Virtual Meetings are nothing new. They have been part of corporate folklore since the 1970s with the advent of video conferencing facilities. It’s important to have a smooth virtual meeting with the right collaboration and communication tools to work in real-time as they serve as a centerpiece for remote settings. Whether it’s to do with audio issues, late attendees, or even just distracted participants, it is a new experience for most of us. But with the Work from Home paradigm being the new normal, let us revisit some tips on how to make virtual conferencing a better experience for everyone.
Plan for Participation
Communicate in advance whether it is going to be an audio or video call. People need to feel like they are included in the conversation. For that, participation is key. Hence before starting off with the meeting, make sure you allocate proper time to everyone to introduce themselves. If it is an internal meeting, you can have a small icebreaker session asking about how their weekend was or something about what they were doing to keep themselves occupied. This would make everyone in the group feel welcomed.
Set Objectives
Since WFH limits water cooler conversations, meetings are the only outlet to share anecdotes or talk about stuff. This would mean the meeting would jump around often diverging from the discussion points. Hence set clear objectives to make sure the meeting is productive.
Manners still Matter
Consider virtual meetings as in-person meetings. So, it is a good idea to follow meeting etiquette.
Stay engaged
Virtual meetings, especially non-video meetings can be boring. Hence everyone should try to keep themselves engaged by actively taking notes. The moderator can also encourage activity by presenting or conducting pop-quizzes. It is also important to prioritize conversation over presentation as this helps to keep the meeting interactive. Presentations need to be designed in a way that encourages conversation. Background details and information must be conveyed to the employees in advance so that during the meeting the focus stays on the discussion.
Wrap Up (in) time
The time to end meetings is every bit crucial as when to start. Do not schedule the meetings to be more than an hour, or if necessary, schedule breaks in between. Make sure the participants know the length of the meeting. And it is always advisable to end meetings early if the agenda points have been completed so that people with meeting marathons can catch a breather. They will surely thank you for it. It is always a good idea to follow up on everything discussed during the meeting in writing so that the next meeting can be initiated on the basis of action points mentioned in the previous discussion.
Not being able to work together at the office with colleagues is difficult but virtual and remote working is here to stay. Virtual meetings are essential for communication and collaboration. Make these principles the five commandments of your next team virtual call and you will reap the benefits of effective virtual meetings. So log on, go forth and collaborate effectively with your team.