How to Run Effective Online Meetings Where Everyone is Happy, Focused, and Clear

This past year, I had a job change. I was fortunate to step up from being the guy behind the scenes to part of our front-line process.

But I sucked at running meetings.

So I had to learn fast.

Several times a week, I'm on a video chat working through a branding session, or scoping out the work for a project.

And I'm always hungry for easy ideas to help me run a 'rockstar' meeting. Without me actually being a rockstar. I don't even play piano.

So I've broken my process down into three phases; before, during, and after.

Genius, I know.

TL;DR;

Before:

• Agenda: send one.
• Calendar Appointment: schedule one.

During:

• Set the Tone: pleasantries establish friendliness.
• State the Agenda: clarify the purpose of the meeting.
• Any opening Questions: give them a chance to ask.
• Record/Take Notes: only the most important ones.
• Take Charge: keep the meeting moving forward
• Personal Connection: look for a 'me too' moment
• Running Late: "I want to respect your time."
• Final Questions: give them a chance to ask.
• What's Next: clearly breakdown what they can expect, even if it's just the follow up email.
• Most Valuable Takeaway: help them state the key benefit of the meeting

After:

• Follow Up: Send summary of discussion
• Ask for a Review: provide a structured prompt.

Ready to unpack it? I'll share the list of tools I use too.

1.Before: Prepping for the Meeting

Agenda: Always have one. Even if it's bullet points in a text file, you need to know what you're doing. Ideally, the client should come into the meeting knowing the purpose.

Oprah Winfrey uses the same 3 sentences to get every meeting off to the perfect start:

"What is our intention for this meeting? What's important? What matters?"

Now while that sets the tone for the room to be focused on an outcome, I don't like to be asking this question, or my client to be asking it - once they've joined the meeting.

Calendar Appointments: Make sure you're organized by sharing a calendar invite with the client.

I've tried a ton of these different free calendar services; Calendly, Meetingbird, Book like a Boss. Each one is good, but as of this article, I settled on the free Hubspot account for one reason.

Free reminder emails.

So many meetings were no-shows because the client forgot to check their calendar, and I didn't have a process/never remembered to stop what I was doing to send a reminder email.

Hubspot solves that for you beautifully. I've set reminder emails to go off 3 hours and then 30 minutes.

So far no one's complained. ;) And in fact, I often get responses from the client saying "Great! See you soon!" ...which further reminds me that a meeting is coming up.

2. During: Hosting a Great Meeting

Set the Tone: Find some little thing to set a friendly tone to the meeting. I usually ask them how the weather is on their end. Or we spend a moment marveling how much time has past, and anything new that we've been up to. If possible, I make a point of asking about a non-business topic we discussed last time.

State the Agenda: After these initial pleasantries, I state the purpose of the meeting, and how long I anticipate it taking.

If I don't have a lot of time, or want to ensure that we keep to a deadline, I've defaulted to my favorite new phrase, "I want to respect your time."

I then ask them to confirm that that's what they had in mind, or were anticipating.

Any Opening Questions: People often enter meetings with some questions top of mind. Before getting into the thick of anything, I always make sure they have an opportunity to ask about any pressing or worrying.

Most of the time, they don't have anything to say, and are looking forward to the ride.

Record/Note Taking: I'm in the habit of taking notes during the meeting, partly because it helps me brainstorm. I'm very visual, and looking at words helps me stay focused.

Also, half the time, clients are screensharing the same Google Doc, or looking at it on their end, and commenting about the notes we're taking together.

But I'm getting used to taking recordings of my videochats, either for later reference, or to take the pressure off the amount of note taking.

My favorite meeting videochat software is Google Meet; it's looks beautiful, works beautifully, and creates a nice experience.

But for recording, I've been using Daily.co.

You get a free meeting room, and record your meeting to your local drive. If I need to share the recording with them, I upload it to Google Drive.

Half the time I don't connect my camera, and we just audio chat, or I dial in. (Tip: upload a great, HD photo of yourself. They'll be staring at it for the duration.)

Getting a recording is also valuable for avoiding 'he said, she said' situations.

Take Charge: If you're leading the meeting, or providing a service, then take clear charge. Keep driving through the agenda points, and after each one, state the result or the deliverable.

