How to Use Google Hangouts

This post will guide you on the steps to use Google Hangouts effectively.  If you already have a Google account, you will only need to install a Hangouts plugin before you can access the application.

But no worries.  If you don't have a Google Account, simply sign in here.

Sign in on Google account if you have an existing account.

You will be able to see the list of contact and the hangouts icon at the
 left side of your Gmail inbox

a web cam and a computer with a microphone
is important in a video conference

You must also have already installed the Hangouts plugin before you can use the application.  Google will prompt you if you haven't installed it yet.

Make sure that you have a functioning computer or laptop to start with.  

You must also have a webcam and a microphone. 

These two components used to come separately with the computer. But now, most computers are bundled with built in microphone and webcam.

Just make sure they are working fine.

There are two ways of accessing Google Hangouts. One is going directly to https://hangouts.google.com/ or accessing it through your Gmail inbox.

Accessing Hangouts through https://hangouts.google.com/. The list of contact will appear on the
white coloured blank space on the left

To get started in a video call, voice call or message session with someone in your contact, tap on a contact name and a blank screen will appear.  If you are accessing through Gmail, a pop up will appear at the right side of the inbox.  And then tap either of the three buttons (voice call, video call or message) to initiate an invite. 

Hangouts accessed through Gmail inbox.
Tap on the name of contact on the left side of the inbox and a pop up will appear at the
right side of the inbox.  

If your webcam is working, you will be able to see yourself on the screen. You can add
participants by tapping on the first icon on the upper right side of the screen

You can now initiate a call to your contact.

The screen will go blank during the call attempt.

When you initiate a video call, this will appear on screen

When the call is accepted, you may start the video call session.

You may add up to 10 participants at one time (15 with Google at Work).  To invite, you can enter the information of the person you would like to contact and add her into the session.

Enter the name of contact you would like to add

Be reminded that, the more participants you invite to join in the video conference, the audio and video may be delayed depending on your internet bandwidth.  

You can share files, videos, Youtube links during the video conference with the other participants.  They can write their comment for a more constructive discussion.

file sharing and chat function during video conference

I hope this step by step tutorial will be able to help you in some way with Google Hangouts as a tool for video conferencing in the organization.

Read more :

Step 1 : Pre Video Conference Preparation

Step 2 : During a Video Conference Session

Step 3 : Post Video Conference

Step 3 : Post Video Conference

Post-conferencing

Ending the session

The session will be ended with the chairperson concluding the session and summarizing the discussion.  The chairperson will then thank everyone on their participation and if there need be, a follow-up meeting will be held. 

Hardware shut down

The participants must log off their Google account and then shutting down the computers after the video conference session.  If they fail to log out, other people may be able to access their account and alter it.

READ MORE

Read about Step 1 here

Read about Step 2 here

TUTORIAL : How to use Google Hangouts

Step 2 : During a Video Conference Session

During Video Conferencing

Starting a video conference

      

Sign in on your Google Account and click on the name of the participant you want to have a conversation with. Initiate the video call by inviting the other participant. When the participant accepts your request, you will be able to see her on the screen.  

To invite more participants, you can click on the “add participant” on the screen and initiate the invite to add more people to join the video conference session.

Communicate effectively

Do an audio check before the virtual meeting begin to ensure everyone can hear you.  Speak in a normal voice without shouting.  Talk directly to into the microphone without turning head from side to side because it will cause your voice to fade in and out.  Avoid asking “can you hear me?” and assume that everything is working fine because the participants will let you know if anything is wrong.  When you are not talking, it is advised to mute your microphone.  Be natural and do not move excessively to avoid looking jerky on screen.  If there’s a need to walk around, remain in a small area and walk slowly.

Commenting etiquette

Start your comment by stating your name and location.  This will help other participants to identify who is speaking.  Do not engage in side conversation during the video conference session without muting your microphone.  Be careful of rustling papers or tapping your table near the microphone because it can distract the other participants.

Questions should be precise and directed to a specific individual.  Give the person time to react and do not hasten his response.  Look directly at the camera as often as possible, to give the other participants the impression that you are looking directly at them.

READ MORE

Read about Step 1 here

TUTORIAL : How to Use Google Hangouts!

Step 1 : Pre Video Conference Preparation

Google Hangouts is free and only requires the participants to install a plug-in in their existing Google account to access the Google Hangout application.  

It is easy to use and is suitable for a meeting that involves up to 10 participants.

Pre-Video Conferencing Preparation

Timing

First, the date of the video conference must be determined and must be informed to all participants. Invites must be sent early and the secretariat must make sure that all of the invitees have responded to the invite. The secretariat must also inform the medium of video conference to be used during the session.  The secretariat must allocate sufficient time in between for the participants to prepare their material and also to make sure that participants who are not yet users of the video conference tool to familiarize themselves with it beforehand.  If there is a chairperson, the secretariat will need to determine whether the chairperson will be having the video conference in his office or at a video conference meeting room.

Timeliness

If you are the secretariat, you are in charge of making sure that the chairperson gets all of the information needed for the video conference.  You will need to make sure to arrive earlier to the meeting room to test the video conferencing system and the interface of the laptop/computer.

