Unlocking Value in Virtual Meetings

We set out to capture some of the best emerging practices for virtual meetings in consultation with experts and experienced and respected directors as well as our own experience coaching this transformation from traditional to remote meetings. Here are four practices that contribute to an excellent virtual meeting.

1. Shorten and energize the agenda.

Removing items not critical to collaboration and oversight can bring a necessary focus — and save time. “I believe virtual meetings should focus on fiduciary responsibilities and any resulting decisions that need to be made,” says James Skinner, chairman of the board for Walgreens Boots Alliance. Other updates can be delivered via email. “This abbreviates the meeting and maintains focus on decisions and fiduciary duties,” he says.

2. Build trust.

One of the prerequisites to successful teamwork is establishing trust and familiarity among peers. "You do that better if you know the people that you’re with because you can capture the nuances of communication,” says Alfred Osborne, a governance expert at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and a veteran director at firms such as Times Mirror, Nordstrom, Wedbush, and Kaiser Aluminum. Teams often develop comfort with one another in the serendipitous relationship-building that occurs in dinners and coffee breaks. These serendipitous moments must be purposefully planned for a virtual context.

Ferrazzi Greenlight designed a number of exercises that have been used successfully across the Fortune 100. The simplest, a “sweet and sour” check-in, has participants take turns sharing one “sweet” thing for which they are grateful, and one “sour” thing with which they are struggling personally or professionally. Start with a particularly open member who can get the ball rolling and set the tone of vulnerability. Also, consider using a moderator to keep the group moving and encourage members to continue these conversations offline.

A deeper version, called a “personal professional check-in,” allows for more bonding. In this exercise, team members are asked to share for a few minutes about what they may be struggling with or dealing with personally and professionally. The idea is to continue these bonding exercises once or twice a year as new members join the team. You can ask a different question in each meeting, such as “What experience of your past contributes a great deal to how you see the world today?” or “What do you want your legacy to be?”

Setting the tone in these exercises is critical. You can even give team members the questions in advance. The purpose is to build team commitment and trust. These techniques are used in many organizations, and those who have used them during this isolated, stressful time have reported that people are more open to sharing their vulnerabilities than ever before.

3. Use breakout rooms productively.

Breakout rooms can be useful for discussions that require candor, allowing members the freedom to pressure test ideas and challenge the wider discussion. Key questions should include: What risks should we bring to their attention? What help or resources could we offer, including introductions or best practices? Or, more simply, what’s not being said that needs to be said? We recommend keeping these groups small — three participants max — and keeping the discussions between 10 and 30 minutes. With a small group, you’ve guaranteed deeper and wider engagement, as opposed to a few voices dominating a larger group discussion. “This has pushed us to build the inclusive practice of being more deliberate in making sure that every voice is heard,” notes Maxine Williams, Facebook’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer and director for Massy Group.

After the breakouts, the team should reconvene as a group to hear the report-outs. Another benefit of small group discussion is that you avoid the pitfall of anodyne report-outs that deliver no impact. A small group that just shared openly would feel betrayed if their conclusions were watered-down before their eyes.

4. Build in “candor breaks.”

If your schedule won’t allow for breakouts on every topic, at least build in time to ask for input. “At an in-person meeting, it’s possible to gauge the feel of the room and sense when some members of the group have something to say. It’s harder to pick up on these cues in a virtual environment,” notes Matt Mullenweg, founder of WordPress and its parent company Automattic, an entirely remote-work organization with employees in more than 62 countries. He has been running remote meetings for his company since 2014. We recommend you even add short candor breaks to the agenda. Members should use this time to just stop and ask what’s not being said.

The "New Normal"

Social distancing measures are going to relax at some point, and our natural instincts will return to wanting more in-person meetings. This would be a mistake. We believe remote meetings will become a feature of successful teams for years to come.

We’ve already seen our clients pivot and quickly embrace these virtual meetings with an “eyes-wide open” approach to how a long term integration can look. With careful preparation and a commitment to candor, remote meetings can unlock a new generation of innovative leadership practices.