Seth Godin posted a pithy, thoughtful blog about Difficult Conversations at Work. His advice:
When the outcome of a conversation is in doubt, don't do it by email...show up in person if you can. The synchronicity of face to face conversation gives you the chance to change your tone midstream... [read more].
He makes an extremely valid point.
But what do you do when you can't meet in person? An online meeting can solve the problem.
With WebEx, you can use web cams to see everyone in your meeting. Our Active Speaker feature dynamically switches the camera view to show who is talking at any point in time. It's the next best thing to having an in-person conversation.
Ready to jump in? Here are a few quick tips:
- Do make sure you like what you see. Many people are web-cam-shy. Check out your own image before you broadcast to make sure you feel comfortable.
- Do have the camera near eye-level. You will naturally look at the screen to see everyone else, so having your camera near where you are looking with add to the "natural conversation" feel.
- Slow down. It's still a video conference and the telephony part takes a second to switch. So leave a little space for transitions and don't be afraid of pauses.
- Consider recording the meeting. If you want to focus on face time and not take a lot of notes, you can record the meeting and take notes later during a reply.
Don't have a WebEx account? You can try WebEx free for two weeks - and have as many meetings as you like. Get the free trial here.
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