Personal Space

You should make sure to clean up and de-clutter your space.  The walls behind you should also be clear of any distracting pictures or artworks that will divert the attention of the video conference participants. It will also be wise to minimize distracting glare from the outside by pulling the shade of the window down and making sure that there is sufficient light indoors.  Make sure the room has adequate lighting so the video conference session will proceed pleasantly. 

Attire

It is important to wear attires of neutral or solid colour and avoid bright or distracting colours that that can cause distracting effect on screen

Using Google Hangout

You must have a Google Account to start with a Google Hangouts video conference session.  You will also need to install a Hangouts plugin before you are enabled to join a video conference session.


READ MORE

TUTORIAL : How to use Google Hangouts

Why video conference? A hands on experience using Hangouts!

A video conference is a live communication between people in separate locations, usually involving audio, text and video. Video conference provides transmission of static images and text between two or more locations. 

Video conferencing is getting more widely used since the world is moving at a faster pace in the name of globalization.  People needs to work faster and multi-task better.  Sometimes they need to attend to various tasks at different places in the same time frame.  However, they could not be present at different places at one time.  So an innovative solution to this predicament is the use of video conferencing.

Video conferencing is a sound investment because it doesn't cost much.  In terms of financial, it will save you more in the long run - think about the air fare that you save in the process.  It only needs a working computer, an internet connection, a webcam and a video conferencing software/application.    

A webcam, computer and an internet connection is the basic need for a video conference

You will also need to make sure that the person on the other end of the line also has a similar video conference software/application.  Otherwise, you will be staring at a blank screen with no one to talk to.

Calling the person for authorization to participate in video conference

You will also need to have your counterpart's email address for you to be able to reach her and start talking.  

When the person responds to your request for video conferencing, you may start your session

The best thing about video conferencing is, you can save a lot of resources such as time, money - as I mentioned earlier - and energy if you were to go for the traditional way of group meetings, that is face to face meetings.

There's a lot of free software/application for video conferencing.  You can try Skype, ooVoo or Hangouts.  And that's the only ones I know. There's a lot of other options if you are really looking.  You can search for the best software that suits your need.

I tried a hands-on experience with Hangout, a video conference application in my Google Account.  It was previously just a chat application in your Google account.  But it has evolved over time to enable users to voice chat, and now to video chat.  Anyone with a Google account just need to install a browser plug-in to start Hangouts sessions with your circle of friend/colleagues.

It is an easy way to start a video conference for a newbie like me.  The quality of picture and sound may depend a lot on your internet connection, so make sure you have that covered.  You don't want the conference to be interrupted midway because on bad internet connection.

I especially like the group video conference in Hangouts.  It is especially helpful when the members are not in the same location at the same time.  Heck, they could be well over across the other end of the world, and you could still be able to engage in video conference - provided, you have the basic necessities for a video conference, that is.

I tried video conferencing with 3 of my friends and we could communicate better than I had initially expected.   It is also not as static as I thought because the member with the most dominant voice will enter the main frame.  So you can see the main frame interchanging throughout the session. But you can always switch the main screen to show who's shown on the main screen manually by clicking on their small screen on the bottom.  Members can share Youtube videos during the session but their microphone will be muted.  Fret not for a Push to Talk button is available if one needs to interrupt at any time before the video is over.  The members can also use the screen sharing function during Hangouts session and other members can comment simultaneously through the chat function.  So Hangouts is more that just video chatting per se.

Screen sharing function. Click picture for larger view

Hangouts can also be accessed through your smartphone.  So it will come in handy if anyone wants to conduct a video conference any time since you be able to join in the conversations via smartphone. 

Video conferencing is something that I would recommend to my current workplace.  Since our headquarters is in Putrajaya which is a two hours plane ride away-and we have a lot of meetings with them-it will save a lot of money, time and energy if video conferencing is practised at every department.  Not only that, members of the organization will be able to conduct effective meetings through video conferencing since physical presence is not required.  They could in turn concentrate their energy doing other tasks as well.  This could not be done if the meeting were to be conducted in Putrajaya since the waiting time to go back to base in Kuching will be wasted.

There's a tendency of meeting appointments being cancelled/postponed if one or more of the members cannot make it to the proposed date.  If every time meetings are postponed because of various reasons, then a lot of other works will be put off and it will definitely disrupt other people's schedule. So instead of trying to satisfy everyone's need and catering all of their overlapping requirements, it will be better to conduct video conference since video conference can be done anywhere, any time at one's convenient.

Some of the downsides of having a video conference via Hangouts through my experience are, you can only invite up to 10 participants at one time, but with no time limit.  When more than five people are in the same Hangouts session, the video streaming can stall and voices could be jumbled at times.   The quality of the video conference will also depend on the quality of one's webcam and internet connection.  Smaller computers and smartphones also tend to heat easily over time so Hangouts is recommended for short chats rather than having a lengthy video conference.  

Despite the downside of video conference, there's nothing not to love about it because there are always rooms for improvement.  

As for now, it is a very useful tool that saves a lot of resources and it can help you work smarter and more productive if used optimally.