Tips for getting the most out of virtual meetings
Technology has undoubtedly shaped the way business is done in the 21st century.
Throw a little Covid-19 in the mix and you’ve got the new normal – virtual meetings.
With virtual meetings apparently here to stay, there are some critical things to note when it comes to using them effectively for team meetings.
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What is a virtual meeting?
Virtual meetings or video conferencing facilitates human interaction through social technology. It uses a mix of audio and visual elements for participants to face each other, read visual cues and establish a substantial amount of rapport. While it cannot be a complete substitute for physical meetings, virtual meetups do have the advantage of being able to be conducted anywhere with stable connectivity.
Why are virtual meetings important?
Virtual meetings have become an important necessity in today’s business world for several reasons:
People are working remotely
Pandemic or not, teams are expected to produce and managers must have some way to keep some degree of cohesiveness within their work groups. Virtual meetings enable this cohesiveness and connectivity to be maintained.
Provides several benefits of physical meetings
Virtual meetings are much more personable than email or phone conversations in that participants can read off of interactive expressions.
Sharing important information
Another essential reasoning for virtual meetings is the sharing of pertinent information through documents, files, presentations, photos and spreadsheets. Virtual meetings enable teams to share and collaborate on work documents in real time. Moreover, meetings can be recorded for future reference.
Top tools for virtual meetings
The following software, apps and platforms can all be used to communicate, share files, save information and plan courses of action accordingly.
- Zoom – popular with businesses of all sizes and industries. Teams of up to 1000 members can conduct virtual meetings in high-definition quality. Free versions as well as priced plans available.
- Google Drive – Used primarily by G-suite users to share, save and collaboratively work on documents.
- Microsoft Teams – Video conferencing and group chats
- Adobe Connect – used primarily by creative professionals to share designs on pods as well as web conferencing and conduct training sessions.
- Trello – Work boards where teams can input, review and edit work
- Dropbox – Sharing and storage of files, images, designs and other documents using cloud technology
While these tools are essential to facilitate the meetings, to ensure productivity, requires an adequate combination of soft skills and planning.
Tips on how to improve virtual meetings
Strategies to make virtual team meetings more efficient are:
Create a group calendar
Parents, for example are home with their children. People may have additional responsibilities that come with working remotely. You should create a calendar that is convenient for everyone. An ideal time is where everyone can give undivided attention.
Have a notification system
Having notifications sent an hour or thirty minutes before the meeting starts is effective to ensure everyone remembers to put aside the time and attend.
Find a tool that works for everybody
Valuable time could be wasted when team members are moving slowly because they can’t navigate or use conferencing tools appropriately.
Structure your meeting
Great meetings are ones that have a clear outline, goal and agenda. It helps greatly for these to be shared before the meeting actually begins. That way, when your virtual meetings begin, everyone has a clear idea of why they are there, what is to be discussed and what direction the meeting will take. Clear directions help set clear objectives which enable clear results.
Structuring your virtual meeting also involves appointing a moderator, usually the team lead to guide the discussions and ensure everyone has sufficient time to contribute. Additionally, the team lead should compile a checklist of items to be discussed to ensure every item on the agenda is addressed, starting with the most important and urgent matters.
These virtual meeting tips work effectively for collaborations that occur nationally, regionally and even internationally. If you’re conducting international virtual meetings though, you must consider the difference in time zones.
Tips for scheduling meetings across time zones
Identify the correct time zone
Caribbean countries usually use Eastern Atlantic time. You must also identify the time zones of your team members and calculate how big of a time gap is there.
Set the right time
A simple way to know the best times is to simply ask your team when is most productive to have the meetings. When finding the right time, it is also to establish boundaries. Indicate which time periods are off limits and have your team do the same. In this way, you narrow down the most convenient and beneficial time slots for your meetings to occur.
Rotate irregular times
Don’t let any one person always be the one to have to attend a meeting late at night or very early in the morning. Rotate the schedule so no one feels disgruntled or inconvenienced by your virtual meeting.
Create a schedule
If, however, all members agree to a specific time which is convenient to everybody, you can go ahead and create a meeting schedule to have your virtual meetups at that particular time. Schedule in timely notifications and ensure you forward meeting objectives and agendas beforehand.
Tips on how to engage with team members
Virtual meetings can be challenging to keep everyone engaged. However, there are ways you can increase engagement.
Make time for casual conversation
Have light, casual conversations at the start of the meeting as an icebreaker. It helps to mellow the mood and start on an interactive footing. Casual conversations keep team spirit alive and make people feel you care about them.
Don’t make it a one man show
During the meeting, you can have one person moderate, one takes meeting minutes, another for recording and another responsible for follow-ups. Once the team has a function in the meeting, rest assured they will be alert and interactive.
Let everyone contribute
Have everyone speak in turn to contribute their ideas and feel as though despite a virtual setting, the team comradery in still intact.
Look into the lens
During video conferences, look directly into the lens of your device. The other members will feel you are looking at them, instead of at your feet. This is the equivalent of eye contact during a physical meeting.
Virtual Meeting follow ups
The last thing you need is to accommodate and engage the team, only to have nothing done and the meeting be a waste of time. It is critical to assign action tasks to various members with clear direction on what the end results should be.
Following up on these results is therefore crucial to ensure progress is being made. Once someone has been assigned to conduct follow-ups with the rest of the group, adequate improvements can be made where necessary. Additionally, the feedback provided by following up with team members can provide the checklist for the next meeting’s agenda.
