Tips for recording a business meeting
In the past, recording a meeting involved dealing with video cameras and placing microphones in a central location to capture the voices of everyone in the room. Today’s meetings are a bit different. Thanks to the Blue Jeans meetings, using HD video conferencing and recording a meeting is as simple as clicking the record button on the screen or signing up for the enhanced recording that automatically records all meetings that are conducted.
Meetings can be recorded for numerous reasons, including editing the recordings, sharing the recordings or re-purposing the videos as webinars. The need to recall important points is no longer an issue, as attendees can hit the real-time online playback to review the material.
Despite the ease of using the online video conference technology, there are some tips for recording a meeting that can improve the outcome:
Use up-to-date drivers. There’s nothing worse than lagging during a conference call or experiencing technical difficulties in the middle of a meeting. As the leader of the meeting, lagging can bring the whole meeting to a stop. As a participant, it can mean losing key information being shared. By updating the drivers, these problems can be eliminated.
Use the latest technologies. According to State Tech Magazine, users can reduce their bandwidth requirements for the conference call by trying new technologies. The cloud-based Blue Jeans meetings using video conferencing is a good example of this. It allows users to participate from different devices, in different places and even on different platforms.
Close unused programs. Interruptions are especially problematic when recording the meeting. All of the programs running on the computer can slow down the connection and interfere with the flow of the online meeting. Temporarily closing out unused programs can ensure that the meeting runs smoothly.
Decide on the purpose. Determine what the purpose of the recording is before hosting online meetings. Will the recordings be distributed among employees? Will they be given away as a free webinar, or will they be offered for sale? The reason for recording the video conference can impact how the meeting is conducted.
Be prepared. Professionalism comes through in every part of a recorded meeting. That includes clothing choices as well as whatever is seen in the background. Wear whatever you would during a typical in-house business meeting. If that is usually a suit, wear a suit. It if is usually a polo shirt with the business logo, wear that. As far as backgrounds, it is best to use something with minimal distractions and clutter. A light colored wall with the company logo works best. If recorded at home, perhaps using a home office or removing personalized items from the room would make it more professional.
Make it Conversational. Monologues can be boring and lose the audience. Instead of making a long-winded speech, consider involving other members of the team by either opening the floor for discussion or assigning specific people to head certain topics that they have expertise on. That being said, be available to moderate the conversation and be prepared to get involved and guide the conversation back to the topic at hand if things get out of control. It is easy for people to go off on tangents while talking to the camera.
Do a dry run. Don’t make the mistake of recording a meeting on the first try. If the meeting will be widely distributed or shared online, doing a dry run can help get the kinks out before going live. If public speaking is an issue, prepare a script and run through it a few times first. Also try recording a meeting and watching it back first to make sure it comes out as intended.
Break up the monotony. Use visuals when appropriate to break up long periods of talking. Graphs and charts can get the point across better than verbally addressing the points. Switch speakers occasionally to keep people from zoning out as well.
Minimize the distractions. Remove clutter and paperwork from the desk, mute cell phones and ask participants to mute their microphones when they don’t have the floor to reduce distractions and interference noise during the video call.
Control the volume. While some presenters make the mistake of not speaking loud enough or clear enough for the microphone to pick up, yelling is just as big of a mistake. Though unintentional, people tend to shout on video conference calls to get their point across.
Taking these points into account can help users can create memorable Blue Jeans meetings. High quality recordings can then be used in the future for various reasons. Once recorded, the meetings are available as a link so businesses can share the information through email with anyone who might have missed the meeting or those who were in attendance but may need to reference the information again.
