Connection test is the most important preparation: Two preparations to increase productivity for video calls/conferences, Part 1
Published on 1/10/2026
Due to the evolution of smartphones and PC devices, the spread of free calling apps such as LINE, and the standard built-in Teams in Windows, almost everyone has an environment for video calling in recent years, and even people who are not very IT savvy have more opportunities to use it.
Because both parties can be seen in a video conference, the amount of information is greater than a text chat or phone call-only conference, and it is possible to communicate at a level close to that of an actual face-to-face meeting, making it possible to achieve high productivity even between people who are far apart.
Sato
However, even if you try to introduce video conferencing, you tend to find yourself thinking, “Just a phone call is enough” or “I think it would be better to have a meeting in person.”
Partner
Yes.It would be great if you could take advantage of the benefits of video chat and have a good meeting.
Partner
Please note that important elements even in real meetings, such as “prepare the agenda” and “determine the meeting time”, are not covered here.
Recognize that video chat requires a lot of preparation in exchange for member travel costs compared to regular meetings.
Video chat is a wonderful system that can be used anytime and anywhere as long as you have a device and an internet connection.The benefits of being able to eliminate the huge cost of actually gathering people who are far apart in one place are immeasurable.
On the other hand, you need to be even more prepared before the call than for an in-person meeting.If you are not prepared, you will end up wasting a lot of time, giving a bad impression of yourself, and hindering good communication.
It is important to recognize that video chat requires many preparations in exchange for the travel costs of a real meeting.
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Perform a connection test on the video conferencing system you will be using.
The time loss of “Can you hear me?” and “Can you see me?” recognizes the first enemy.
Unlike real meetings, this is an obstacle unique to video conferencing.If you have some experience with video conferencing, I’m sure many of you have experienced it.
Most of the causes of this trouble are insufficient preparation of the system to be used.By not testing the connection or understanding how to use it before holding a meeting, you end up incurring unnecessary costs that would not occur with other meeting formats.
In a video chat where only members who are familiar with the conference system being used gather together, this preparation is not necessary, but if even one conference participant is insufficiently prepared, it will affect the time it takes to be able to talk and the time taken by all the members.
The more people in the meeting, the greater the loss, so in a sense it can be said to be more serious than being late.
Test the connection once before the meeting
To avoid this problem, ideally you should test the connection with someone who is familiar with the system and confirm it by the day of the meeting. Even if you are unable to obtain the cooperation of someone who is familiar with the service, you can perform a dual-role connection test using two computers or a smartphone in your own environment.
The method for testing the connection will vary depending on the system you are using, but basically it should be possible by some means.Please take the test and let all participants make an effort to eliminate losses on the day.
Do some research on basic useful functions such as the screen sharing function.
For conference systems that use computers, there is a function that allows participants to share the computer screen they are currently viewing in real time. This is a convenient feature unique to video conferencing, which can be used like slides or writing on a board.
It is easy to think that only meeting facilitators and presenters need to understand this function, but surprisingly, it is a function that anyone can use. ZOOM meetingSome systems allow participants to annotate and write on the shared screen.
Screen sharing is a built-in feature in most video chat systems, so be sure to do some research on this basic useful feature.
Sato
It can be useful if you have a system with a survey function or if there are many participants in the meeting.
Partner
Yes.Apart from conference systems, the file sharing functions of Microsoft Office 365 and Google Drive are also useful, so if you don’t have much experience using them, it might be worth doing some research!
In the second part, we will introduce you to personal hygiene unique to video conferencing, how to prepare for improving the quality of your video footage, and some tips.
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