Working World

Building relationships has always been a mainstay of doing business, finding job leads and giving customers the feeling that you’re personally handling their account. Reaching out to colleagues, contacts and the community is more important today than it ever has been — with jobs drying up all over California, one has to really think outside the box to keep a competitive edge. Why not consider videoconferencing as the tool that lets you see beyond the box? It used to be something you’d see on future-oriented cartoons like “The Jetsons,” but today even grandmothers are using it to chat with grandkids in other states or even distant countries. The future has arrived.

To get started, you’ll need a computer with a video camera built in or connected via UPS (surprisingly, webcam/mics such as the Eyeball from Blue Microphones are available for less than a Ben Franklin), and a software program such as Skype. Your contacts will also need the same. If you belong to any professional groups, whether it’s the company that employs you, your sorority or fraternity, the chamber of commerce, etc., you can encourage all of your contacts to get into the video age so you can communicate faster and more frequently with each other.

Seeing the person you are communicating with lets you gauge body language and facial expressions, creates a more immediate bonding experience, builds trust faster and boosts confidence, which makes for closer relationships both in your working world and your private life. Oh yeah, and it’s fun, too!

VIDEOCONFERENCING TIPS

• Make sure the room is well lit so you’ll be seen clearly through the webcam.
• Lose the pajamas if you’re calling from home (people can see you!).
• Have your mic aimed properly and your computer volume and input/output settings set correctly before you call your boss or important client.
• Communicate briefly but often with your network of contacts to keep your face fresh in their memory banks — you never know where your next job lead will come from.


Katy Allgeyer is an artist and freelance writer. She is a columnist for Working World magazine and her features have appeared there and in Feng Shui Times, The Art of WellBeing, You & Me Magazine and others.