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5 Tips for Adding Video to your Mediation Practice

Video meetings are starting to
replace in-person and phone meetings.
Guest Post from Julie Tolek*

As more services go digital, it is necessary for legal and mediation professional to follow the trend. Clients expect an equal level of convenience and access in purchasing legal and mediation services that is provided in other online services. This means that the technological requirements on a modern law and mediation firm go well beyond having a good website.

It is important for forward thinking mediators and lawyers to add online scheduling, paperless billing, cloud file access and similar options to their regular services for their clients.  Following the growing digital trend, video meetings will likely replace in-person and phone meetings. To help mediators face the changing needs of their practice we’ve thought about the most important considerations involved in adding these services and making them seamless for your clients:

Five things to keep in mind when adding video mediations to your practice: 

1. Are all participants at different locations or will at least one participant be coming to your location? If a participant will be with you in the office, consider whether they should still bring their own device so they can log onto the video conference individually, or do you have a camera system set-up where the entire conference room is in view? Otherwise you might have to sit very close to each other to appear on screen, which can be uncomfortable and awkward. Sitting close to each other might also give the impression of being on that person's “side”, since both of you are together on the other “side” of the camera, seemingly opposing the person who is out of the office on camera. Doing what you can to minimize this effect will keep your mediation in neutral territory.

2. Use a video conference app where you can share a screen. The new normal, even when in real life, is usually to view documents in some digital manner on your device, or to display them on a big screen so everyone in the room can view the document together. Printing every single document is becoming a rarity, especially when there are multiple people working on multiple drafts of the same document. Using a video conference app (such as Zoom) where you can share your screen (even better if you can share specific windows on your screen or apps you are running) makes it easier to go over documents or view websites collectively in the conference, instead of each person having to do it alone and at a difference pace. Remember that while some video apps allow screen sharing on the iPhone or other small device, it might be a bit trickier than on a computer. You can also email any documents you plan to go over ahead of time for the note-takers-by-hand so they can print what they want to and doodle away.

3. Double check your time-zones. Often, clients use video conferencing because someone lives far from any central meeting point, and the easiest way to get everyone together is via video. Make sure that everyone knows in what time-zone the video call is to occur and double check (maybe even triple check!) your calendar. Some calendars have a section where you can change the time-zone of a meeting, which can be equally as confusing as it is useful, depending on whether you have your time-zone settings active in your calendar. When in doubt, an email to participants to confirm the time-zone can get everyone on the same page.

4. Accessorize according to your environment. If there are other people around you and you are unable to be in a quiet room alone, use headphones and add a microphone when possible. Even the headphones that came with your smartphone likely have a microphone on the cable, making them super convenient when joining the video on your own device. You can also use an external microphone if you are using a computer to avoid unnecessary screaming into your screen. Depending on your surroundings, you may not need headphones or a microphone at all. Also if you are using a smaller device like your phone, a tripod or stand will keep you hands free and easily at “eye” level with other participants. Turn your video feed on to test the lighting and make sure people can see you!

5. Don’t be late to the party. Make sure your software is up to date and ready to use so you are not bogged down with updates or issues launching your video app. Just because you are virtual doesn’t mean you can slack on preparation.  Give yourself about 15 minutes to launch and deal with any update prompts, frozen screens, and hardware positioning, and then log in to your meeting. This routine will get you online a few minutes early, which is much better than being a few minutes late.


*Julie Tolek is an Associate at Skylark Law & Mediation, PC and runs her own practice, Think Pink Law.  Julie's practice includes family law & divorce representation, prenuptial agreements, mediation, firearms licensing & NFA trusts, estate planning & probate, and adoptions.

Comments

  1. Intersting, in today’s world, the internet is the first place that people look when they are in search of… just about anything, really, including a skilled mediator. Adding video mediation would be a huge asset.

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