Over the last 15 years videoconferencing has moved from expensive proprietary hardware and ISDN lines to computer/smartphone based applications and the internet, making it not only far cheaper but more accessible to a much larger proportion of the general public.
Zoom is clearly one of the most popular and well recognised videoconferencing platforms in the UK. Over lockdown Zoom Video Communication Incorporated’s share value increased by 735% in a ten month period, and this was directly related to social distancing, travel restrictions, and remote working taking pole position. Zoom has made the move from adverts you would once see on the side of London black taxis to apps installed on our PCs, Macs, and smartphones.
It’s not a closed market however as GoToMeeting, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Cisco Webex are other very popular platforms, and although still popular, Skype Business will reach its end of life in July 2021 because Microsoft will replace it with Teams.

A minority of the public want lockdown (or what they like to call “the new normal”) to remain indefinitely simply because it suits their lifestyles to never return to the office, only shop online from supermarkets and Amazon, and binge on Netflix. However the majority of the public want lockdown lifted, and either want to return to their place of work or have a mix of days in the office and at home during the working week. Whichever way you look at it videoconferencing and remote working is here to stay.

Let’s talk a little about the best time for business videoconferencing, and “videoconference etiquette”. To get better productivity, best use of time, and the best experience here are a few guidelines:
Put some thought into the best time to schedule your videoconference if you want better participation and attention from everyone involved. Unless it’s a regular weekly kick-off meeting avoid Mondays as people can often have other higher priorities at the beginning of the week, are working on planning and shaping their working week, or are still addressing what was left over from Friday. Although this may sound a little surprising, first thing in a the morning is also not the best time as it prevents participants from doing their daily morning tasks and checks and doesn’t allow any time for final pre-meeting preparation.
Final tip; don’t have any video conferences on Friday if it can be avoided, because not only may participants be exhausted and distracted at the end of the working week but highlights and action points from the videoconference may be lost over the weekend.
A good recommendation is Tuesday to Thursday, either at mid-morning or mid-afternoon (not during post-lunchtime slump), and of course these are not hard fast rules and there will be experts that don’t agree. There are many dependant factors such as the type of business, the type of department, and geographical spread of the participants.

• Whenever possible schedule the videoconference in advance to allow participants to prepare and free up the allocated time. Allow participants the option to login 10 minutes before the meeting is scheduled to start, start on time, and end the meeting at the scheduled ending time.
• Before you schedule your videoconference double check that you have a clear purpose for this meeting and at the very least a loose agenda.
• Draw up your invite list and check off that each participant can either add value to the meeting or has a reason to be included. The fewer participants the better the focus.
• Schedule enough time to cover the agenda plus a small amount of additional time at the end for questions and a roundup of actions. Don’t be over generous with time, shorter is always sweeter.
• Be prepared, focused, and ready when it’s time to start the videoconference. Make sure you have completed any pre-reading or research and jotted points down you want to cover before you start. Having a notepad and pen at your side is always useful to catch any points during the videoconference.
• Allow everyone to greet each other or introduce themselves and start with small talk to set a positive and inclusive atmosphere. This will also help encourage participation throughout the videoconference.
• Give everyone a fair chance to participate and give input.
• Always send a follow up email that incudes highlights and action points as this also gives the participants an opportunity to give their feedback and contribute.