COVID-19 HAS MADE the use of videoconferencing more important and common than ever before. We now use videoconferencing to attend doctor appointments, work from home, watch and listen to live music or drama events, attend school, conduct job interviews, and communicate with family and friends. Conferencing services like Zoom, Skype, Webex, and Microsoft Teams have become the norm both at work and at home.
If you work, teach, or attend school remotely, you know the challenges of staying connected during those online conversations. The challenges can be related to devices, bandwidth, audiovisual issues, or participants’ ability to stay focused and hear during the conversation or meeting at hand.
Multiple factors go into a successful remote session. Internet connections, poor sound quality, background noise, or even someone talking too much can ruin or derail a meeting. While you can’t control all the variables, here are some suggestions to make your video calls successful:
Connectivity
Use a stable internet connection. Weak internet connections can cause garbled speech and speech delays. Getting closer to your router may help. Ask others in the house to avoid online activities while you are on a video call. Close unnecessary tabs and programs on your device before your call.
Keep a phone and the meeting phone number handy in case you have audio problems and need to call in to hear and be heard.
Devices
Make sure the devices you are planning to use (cell phone, tablet, laptop, webcam, headphones, microphone) are all charged or plugged in and paired properly. Be sure the camera on your device is working properly and that the camera privacy window is open (or closed if you do not want to be seen!).
Audiovisual
Using headphones and a microphone improves the signal quality of what you hear and what you are saying. Make sure your face is well lit from the front. Allowing your face to be seen in good lighting helps participants read your lips and facial expressions if they are having trouble hearing you. It also helps them stay actively engaged and interested in your conversation. When you can look someone in the eyes, you stay more focused and alert.
If you have hearing loss (or poor-quality speakers on your device), enabling closed captioning either on your device or in your meeting software can help pick up the audio information you are missing. Otter. ai is an app that can be downloaded and will display captions in real time. Zoom has closed captioning available for certain levels of subscribers. Microsoft Teams can present real-time captions for their users. Some online meeting programs also have a record feature so you can record the session for later listening. Hearing aids with Bluetooth function can be paired with certain Bluetooth devices and connected to a computer for better audio quality.
A good setting
Background noise will create trouble for you as well as your listeners so keeping it to a minimum is of utmost importance. Environmental sounds that may not seem loud to you will be loud for people listening to you through your microphone. Air conditioning units, TVs or music playing, other people talking, tapping a pen, sipping coffee, or shuffling papers can be very loud, bothersome, and distracting to everyone on the video call.
One way to lower your background noise level is to use an app called Krisp to mute background noise for your listeners.
Good communication practices
Respect other participants’ turn to speak. Online meetings are more taxing on the eyes, ears, and brain and often more boring than face-to-face meetings. Keeping online meetings shorter than face-to-face meetings is helpful.
Speak closely, within 12-24 inches of the microphone you are using. Resist the urge to move away from your microphone and raise your voice to multitask while you are speaking on video calls (or even on speakerphone calls). Doing so makes people struggle to hear you because your voice becomes strained and distorted.
Multitasking on a video call should be avoided for multiple reasons. The other participants will see this and know that you are not paying attention, feel that their presence is not important to you, and will become disengaged.
Lastly, turn off your cell phone notifications and do not text during videoconference calls.
Regardless of the type of video call you are making, it is important to manage the details of your call ahead of time for the best outcome. Following these guidelines can reduce stress and frustration for you as well as the other participants and will allow for enjoyable, productive school or work sessions, job interviews, medical appointments, or chats with family and friends.
Please feel free to call the audiologists at Northwest Ohio Hearing Clinic if you have communication questions or need to discuss your hearing problem.
Shelly Horvat, AuD, is a Doctor of Audiology with Northwest Ohio Hearing Clinic, located at 1125 Hospital Dr., Suite 50 in Toledo (419-383-4012) and 1601 Brigham Dr., Suite 160 in Perrysburg (419-873-4327). ✲
