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Is video really worth the price?
By Jennie
L. Phipps Bankrate.com
 Before
you spend a lot of money on videoconferencing, at least one psychologist
expert in the area recommends that you think twice. You could ruin
your business.
Judy S. Olson, professor in the school of information
at the University of Michigan, who holds a doctoral degree in psychology,
says video images without real contact can easily backfire. People
who have only known each other via phone and e-mail take one look
at each other over video and form fast, sometimes negative, impressions.
As an example, she points to a video conference
among a straight-laced company in London whose representative wore
tweed suits; Andersen Consulting in Chicago, whose members had on
crisp shirts and ties; and Apple Computers in Washington, where
people dress in T-shirts with political statements. "It was a disaster.
They all hated each other on sight and the deal almost collapsed,"
Olson says. "It took a year to patch things up."
The wildly differing dress wouldn't have been
such a factor, she says, if people could have interacted in person
over a span of time -- maybe shared a meal and a little casual conversation.
But videoconferencing doesn't allow for that.
"The best way to build trust across organizations
is face to face. You have to realize that these people are real
human beings. People who know each other only by e-mail don't trust
each other. They have to meet in person for awhile before they'll
give each other the benefit of the doubt," Olson says.
Unless people have reached that stage, Olson
recommends thinking twice about videoconferencing, especially if
the client is not in the region or the country. When there are likely
to be substantial cultural differences, audio conferencing can be
best.
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