Time to Manage Videoconferencing
In a post-COVID work world, will videoconferencing become outdated? Likely not. While much has been learned about using videoconferencing for law practice, in the courtroom and in law school, there are some potential improvements to be made with how a law firm manages its use of videoconferencing now and in the future.
Meeting Best Practices
Whether the meeting is purely virtual or a hybrid, there are tried-and-true rules that should be applied. First, ask if you really need a meeting. Establish the parameters. Are there decisions to be made? Can this be done via email? Zoom fatigue is a real phenomenon, but prior to COVID-19 there were many meetings just to have meetings. Meetings should have agendas, seek outcomes and have assigned tasks for follow-up at the end. Think about why people are feeling the stress of virtual meetings and try to alleviate that. Start on time. End on time (or early!). If you are going to be late or cannot make the meeting, let the meeting organizer know.
Integrate Your Technologies
Does your electronic calendar integrate with your videoconferencing tools? For instance, if you use Calendly to let people schedule time, you can integrate Zoom so that the link is automatically included in the invitation. Or if you use Microsoft 365, you can send a Teams meeting directly from Outlook.
In a virtual environment, having an up-to-date electronic calendar is more important than ever so people can see free/busy time both inside and outside of the office. Integrating your videoconferencing tools means that you do not accidentally forget to add something to the calendar or have someone waiting on you at the last minute to send the conference link. That simply does not have to happen. You should also integrate your calendar with Teams or Slack to help notify your team when you are busy or not available.
All About Appliances
At the beginning of the pandemic, videoconferencing was new to many lawyers. While many had been invited to participate in one on occasion, it probably was not every day. Certainly, many lawyers had never initiated a videoconference. Often lawyers found that their home environments were not conducive to constant videoconferencing, with low bandwidth, a lack of proper equipment and distracting environments.
As the entire world sought to buy HD-quality webcams, noise-canceling headphones, better lighting and multiple monitors, there was some scarcity in available technology to use videoconferencing effectively. Going forward, as firms will still be using videoconferencing at work and at home as a matter of course, firms can help supply standard equipment and tools so the firm’s attorneys and support staff can put forth a consistent, professional appearance.
Audio and Video Equipment
Noise-canceling headphones or earbuds can help with sound quality. There are many options to choose from at all price points. For those who have a truly quiet and private space in which to work, the temptation to use onboard laptop microphones/speakers or peripherals is appealing. However, sometimes this setup causes feedback for others due to the microphone picking up sound from the speakers, creating the dreaded echo chamber effect. Additionally, if working from home, it is impossible to squelch all external noise—like the neighbor who likes to crank up the leaf blower promptly at 9:00 a.m.—so noise-canceling devices really can help. Having some backup devices is also essential, as it is inevitable that there will be an occasional technical difficulty.
How many times have you had the view up someone’s nose during a videoconference because they are using a laptop’s onboard webcam sitting on their desk? Time to outfit your firm with good webcams that can be mounted on an external monitor or raised to eye level. Or get a laptop stand. The best lighting for videoconferences comes from a source behind the camera. The reality is that most folks have little flexibility in arranging their workspaces with the window in just the right place. External lighting, like the popular ring lights, can add professional lighting at a low cost.
Cats and Dogs and Kids, Oh My
Your team may be well equipped to look good on videoconferencing, but the constant use of videoconferencing has created some interesting intolerances and etiquette rules. At the beginning of the pandemic, having a pet or child (inevitably in a state of undress) appear on camera was cute. Then people lost their sense of humor.
A virtual background can help reduce the exposure of your home environment. The phenomenon of taking a picture of a Zoom call and posting it to social media also called out the various personal backgrounds exposed during videoconferencing, not to mention a dedicated Twitter account called Room Rater critiquing the rooms of TV interviewees. Firms can create a branded virtual background that includes a neutral background like a conference room with the firm’s name or logo superimposed as a transparent image. These backgrounds can be distributed to the firm and can help with a professional, consistent appearance.
To Be or Not to Be (On Camera)
There are hundreds of articles about the importance of turning on your video camera. It helps with engagement in a virtual environment and lends a replication of being together. Being on camera also helps identify those participants are engaged and can identify who is speaking. For client meetings, court appearances, mediations and other external meetings, be on camera, stay engaged and look your best.
However, for internal meetings, given the realities of balancing working from home with childcare and early mornings, firms can agree to either relax the dress code or allow people to toggle off the camera and display a professional headshot. Whether an internal or external meeting, even with the camera on, using videoconferencing tools like “raising” your hand or saying, “Hi, this is Catherine; I think …” helps identify the speaker when there is a meeting large enough that all the participants cannot be seen on one screen.
Security Settings
First, a firm should eschew free videoconferencing tools and give each user a paid account. If the product the firm chooses does not allow for universal administrative settings, like requiring passcodes, waiting rooms, and locking screen-sharing only to hosts and co-hosts, the firm should create a mandated security setting cheat sheet so that team members are all using the settings to effectively to minimize disruption, enhance security and be consistent for every meeting. Advise those sending out links to videoconferences on best practices, like never making a link public, to reduce the likelihood of the dread phenomenon of Zoom bombing.
Practice Makes Perfect
Even though most lawyers have been using videoconferencing tools for months, the firm should roll out training on tools and best practices for the platforms they use. Teaching users how to share screens, mute and unmute participants, engage in private chat, record calls and other features that some users may not deploy often will help ensure that everyone in the firm is videoconferencing savvy and makes use of the features to their highest capacity.
Teach the team how to use engagement tools like polls to keep meetings interactive. And remind users to get onto videoconferences early, especially if they are the ones speaking or initiating the meeting, since the technology has many failure points. What worked this morning may not work this afternoon. Be prepared.
Conclusion
Videoconferencing is here to stay. Firms were thrown into this virtual environment and had to learn in a trial by fire. Now is the time for firms to embrace these tools, leverage best practices and apply a framework for how the lawyers and support staff will use them consistently and securely moving forward.
©2021. First published in Law Practice Magazine Vol. 47 No. 3 May/June 2021 by the American Bar Association. Reproduced with permission. All rights reserved. This information or any portion thereof may not be copied or disseminated in any form or by any means or stored in an electronic database or retrieval system without the express written consent of the American Bar Association or the copyright holder.