How To Hold Better Remote Meetings, Starting Today

Are you worried that your virtual meetings lack active participation?

It doesn’t have to be that way.

Let’s see what you can do to elicit feedback from your team members and make your virtual meetings more engaging.

*This article is the abridged, adapted version of the blog post originally published at the Pumble blog: How To Hold Better Remote Meetings, Starting Today.

Pre-meeting preparation: Set the stage

Effective communication before the meeting is crucial for an effective and engaging virtual meeting.?

Here’s how to get everyone ready to engage:

• Share the agenda — Distribute a clear outline of topics to be discussed, so participants know what to expect and prepare accordingly.
• Distribute materials — Send any relevant documents, reports, or files ahead of time to ensure participants are informed and ready to contribute.
• Foster participation — Encourage participants to come prepared with ideas and questions and to be ready to share.

With team communication apps such as Pumble, pre-meeting preparations are easy with file-sharing and instant messaging features.

In-meeting engagement: Encourage active participation

With preparations complete, your focus should now be on engaging participants during the meeting.?

Key strategies for improved engagement include:

• Creating a safe environment — Start by welcoming all ideas and inputs, and respond positively to every question.
• Soliciting opinions — Regularly ask if anyone has anything to add or ask, and pay attention to non-verbal cues that signal when someone wants to speak.
• Using structured participation — Use methods such as a round-robin to ensure everyone has a chance to speak.
• Asking open-ended questions — Promote deeper discussions with open-ended prompts instead of yes or no questions.
• Leveraging technology — Use in-call messages and reactions for quick responses and to cater to individual needs.?

Pumble supports these strategies with features like in-call chat, screen sharing, hand raising, and reactions to manage the conversation flow and ensure continuous engagement.

Post-meeting follow-up: Continue the conversation

Engagement shouldn’t end when the meeting does.?

Follow up with your team members after the meeting to ensure continuous improvement and maintain a connected workplace by:

• Reinforcing main points — Summarize key discussions and conclusions.
• Answering questions — Address any additional questions that arise after the meeting.
• Gathering feedback — Collect feedback from participants to enhance future meetings.

With Pumble, you can continue the conversation in channels and threads, or gather more insights from specific people in direct messages.

You can also record the meeting and share it with those who were absent or save for future reference.

Hold better remote meetings with Pumble

Engaging meetings require continuous effort from preparation to following up.

With Pumble, you have every tool you need to prepare and hold engaging and productive meetings.

So, if you’re ready to elevate your meeting game, try Pumble out today!