According to data from Project, 89% of people rate communication as a critical aspect of a business. Yet, despite this data, 80% of them rate their communication practices in their organizations as either poor or average. These statistics may falsely lead you to conclude that the problem is not enough meetings are held, but that is far from the truth.

According to different statistics, over 11 million meetings are held every day. If these statistics are accurate, there has to be a disconnect somewhere. If those many meetings are held per day, and yet people still feel like communication is ineffective, then the different communication methods used today must be examined.

Types of communication

Typically, people in offices can use two different types of communication: synchronous and asynchronous communication. Synchronous communication requires that the parties participating in the communication are present and can respond to messages immediately. Audio and video calls are great examples of asynchronous communication. Synchronous communication does not require those communicating to be present or respond immediately. For example, emails and messages in chat sites can be responded to at the receiver's most convenient time.

Audio vs. video calls

One of the biggest debates you will meet is which communication method between audio conferencing and video conferencing is more superior when it comes to synchronous communication. The truth is they both have a place and a time, and there are times when communication with one method will be better than the other.

What are the times when audio communication excels over video?

There are times when you would rather use audio conference calls over video conference calls. Some of these instances include.

a. When the meeting is impromptu

If you call your team members for an impromptu meeting, you may have to contend with audio calls over video calls. This is because video calls require more prior preparation. For example, video calls need that those in the meeting to be settled in one place for the duration of the meeting, have a strong internet connection, have a relatively quiet environment for the call, and have all the tech needed to hold the video call.

On the other hand, audio calls do not need so much tech (you can do it on your phone). They also do not need as much bandwidth as video calls, and you can have your call from anywhere as long as it is relatively quiet, or you use noise cancellation software. Finally, because some audio calls can be conducted using mobile devices without the need for presentations, they often do not require as much preparation time.

In the case of holding impromptu conference calls, audio calls excel over video calls.

b. When some people have challenges setting up video conferencing configurations

Statistics from OwlLabs show that setting up and starting meetings is one of the most challenging aspects of holding video conferences. Over 50% of those surveyed responding to taking about 10 minutes setting up before the meeting. Now consider a conference meeting with several participants, each coming just a few minutes late and taking some time to settle down.

With audio calls, everyone simply needs to get onto the call and pay attention. Set up takes a shorter time meaning meetings get underway faster. Finally, consider that not everyone is tech-savvy, and some people may struggle with setting up their devices for video calls. Audio calls, on the other, can be easy to navigate even for the least tech-savvy individuals, especially when the systems in place resemble existing audio calling systems.

c. Past office hours when people aren't dressed up for the meeting

85% of managers believe that working remotely will become the new normal in the future. Pair this with the ongoing offshoring trends, and you realize that there may come a time when employees of an organization may be spread out worldwide. The more spread out the employees, the more diverse the time zones of these employees.

Suppose you are holding meetings with someone who was about to get into bed while you were still at the office. It may be better to hold an audio call. This is because requesting a video call means that the person has to look professional for a meeting despite it being outside working hours.

The point here is not that it's hard to wear official clothes. Instead, it's acknowledging that you may be holding meetings with people at different times of the day and holding audio meetings allows everyone to come as they are. As long as the meeting's agenda is clear, it does not matter how someone is dressed for the audio meeting.

d. When the call is expected to be short

Imagine you have a meeting, and that the agenda is expected to be communicated in fifteen minutes. Now, remember that over 50% of people take around 10 minutes to set up for meetings. It does not make sense to fuss about calling a video meeting for such a short meeting. An audio conference call can quickly accomplish the agenda of the meeting with little fuss.

e. When there is nothing to be presented

Everything changes if something needs to be presented for all the meeting's participants to see. In that case, video conferences are unavoidable as everyone has to connect to the video conference call to see what is being presented. But, if there is nothing to be presented, and the meeting is relatively short, then a company can get away with having an audio conference call meeting.

f. When there are few members participating

Audio conference calls work well when there are only a few participants on the call. Alternatively, they can also work with many participants if only a few are expected to respond. By applying some audio-conferencing etiquette rules, a few people can communicate effectively on audio conference calls.

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