Tag: communication

Peripherals for Online Meetings

Posted on by richardbingham

After moving from Windows to Mac recently, I wanted to reuse some of my peripherals that I use for online meetings. I thought I would share my setup, as I would have found this helpful so it’s possible others would too.

The challenge here is the MacBook has only two USB-C ports on it, and they’re already used for the following basics:

  • Power input (yes, no separate power input!)
  • Ethernet for faster internet than WiFi
  • HDMI for separate monitor

Seems Apple expects users to leverage Bluetooth for peripherals. Unfortunately my windows machine had a webcam and headset with regular USB cables, and I have no budget to replace them.

After a few combinations (and false starts) I found success with:

  • USB Webcam plugged into the USB port in an Apple USB-C Multiport (as the webcam requires power too). This ensures all important visuals for much richer interactions with my colleagues. The webcam is also setup to be the main microphone input – a job it is more than capable of. As a home worker background noise is not a problem.
  • The Macbook sound output/speakers is set to “system” (ie the built in speakers). Reason being – as a home worker I don’t need to restrict the sound I make. Also the Macbook speakers are plenty good enough.

This setup works nicely, meetings are rich and clear, and the Macbook seems happy enough.

A bonus is my old headset can now live in my laptop bag (along with a USB-C to USB adapter) ready for conference calls away from the office. Also no annoying unplugging stuff before going out!

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A Picture Tells A Thousand Words

Posted on by richardbingham

I know it’s a cliche, but unless you are a word-ninja then trying to verbally describe everything on conference calls is fraught with risks.

Conveying common meaning and fine detail is hard, plus you never really know which bits they ‘got’ or didn’t quite.

Additionally we’re often blind to our assumptions of our own accuracy – the very reason proof-reading is a thing!

This applies to anything – an intention, a process, an event and even a physical object. They’re all hard to describe fully, for everyone. Add multi-cultural and different language challenges too, just for laughs! Sure, the same applies if you were face-to-face, but studies show body cues greatly aid comprehension. Plus you rarely give a physical meeting with no ‘props’ prepared.

So here are two simple suggestions:

Use Analogy. Leverage something that’s similar and you know listeners are familiar with.

Use Visuals. Diagrams, illustrations, photos or rough sketches – I’d say anything is better than nothing. It’s mentally less draining than relying on every last word, and always makes for richer engagements. I actually have a bank of content related to my work, so I can always “show” what I mean, verses just trying to describe it.

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