How Video Can Help During COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

With escalating COVID-19 concerns, employers are enforcing work-from-home policies and restricting travel to certain countries in an effort to keep their workforce from risk and exposure. It makes sense! With these new safety precautions, we’re seeing a decline in meetings of all sizes. When times are uncertain, communication is more important than ever, so here are a few ways you can maintain quality connections using video.

1. Live Webcasts and Streaming

Late last month, the World Health Organization (WHO) hosted a live Q&A session using Periscope on Twitter #COVID19 to over 50,000 viewers – allowing people to ask questions using #AskWHO. This is a wonderful example of using live streaming to answer questions in real-time and address concerns faster. Information that you would normally share at a conference or live event can be received online. Consider using Facebook Live or Periscope to reach a wide audience. These are easy and quick tools to use yourselves, but if you’re thinking large-scale or have specific needs, consider hiring a production company to make sure your main priority is always your message and not technical difficulties.

“From Olympic uncertainty to conference and event cancellations, the question is not if coronavirus will disrupt business, but when and how.” – FastCompany

2. Video Messages

Emails and texts have quickly replaced the person to person connection in today’s “live to work” culture in the US. Emails are quick, easy, and have become the standard for professional communication. It’s no surprise to us that stocks in companies like ZOOM Communications, a popular video conferencing company, have risen considerably since the viral outbreak. And it’s no wonder, since working from home is the new norm.

With this interpersonal deficit, consider incorporating video the next time you have an update to send. People feel comforted when seeing their leaders during uncertain times. You don’t need a high quality production to send a quick message, especially when you want to get a communication out fast. Plus, the personal touch of sending a video goes a long way with recipients for relatively low effort. In reality, video messages can take as much time or less than an email if you know what you want to say ahead of time. We do recommend keeping your videos brief, and to the point. And of course, software like ZOOM have made live voice and video conference calls an accessible option.

3. Video Training Portals

With big conferences like Mobile World CongressFacebook’s F8, and the more recent SXSW getting cancelled, virtual training and conferences are becoming more important than ever. Here are some resources we find helpful for moving information into the online arena.

  1. Brightcove, a partner of ours, is a resource for using video to elevate your business and marketing strategies. Utilizing a video agency is a great resource for developing quality content and expertise in a delivery platform.
  2. BrightTALK  is a public platform for training videos and is easy to use.
  3. ON24 is a digital platform with a variety of services available from webcasting, to content organization.
  4. This Venture Harbor article lists ten great webinar softwares. Our favorites are Zoom and WebEx.

 

4. Weekly Check-ins

Okay, admittedly this tool is not video related, but it’s too cool NOT to share. Chimp or Champ is a unique and easy way to check in with a team that you’re not seeing on the daily. The site sends employees an anonymous weekly survey, and then sends employers a pulse report. This is a great way to stay in tune with the morale of your team.

Conclusion

These are a few of the many ways in which businesses can rely on video during these isolating times. Do you have a favorite video software or a clever way to personalize communication with your team members? We’d love to hear!

Please take care, and if you’d like more information about how to protect yourself from the virus, check out the World Health Organization’s advice. They even included a video for you. Stay well!

About the author:

Charlyn Villegas is co-founder of Four Winds Creative, an award-winning video producer, and professional speaker with 20 years of industry experience, both on-camera and off. She is also on the Board of Directors of the San Jose non-profit, Christmas in the Park, where she co-chairs the PR and Marketing Committee and leads their Diversity Committee.

Lights, Camera, Action.

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