Video conferencing is one kind of teleconferencing. It is one of the latest developments in the field of electronic communication. Video conferencing is the face-to-face communication among individuals or group of people with the help of electronic devices. It enables live communication between the participants who are located at different corners of the world.
Each participant of video conferencing has to enter into a separate television studio equipped with cameras, microphones, and monitors. In video conference, the participants not only hear but also see each other. This is an expensive mode of communication.
What Is The Video Conference
According to Bartol and Martin, “Video teleconferencing is the holding of meetings with individuals in two or more locations by means of close-circuit television.”
In the opinion of Robert Kreitner, “A video conference is a live television exchange between people in different locations.”
According to Quible and others, “A communication process that allows conference participants to see one another’s images on television monitors as they communicate, is called videoconferencing.
Boone and others defined, “Video conferences are electronic meeting that allow participants in scattered geographical locations to see and hear one another on television monitors by way of images transmitted over telephone lines.”
From the above discussion, we can conclude that video conferencing is discussion where the participants communicate with each other from different locations with the help of video camera and monitor. Like face-to-face communication, video conferencing allows to hear and see the participants simultaneously.
Advantages of Video Conferencing / Teleconferencing
Teleconferencing is one of the most modern methods of electronic communication. With the emergence of global business operations, popularity of teleconferencing is increasing gradually. Teleconferencing provides the followings advantages to business:
- Saving travel expenses: The most important benefit of teleconferencing is that it saves travel costs. Although teleconferencing is expensive in nature, but such expense is less than the travel cost of the top-level executives.
- Saving travel time: Teleconferencing is also highly advantageous to save travel time. Teleconferencing in the form of video provides the opportunity of face-to-face communication. Therefore, busy executives need not to waste their valuable time by traveling from one place to another.
- Frequent communication: It is not possible for busy executives to make frequent physical visits. Teleconferencing helps to overcome such limitation. With the help of teleconferencing, the busy executives can share their information at any time sitting in their own office.
- Improved communication: Teleconferencing or video conferencing is an improved method of communication. It allows people to communicate among them at any time and at anywhere in the world.
- Better control of business: With the help of teleconference, managers can better manage their geographically dispersed business divisions or units. It also enables them to impose impersonal control from their corporate office.
- Observing facial expressions: Video conferencing provides the advantage of face-to-face communication. Here the participants can observe the facial expressions and gestures of each other that increase the effectiveness of communication process.
Disadvantages of Video Conferencing / Teleconferencing
Although large-scale global businesses can enjoy a lot of benefits from teleconferencing, it suffers from the following limitations:
- Dependency on technology: Teleconferencing or video conferencing occurs using highly sophisticated technology. The conference or meeting may stop at any time due to technological breakdown. In some cases, the entire efforts turn into wastage of money, efforts, and time.
- Expensive: Arranging a teleconferencing is highly expensive. The participants must enter into a room equipped with computer, telephone, microphone, video monitor etc. Making all these available require heavy investment.
- Require expert knowledge: Not all people can participate in it. The participants must have knowledge on the procedure and technique of technique of conducting conference. I addition to tat, expert people are required to operate and maintain the technologies.