What do you do if your remote team meetings in digital strategy are unproductive?

If remote meetings in digital strategy are proving unproductive, it's time to reshape their structure and approach. Start by evaluating the meeting's framework: is the agenda clear, and does it align with the team's objectives? Engage participants by fostering an inclusive environment, encouraging active participation, and incorporating interactive elements. Keep meetings focused and concise, leveraging collaboration tools like screen sharing and virtual whiteboards for dynamic discussions. Encourage pre-meeting preparation to ensure contributions. End each session with clear action items and deadlines, and follow up on progress in subsequent meetings. Solicit ongoing feedback to refine the meeting process and enhance productivity.

As with any issue, it's important to investigate the root cause, to address it properly. To mention a few typical causes of remote meetings' unproductivity: lack of a track to follow, ideas, focus, time, commitment, motivation, energy, Or, again is the quality of the audio good, is the time of the meeting fine for any time zones involved? Is everybody actively participating? What's the context they are in? My long experience with remote meetings tells me that there are factors that we might not be able to see in our shoes, and calling out the problem, maybe having a specific session with the team to treat the problem, may reveal the root cause, and good suggestion may also come out.

As a leader, setting clear outcome-based objectives on a time-boxed agenda is essential for an engaging digital strategy discussion. - Map team member expertise to the objectives - Set expectations and groundrules ahead of time eg. This meeting is to capture ..... / No deep-dive discussion at this stage / Experts must come prepared with research and insights complete / All attendees expected to contribute positively with industry data, deep expertise, raise impediments, risks etc / Camera's on / No multi-tasking - Ensure plan for recording or transcription is in place - Position the importance of this meeting in wider Digital Strategy development timeline.

A well-prepared agenda is crucial for productive remote meetings. Share the agenda with all participants in advance, including topics to be discussed, the meeting structure, and time allocations for each segment. This allows team members to prepare accordingly and ensures that the meeting covers all necessary points without running over time. An agenda also serves as a guide to keep the conversation on track and facilitates a more organized and focused discussion, leading to more actionable outcomes.

1. Set clear objectives: Define the purpose and desired outcomes of each meeting. 2. Use agendas: Provide structure to keep discussions focused and on track. 3. Encourage participation: Ensure everyone has a chance to contribute and share their insights. 4. Limit distractions: Minimize multitasking and encourage active listening. 5. Evaluate effectiveness: Regularly review meeting processes and gather feedback to make improvements. 6. Consider alternative formats: Explore asynchronous communication tools or shorter, more targeted meetings if traditional formats aren’t working.

1. Set clear objectives: Define the purpose and desired outcomes of each meeting. 2. Use agendas: Provide structure to keep discussions focused and on track. 3. Encourage participation: Ensure everyone has a chance to contribute and share their insights. 4. Limit distractions: Minimize multitasking and encourage active listening. 5. Evaluate effectiveness: Regularly review meeting processes and gather feedback to make improvements. 6. Consider alternative formats: Explore asynchronous communication tools or shorter, more targeted meetings if traditional formats aren’t working.