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Have you ever been invited to a virtual meeting or video conference, only to realize you had to download an app just to participate?
Have you ever missed a meeting, and wished there was a recording of it?
Have you ever needed to go over a document in real time with someone miles away?
There are countless virtual meeting tools out there,
But which one is right for you?
When choosing the right tools, keep these things in mind:
Accessibility
Number of people
Functionality
Price
1. Accessibility
Does this need to be a meeting?
"That meeting could have just been an email..."
Sound familiar?
Meetings are synchronous, which means they happen in real time. This is great for webinars, immediate collaboration and social interaction, but can be hard if your group is in different time zones or is very large.
Emails are asynchronous, which means they are not time-dependent. You can read them whenever, and they are easier to document than meetings.
If it is difficult to get many of your team together at the same time, you might look at tools like Slack or Discord , which offer both video conferencing and message boards for collaboration.
Sometimes a meeting isn't the answer. But when it is, virtual meetings can be a great way to get people to collaborate and feel social. Think about what you want the meeting to achieve, and how everyone can participate.
Quiz
A team member has to go to the local library for internet access. What is the best way to include them?
If some team members have limited internet access, asynchronous communication can help them not only see what was discussed, but also actively participate.
2. Number Of People
How many people will be in the meeting at once?
If you’re going to have 300 people register for a webinar, make sure the platform can handle 300 people.
Zoom is a platform that can accommodate up to 100 people for free, but only 49 will be visible, and it will eject everyone after 40 minutes.
Another option for a large audience is livestreaming via social media. Try: BlueJeans orMegameeting
Quiz
How many presenters should you have in a meeting?
With the right organization and preparation, multiple speakers can bring different perspectives and increase participation. Some platforms allow more than one presenter, but others don't.
3. Functionality
What do you need to do?
Think about what you want to do (or what the speaker wants to do) during this meeting. Virtual meeting platforms have some cool features that can make them even more effective than face-to-face meetings.
Screen-sharing is a popular and versatile option. You can give presentations, product demonstrations, or share progress on a project.
There's a lot you can do with just screen-sharing and some outside apps.
Some features make the platform more convenient to use:
Scheduling –you can set a date and add it to people’s calendars
Browser-based – so that people don’t have to download an app
Dial-in –so that people can call from their phone to participate.
Some features support collaboration or interactivity:
Annotations - participants can draw or type on a shared screen
Whiteboard - presenters and participants can draw or write down ideas
Remote control / access – participants can control each other’s screens
Quiz
Which would be the best feature if you wanted to let someone try out a software that you have?
Remote control or remote access allows you to give others control of your screen, which can let them try out software remotely. Zoom and Team Viewer have this feature.
Did you know?
4. Price
How much do you want to pay?
There’s nothing wrong with using a free platform for your virtual meeting. Zoom is popular because you can do a lot for free, and everyone is familiar with it. If it gets the job done, there’s no reason to pay more.
Keep in mind that most platforms will list prices based on a “per user per month” basis, but will charge “annually” for 12 months at a time.
So, if GoToMeeting’s Business plan is $16 per user per month, and you want it for yourself and three other people, then you would pay $768 (before tax) annually.
That said, look out for discounts! Some platforms offer discounts for students, teachers, or small businesses.
Take Action
There are a lot of virtual meeting options out there, and choosing the right one will come down to your needs and preferences. Much of it will come down to experience, so take advantage of free trials and read user reviews.
Make a checklist like this to compare different software.
List your top 5 most important features
Choose 3 platforms to compare
Research each platform to see how well they match up with your needs
This Byte has been authored by
Tyler Whitaker
Forged by language, culture, and gaming.