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Sometimes nothing beats an in-person handshake, but many companies are turning to teleconferencing meeting methods for occasions that don’t require face-to-face communication. Videoconferencing is especially on the rise, and new technologies are making this option more and more attractive and affordable.

How to use teleconference services

You may not be able to taste the muffins or pound the board room table, but teleconferencing will get you seeing and hearing your colleagues without the emissions from travel miles. Other advantages include time and money savings, reduced schedule conflicts, and greater participation.

1. When to web-meet: Not just for mundane meetings, video-, audio-, or data-conferencing can also be used for live get-togethers like:
   • Seminars and training sessions
   • Connecting with field workers or absent co-workers
   • Creative planning and brainstorming
   • Interviews and auditions
   • Medical consultations (where team members work in disparate locations)
   • Press conferences
2. Types of conferencing: There are many interwoven technologies that make up what we know as virtual conferencing systems.
   • Conference call: One of the oldest methods, this simply requires each participant (or group of participants) to have a phone and perhaps a teleconferencing service (if you’re got more than two or three participants). Some refer to this method as audio conferencing.
   • Data conferencing: Live communication involving a computer screen, keyboard, and online sharing tools for exchanging documents and applications. Services for this simple meeting option include Adobe Acrobat Connect, Twiddla, IBM Lotus Sametime Entry, Convenos, and WebHuddle.
   • Internet teleconferencing: Also known as Internet telephony, this method employs a instant messaging user interface such as Yahoo! Messenger, Live Messenger, Skype, or Google Talk, which makes use of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. Most offer simple video functionality, as well as voice and type communication.
   • Video conferencing: The most complex of all teleconferencing methods, this one involves voice, high-quality video, and may include sharing documents, computer-displayed information, and whiteboards. Meetings between two people or individuals and groups from many sites can be accommodated this way.
3. Get equipped: Whether you choose audio, video, or data conferencing as your main medium, you’ll need some basic hardware to make it all come together. A list of some of the components you may need include:
   • Data input (computer, interactive whiteboard, and associate equipment)
   • Audio input (telephone, microphone)
   • Video input (webcam, video camera)
   • Audio output (speakers, earphones, telephone)
   • Video output (monitor, projector, television)
   • Data transfer (telephone network, Internet, interactive whiteboard such as eBeam complete, mimio Interactive & Capture, ONfinity CM2 MAX Portable, or SMART Flat-panel)
4. Choose a provider: You’ll want to evaluate your budget, desired features, and hardware capabilities before choosing a teleconferencing services.

Find it! Teleconferencing services and tools

Whether you're planning a simple conference call or want to get more interactive with video capabilities, here are a few services to get you started.

Before you buy

Between conference-stopping firewalls and call-slowing bandwidth problems, teleconferencing can be a technologically maddening endeavor. Unless you’re just going for a simple online chat, you may need to consult the services of experienced IT professionals to avoid the potential exasperating frustrations that are associated with this type of communication.

Using teleconferencing services helps you go green because…

• It eliminates the greenhouse gas emissions inherent in auto or air travel.

Americans make an estimated 405 million long-distance business trips each year (those exceeding 50 miles), which results in serious eco-costs for doing business away from the office.[1] US business travelers log 240 billion passenger-miles in the sky alone each year to attend conferences, trade shows, and client meetings.[2] In fact, global air travel (including business-related flying) accounts for approximately 7 percent of worldwide carbon emissions.[3] Yet it makes up only 16 percent of business trips; car travel accounts for 81 percent of corporate travel.[1] Though auto emissions are far fewer than aviation CO₂ emissions, because there are so many vehicles on the road (including those being driven for business), transportation is responsible for about one-third of CO₂ emissions in the US with cars and light trucks accounting for a majority.[4][5]

To mitigate the eco-impacts of business travel, many companies are now employing telecommunication to green their operations and cut costs. The Business Travel Coalition recently conducted a survey that suggested 73 percent of companies have increased the use of video conferencing and other teleconferencing methods.[6] According to Joel Makower, Vodafone now has a policy requiring their employees to provide justification for their business travel, encouraging them to use teleconferencing whenever possible. This move has cut the company’s air travel by 20 percent in one year.[7]

External links

• Green Meetings Award
• Environment Canada - Green Meeting Guide
• GreenBiz.com - Greening Your Business: A Primer for Smaller Companies
• US Environmental Protection Agency - It’s Easy Being Green! A Guide To Planning And Conducting Environmentally Aware Meetings And Events