????電話會(huì)議、Skype在線視頻通話以及全球視頻會(huì)議等技術(shù)不斷涌現(xiàn)，極大地改變了人們舉行會(huì)議的方式。這是件好事，因?yàn)樗辽倜磕昴転榇蠊臼∠麓蠊P的差旅費(fèi)。但它也有軟肋：在視頻會(huì)議中，要實(shí)現(xiàn)有效交流實(shí)非易事。

????通訊咨詢公司Speakeasy的首席執(zhí)行官斯科特.維斯稱：“現(xiàn)在絕大多數(shù)管理人員都是在現(xiàn)場(chǎng)會(huì)議的環(huán)境中成長(zhǎng)起來的，即大家坐在同一個(gè)會(huì)議室里圍著一張圓桌開會(huì)。因此，視頻會(huì)議的環(huán)境會(huì)讓他們覺得頗為陌生。部分原因在于，在這種會(huì)上，與會(huì)者通常無法獲得即時(shí)反饋，對(duì)自己表現(xiàn)如何心里沒底。”

????因此，在Speakeasy最新開展的一項(xiàng)調(diào)查中，盡管高達(dá)67%的受訪高級(jí)經(jīng)理稱，2012年預(yù)計(jì)將舉行更多的視頻會(huì)議，但毫不奇怪，也有62%的人稱，他們對(duì)自己是否具備充分利用這種會(huì)議的技巧感到擔(dān)心。

????維斯稱，搞砸視頻會(huì)議的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)確實(shí)存在。他說：“比如要和派駐在不同地點(diǎn)的高級(jí)管理人員召開一場(chǎng)常規(guī)的季度戰(zhàn)略會(huì)議，而且決定采用視頻會(huì)議的形式。如果與會(huì)的每個(gè)人并未完全理解會(huì)議上所說的內(nèi)容，或者有人沒機(jī)會(huì)發(fā)表一些至關(guān)重要的信息，你可能要等到會(huì)議結(jié)束很久以后才會(huì)意識(shí)到這一點(diǎn)——而此時(shí)經(jīng)營(yíng)上可能已經(jīng)蒙受了重大損失。”這時(shí)就該你張口結(jié)舌了。

????就如何避免這種情況，維斯及其團(tuán)隊(duì)已向眾多“財(cái)富500強(qiáng)”企業(yè)的管理人員提供了相應(yīng)的培訓(xùn)。這些企業(yè)包括：可口可樂公司（Coca-Cola），微軟公司（Microsoft），家得寶公司（Home Depot），UPS公司以及通用汽車公司（General Motors）。這一培訓(xùn)的要點(diǎn)如下：

盡可能減少視覺干擾

????顯然，在電話會(huì)議中這不是問題，但在視頻會(huì)議上，與會(huì)者能相互看見，這就不是小事了。因此維斯的建議是：“請(qǐng)按照電視出鏡的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)著裝。”這意味著，要穿的保守而簡(jiǎn)單，比如一套深色西裝，純色襯衫或女式襯衫。不要穿白色服裝，因?yàn)樵跓艄庀滤鼤?huì)產(chǎn)生眩光，也不要穿圖案復(fù)雜的服裝，比如犬牙花紋。

眼睛直視攝像頭

????攝像頭通常就是個(gè)小黑點(diǎn)，所以，當(dāng)你潛意識(shí)里可能更想看著顯示屏?xí)r，要你看著攝像頭會(huì)有些不舒服。不過，維斯稱：“攝像頭就是進(jìn)行眼神交流的手段。如果看著別處，就會(huì)讓人覺得你在有意躲避，或是心不在焉。同樣的道理，當(dāng)你在會(huì)上與對(duì)方交談，視線卻越過對(duì)方的肩膀，也會(huì)顯得失禮。”

????維斯稱：“就算視頻會(huì)議要開兩個(gè)小時(shí)，你也必須專注地看著攝像頭。舉個(gè)例子，你肯定不希望攝像頭拍到你時(shí)，你正低著頭看手機(jī)。人們常常跟我說，一場(chǎng)耗時(shí)很長(zhǎng)的視頻會(huì)議開完后，他們會(huì)因?yàn)槿潭急仨氉龅饺褙炞⒍械浇钇ＡΡM。”

????What with teleconferencing, Skype, and global conference calls, technology has wrought a sea change in the way people hold meetings. That can be great, not least because it saves some big companies millions annually in travel costs. The downside: Coming across effectively in a virtual gathering is tricky.

????"Most executives today 'grew up' with in-person meetings where everyone was seated around a table in the same room," says Scott Weiss, CEO of communication consulting firm Speakeasy. "So a virtual meeting is a strange environment, partly because you usually don't get immediate feedback to let you know how you did."

????Small wonder, then, that although 67% of senior managers in a new Speakeasy poll expect more virtual confabs in 2012, 62% say they're concerned about their own skill at making the most of these meetings.

????The risks in blowing it are real, Weiss notes. "Let's say you have a regularly-scheduled quarterly strategy meeting with all of your senior people in various locations, and you decide to do it as a teleconference," he says. "If everyone doesn't get everything that's being said, or someone doesn't have a chance to contribute vital information, you might not realize it until much later -- after substantial damage has been done to the business." Gulp.

????Weiss and his team have coached executives at Fortune 500 companies like Coca-Cola (KO), Microsoft (MSFT), Home Depot, UPS (UPS), and General Motors (GM) on how to avoid that. A few pointers:

Minimize visual distractions

????Obviously, in a phone meeting this doesn't matter, but in a teleconference where your audience can see you, "dress as you would for a television appearance," Weiss suggests. That means conservative, simple clothing, like a dark suit and solid-color shirt or blouse. Avoid white, since it can create a glare under the lights, and busy patterns like houndstooth.

Keep your eyes on the camera lens

????This is usually a small black dot, and it feels strange to stare at that when your impulse is probably to watch the monitor instead. "The lens is your means of eye contact. Looking anywhere else comes across as evasive or inattentive," Weiss says. "It also looks rude, like looking over someone's shoulder when you're talking to them at a party.

????"Even in a two-hour teleconference, you have to stay focused on that lens. You don't want the camera to find you looking down at your cell phone, for example," Weiss says. "People often tell me they're exhausted at the end of a long virtual meeting from being 'on' the whole time."