People around the world are discovering the power of video conferencing and webcasting as an alternative to meeting in person. There are so many advantages: zero travel time, easy meeting recordings, the ability to jump into a meeting with anyone, anywhere, at literally a moment’s notice, and—of course—it’s a safe way to connect during the COVID-19 outbreak.

At the same time, many business owners are wondering, “Are there hidden costs to doing this? Am I running any risk by having meetings on video? Should I postpone the high-stakes ones until I can meet in person?”

Webcasting vs. In-Person Lectures

Many people feel unsure about replacing a large meeting or lecture with a webcast. The concerns are reasonable: it’s a real nightmare when a meeting with 100+ attendees suffers from technological difficulties.

That’s why having high-performance software is crucial. If you’re connecting with a group on video, you need to know what to expect. Specifically, considering the powerful tools that exist today, you should expect total reliability, a consistent video stream, and high audio quality. With good software, you can take those things for granted. That’s why universities and schools are judicious when choosing a platform for educational webcasts.

Trust Building on Video

Researchers have found that people come to trust each other more quickly via Video, compared to audio-only. On the other hand, it does take longer compared to meeting in person.

This is understandable—you’re not really there, in the room, with the person; in reality, you’re looking at a screen. However, that’s not a reason to stall meetings until a nebulous future time. Instead, you can use proven techniques to give yourself an edge while forging trust via Video.

Those include:

• Making a point of talking about personal, non-work-related topics
• Avoiding multitasking
• Respecting the other person’s privacy by meeting without background noise and muting when necessary
• Always showing up to video meetings on time

Distinguish yourself as a reliable, trustworthy person by adopting these simple habits, even if you’re limited to virtual meetings.

The Meeting Must Go On

Come what may, virtual meetings are a reliable and effective substitute for meetings that can’t happen in an office or over lunch. When people are spread across the globe, homesick, or otherwise separated, video meetings are much more efficient than audio calls alone for communication and collaboration. That’s thanks to the full range of expression you can apply on video.

Reimagine Events

By thinking your in-person event, conference or trade show strategy, you can provide the content your attendees want to hear, but in a way that’s safe for everyone involved. A webcast allows you to stream video to thousands of attendees with global scalability. You might even see attendance increase in comparison to an in-person event thanks to removed barriers.

Rely on the Best Tools

It’s undeniable: new challenges do surface when you replace in-person meetings with virtual ones. However, if you have reliable technology, many of those challenges disappear and become non-issues.