computer's speed and may impact your meetings.
If you are seeing a lag in your meeting, try closing unneeded programs or unneeded Chrome tabs and see if that makes a difference.
Background
Consider how the background appears on a webcam. Do a test run and take a look around. Is the background messy? What does the background say about you? A bookshelf in the background sends a different message than a blank wall.
Background considerations:
- keep it business appropriate—make sure there isn't any questionable art or book titles visible to the audience, for example
- clear away anything distracting
- allow your personality to show
Lighting
Good lighting does wonders for improving your webcam appearance.
- Set the light source to point at you from behind the camera or from the side.
- Avoid back lighting.
- Face towards natural light, if it is available.
- Don’t sit with your back to a window, unless you also have a front light.
- Turn off any overhead lights, if possible.
- In times of desperation, use your monitor or a phone/tablet as a light source. (Do this by making the wallpaper solid white and minimizing all programs except the meeting room.)
Webcams: setup & practice
Few people are comfortable on camera by nature. Practice will help with this.
- Start a Meet Now meeting in Skype and play with the webcam.
- Record a Meet Now meeting while sharing the webcam, and run through a presentation. Watch it afterwards and make corrections as needed.
- Experiment with different lighting set ups and webcam angles.
There are a few things you can do to maximize the way you appear on webcams.
- Arrange the webcam so that it is at your eye-level or higher. It is better to look up at the webcam than to have the audience look up your nose.
- Arrange the distance from the webcam so that your face is clearly seen.
- Look into the webcam when you speak, whenever possible.
- Consider what your clothing will look like. Most webcam shots are head and shoulders only; as long as those look professional, go crazy with the rest of it.
- Be aware that white clothes can look washed out on camera, and narrow stripes are jarring.
Tip: It can be challenging to look into the webcam when speaking, as you often want to see how your words impact others in the meeting. One way to address this is to put the Skype meeting room right under your webcam. This way the images of your colleagues are by the webcam, and you are looking in the general direction of the webcam even if you are looking at the people in the meeting.
(Special thanks to Erin Guldbrandsen for her willingness to have her picture taken with no notice.) 
While the webcam on your laptop will work, if you present a lot consider talking to your manager about an external webcam. External webcams provide better video and usually include a better microphone than the one in your laptop.
YouTube has some great videos on working with webcams. This one from NTDT Training covers the basics of audio, backgrounds, and lighting.
Expectations
It is important to set meeting and departmental expectations for webcam use ahead of time. Until using webcams becomes ingrained into your department's culture, people need time to prepare for using them. Whenever possible, follow the best practices suggested here:
- For each meeting, always tell people if they need to be on webcam. For meetings with less than 5 people, you may want everyone on webcams all the time. For larger meetings, you may want to turn webcams on only when people talk.
- Talk about how using webcams impact the department culture. Give people an opportunity to share their concerns about using webcams. There can be legitimate issues with webcams; make sure those are heard and addressed.
- Provide staff with a clear expectation regarding webcams use and on-camera behavior. Recognize that what is appropriate for one meeting may be inappropriate in another.