#3 Ways Video Makes the Global Workplace Personal No matter how big or complicated modern business may get, video can preserve our connections on a human scale

While we have had globe-spanning companies since the days of Britain's East India Company, the pace and scale have significantly increased in recent years. With multinational corporations and global supply chains, we find ourselves in constant communication with vendors, customers, and even coworkers we may never meet in person. Even in more regional teams, the expectation of availability while on the road and the increase in telecommuting results in a lot of communication happening outside the office. In some ways, it's incredibly efficient. But at the same time, the physical distance can also create mental and emotional distance, leading to breakdowns in communications, loss of trust, and a decrease in camaraderie. Humans are social creatures--we evolved to communicate face-to-face. Fortunately, we've been creating new tools that can help reestablish these critical communications channels - video is stepping into the gap, allowing us to communicate in person, even when we can't actually be there in person. How can companies' best take advantage of these technologies?

Make it Easy to Share Video for Peer-To-Peer Learning.

There is a reason classrooms generally include teachers and not just a pile of books. For most of us, learning works best as a whole body experience. We learn more efficiently when someone else shows us what to do and explains it than we ever could from the bare text. When employees all work together in the same place at the same time, it's relatively easy to walk each other through new procedures or toss a few helpful tips a colleague's way. However, there's only so much knowledge we can transfer through email, user guides, and white papers. With today's easy video capture tools, it's simple to demonstrate a product or procedure by capturing a screen or filming a quick video on your phone.

When you make it easier to create and share quick videos, teams can share knowledge across continents as easily as stopping at their neighbor's desk. Salespeople and support teams can easily create videos to help teach their clients.

Create More Face-to-Face Interactions.

The personal factor is not to be discounted. We like and trust people better when we can look them in the eyes. 94% of employees today believe video makes executives more personal and relatable and 93% believe it connects geographically dispersed employees. Video helps bring that personal touch back to far-flung teams. Webcasting is on the rise, as companies use videocasts for both internal and external communications. Townhalls and other corporate communications help keep companies aligned, allowing executives to create a more personal connection with team members across the globe. Using video for customer communications and investor calls as well as marketing gives companies a face. Video communications between teams, using tools such as Skype, help create and cement the bonds that true teamwork requires. Taking advantage of video's face-to-face capabilities, from webcasting to real-time communications, is key to keeping communications personal.

Make Sure Your Video is Mobile-Friendly.

Today's teams are not only global but mobile. Chances are, any communications are going to be accessed on a phone or tablet. Fortunately, video is there with them. Today's video players can gracefully playout on any device. While reading through pages of documentation on a phone is painful, watching a video explanation is easy. The recording is nearly as easy. We're now seeing companies whose salespeople and customer support reps routinely send their clients videos recorded straight from their phones instead of text emails. With today's handheld devices, teams can meet face-to-face while at home or on the go. Workers can literally carry their team, with all their accumulated knowledge, in their pocket.

The video makes a global workplace personal. We may have a dazzling array of technology at our fingertips and a worldwide marketplace, but we're still cavemen at heart. We want to look each other in the eye and hear each other talk. The video makes that possible. No matter how big or complicated modern business may get, video can preserve our connections on a human scale. So it's up to you to utilize the video tools available to build these critical connections.