How do you handle technical issues or glitches with communication and feedback tools during meetings?

2 Communicate clearly

During the meeting, communicate clearly and frequently with your participants about the status and purpose of the communication and feedback tools. For example, you can explain how to use the chat, polls, or surveys, and what kind of responses you expect from them. You can also acknowledge any technical issues or glitches that occur and inform your participants how you will resolve them or what actions they need to take. For example, you can ask them to mute their microphones, refresh their browsers, or reconnect to the meeting if they experience any problems. You can also use visual cues, such as raising your hand, nodding, or smiling, to indicate your attention and engagement.

3 Adapt quickly

If a technical issue or glitch occurs during the meeting, don't panic or get frustrated. Instead, adapt quickly and calmly to the situation and try to find a solution. For example, you can troubleshoot the problem yourself, ask for help from a co-facilitator or a technical support person, or switch to a backup tool. You can also pause the meeting, take a break, or reschedule it if the problem is too severe or affects too many participants. You can also adjust your agenda, activities, or goals according to the available communication and feedback tools and the time and energy of your participants.

4 Follow up

After the meeting, follow up with your participants and collect feedback on the communication and feedback tools and how they affected the meeting. You can use email, surveys, or other tools to ask them about their experience, satisfaction, challenges, and suggestions. You can also apologize for any inconvenience or frustration caused by the technical issues or glitches and thank them for their patience and cooperation. You can also share the meeting outcomes, action items, and next steps with them and remind them of the communication and feedback tools they need to use for future meetings.

5 Learn and improve

Finally, learn from the technical issues or glitches that occurred during the meeting and improve your communication and feedback tools and skills for future meetings. You can analyze the feedback from your participants and identify the root causes, effects, and solutions of the technical problems. You can also research and explore new or better communication and feedback tools that suit your meeting needs and objectives. You can also practice and improve your technical skills and knowledge and seek help or training if needed. You can also update and revise your meeting plan, backup plan, and communication strategy based on your learning and improvement.