How to Have Successful Virtual Meetings

5 virtual meetings best practices

I had a conversation with a senior executive who was amazed at the amount of work he has been able to get done during this Covid-19 period. He actually echoed a sentiment that I was scared to share for fear of appearing to push the productivity narrative that many of us have been bombarded with during this pandemic. While I spend 60% of my time in virtual meetings from board meetings, stakeholder engagements, webinars, coaching sessions and employee check-in sessions, I have found that I have been able to achieve the most amount of work in this highly disruptive period of the Coronavirus pandemic.

While discussing the changes in this period with a different executive, he was amazed at how much time he is spending in zoom meetings. These virtual meetings have become a more pronounced new normal in the world of work, as they are the nearest substitute for human interaction. I agree that these virtual platforms have provided me with - of course after making a few mistakes at the beginning - the most productive and fulfilling meetings. The lessons I have picked as I have interacted virtually in the world of work are shared below.

1. 5 virtual meetings best practices: Schedule all your virtual meetings.

Survey doodles and outlook calendars have never been so relevant. Unlike before, where an email served as an invite to a meeting, all or most virtual meetings require that the meeting be posted on your calendar. This gives you an opportunity to either accept or reject the meeting giving you control of your time to maximize your output. Taking time to block particular productive times on your calendar beforehand, will help you schedule your virtual meetings and calls at your convenience.

2.      5 virtual meetings best practices: Keep time 

This is in reference to coming into the meeting and out of the meeting.  If you are the one hosting the meeting, open the meeting not less than 5 minutes before time and take note to end the meeting on time. If attending a meeting, feel free to click the "leave" button at the top of the hour. The freedom and efficiency this time restriction has brought about cannot be understated, now we can all get our lunch on time or go take that cycling lesson we have been wanting to take all those years. No more endless meetings, (thanks zoom!)

3.      5 virtual meetings best practices: Determine agenda and desired outcome

Ensure that the agenda and required documents are sent to participants in good time. If you are the one who has called the meeting, let everyone know what is expected from each of them beforehand. By communicating expectations ahead of time, everyone is bound to come in prepared, this way more can be achieved. If there is a need to check-in, determine the format of that check-in. An example of a format is, “tell us your lowest/highest moment/ gratitude statement”. This will not only help avoid tales from the sanguine in the group but also enable you to reconnect with the phlegmatic colleague. Again, this exercise should be managed with a time slot and a keen eye on managing the time appropriately.

4.      5 virtual meetings best practices: Record the meeting

Request to record the meeting as much as possible as this helps to maximize your presence and to be more productive. Imagine trying to type what the person with the "bad" network is saying or trying to listen to the colleague with a screaming child #WFH things. Recording a meeting gives you the opportunity to refer back to the meeting to catch the things that might have been missed. Recording virtual meetings also helps in better minute taking. Go ahead and take advantage of the opportunity provided by virtual meetings to record your meetings as this would most likely be frowned upon in physical meetings.

5.      5 virtual meetings best practices: Debrief and Reflect

The value of every activity comes from its deliverable. For example if you attend 5 meetings of 2 hours’ time slots in a week, it is important that you set some time aside to reflect on the value of all the meetings attended. This could be at the end of each meeting, at the end of the day, or at the end of the week. Take this time to reflect on the answers to questions such as, “was the intended outcome met”, “Is there a specific follow up action required?”, and “What value has been provided or created?”

With experts predicting a new normal after Covid-19, remote working and working from home (WFH) arrangements are here to stay. One way to win is to devise ways to remain productive.

Find more on remote working and working from home arrangements below.

1. 5 Tips for Conducting a Virtual Meeting

2. It’s Time to Come Up With a Long-Term Plan for Remote Work

3. How Remote Working is Reshaping A Future New World of Work