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July 17, 2018

A Guide to Perfectly Optimizing Your Video Conferencing Environment


5 Tips for Creating the Ideal Video Conferencing Room

Video conferencing is integral to your business – but are you treating it that way? Presentation and quality are everything and having a perfectly optimized video conferencing environment goes a long way toward achieving your desired results.



5 Tips for the Perfect Video Conferencing Room

Our business world has changed a lot over the years. Industries that used to require face-to-face, in-person interactions can now conduct business remotely. The growth in video conferencing technology has been one of the driving factors in this shift. The only problem is that many businesses have failed to account for video conferencing in their business processes – and the results can be catastrophic (both regarding sales and branding).

While it sounds simple, getting video conferencing right actually requires some effort and strategy. It’s not as simple as pulling up the Skype (News - Alert) app on your smartphone and calling a prospective client. There’s a lot of technical detail and practical execution that must take place in order to do it right.

If video conferencing sessions are common in your business, you need to give them some serious attention. In fact, you need a dedicated video conferencing room with an environment that’s conducive to hosting smooth, efficient, uninterrupted video calls.

Unsure of what this looks like? Not sure where to start? Curious about how you can make it work with limited resources? Here are a few tips to help you create an ideal video conferencing room without taking any unnecessary steps.

1. Use the Right Audio and Video Equipment

Exceptional audio and video equipment is the proverbial bread and butter to a successful video conferencing room. While every business has its own unique needs and uses, keep the following in mind:

  • A camera with a wide-angle lens is preferred. Not only does this exaggerate the viewpoint – making objects and individuals look closer than they really are – but it also enhances the clarity and focus within the frame. A wide-angle lens is especially important if you need to get multiple people in a single frame.
  • Depending on the size of the room and how many people you typically have in a video call, you’ll need to invest in proper speakers and microphones. Echo and noise cancellation are features that will be especially valuable.

2. Be Proactive About Network Packet Issues

Pixilation, smearing, and imaging pulsing are problems that are all-too-common in video conferencing. Often blamed on low-bandwidth issues, the real culprit is packet loss (which occurs when the network isn’t designed to prioritize video and audio traffic).

“Because network routing elements process traffic at the packet level instead of the bit level, they develop congestion much faster when they have more packets to traffic,” AVI-SPL explains. “When network congestion occurs, it can result in packet loss, which means that not all of the video or audio data packets arrive at their destination.”

In order to avoid quality issues, ensure your network is properly optimized for the demands of video conferencing.

3. Get Lighting Right

Improper lighting can lead to a host of problems in your video conferencing environment. It often forces the camera to produce images that are saturated or darkened with shadows. The result is poor picture quality for remote participants.

To get lighting right, you need to block out direct sunlight, which creates glares and causes resolution issues. High-quality blinds – such as motorized shades that can be controlled as the sun moves – are ideal for exterior windows. As far as artificial lighting goes, overhead LED is your best option.

As Lutron Electronics’ Jim Yorgey explains, “The right combination of strategically placed fixtures improves vertical illumination, creates uniform lighting on surfaces and participants, and with the addition of controls, enhances the ability to adjust contrast in the space.”

4. Optimize the Backdrop

You want your video conferencing sessions to be professional. Every detail about these video calls says something about your brand. If the room is disheveled, the brand will be seen as such. If the room is sleek and sophisticated, your brand will be viewed in the same manner.

Your focus needs to be on the space that’s within the frame of the camera lens. This is what the remote participants can see. Keep it clean, simple, and on-brand. While a blank wall is better than a messy one, try to give the backdrop a little more thought. Whether it’s a brand logo painted onto a wall, or some greenery to create a fresh and lively environment, any work you put into this aspect of the room’s design will pay dividends later on.

5. Think About Seating

Most commonly, you’ll see video conferencing rooms use a traditional setup with one long boardroom table. While this does a good job of getting multiple people in one shot, it’s often hard for participants on the other end to see the individuals towards the back. It’s for this reason that a setup with multiple small tables is ideal.

“This kind of set up will allow the attendees to stretch and stand when they want to so that they can be more relaxed and thus more attentive,” notes Mike Hutt of ezTalks. “You can even opt for a lounge setting wherein you can use couches and coffee tables to create a nice relaxed atmosphere that is favorable to create good collaboration.”

Set Your Business Up for Success

In today’s modern business world, you can’t put your best foot forward without accounting for remote and virtual communication. Depending on the industry you’re in and how you interact with prospects and clients, video conferencing is something you’ll use frequently. By establishing a video conferencing environment and optimizing it to your needs and preferences, you can continue to modernize your business processes and set your organization up for continued success.  

Unsure of how to proceed? Meet with a consultant or advisor who can walk you through the different steps it takes to set up a video conferencing room and get moving in the right direction. This is time and money well spent!



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