How can you lead virtual meetings that support team members with mental health issues?

Virtual meetings mean work has become increasingly transactional and only the meeting purpose is considered..What we miss now are the incidental interactions around meetings and the chit chat. Make space for this in meetings otherwise people feel they are just a cog in a machine, disconnected and de-humanised

To support team members who are struggling with mental health issues it's important to set clear expectations from the beginning. This includes establishing meeting guidelines that promote a safe and supportive environment, encouraging open communication, and being flexible with meeting times if necessary. Also, providing resources for mental health support and checking in on team members regularly can help create a supportive and inclusive virtual meeting environment. By setting clear expectations, leaders can better support team members with mental health issues during virtual meetings.

It's always worthwhile asking: - What are the wants of the audience - What are their anxieties - Why would you yourself attend this session and isolate the values and meaningful life impact that will be delivered to real world and lives. - Someone running a session on buying properties for foreclosure can change someone's life. On the other hand, doing a session for why reading is important just addresses the WHY and doesn't show the HOW. - Start with WHY, clarify the WHAT but more time on HOW leads to productive engagement and lasting impact!

We’ve all been there: seeing a meeting mysteriously pop up on our calendar with no explanation, agenda or stated goal. Sitting through a meeting we really don’t need to be a part of. Some tips to ensure meetings are respectful of each other’s time and make the best use of our own: - Every meeting invite must include a clear agenda and desired outcome. - If relevant, send a pre-read. Never spend any meeting time with someone walking you through a deck and reading you the contents of each slide. Assume your colleagues can read.

While setting clear expectation is commendable approach, one should also be aware of setting boundaries. Mental health is an individual accountability and he/she shall take full ownership of it. Others may only play the supporting role. By establishing clear boundaries, we eradicate the potential issue of co-dependency. And, co-dependency is unhealthy in any types of relationship.

It’s important to meet people where they are—for example, some like the face-to-face of video chat, and others don’t. I take my tone from the group I’m speaking with; if they want to keep the conversation light or have the video on, I follow suit. If the group wants to have a heavier conversation or keep video off, so will I. And regardless of the specifics, authenticity is key. It can be tempting to hold yourself above the conversation, but it’s important to be human in order to create the connections that are going to encourage your team to have a productive talk.

In my experience, starting a meeting with joy lightens the mood. I find that laughter unites people. Starting a meeting with a lighthearted work approximate joke, sets the mood for a great meeting, especially brainstorming meetings.

Creating a safe space means that you allow attendees to interact in the way that is comfortable for them. They can come off mute or share their thoughts in the chat. Incorporating polls and reactions into the meeting increases the level of engagement. Be intentional about creating an engaging environment.

We’re all adults. Ensure that expectations are clear but let team members self manage when possible. This can improve work life balance, increase buy in, and give ownership of projects. All of these can be so useful when running a team. Don’t micromanage.

They can be and wear what they like. They may or may not use a visual of themselves. I also use a Snapchat filters or other filters to break the ice. Although different varieties of ice breakers works well ????

Thinking of mental well being during the virtual meeting is really superficial at times. When we are not focused on the agenda and trying to put forward everything without have a planned flow only information, it will always impact mental well being of employee. So solve this channelise the communication of meeting one issue at a time to avoid issues instead.

Most meetings get overwhelming when 1. There isn't a clear agenda 2. Time is not stipulated, and if it is, it's not adhered to and there's overspill 3. There are no clear action points to walk away with. Keeping this three parameters in check, in my experience, has provided teams with the right amount of motivation and sensitivity in terms of attention spans & social anxiety.

HSE guidance recommends a break at least every hour, so if a meeting is running beyond that make sure to factor in adequate breaks. This should include getting away from the screen and moving around if possible. It also helps to have a clear agenda and objective for the meeting. Don't be tempted to just fill the time for the sake of it. If you've reached your goal or consensus 20 minutes into a 45 minute meeting - great! Give people the time back and don't get sucked into another conversation.

Approximately 37% of meetings start five minutes late, and 14% are behind by 10 or more minutes, according to a study published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior, and the impact of this is substantial. Meeting time courtesy has the greatest impact on meeting processes, outcomes, and job attitudes. Simply put, if you call a meeting, show up on time, and start promptly. If others are late, you can hold them accountable later.

As a leader, it's important to have a rapport with the team where everyone can come and share their concerns. This solves 80 percent of the problems. Because when humans feel seen and heard, they give more than what's required. Now regarding virtual meetings, it is important to keep the environment light and feel good. Have clear goals, boundaries, timelines and check on everyone's mental health regularly. When you build a connection with your team, mental health is taken care of.

Create specific tactics for checking in. One simple tactic that I use, and use with clients, often is an “out-of-10” rating. To start meetings, everyone goes around and rates their current state out of 10. If anybody is a lower than a 7/10 - the meeting doesn’t continue until it’s addressed. We can talk about it, address it, and everyone is in a better position to be more effective. It’s a small tactic that typically doesn’t take a lot of time, but boy does it help. Most times you might not fall below a 7, but for the times that your people do, you’ll be glad you had it in place. Get creative with the ways you can check-in with your people, or that people have ready opportunities to communicate safely. All the best!

