THE WEB MEETING GUIDE. succeed with web meetings

Transcription

1 THE WEB MEETING GUIDE succeed with web meetings

2 Contents Contents 2 Why Remote Meetings? 3 Remote meetings up to now 4 Telephone 4 Video conference 4 Remote meetings today and tomorrow 5 Web meetings 5 Important things to consider 6 The audicompendax method 6 AuPx cloud 7 Different working methods 8 Professional design 9 Full collaboration 10 Board of Directors 12 For four or more 14 Interactive design room 16 How you are perceived and appear 18 Meeting discipline 19 Book the meeting 20 World Clock Meeting Planner 20 Doodle 21 Recording the meeting? 23 The web camera guide 24 Index 28 The purpose of this guide is to quickly and easily help everyone who wants to start working with remote meetings, wants to develop and optimize their use of remote meetings, find the right solution for their desired approach and ensure that investments in remote meeting techniques have their intended effect AudicomPendax AB Flygfältsgatan 34 Skarpnäck

3 Why Remote Meetings? With remote meetings you avoid costs of travel and accommodation. For that reason they are used by many companies to save money. Since long trips in the business world and international diplomacy are often made by air many people also advocate remote meetings because of the environmental harm air travel causes. Security is another aspect which many see as a major advantage with not having to travel. Furthermore efficiency is increased by video interaction, since it is much quicker to arrange a remote meeting and the meeting itself is usually more concentrated. Video conferences do not only save money on travel and replace traditional meetings, but also replace the telephone call. You can interpret facial expressions and body language and thus avoid misunderstandings. 3

4 Remote meetings up to now Telephone The telephone as a business tool has been around for a long time and has been widely used for all kinds of contacts and meetings. The participants in a conference call can either sit by themselves, individually, or a group can sit together and via speaker or conference telephone have contact with other groups or individuals. Nowadays the data networks are frequently used for telephone conferences, at least in order to allow participants to exchange documents during the meeting. This means that the differences between teleconference, video conference and web meeting have become smaller. Video conference They are called codec and are a hardware device. They use different ways to communicate with each other. For example via ISDN (H320) (old system), IP (H.323) or IP (SIP). To the codec a camera and monitor are connected in different ways. It is then controlled by means of a remote control or control system. The most exclusive kind of video conference is called telepresence and gives a great sense of presence. A telepresence system attempts, as far as possible, to simulate a real meeting with, among other things, specially designed environments, complete with furniture and displays where the other parties are shown in actual size. Another way to go is software solutions of various kinds. They usually put more demands on the user, and of course they are more unstable since they are installed on Mac or PC computers along with many other software programs. They are generally cheaper, and have also much poorer quality than hardware solutions. The quality usually depends on the camera and the computer s performance. Video conferencing means that you have added a moving picture to the other party/parties at the meeting. There are today ready solutions that are very user friendly and reliable. 4

5 Remote meetings today and tomorrow Web meetings Web conferencing facilitates meetings with moving images remotely via the Internet. There are numerous software applications for this on the market. In web conferencing several people can talk simultaneously with each other, via computer, phone or tablet, video, or a combination of them all. The participants all see the same thing on their screens; each other s faces via webcam, a presentation, a program or a website. Historically, the video quality of this type of meeting has been poor but as programs, hardware and infrastructure have developed, today one can implement web meetings with very high video quality. The decisive factor if you want to succeed with really high quality video meeting is to conduct a thorough needs analysis of how you practically wish to work, and then optimize the different parts. See illustration below. This makes the solution useful and becomes a successful investment. Software (Web Client) Hardware (Computer, Webcam, Speakers, Microphone) Video meeting quality Infra Structure (Internet Connection, Network) 5

6 Important things to consider To help you achieve your investment objectives, we offer you our complimentary needs analysis, something we call the AudicomPendax method. The audicompendax method In simple terms it works as follows: 1. What are the physical conditions of your premises? In what spaces will meetings be held: personal devices, meeting rooms, coffee rooms, dining rooms, etc. How are the spaces furnished and what are their physical dimensions? Length, width, height, placement of windows, doors, and so on. 2. What types of meetings are you aiming for? Customer meetings, management meetings, brainstorming sessions, training, team meetings, and so on. 3. What are the working methods of the different meetings and users? In other words, how do the meetings work practically? Is there only need to see and talk with each other, do you want to write on a board so that people in the room and also at a 6 distance can see you, do you want to make data presentations, etc. To ensure that nothing is missed when it comes to the differing approaches, it is extremely important that the people present at the needs analysis have a good knowledge about the different working methods. When your various approaches are identified and clarified you will receive a budget proposal with alternative approaches that work for all your different needs. When you finally select the desired work mode this will be the basis on which the rooms are fitted with proper ducting, IT and power. It is always best to do this as soon as possible in order to avoid extra construction costs or delays. Regardless of whether you are renovating, moving or building a new house, this information must be forwarded very early so that it is included in the construction planning. Your landlord or construction project manager can tell you the exact timing for this. The AV consultants of AudicomPendax produce complete production drawings based on your preferred approaches, ready to be handed over to construction planning. If you so desire we are more than happy to be present at your construction meetings, to ensure that this part is going smoothly and that a desired final goal is achieved.

