Video conferences are an important part of the corporate world. Companies have customers and clients all across the globe. The best way to communicate with them is through video conferencing.
Conferences can be boring and unfruitful at times. Here are few guidelines that can help your video conference go as planned and on track.
Fix a time and stick to it
Most conferences are delayed because one or the other party is not present on time. This can leave a bad impression. There is generally a lot of time wasted before a conference call is started. This is the time spent on waiting. You can avoid this by starting on time. In fact, arrive at the conference room ahead of time. This way you will not be the one interrupting and walking in on the call.
If the call is about to end, summarize it and be clear that you have said everything you wanted to on your end. The general protocol is to ask all the people on the call for final comments.
Stick to the agenda
Send out an agenda while setting up the conference. This way, every person sitting in on the meeting is well informed. Stick to the topic of discussion. This will ensure active discussion between the two parties. Do not be the only one hogging the call. Let all the people at your end and the opposite end say their part. It is important to share a conversation to direct the flow of the meeting.
Set Up The Room With Good Equipment
Video conferences will go smoothly if the speakers and the camera used are of good quality. The room should be arranged properly. Check on how many people are going to be sitting in on the call. It is even better if you have a test run of it. Have everyone seated and see to it that everyone can see people on the other end. Make sure you are seated properly and the room is clean and set up well.
Dress Formally
Considering the fact that you are sitting in on a video conference, your attire matters. It can be used to your benefit. If you dress appropriately you can create a good impression.
Stay Attentive
Before the call starts, make notes on all the people sitting in on it. You need to know the clients on the other end by name and designation. Be alert and follow the conversation even if it is not directed at you. If spoken to, be quick to respond. Formulate your reply in your mind and be precise with it. This way, too much time is not wasted on unnecessary details.
Take Notes
The conference is established to convey important information. So be sure to take notes throughout. Most of the companies record their calls. You can go through these recording and review them. Take notes and share your views with your colleagues. These notes can also come in handy later when the information you have written down is required.
Check your connectivity and the premises
The call can be interrupted with someone walking in or the internet getting disconnected. If this happens, the flow of the meeting is disrupted. To avoid this scenario there are a few things you could do at your end. Check your internet connectivity before you get started. Lock the conference room or have a security guard at the door.
These precautions can ensure that you have a smooth video conference.
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Tips for a multiple sclerosis diet
Read moreThe nerve fibers in the body of people suffering from multiple sclerosis get damaged. This is because multiple sclerosis damages the layer of myelin present on the nerve fiber, a substance that protects nerves and helps in transmitting signal throughout the body.
Multiple sclerosis is one of the common neurological diseases in young adults.
There are some dietary factors that appear to have an impact on people suffering from multiple sclerosis. Hence, understanding the role of diet while suffering from multiple sclerosis could help one in having fewer relapses and lead a better quality of life.
Multiple sclerosis is a brain disorder that affects the nervous system. So, it is important to have multiple sclerosis diets that support a healthy immune system. A diet that helps to improve beneficial gut flora might help to achieve this.Here are few food products that are good for people suffering from multiple sclerosis.
Probiotics
Probiotics are present in food products such as fermented foods, yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, fermented tea. These contain lacto-bacteria which is a type of beneficial bacteria. Adjusting the gut flora using probiotics might prove to be helpful for people suffering from multiple sclerosis. This is because these bacteria help in improving the entire immune system of the body.Fiber
Fiber found in plant foods such as fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes help in promoting optimal health by nourishing the gut bacteria and regulate bowel movements, thus keeping the heart healthy, which is difficult to maintain for people suffering from multiple sclerosis. Being a filling food source, fiber also helps you keep full.Vitamin D
Since we have eliminated consuming vitamin D through milk, as it contains saturated fats, other sources rich in vitamin D, such as egg yolks, canned sardines, and cod liver oil can be consumed. Exposure to morning sunlight can prove to be a protective nutrient for people suffering from multiple sclerosis.PUFAs
PUFAs or Polyunsaturated fatty acids help in maintaining a healthy body and controls inflammation. It appears to improve brain as well as cardiac health which is weak in people suffering from multiple sclerosis. Foods that contain PUFAs include fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel. Plant based oil (except coconut and palm oil) are also rich PUFAs.Biotin
Biotin is also referred to as vitamin B or Vitamin H. It is usually found in foods such as eggs, yeast, liver, and kidney. High-dose of biotin may benefit some people suffering from multiple sclerosis.
Before going on any type of multiple sclerosis diets, it is very important to consult a doctor, as they will be able to guide one better as to which foods to include and which food products to avoid in a multiple sclerosis diet. -
Fifty years of microwaving
Read moreToday, almost every second home in the United States of America has a microwave. However, this wasn’t the case about 50 years ago.
Although they were used for commercial purposes since the 1950’s, the year 1967 saw America’s first home-use microwaves being sold by Amana Corporation. This became possible due to the miniaturization of technology and cost cutting due to which these commercial microwaves were able to be manufactured in smaller sizes and at cheaper rates.
A little bit of history first
The first domestic microwave oven was christened, ‘radarange’, which was a name coined from the terms radar and range. But why ‘radar’? What is the connection between a radar and a microwave? This has a long, but rather interesting story to it.Radar stands for, ‘radio detection and ranging’ and a magnetron is a device that produces it. This device was used in abundance during World War II. However, the American army was falling short of magnetrons. Therefore, Percy Spencer, an engineer who worked with Raytheon and was given the task of revving up the production of the magnetron.
So Spencer began work. During one of his stints where he was working with a live magnetron, Spencer noticed that a piece of candy in his pocket had melted. Suspecting it was the radar from the magnetron at play, he experimented again, only this time consciously and with a raw egg. He pointed a radar beam towards the egg and his suspicion was confirmed, as the egg exploded due to quick heating. And then a series of experiments continued one of which included corn kernels that turned into popcorn when they were subject to radar emission. And this was the advent of microwave ovens. Spencer then went on to patent his findings and this is how the first microwave came into existence.
Businesses began adopting the technology founded by Spencer and soon ‘radarange’ came to be known as the microwave. Owing to the short wavelength of the radio waves used in cooking, as compared to the longer wavelengths of radio waves used in telecommunication, this technology was rechristened from the ‘radarange’ to the microwave (another term for a shortwave).
A few things to know about microwave cooking
- In spite of their fast-growing popularity, microwave ovens have still not been able to completely replace convection ovens. This is because fast heating is not conducive to certain types of food. Take for example bread. A loaf of bread can never be cooked in a microwave oven unless it comes with a convection feature. The reason for this being, slow heat is one of the main factors that is needed for the yeast to make the dough of the bread rise.
- Similarly, when you place a ceramic plate full of food in a microwave, the food comes out hot, while the plate doesn’t. This is because the frequency of a microwave is only able to stir up water molecules that cause them to vibrate rapidly and heat up. And the food has water while the plate doesn’t, which explains why only your food gets heated up in a microwave.
- Neither does microwave cooking cause cancer nor does it completely destroy all the nutrients in your food. However, microwaving food in plastic is something you should steer clear from since heat can cause the chemical from plastics to leach into your food and this could, in turn, lead to numerous health concerns.
The microwave has come a long way and has undergone a number of transformations since 1967. But all said and done, microwave ovens have certainly done us a world of good in the kitchen due to their rapid heating technology, thus making the whole cooking process a whole lot easier. So here’s to fifty years of microwaving!