You need to hold a virtual team meeting. How can you do it without breaking the bank?

3 Test your technology

Nothing ruins a virtual team meeting more than technical glitches, such as poor internet connection, low battery, muted microphone, or frozen screen. To prevent these issues, you should test your technology before the meeting. You should check your internet speed, camera, microphone, speakers, and software, and make sure they are working properly. You should also close any unnecessary programs or tabs that might slow down your device or cause distractions. You should also ask your team members to do the same, and provide them with any technical support or guidance they might need.

4 Establish ground rules

To ensure a smooth and respectful virtual team meeting, you should establish some ground rules and communicate them to your team members. These rules might include things like being on time, muting yourself when not speaking, using headphones, avoiding background noise, raising your hand or using chat to ask questions, staying on topic, and giving feedback. You should also encourage your team members to use their video, if possible, to create a more human and interactive experience. You should also remind them to dress appropriately and choose a professional and clean background.

5 Engage your team members

One of the biggest challenges of virtual team meetings is keeping your team members engaged and attentive. Unlike in-person meetings, where you can read body language and facial expressions, virtual meetings can make it harder to gauge the mood and interest of your team members. To overcome this challenge, you should use various techniques to engage your team members, such as asking open-ended questions, using polls or surveys, using humor or stories, using breakout rooms or groups, using gamification or incentives, and acknowledging and appreciating their contributions.

6 Follow up and follow through

The last step of a successful virtual team meeting is to follow up and follow through. You should send a summary of the meeting, highlighting the key points, decisions, actions, and deadlines, and asking for feedback and suggestions. You should also assign and track the tasks and responsibilities of your team members, and provide them with any support or resources they might need. You should also celebrate and share the achievements and progress of your team, and recognize and reward their efforts and performance.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?