7 AuPx cloud You who do not have web meeting software are perfectly welcome to use AuPx cloud. You subscribe to his service on a monthly basis. You download the client free of charge or run the service directly in the browser of your existing device. It works equally well with telephone, tablet, computer, etc. The monthly cost depends on how many concurrent users there will be. Do not hesitate to contact us for a free demonstration. and drop and shared content. WebRTC lets you click on a link in a browser and connect directly to the meeting. Since WebRTC is already built into the browser there is no need to install plug-ins or add-ons. This is a great advantage since many larger organizations do not provide their users with administrative rights. On a smartphone, you just call the number. AuPx Cloud Platform brings together video, voice and web meetings, and is integrated with existing technologies such as Microsoft Lync, Cisco Jabber and others. Users meet in virtual meeting rooms called cospaces, using the clients and devices that they are already comfortable with. All units are in order: computers, ipads, smart phones, video conference systems, and also Lync, Skype and Jabber clients. Just as in a phone call AuPxcloud users need not know which products the other participants are using. AuPx cloud brings together Microsoft Lync users with other environments, without changing the original Lync experience with chat, presence, drag 7

8 Different working methods Everybody has their own picture of a web meeting. We of course create it from our unique circumstances and aspirations. One person sees himself sitting on a pier in the sun with an ipad in his lap. Another imagines reporting the situation during a tree cutting in a burning forest, or briefing a surgeon from a screeming ambulance on the way to the emergency room. How do you see a web meeting in front of you? What are your unique circumstances? This is one of the things that takes us to the central part of this guide that deals with work modes. In the examples above, the same web meeting technology was used in different ways. The technique is the same in the three cases but all the circumstances are different. The second question is: how to assure the quality of our web meetings and their results. How can we ensure that we reach the goal of the investment? For a really good web meeting we need a real meeting room that is designed for the task. Those who connect to the meeting from afar may be in another room, on a bridge or in an ambulance. 8

9 Professional design The pictures on this page show a meeting room for eight people. On the front wall is a writing board with inset screen and webcam. There is also a folding shelf for laptops. One of the niceties of this arrangement is that all the wiring is in the wall mounted unit. In this way one does not need to run wires all over the room. The cable paths are short and neat so there is no disruption of signals. Everything you ve read so far here is about the solution we recommended a specific customer. It is based on how they described to us the way they want to work: We need a meeting room for up to eight people. It should be neat and tidy without lots of cables to trip over, and fit in the finished space over here. We want to be able to have remote meetings where we make presentations with a computer. If the customer had to solve the task without our knowledge and our solutions - what do you think the result would have been in lead time, cost and quality? 9

10 Full collaboration 10 In this working method the Connecto HD Pro Web USB2.0 webcam sits inside a Connecto Mini installation duct placed on the wall under an LED screen. This arrangement is of course convenient because all the wires may run from

11 the computer on the shelf, inside the installation duct to make it look neat and tidy. Additionally, the installation duct Connecto Mini can be fitted with optional socket for USB, 230V, HDMI and simple Micro Control Systems and more. We have provided opposite wall with a DesignLine whiteboard camera can zoom in optically so that remote participants can keep up. AV rail, blackout and chairs with wheels makes the room flexible and versatile. 11

12 Board of Directors 12 This working method is based on the one on the previous spread. The camera is built into a DesignLine Conference Cabinet with LED TV and stained glass doors that slide sideways. This is an exclusive way to hide your camera and

13 monitor when not in use. The computer sits behind the conference cabinet and is controlled with a mouse and a keyboard via bluetooth. For those who want to plug in their laptops there are contacts available inside the door. 13 The chairs, Capo di capo, has got wheels - and style!

14 For four or more 14 The working method for you who have got an open plan office. The trolley contains all the necessary technology for web meeting. LED screen, camera, control system and connections are packaged in a mobile solution that we tailor to

15 your business and profile and to fit the other furnishings that you have carefully chosen. The trolley can be placed under the table so that the screen is as close to the meeting participants as possible. Since there are no protruding parts in the rear 15 the trolley can also be set with the back directly against a wall.

16 Interactive design room 16 In this working method, we have an interactive projector on the wall to the left. It shoots at a DesignLine Writing Board with an AV rail at the top. Distance participants participates by the camera that is recessed under the LED screen

17 in the writing board on the right wall. A fold-out laptop shelf makes it easy to connect your computer. The Connecto Pro HD Web camera can as usual display all participants or zoom in the writing board where the interactive presentation or 17 written notes appear.

