Some Dos and Don'ts To Help You Hone Videoconference Skills

By Joann S. Lublin, The Wall Street Journal

Thanks to better, cheaper technology, more Americans now conduct business—ranging from global brainstorming meetings to screening interviews with search firms—via videoconferencing. That means your video performance could help or hurt your career.

Videoconferences represent "a great tool for far-flung managers to gain additional exposure and make a name for themselves back at corporate headquarters," says Jeffrey Schwartz, chief executive of ProLogis, an industrial real-estate investment trust in Denver, Colo. More than 25% of the REIT's 900 employees world-wide regularly take part in videoconferences, compared with fewer than 5% five years ago. Mr. Schwartz says his one or two videoconferences a week make him "a better leader."

On the other hand, you risk making a fool of yourself if you forget that associates glued to screens in five countries can watch you twirl your hair, pick your nose, bite your lip, check your BlackBerry or scratch an armpit. "The camera magnifies and exaggerates everything," notes Peggy Klaus, a communication coach in Berkeley, Calif. You must be on your best behavior from "the moment you put your toe in that room" with the video camera.

To improve your chances of shining on camera, I gathered videoconferencing etiquette tips from coaches, recruiters and frequent corporate users. Here are their best dos and don'ts:

Starbak Helps Department of Homeland Security Bring Video to the Desktop

StarBak Communications recently announced that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responsible for identifying and shutting down vulnerabilities in the nation's border, economic, transportation and infrastructure security, has deployed StarBak's Integrated Network Video (INV) solution to provide TV, live feeds such as CNN and other news programming, as well as on-demand training and communications content, to the ICE desktop. The initial installations are spread across seven Washington, DC locations and multiple agencies within the DHS.

During the recent Hurricane Katrina disaster, The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) relied on StarBak's INV enterprise TV application to ensure that top officials remained informed of the latest news and information. Using StarBak's INV, the Department of Homeland Security delivers mission critical video content to the desktops of agency officials, taking advantage of their own IP network for efficient and cost-effective video communications.

"The most important and essential tool for effective federal law enforcement is information. The use of StarBak by Immigration and Customs Enforcement will not only provide faster and more up-to-date information to the field, but also reduce the cost of the information," said Bill Carroll, former district director for the Washington D.C. region. Carroll has also held the position of assistant regional commissioner of the anti-smuggling program for United States Immigration Service/Border Patrol.

"Portable information over the Internet is key to the successful management of emergency situations, and having media as part of that information will not only protect, but save, lives," continued Carroll.

"Like many of our enterprise customers, communicating with video is not just a 'nice to have' application for the Department of Homeland Security—it's literally mission critical," said Gregory Casale, chief executive officer of StarBak Communications. "StarBak INV allows the DHS to bring in video content from any source—live TV, video conferences, DVDs and tapes—and deliver it to desktops or plasma screens, simply and easily. StarBak is proud to be DHS's provider of choice for such an important nationwide security application."

W H I T E   P A P E R

TANDBERG Streaming

This white paper provides information on the use of the streaming functionality for TANDBERG videoconferencing products. It is also intended to give some general background on what streaming is and how to make use of the feature.

Click here for the white paper >>

M U L T I M E D I A

Conference Security: The Polycom Way

See how the Polycom MCU quickly and easily delivers secure video conferences.

Click here >>