BUS600 Week 6 Discussion Forum

Group Versus Individual Communication

Video conferencing is a live, visual link over the internet that simulates a face-to-face conference between two or more remote individuals. Video conference calls are normally used to address a group of people at the same time (Fisher et al., 2020). This saves on time since it is much easier to communicate with many people at the same time compared to individual conference calls with one person at a time. Since communication with a group is time-saving, it also saves on money because the video calls are expensive due to connection expenses.

Using video conference calls for communication in groups encourages equal participation of the group members. When all the members of the group are involved in the conference call, it provides each member with an equal opportunity to participate and follow the discussion providing their views and thoughts (Fisher et al., 2020). However, video conference calls with an individual only requires one individual to be engaged with the other party when discussing private issues.

Video conferencing with a group helps in employee retention since it enables people to log in from different locations and does not require 100% attendance by every member. This is completely different with individual communication because he or she must be available for the video call.

Challenges of communication with groups versus individual in virtual conference calls.

Poor internet connection is a major problem affecting conference calls for both group and individual calls. This is because poor internet connection does not allow for clear video and audio transmissions and may end up leading to miscommunication.

Virtual video conference calls for groups are less private compared to the calls to individuals. This is because video conference calls for groups are attended by many people and any sensitive matter considered to be handled privately may not be laid down in the agenda (Fisher et al., 2020). The conference calls to individuals are, however, more private since it only involves two people and any sensitive issue can be addressed comfortably.

References

Fisher, S., Guralnik, T., Fonagy, P., & Zilcha-Mano, S. (2020). Let’s face it: video conferencing psychotherapy requires the extensive use of ostensive cues. Counselling Psychology Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2020.1777535