Value of web conferencing

Articles on Conferencing | Topics: conferencing, conference

by Lysette Salazar

Web conferencing is one of the exciting thrusts now being utilized and explored in the field of communications. Using the internet, computer users can hold live meetings and conferences with their business partners or clients from distant locations as if they were in the same room.

Aside from personally boarding a plane to travel around the world to meet with someone or a group of people, there are three ways of conferencing currently available; audio, video and web conferencing. Only web conferencing makes it possible to use all of the available media through real-time, two way communications; real-time, one-way broadcast and non-real-time communication.

Web conferencing offers many advantages and is drawing more and more aficionados and followers particularly in the business community. Because of its many benefits, it is quickly emerging as the favored means of communication for most companies.

Because web conferencing bridges geographical space, it saves costs that would typically be allocated for travel. With web conferencing, you can communicate and interact with business partners or clients from your own office or home instead of having to physically take a trip to meet with them. This can amount to huge savings in travel and accommodation especially when more than one employee has to be sent overseas to attend a conference for example. A web conference can instead be arranged and keep your employees where they are most effective and needed. Web conferencing also allows for better collaboration with key staff members who may be operating from different locations and which will factor into increased productivity and better working relations. Further, the savings translate to more than just money matters. Time and energy can be used more effectively especially for entrepreneurs and business people who are bound by rigid and inflexible schedules.

The benefits also spill over to one's personal life. For people whose work had virtually required them to live out of a suitcase and take showers at the airport, web conferencing can afford them more time and energy to spend with their family and loved ones. In times of crisis when a meeting has to be called quickly, web conferencing can also save the day. One no longer needs to laboriously contact each person and then wait for them at an arranged meeting place. Emergencies can be handled quicker and more effectively especially when the necessary people are time zones away.

Bit of History

Leadership in today’s world requires far more than a large stock of gunboats and a hard fist at the conference table.

—Hubert H. Humphrey (1911–1978)

Since a web conference can be easily arranged no matter where the moderator and the attendees may be located, the need to find, hire and make preparations for the physical requirements of a traditional conference are dispensed with. Although seemingly a small consideration, this can also mean noticeable reductions in one's operating costs. Further, web conferencing services can offer tailor-made plans to meet your specific needs and budget.

When travel is impossible or impractical, web conferencing is an ideal solution. Because it still allows for the visual aspect of meetings, the benefits of an actual physical face-to-face meeting are not compromised. Web conferencing still permits a level of personal interaction necessary for training, discussions and the like. With audio and video capabilities, web conferencing can replicate the advantages of real-time interaction with the visual advantage. For example, when ideas are being discussed merely over the telephone or through lengthy correspondence, many grey areas can crop up. Time may be wasted going over the same point over and over again, not due to any deficiencies in the parties involved but because of the limitations of their means of communication. This can lead to frustration and unnecessarily prolonging the resolution of the subject at hand,

There is no arguing the advantages of visual interaction and studies show that the majority of all environmental stimuli is received visually. Studies have meantime also shown that presentations or instructions which are only given verbally may not be fully remembered. Paired with audio, visuals therefore are the best way to create a lasting impression on an audience and guarantee that your ideas are getting across as effectively as they can. Lastly studies have also indicated that the average length of meetings in which visuals were employed were significantly shorter than those where visual presentations were not.

In general, as a means of more involved interaction to span distances, web conferencing offers a smarter and more cost-effective way for you to conduct and manage your business. Aside from savings in money and time, one will also have increased and simpler access to people inside and outside the organization who are vital to the growth of your business.

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Please note: All personal opinions expressed in the "Value of web conferencing" article belong to the contributing author and are not necessarily shared by WebDesignConferencing.com.

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