Original Post by Sydney Warren
Virtual meetings provide a unique set of challenges. However, when conducted properly, virtual meetings can be just as, if not more, productive than traditional, face-to-face meetings. Having the proper strategy to run successful online meetings makes a world of difference when it comes to keeping participants engaged and enthusiastic about what is being discussed. Next time you are preparing for a virtual meeting, use these five tips to take your meeting from drab to fab:
1. Have the right software.
Rather than wasting time attempting to fix IT issues and technical glitches right before your meeting, invest in a software that is dependable and easy-to-use to streamline your next virtual meeting from start to finish.
For an effective and personalized collaboration and conferencing solution, try Momentum Conferencing’s virtual meeting solution, iMeet®. The application was designed with the user in mind, and provides a platform to easily video call and voice chat with those who are shown with an online presence. With the proper online meeting software, such as iMeet, you are guaranteed to take your future virtual meetings to the next level.
2. Train everyone on the software.
Teaching all meeting participants how to use your chosen conferencing software allows everyone, not just the meeting hosts, to be involved and engaged in the meeting, increasing productivity overall. If you do not take the time to provide training to your team, you will see an increase in frustration and a decrease in engagement.
3. Turn on your webcam.
While audio conferencing is a great way to communicate, during your next virtual meeting, turn on your webcam (and ask your meeting participants to do the same) to prevent participants from multitasking or dosing off. Besides acting as a deterrent for multitasking, using your webcam also reconnects your team members. Being able to physically see the meeting participants creates a more productive space that is comparable to an in-person meeting.
4. Send an agenda before the meeting.
In order to ensure that all participants are prepared, send a detailed agenda prior to the meeting to let everyone know what you will be discussing. Having a comprehensive agenda that everyone has access to help keep your meetings on track.
Once your meeting starts, use a poll to get everyone engaged in the meeting. GlobalMeet® is a great tool for polling during meetings and allows hosts to receive instant feedback from participants. Once you get the answers to your poll, GlobalMeet allows you to save questions for future meetings, display poll results to all meeting participants and view results as percentages and charts.
5. Ask questions throughout the meeting.
The benefits of calling on people to answer questions about information being presented during the meeting are two-fold. Posing provocative questions prevents multitasking thus increasing participants’ attentiveness because nobody enjoys appearing off-guard or absent minded.
Questions also help create an organic conversation where members can bounce ideas off one another because those who are less likely to speak if questions are not being asked now have a reason to share their voice.
