6 Ways to Maximize the Value of Virtual Meetings

In the past year, the number of virtual meetings professionals have to attend has increased tenfold. These types of meetings have been made indispensable with the recent implementation of social distancing and working from home in almost every industry. It may seem like this is simply a change of venue, but methods used in an office or a boardroom may not work over the computer screen. Therefore, one needs to consider how to cater specifically to an online format.

1. Evaluate whether a meeting is necessary: For both yourself and your attendees, you don’t want your meeting to be a waste of time and energy. Will the topic at hand benefit from being discussed in a meeting? Or is it something that could be communicated via a different method of communication such as email or a team Slack channel?
2. Prioritize preparation and organization beforehand: Preparation is even more crucial for a meeting held online. Ask yourself how you will be using the technology to present your information. Video conferencing software such as Zoom has many features to take advantage of, such as webcam video or screen sharing. Know which you want to use and how they work prior to the meeting. Nothing is more embarrassing or awkward than having technical difficulties.
3. Have a clear objective for the meeting: To make sure your meeting runs smoothly, identify what exactly the meeting is for. Consider sharing this objective at the beginning and refer back to it when creating your presentation. You want the information to be important and relevant to all attendees.
4. Leave time at the beginning for people to relax: Shifting gears from working by yourself to joining a meeting with other people can be difficult, especially when working from home. At the beginning of your meeting, welcome everyone and use an icebreaker question to create a comfortable atmosphere. This will make attendees feel relaxed and more likely to participate later on.
5. Make the meeting interactive: Working from home lends itself to many types of distractions, making it tough to stay focused. To keep the attention of attendees, encourage their participation during your virtual meeting. For example, run a virtual poll or use a whiteboard app to make it easy for everyone to get involved. In addition, create a shared document and let everyone share their ideas in one place. Not only will this keep them engaged, but it will also make them feel like they played a crucial part in the meeting’s success.
6. Consider shorter meeting times: Keep in mind that people are probably attending multiple virtual meetings a day. If your meeting goes on for too long, this can cause attendees to lose interest, burn out and not retain the information being presented. If the topic needs a longer meeting time, utilize frequent break times to let people recharge.

Learn More HR Secrets from Kimberly Prescott Speaks

As the owner of Prescott HR and a recognized business and management consulting expert, Kimberly Prescott is passionate about unintimidated HR. If you are interested in inspiring your team and transforming your HR department into a thriving, integral part of your workplace, then reach out to Kimberly Prescott for your next webinar or conference at (443) 351-8818.