The entire globe is in the middle of the pandemic, which brought huge changes in every field of our lives – including business. There are no longer face-to-face, real-life meetings and everything is taking place online now. Virtual meetings are our future, so keep on reading if you want to learn useful tips, ideas, and tricks on how to organize them with success. Check them out and enjoy!
Choose the right virtual meeting platform
Needless to say, choosing the right virtual meeting platform is one of the most important things you should do. This should be the main step of the process, and there are several factors you must take into consideration. Firstly, recording your meeting is a quite useful option – especially if some attendees are unable to join the meeting in real time. On the other hand, if you want attendees to ask questions and type comments during the meeting, you should look for a platform that offers chat possibilities. You’re meeting a major client and you want to give them a sense of your brand. Then go for a platform that allows for personalizing meeting rooms! Editing documents in real-time is also a quite useful option, so bear it in mind while searching for the best virtual meeting platform. Just consider every detail and you’ll do a great job!
Create a virtual meeting agenda
Creating a virtual meeting agenda is essential for several reasons, and here’s how you can do it with success. First of all, you must establish a goal for your virtual meeting. It doesn’t matter if you want to solve a specific problem or just check in with your team. Just write down your goal and stick to it at all costs. Also, you must decide who will lead the conversation. Having a moderator is very helpful during a virtual meeting. Their main task is to introduce topics of discussion and manage all people who participate in the conversation. Before you send a virtual invitation, make sure to come up with a detailed virtual meeting agenda. This is the only way for the attendees to have important meeting information in one place, which will make it much easier for everyone in the meeting!
Stick to the virtual meeting etiquette
To prevent virtual meeting disasters such as dogs barking in the background, people interrupting each other, and attendees eating crunchy food during the meeting, it’s crucial to come up with virtual meeting etiquette. The first thing you must do is to decide how attendees will be asking questions. For example, a moderator can receive questions from participants via email. Besides that, you can ask attendees to raise their hands if they want to ask a question, too. Just ensure to determine these strategies before the meeting, as this is the only way to avoid interruptions and awkward situations. Also, virtual meetings are all about connecting people during these tough times. That’s why you should take a few minutes before and after the meeting to chat with the participants. This will help everyone relax before an important meeting and even boost their creativity and productivity!
Pay extra attention to microphone and camera etiquette
As mentioned above, virtual meeting failures are quite common these days. It’s because millions of people are now forced to switch from real-life meetings to virtual ones. Of course, a large number of them don’t know the basic rules of virtual meeting etiquette, which is why these disasters tend to happen. Muting their microphones whenever they aren’t speaking is the first rule everyone must stick to. Background noises can be a huge distraction for people who are currently taking. When it comes to your camera, you should position it neither too high nor too low. The eye level probably is the best solution. Also, never wear inappropriate clothing to a virtual meeting. Workout clothes and bathrobes are a huge no-no, so be sure to dress as if you’re meeting those people face-to-face in the office. Just bear these rules in mind and you’ll see an instant improvement!
Learn how to keep attendees engaged
We can all agree that sitting in front of a computer for hours can be extremely monotonous and challenging. The same goes for long virtual meetings when keeping your attendees can be extremely tricky. However, no one says that it’s impossible! Firstly, you can ensure that people are paying attention by calling on them randomly during the meeting. If you notice that someone is too quiet or on their phone, ask them to join the discussion. This may seem too strict, but it’s the only way for you to make sure that everyone pays attention. Also, you should do whatever you can to stick to your virtual meeting agenda. To keep the meeting interactive, you should inform the participants about its format beforehand. They must know if they will be allowed to ask questions and express their opinions, as that’s the best way to keep them engaged!
Don’t forget to set follow-ups
At the end of each meeting, it’s essential to discuss the next steps and tasks, as well as the next check-in meeting date. This is almost as important as the meeting itself, and it’s because the follow-up should contain a summary of what was accomplished and what still needs to be done. Of course, you must come up with a plan to achieve these goals, too. To ensure that the entire meeting has been recorded, you must give one person the role of a note-taker. All attendees should be taking their notes, too. Also, don’t forget to send the follow-up email in the same email thread as the initial meeting invitation. This is the best way for all attendees to receive all important information in one place!
As you can see, there are so many useful tips, ideas, and tricks on how to handle virtual meetings in 2024. These six unquestionably are the best ones, so be sure to stick to them if you want to host the most amazing virtual meetings out there. Just follow our guidelines and you’ll make it happen, without a doubt!
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