Revitalize Your Online Meetings: Strategies to Boost Engagement and Banish Boredom

In the era of remote work, online meetings have become a daily fixture for many. However, they often suffer from a lack of engagement, easily descending into monotonous routines that leave participants feeling disengaged. To transform these virtual gatherings into dynamic, productive sessions, it’s essential to adopt strategies that eliminate boredom and foster active participation. I will share some strategies that worked well with my Issue Monitoring team:

Imagine starting your day with a clear objective and a well-structured agenda for your online meeting. You distribute this agenda well in advance, allowing participants to prepare and understand the meeting's purpose. As the meeting begins, everyone knows what to expect and what is expected of them. This clarity sets a focused tone, ensuring that the meeting stays on track.

As you dive into the meeting, you introduce interactive tools to keep the energy high. Polling tools like Mentimeter or Slido come into play, gathering instant feedback and opinions from the team.

We sometimes initiate live Q&A sessions, encouraging everyone to ask questions and share their thoughts. We also use breakout rooms for small group discussions, allowing for more intimate and detailed conversations. These tools transform passive listeners into active contributors, making the meeting more engaging for everyone.

Participation is further encouraged by rotating the role of meeting facilitator among team members. Each person gets a chance to lead, fostering a sense of ownership and inclusion. Open-ended questions are posed to prompt discussion, and team members are encouraged to present updates or insights. This inclusive approach ensures that diverse perspectives are heard and valued, keeping everyone engaged.

We try to integrate visual and multimedia elements . Slides are kept minimalistic, with more visuals and fewer words to avoid overwhelming participants. Videos and animations are used to illustrate key points, making the information more digestible and memorable. Also, we found out that real-time screen sharing keeps the meeting dynamic and visually stimulating.

To prevent fatigue, meetings are kept short and focused. Aim for a duration of 30-45 minutes, sticking strictly to the agenda to avoid unnecessary digressions. If longer meetings are unavoidable, regular breaks could help in maintaining the energy levels.

Injecting a bit of fun and personality can also lighten the mood. Starting with a quick icebreaker or a fun question can set a relaxed tone. Sharing personal updates or team achievements fosters a sense of community, making the meetings more enjoyable and engaging.

As the meeting wraps up, key points and action items are summarized. Responsibilities are assigned, and deadlines are set, ensuring that the meeting is productive and results oriented. A follow-up email with meeting notes and next steps keeps the momentum going, showing that the meeting was valuable and actionable.

Clear objectives, interactive tools, and a focus on participation and collaboration can make a significant difference, but I must confess, I don't always do as I preach and not all our meetings are engaging or boredom free. My team can confirm that. :))

As I mentioned the Issue Monitoring team, here is their weekly newsletter with the latest legislative changes.

Taxes and Fiscal Policies

PREMIER CIOLACU, ABOUT PROGRESSIVE TAXATION. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu insists on the subject of progressive taxation of incomes, declaring himself a follower of this system, but does not rule out the continuation of the single tax rate either. And yet, the prime minister claims that the national tax system provides quite a few exceptions for certain industries, declaring that maintaining this system will also mean repealing these exceptions. "I do not rule out the continuation of the single quota for companies. But the single share must be the single share. A single quota means the entire taxation system", insisted the prime minister.

NATIONAL MARKET SURVEILLANCE STRATEGY. This week, the Ministry of Economy published in decisional transparency the project of the National Market Surveillance Strategy for the period 2024-2027. The main objective is to improve the functioning of the internal market by strengthening market surveillance of products covered by Union harmonization legislation. The strategy aims at the safety, health and protection of consumers, the environment, through a market of compliant and safe products sold both offline and online, regardless of the country of origin. After the period allocated to the public debate, the draft decision approving the strategy will be adopted by the Government.

Labour

300 OF THE MINIMUM SALARY, NON-TAXABLE. After last week the Government issued the draft decision on the new gross minimum wage (3,700 RON), the Ministry of Finance published yesterday a draft emergency ordinance which establishes that 300 RON of the new gross minimum wage will be non-taxable (as opposed to 200 RON , as it currently is).

The measure will be applied to income from salaries and related to salaries for the months of July - December 2024 inclusive. We expect both the minimum wage bill and the tax-free amount ordinance to be adopted by the Government this week or next week at the latest.

EXCEPTIONS FOR NIGHT WORK. Adopted by the Parliament, the Law that provides for the impossibility of pregnant women, pregnant women, those who are breastfeeding, as well as the single parents to be forced to perform night work, was published in the Official Gazette.

WORKING CONDITIONS FOR PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES. Instead, a legislative proposal was registered in the Senate that extends, from 11 to 18, the age of disabled children whose parents facilitate support from employers. Also, employees who have disabled children could have 8 days of telework/month (not 4, as currently), and those who have several disabled children could have several additional days of telework/month. It is also proposed to prohibit the suppression of these provisions by internal rules. In the next month, the proposal will be sent to the Senate committees to start debates.

SKILLS, IN THE DEFINITION OF COR. The Senate rejected the legislative initiative that proposed the introduction of skills and competencies in the definition of the Classification of Occupations in Romania (COR). If the deputies will, however, adopt this proposal, the update of the COR would be carried out ex officio, by reference to the updates of the European Classification of Skills/Competences, Qualifications and Occupations (ESCO). In this sense, the proposal is to be sent to the Chamber of Deputies, for a final debate.

European funding and state aid

PAYMENT OF STATE AID FOR SMEs. The Ministry of European Investments and Projects has extended , until May 31, 2025, the deadline for the payment of state aid granted under the State Aid Scheme for supporting SMEs and large enterprises in the implementation of measures to improve the energy efficiency of industrial buildings , of buildings for providing services and ancillary constructions.

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