They want to be wowed by the clarity of your process. They want foresight, they want action plans. They want you to tell them 'what's next'. Courting the Client: Start Dating with a Plan to Create Client Confidence & Credibility

Personal Connection: This one is often hard to remember when you're in the thick of it. But this is one I'm always looking for, because I really enjoy working with people. So this one is to look for any experience that we both share.

I'm looking for a 'me too' moment,

“My favorite purpose in every conversation is to try to get the other person to have a “ me too!” moment. It makes us feel accepted. It makes us feel heard. And most importantly, it makes us feel calm.” -Vanessa Van Edwards

It could be anything, from enjoying the same kind of food, to having to hire the same kind of talent. If I'm working with a home services contractor, I bring up an experience I've had working with one before, so I that I 'get' them, and know what they're talking about.

Restating: If a client has stated something, or rambled for several minutes about an idea, and are expecting me to respond, the first thing I try and to is restate what they've said. I want them to always know that I'm actively listening, and working hard to understand where they're coming from.

• "So here's what I'm hearing."
• "Ok, let me run through those points to ensure I'm on the same page with you."

Running Late: There's always a deadline in my meetings, so I'm always checking the clock. As we get close, or at the end of our time, I say something like,

"Ok, I see that we're running up against the end of our time here. And I do want to respect your time. Are you ok to keep going for another [insert time]? Or should we pick up again?"

I believe that while you're in the driver seat for the meeting, it's always important to give the client an out. It gives them a little sense of control, in a time when they probably feel like they have none.

It's also deferential.

Final Questions: Once the goal of the meeting is ended, I ask them once again, "Do you have any final questions that are top of mind right now?"

I find it's crucial to always demonstrate that you are actively listening, and always giving them a chance to talk.

Often they'll just ask questions anyway. Great. Even if they do, I'll still ask them if there's anything else they'd like to ask. Sometimes, people are afraid of infringing on your time, or perhaps asking a 'silly' question.

Letting them know you're there for them is a great confidence booster.

What's Next: If there's one thing that makes any meeting productive, it's identifying a clear next step. If the client doesn't ask it, I always bring it up.

• If there are open-ended questions, I let them know that I'll follow up with research and answers.
• If we need another meeting, we check our calendars, and I send them an invite.
• If I've taken notes, I let them know that I'll follow up with a summary for them.

Most Valuable Takeaway: This is something I haven't tried yet, and keep meaning to. It's a key to being perceived as an extremely helpful meeting. It also is a way for you to start getting reviews before the meeting is over.

You ask them: "What was the most helpful thing we discussed in this meeting today?"

The goal: leave the client with a sense of progress and positivity by having them restate the point of greatest value. Over time, they will build up a conscious impression of you being incredibly helpful, because that is the last thing they remember from every meeting.

I think that usually within those answers will be a fine testimonial that you could type up and use somewhere.

3. After: Following Up

This one is often the simplest part, and the hardest to execute.

While your mind is fresh, follow up with a 'thank you' email and a list of the points you discussed.

Clients don't often take notes during a meeting, and probably expect you to. Doing this demonstrates that you're organized, attentive to detail, and respect their anticipations.

If you made plans for the future, detail them as discussed.

If you have open ended questions, or made any promises, restate them.

Let them know you're looking forward to the next meeting, and be clear about what you'll be doing in the interim.

Getting a Review: If it's a one-off consulting session, then you'll likely want a review.

Sometimes you'll have a lot to say in the follow up email. Sometimes it will be short. Either way, I try to make it a practice of not bundling the review request into the same email.

Their minds are still on the meeting notes, and probably buzzing about the discussion, or tired, or moving on to the next project.

It's making sense (so far!) to me to send a shorter email later asking for the review. Especially if you have a process of showcasing your clients on social media (a tiny bit of added exposure...?), asking for a review is critical for your credibility.

Since most clients might not be sure where to start, I provide 3-4 bullet-pointed prompts, kind of like this:

• What were you needing done?
• Who did you research before deciding on my services, and what convinced you?
• What what your experience working with us? Did anything in particular stand out for you?
• What are you looking forward to doing now?

Structuring it like that keeps the focus on them and their journey (which is what they're interested in), and not a puff piece about my and my company.

Voila

So, those are my favorite meeting tips that I've been testing and memorizing this past year.

The best thing about it is that it provides me with structure. Helping me to have a checklist like this keeps me clear-headed, and proactive.

And just as importantly, demonstrates to the client that they're being taken care of.

How about you?

Anything you'd do differently, or add to this list?