Powerpoint and Virtual Conferencing - A Deadly Combination
by Mark Ontkush, Boston, Massachusetts, USA on 04.18.07
Meetings - by phone, email, in person, or virtually - are all about communication, and almost anyone that deals with people regularly, as part of their job, will tell you that nothing beats face to face communication; you establish the relationship, pick up on the non-verbal cues, etc. The problem, of course, is that hauling bodies around the world is expensive, and it's getting more so. So, is webconferencing or videoconferencing the solution?
Not according to James Murray, a writer for Green Business News who cranks out a lot of insightful green IT commentary. This piece on webconferencing struck home, where James probes the murky depths of what it has to offer to the planet. In particular, he wonders why so many presenters go to the trouble of using it, when most just make a Powerpoint presentation of their ideas, then run through it via virtual meeting. As James says, the only collaboration happening is on the associated phone call, and that's just to make sure he is on the right slide and not surfing the web. Ha ha, the truth hurts, and it's funny too.
Now, maybe videoconferencing is better; this TH has not sat in on a videoconference like the one pictured above using Cisco's Content Delivery and Digital Signage, and I'm sure that would be cool. It might even convince a customer rep that they don't actually need to fly about the world and 'shake the hand of the flesh' to establish quality relationships. But if all we are doing is following up or negotiating with well established clients, skip the virtual dog and pony; it costs money, energy and bandwidth to use it, and may turn people off entirely from the technology.
Be patient...the math is on the side of videoconferencing. The technology will become less expensive and the cost of travel (with carbon taxes or similar) will become more expensive.
Beside, it's a somewhat sideways post by Mr. Murray. Exactly how much collaboration does he expect from sales presentations? Could it be that he's been going to the wrong kind of meetings if he wants to see videoconferencing used to its fullest?
-Andre'
Not sure if I see the point of your (or Murray's) commentary. Businesses have always struggled with the problem of running an effective meeting, whether face-to-face or online, and whatever the technology, effective meetings will be up to the individuals who plan and run them. At least they're happening now without someone getting on a plane (with the same useless powerpoint presentation) to conduct them.
Uh, Mark, did you even read the article for which you wrote this TreeHugger summary? The article doesn't even talk about videoconferencing. It talks about web conferencing, which is a totally different beast. I think it's very misleading for you to say that the writer found videoconferencing to not be "the solution" when his complaints are all around web conferencing.
If you're not sure of the distinction, see Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_conferencing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_conferencing
Hi Todd,
you're right, I'm lumping them together. I will clarify.
mark