What do you do if your virtual meetings lack active listening?

Virtual Meetings have unfortunately created profound differences in etiquette and behavior. People tend to feel they are lees culpable for potential rude behavior. As Mindfulness Professionals consider the pros and cons of group, versus one-on-one, meetings.

I would suggest to try some strategies to improve engagement and ensure that everyone is heard and understood: 1. Set Clear Expectations:At the start of the meeting, emphasize the importance of active listening. Make it clear that everyone's input is valuable and that listening attentively to others is expected. 2. Use Video: Encourage participants to turn on their cameras. Seeing each other's faces can foster a stronger connection and make it easier to stay focused and engaged. 3. Limit Distractions: Ask participants to close unrelated tabs and mute notifications to minimize distractions. This helps everyone stay focused on the meeting. Hope this helps ?

Enhance active listening in virtual meetings by setting clear expectations, encouraging participation, and practicing empathy. Establish guidelines for turn-taking and respectful communication. Encourage participants to use nonverbal cues like nodding or hand-raising to signal engagement. Foster a supportive environment where everyone feels heard and valued. Utilize tools like breakout rooms or polls to facilitate interaction. Lead by example, demonstrating attentive listening and acknowledging contributions. Regularly solicit feedback to improve meeting dynamics and promote active participation

To improve active listening in virtual meetings, set clear expectations, use video conferencing, encourage turn-taking, practice active listening techniques, use visual aids, engage with polls and surveys, facilitate small group discussions, encourage non-verbal participation, provide opportunities for reflection, and lead by example. These strategies can enhance communication, collaboration, and overall meeting effectiveness, leading to more productive and engaging discussions. By implementing these strategies, virtual meetings can become more productive and effective.

Engaging participants is vital. The traditional methods and 'bells and whistles' are fine, but don't look for a crutch. Engagement is holding the interest and focus of people. Ask them their thoughts about key points, content, and or invite them to share an experience.

So, let's share our opinion or prior experience from anyone who wants to, or shall we pick one to share?!? Let's vote!!! Small tasks and unexpected call ins would encourage listeners to be more attentive because of their anticipation towards their turn / fear on public presentation. Also, make the presentation colloquial if the stage permits and be casual and free. Humans are capable of sensing and feeling negative energy and insecurities more than anything. So, let's tune them to laughter!!! Finally, don't do a monotonous conversation if you can't handle one. It is always easier with dialogues happening from both sides!!!

The role of Moderator is not easy. You want to encourage participation and sharing, but not domination. Continually and warmly reinforce "this is a shared experience". If someone cannot follow the rules, "show them to the virtual door".

Mindful moderation in a virtual meetings could be extended to: * Visual clues: preparation of engaging visual aids; * Optimal duration: keeping the meeting short and to the point; * Dynamics: making it dynamic by giving voice to different speakers during 3-5 minutes * Active listening: explain about the benefits of active listening and encourage to apply this technique during the meeting.

Find a quiet, distraction free environment for your virtual meetings to ensure that you can focus on the discussion. Engage with the content being shared by asking questions, offering insights, and contributing to the conversation. Try to understand the speaker's perspective before responding and demonstrate empathy in your interactions. Regularly evaluate your listening skills and identify areas for improvement.

Encouraging personal accountability in active listening fosters engagement during meetings. Emphasize the significance of presence and focus, urging participants to stay attentive. Recommend strategies like note-taking or paraphrasing to ensure comprehension. These techniques enhance communication effectiveness, promoting a collaborative and productive environment.

Ask the participants to keep the camera on, it promotes the engagement when you see other people's faces, reactions on the screen and it also prevents deconcentration with other activities.