18 How you are perceived and appear We are used to seeing people in pictures on TV and in the movies. Professional photographers,lighting designers and make up artists has created benchmarks for us when we judge how we and others look in a picture. With the awareness that the image quality and image resolution with professional equipment is very high, there also comes thoughts about this subject. A workday with important meetings is perhaps not much different from a regular working day, but many of us still stop in front of the mirror and ponder how we will be perceived by those we meet. What impression do we want to make? This often ends with quite some pottering before we are satisfied with our looks. The AudicomPendax webcams generally have a warm, natural tone in their color reproduction, which means that you need not think or behave differently on days when you will be in a web meeting. In a situation where you sit in front of a computer monitor with a webcam, you will be mainly illuminated by the computer screen. That lighting is not always to your advantage. If you wear glasses or jewelry the light from the screen can cause sharp reflections. Simpler webcams compensate for the sharp light by making the rest of the image darker. In a web meeting in a meeting room, we are further away from the camera and get more help from the ambient light, which actually gives us an advantage when it comes to appearance. A webcam with video conference video quality has optimal possibilities to give the outside world the same image that you have of yourself. The task of the webcam is easier if there are not so many different kinds of light in the room, with different temperatures. An interior shade for the windows can help. The main thing is that the light should be rather strong and come from the right direction. 18

19 Meeting discipline All written and unwritten rules that apply to an ordinary physical meeting obviously also apply to a web meeting. To begin with, be on time and prepared. For those of you who have problems in this area there are no traffic jams or late train to blame. At the agreed time your technical equipment should be checked and turned on, and you should have the objective of the meeting clear in your mind. If it is you who called the meeting you are expected to keep a check on the agenda (preferably already sent out with the invitation), the Presidency and the distribution of meeting minutes. If you are a seller and use web meetings as a working tool the same things that you learned about conversation balance etc. still applies In contrast to physical meetings in a web meeting - for once, for obvious reasons - it is okay have your cell phone and computer turned on. Plan your meeting to be as so short and structured as possible. Preferably a quarter of an hour, if possible. 19

20 Book the meeting Invite only those who really need to be at the meeting. The number of invitees is no measure of the meeting s importance. Others can get a copy of the minutes afterwards. With smart web meeting systems you can send notices of meetings through your calendar. With one single message you can send both the date and a link to the participants so that they can easily join when the time comes. To find mutually convenient times for the meeting you can make use of web services such as: World Clock Meeting ( worldclock/meeting.html) Planner With Timeanddate s tool for meeting planning (see picture below), you can select different places in the world and get suggestions for times that hopefully will suit all participants. The result comes up as a very easy to understand color-coded chart of the selected day. You of course choose a time which will be day-time for as many participants as possible. 20

21 ( Doodle With Doodle you can register a free account and with the people you want to invite find the right time and date for the web meeting. All invitees fill in the times that are convenient for them, and you as administrator have full control. You can also export the results as an Excel spreadsheet if you have a large group. As a bonus, Doodle also fits those who want to find a time to go out with friends to a restaurant, or something similar... 21

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23 Recording the meeting? In Sweden it is not legal to secretly, without permission, record conversations. This applies to all conversations, on the phone, at a web meeting or a traditional physical meeting. Exceptions are if you have a special permission, or that you yourself are in the conversation. If the recording is digital, which most of the times it is, it is affected by the Personal Data Act (PUL). It is important to weigh the importance of making a recording against the participants personal integrity. It therefore matters whether the call is about sensitive private information, or just a regular job meeting or sell order. Simply put, you must not record conversations between others in secret. If you are in the call yourself, or at least one of the recorded knows about the recording, it is however perfectly lawful. 23

24 The web camera guide Image captured from Connecto Pro HD. White Balance = 10 (neutral/warm) Depth of field = 10 Contrast = 10 (Light areas clear, sofas naturally brown) Viewing angle Max = 90 degrees (Other: The camera integrated in the writing board provides extra viewing angle) 24

25 Image captured from camera built into laptop computer. White Balance = 6 (blue/cold) Depth of field = 8 Contrast = 8 (Bright parts faded, red-brown sofas) Viewing angle Max = 72 degrees (Other: Clearly darker image along the edges indicate simpler optics) 25

26 Image captured from Logitech CC3000. White Balance = 7 (blue/cold) Depth of field = 10 Contrast = 7 (Bright parts faded, sofas too dark) Viewing angle Max = 90 degrees (Other: - ) 26

27 Image captured from Cisco Precision. White Balance = 9 (neutral/warm) Depth of field = 9 Contrast = 7 (Bright parts faded, sofas too dark) Viewing angle Max = 45 degrees (Other: Unnatural enhanced colors give red faces) 27

28 Index A air travel 3 AudicomPendax method 6 AuPx cloud 2, 7 B browser 7 C Cisco 7, 27 codec 4 conference telephone 4 Contrast 24, 25, 26, 27 D Depth of field 24, 25, 26, 27 Doodle 2, 21 E environmental harm 3 H H I ipad 8 ISDN 4 J Jabber 7 M Mac 4 Microsoft Lync 7 P PC 4 R Recording 2, 23 S SIP 4 Skype 7 smartphone 7 software solutions 4 T Telephone 2, 4 telepresence 4 travel 3 V Video conference 2, 4 video quality 5, 18 Viewing angle 24, 25, 26, 27 Web meetings 2, 5 WebRTC 7 White Balance 24, 25, 26, 27 28

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30 Dynamisk Funktion