You’re managing a virtual meeting. What’s the most important tool to have in your arsenal?

First thing come in mind is Agenda and second and most important thing effective plan to follow that agenda or plan to achieve the goal.

An agenda is like clarifying the purpose of coming together. It helps the stakeholders to gather inputs for having a productive discussion and making the meeting result oriented. It will set the pace and defines roles and responsibilities at the outset and make everyone focused.

1/ Start and end your agenda with the outcome you want to achieve in the meeting. 2/ Ask yourself if you have enough time to achieve this outcome in the time allocated or maybe there's too much time. 3/ Ask what you need to prepare or ask others for to speed out the process and achieve the outcome faster.

An agenda is essential for several reasons. Firstly, it provides structure and direction to a meeting, event, or even personal activities. It helps prioritize topics, allocate time effectively, and enables participants to prepare adequately. Secondly, a well-defined agenda promotes organization and efficiency, ensuring that important matters are addressed and decisions made. Additionally, an agenda fosters transparency by communicating the purpose and expectations of the gathering to all involved parties. This can lead to increased engagement, collaboration, and accountability. Finally, an agenda can serve as a record of what was discussed and decided, aiding in follow-up actions and future planning.

I find that an agenda is only as good as how well it is followed. An agenda in theory is great and can be an excellent tool. However, I have seen very thorough agendas that described in detail the roles of every participant and items of discussion that have repeatedly failed. An agenda needs to be realistic and followed to be any good. I have found that when implementing new meetings with a new team it is best to be clear of the expectations ahead of time without over complicating the duties. Once there is a standard in place and people are following the agenda and guidelines set out then you can improve the duties to become more detailed for continuous improvement and efficiency.

Be careful with these traps when creating an agenda. Remember, "Less is more" and "Simple over complicated." 1/ Adding over 10 agenda points. I recommend to stick to under 5. (If you need a 2nd second to count your agenda points, maybe you need 2 meetings) 2/ Not having a clear outcome for the meeting and each agenda point 3/ Having specific time for each agenda point (the magic is in the collective intelligence, be flexible) 4/ Adding extensive subpoints for each agenda point It's more productive and time efficient to have four 15-minute meetings, each with a specific outcome, rather than one 60-minute meeting with 4 desired outcomes.

Before the meeting, create a document where you go over the key points you would like to cover and under the key points, write down the 2-3 most important ideas, questions, or issues. Generally speaking, you want to keep the bullet points brief, because the point of an agenda is to summarize the content of the meeting, since the specifics could be discussed more in depth during the actual meeting. Based on the duration of the meeting, allocate time to each of the issues/categories accordingly and prioritize them in order of importance. At the end, let the team know the general flow of the meeting in advance so they can come prepared with ideas and questions. Try to have the schedule of the meeting finalized and released a day in advance.

Establecer un guión para seguir los pasos y no dejarte nada en el tintero. Tener planificada la temática y sobre todo el objetivo de la reunión para que el resto de participantes conozcan desde el principio por qué están convocados.

An air horn is a clearly good addition. It helps keep everyone awake and emotionally invested because they won't know when to expect it. ??

In order to sufficiently address topics, it is important to put them in perspective of what the expected outcomes are. How much time should each discussion take? Who will aid the attainment of the objective? And what is each members role or contribution to the agenda? Make sure everyone is involved.

Using the agenda during a virtual meeting is a balance between staying within the structure but not being totally rigid that the agenda is not fulfilled and the goals are not accomplished. If there are detailed items that need to be covered, having a "meeting monitor" is a way for you to focus on leading while the monitor helps keep everything on track and will handle and technical or logistical challenges. Between support help and a comfort level with your agenda, you'll ensure the topics are covered with an atmosphere of collaboration, participation, and learning.

An agenda should do the following: - determine the most important topics to cover - decide how much time each topic gets Before the meeting, send the agenda out and outline some rules, such as not interrupting others. Try your best to stick to the agenda, but allow for some wiggle room in between. Perhaps more time is being spent on 1 particular question, since the team members have a lot to say. On the other hand, you don't want this to lead to you potentially not being over to cover some topics due to time running out. Thus, balance is important.

Common courtesy applies in virtual meetings just as much as in physical ones. If you wouldn't be talking over the meeting chair in the boardroom, then mute your mic until you are called upon to make your contribution. As a participant, make your contribution and give feedback for the process to be a fulfilling one for all parties.

Chair to set out ground rules, time allocation for each item on the agenda. Highlight respect for each other by listening and not talking over your colleagues. Encourage each participant to be in a position they feel confident to contribute. Actions to be summarised , accurately minuted and for the next meeting date and time to be set by chair.

There are two ways to improve your agenda, pre-meeting and post-meeting. Pre-meeting is about seeking advice from participants and key decision makers about what they expect out of the meeting. Don't fall into the trap of having a "meeting before the meeting." You can simply ask a few key questions that are easy to answer to get better clarity. Post-meeting is asking for feedback on how you can improve. In addition, you self-evaluate on the strengths and weaknesses and if you ultimately accomplished what was needed.

The two most crucial things are: - making sure that the agenda we created is in line with a meeting's goal. Think of each point of the agenda and make sure it will lead to achieving a satisfying outcome. - making it time-realistic. Otherwise, we won't be able to finish the meeting and loose a momentum.

The trick is to actively use the agenda, not just display it at the start or in the meeting introduction. Keep it as a living document, updating it with notes during the meeting for everyone to see live (e.g., via screen sharing in OneNote or another tool). This approach weaves a visual thread through the meeting, preventing discussions from straying off-topic, as participants can see the meeting's storyline and outcomes unfold.

Participants can sense very early on if the leader/facilitator is not prepared for the meeting. Therefore, as you set the agenda, test yourself on your understanding and confidence level of the material. If you are not ready, give yourself more time and set a meeting date that allows you to invest enough "up front" time to become the subject matter expert or you have developed enough confidence to deliver on the agenda.

An agenda can be mastered if each and every member of the meeting feels satisfied and encouraged to be a part of the agenda. Every member should have a sense of belonging towards the agenda and the meeting.

Remember that conducting a meeting isn't a one-man show. Be mindful of other participants, encourage them to be active, and let them ask questions. Make sure that everyone had a chance to speak their mind - some people need extra encouragement to speak up.

To make virtual meetings engaging for everyone, do: i. Use visual aids - flowcharts, illustrations; ii. Make it a discussion - encourage everyone to share their perspective; and iii. Keep it concise - don't overshoot the time.

Always be considerate of the meeting participants and their experience. Maybe ask for opinion on every topic and always choose a time slot that can acomodate the whole agenda plus a few extra minutes. Discussion tends to extend on certain topics.

Thank the participants. Thank them at the beginning. Thank them as they contribute. Thank them at the end. Thank them as they provide you with follow-up.

Integrate a clear "virtual etiquette" guideline. Establishing expectations around camera usage, muting, and participation ensures a professional and efficient virtual meeting. It will facilitate a smoother communication flow and help attendees focus on the agenda's key points.