Virtual conferences, also known as web meetings, offer a seamless method to connect with individuals via the web. These interactive sessions enable participants to communicate and visually interact as if they were side by side, regardless of their physical locations.
The technology for conducting these virtual sessions comes in various forms. There are simple options, such as audio conferencing. There are more complex systems that support video conferencing, enabling you to share your desktop, note your ideas on an electronic whiteboard, exchange instant text messages, and use extensive online functions.
These web-based meeting are popular due to their ease of use, cost savings, and the elimination of travel. In the real estate sector, for example, e-meetings facilitate virtual property tours, enabling agents and clients to discuss and inspect properties remotely, thus broadening the scope of potential investments without geographical constraints. They are well-suited for a wide variety of gatherings, including business meetings, educational classes, creative seminars, or casual catch-ups with buddies. With an increase in remote workplaces and the necessity to maintain health-related distances, web meetings have quickly become a favorite means of keeping in touch.
Advantages of E-meeting
Web-based meetings, also known as digital conferences, have positively transformed our professional routines. Check out their key advantages:
- Cost-effective – Skip the need to spend money on flights and hotels, as you can make calls directly from your device.
- Time-Saving – Run video and audio sessions from any location, so you don’t have to waste time traveling.
- Accommodates More Participants – Digital conferences can accommodate numerous attendees, often exceeding the capacity of traditional conference rooms.
- Enhanced Teamwork – These services offer innovative features for collaboration, such as screen sharing, interactive whiteboards, file sending, and group chat capabilities.
- Compatibility with other Tools – They easily integrate with various business applications, including scheduling platforms and workflow management systems.
Examples of services E-Meeting
Web conferences, sometimes called e-conferences or digital meet-ups, offer a collaborative space for people to engage from various locations. Here’s a list of platforms tailored for such interactions:
- Zoom: Popular for its video conferencing capabilities, Zoom provides a platform for verbal and visual communication and text messaging. It’s ideal for hosting large-scale webinars and group sessions, featuring options to share screens, record interactions, and create small discussion rooms.
- Microsoft Teams: As a feature of the Microsoft 365 suite, Teams is crafted to foster collaboration, integrating seamlessly with Office applications. It’s suitable for instant messaging, video discussions, file storage, and can facilitate internal as well as external organizational communication.
- TrueConf: A video conferencing software that provides an effective solution for corporate communication, webinars, and team collaboration. It supports high-definition video calls, conferencing with up to 1,500 participants, and the ability to run video meetings in 4K resolution.
- Cisco Webex: This platform is a preferred choice for formal online engagements and video communication, providing the ability to share screens and document sessions for later review, which is particularly useful for webinars and significant meetings.
- GoToMeeting: Developed by LogMeIn, this tool is known for its reliability and ease of use. Participants can present their screens, save meetings records, and connect from various devices, including smartphones and tablets.
- Slack: While primarily a messaging platform for team communication, Slack also includes capabilities for voice and video conversations, making it convenient for impromptu meetings or discussions during a chat session.
- Zoho Meeting: Designed for both individual and group sessions, Zoho Meeting is a secure platform that offers screen sharing, session recording, and playback features, with a strong emphasis on privacy.
These platforms support a wide array of communicative needs, ranging from brief team updates to extensive digital events. They have become increasingly vital for professional, educational, and personal communication, more so with the shift towards remote work and health-conscious distancing.
Preparation for an E-Meeting
Imagine a remote group of professionals gathered in virtual sessions using TrueConf. Here’s a brief description of how their discussion unfolds:
Meeting Participants: The group includes 10 participants– a project leader, several software developers, creative designers, and a marketing coordinator.
Meeting Objective: The goal is to review the project’s current status and to plan future actions.
Meeting Venue: They’re utilizing TrueConf for their virtual connection.
Meeting Duration: The session is timed for one hour.
Agenda Highlights:
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- Quick welcomes and int
- Roductions (5 minutes)
- Review the achievements and outstanding issues from the previous week (10 minutes)
- Software developers on the latest developments
- An outline of upcoming weekly tasks, with input from:
- Designers on the latest visual concepts
- Marketing coordinator on promotional strategy (20 minutes in total)
- A dedicated time to address any team issues and concerns (15 minutes)
- Summary from the project leader and assignment of new tasks (5 minutes)
- An opportunity for any additional questions (5 minutes)
Execution Steps:
- The project manager sends an e-mail invitation to all conference participants with all details (time, agenda and meeting link) of the upcoming meeting held via TrueConf.
- At the appointed time, participants join the meeting via the TrueConf conference link. Project leader can mute\unmute all participants or enable\disable their camera.
- The team follows the outlined meeting agenda, utilizing TrueConf’s screen sharing feature for a slide show or video sharing.
Separate time is set aside for open communication to discuss team issues. - The session ends with the project manager summarizing the results, assigning tasks for the next week, and scheduling the next meeting.
- The last round of questions is asked for clarity.
- The entire video conference is recorded and a summary of the session is distributed for future reference.
Final Words
After the meeting, the team has a unified understanding of the project’s direction and their individual tasks for the week ahead. The session’s recording and the written meeting minutes serve as references to ensure everyone is on the same page and to facilitate ongoing progress.