As a leader, it is important to create a safe and inclusive environment where team members feel comfortable expressing their concerns. Prioritizing mental well-being by acknowledging the challenges of remote work and providing resources for support can go a long way in supporting team members. Remember to be flexible and accommodating with schedules and assignments, and actively listen to team members' needs.

Oftentimes with mental health people will know there's nothing you can do to 'fix' the situation but they want to feel heard and understood. Leaders should focus on staying curious - ask questions, ask how they're doing today, check in to see how they're managing their workload. You won't always know exactly how someone feels but by being curious we should that we want to understand.

There is less visibility through physical clues about how the person is feeling. So firstly it gets really important to pick up virtual clues. I frequently ask how were your last couple of days and the description usually paints a picture of their energy levels. If they are reacting, it's completely okay, let them react. As a leader, you have to always seem accessible and easy to approach. Virtual meeting can be hard when everyone is not at the same level, so we often practice grounding exercises on the call that brings our awareness to the present moment.

Yes, these are all true … and what I would add to this is to be authentic. No one is perfect in this world, and everyone faces challenges and has difficulties, pretending you don’t give a false sense of perfection. Being authentic and leaning in to the areas where you may struggle, will allow your team to see you as a real, true person, who faces challenges and issues. While you may not be able to relate exactly to what they’re going through, always be your authentic self- react and communicate in a way that is true to you. This does more to build a connection with your team and colleagues than you realize.

Post-meeting follow-up is a vital phase of not just following up, but following through. Summarizing key points and action items ensures clarity, but going a step further to assign roles and responsibilities with precision is pivotal for execution. Monitoring progress and performance demonstrates commitment, offering opportunities for adjustments and support when needed. Equally crucial is the loop of feedback – actively seeking insights from team members on refining the virtual meeting experience. By implementing their suggestions, you not only enhance the efficiency of future interactions but also empower your team in shaping the collaborative journey.

To effectively steer virtual meetings while considering the mental well-being of team members, I adopt a proactive approach by implementing empathetic communication strategies and facilitating an inclusive environment. Employing active listening techniques during sessions allows for nuanced understanding of individual needs. Post-meeting, I emphasize personalized follow-ups, ensuring continuous support and adapting meeting structures as needed to promote a holistic approach to mental health care within our team dynamics.

It is useful to consider the needs of those affected by mental health issues and how to support them before meetings occur and un time to be able to implement any adaptations required. Gaining feedback on what was effective and what was less effective will help develop new inclusive ways of conducting meetings. Having clear action points and follow up emails are good ways to maintain effective communication and clarity. Being incluseive is not normalising difference being incluseive is seeing being different as normal. This mindset will enable more open communication with team members and an understanding of how to support people's differences in meetings.

Consider learning Nonviolent Communication (NVC) which can be remarkably helpful in communicating particularly when dealing with team members who may be neurodivergent. It involves understanding others' feelings and needs without judgment. For instance, instead of saying "You're always late," try "I notice you've been late, which makes me worried. Can we talk about it?" Learn more through resources like Rosenberg's book "Nonviolent Communication," online courses, and practice in meetings for continuous improvement.

Virtual meeting required good leadership to communicate: ? Invite right individuals ? Set clear agenda ? Support for expectations ? Encourage team members to choose mode of communication ? Monitor the progress ? Show empathy and motivate Have follow up meetings with full support ! ?????

I wish this article's title was worded differently. Much of the best practices around inclusion start from a place of equity - specifically, decentering the power and voices of those for whom our traditional ways of working are already serving. Imagine instead if this article's title was something like, "If you navigate mental health in the workplace, what are some things you wish leaders knew or did to support you?" That's not to take anything away from the lovely advice folks have shared here, but I do think it's reflective of an assumption we are quick to make - that folks without lived experience of something are qualified to frame the very conversation about it.

It's good to have simple, absorbable and well scripted stories which conveys the incident, visual, audio, kinesthetic and point of story properly. Stories take more hard drive in human brains they are sticky. Also good stories are told and fantastic stories make you feel you're reliving them! A great story is less than 2 mins and requires that to have linking elements in analogies for impact.

I believe this is a topic where we could see technology helping humans, for real. Here is an idea: Let's create a privacy-centric AI-assisted tool that monitors meeting duration and suggests breaks. The AI tool can actively monitor the length of the meeting and the level of engagement or stress among participants, using subtle cues like voice tone, speech patterns, or self-reported stress levels. When it detects signs of fatigue or stress, it can suggest short breaks, offering guided mindfulness or breathing exercises tailored to alleviate mental fatigue.

Showing the right empathy and proper language is the most important aspect. It needs to be clarified to all management positions that mental health issues can prevail in any age group irrespective of the gender and ethnicity. Leaders needs to have a good relationship with the team, which is candid and open to discussions.