With the rise in remote work, virtual meetings increased as well. Technology has enabled teams to connect from all over the globe using video and other virtual meeting tools. Virtual meetings are an increasingly popular way to conduct business, but they have their challenges. One of the biggest challenges is how to improve engagement from the attendees. It’s important to have a goal with the meeting, and multiple ways for attendees to participate.
Here are eight ways you can improve your meetings and make them more effective:
Evaluate the Purpose of Your Meetings
Have you heard the phrase, “that could’ve been an email,” when referring to meetings? Well, it’s true. Many meetings could be emails or even e-courses to disseminate information or to train staff. But some companies are stuck in meeting culture and when the company moves to a remote model they can’t shake their old ways. It starts by evaluating the purpose of the meeting. Why does everyone need to get together? Who will be speaking? Is it interactive? Once you know the purpose, you can decide if a meeting is right. If it can be said in an email, say it in an email. If it’s training, create a video and let everyone do it on their own. But if it’s truly interactive, then call a virtual meeting.
Build Community
When you’re working in a virtual environment, your team can’t gather around a whiteboard or throw ideas out on the spot. You have to be intentional about building community and making sure everyone feels comfortable sharing their ideas. To do this, create a safe space where people feel comfortable giving feedback on each other’s work, asking questions, and getting answers back quickly.
Encourage Active Participation
Encourage active participation and involvement of everyone in attendance. In order to foster a collaborative environment, it’s important to allow everyone in attendance to actively participate and be involved. To do this effectively, consider using audience response tools that allow you to poll your audience throughout the meeting. You can also use polls and Q&A sessions embedded in each presentation slide for greater engagement during presentations. Make sure to follow-up on important questions that were asked throughout the meeting.
Use Video
Video is a great way to engage everyone in the meeting. It can be used for presentations, demos, and question-and-answer sessions. Video is also a great way to share content that isn’t available in print formats, such as video recordings of your company’s products or services. Whenever it’s possible, make sure to use video for meetings.
Use Good Speakers
One of the most effective ways to improve engagement in virtual meetings is to have a credible, engaging speaker for at least part of the meeting. This person can motivate the audience and keep them on track, informed about what’s going on, and generally engaged with your company. You don’t want to pick the person who isn’t engaging and puts everyone to sleep or the person who doesn’t understand what they are presenting on.
Use a Simple Technology
There are meeting platforms that are user-friendly, and then there are those platforms that are not. If you want to improve engagement, then use a simple, easy-to-use platform for hosting the meeting. If you are the one hosting your virtual meeting, choose a platform that is easy to use and share. You can avoid confusion by using a platform that’s already familiar to all attendees. Another benefit of using an existing platform is that it will be easier for your participants to find the meeting in their calendars. It should also allow users to share files easily so everyone has the meeting information.
Don’t Invite Everyone
Not everyone needs a seat at the table. Make sure the right people are there. These are those who have something to contribute to the conversation and can make good decisions. Have your remote employees prepare for the meeting by reading up on relevant topics and/or sharing their takeaways with their colleagues. This will help them feel more confident in their ability to add value during the meeting, which means they’re more likely to be engaged with what’s happening, rather than feeling like an outsider looking in.
The Fortune is in the Follow-Up
Provide follow-up and action items following the session to maintain engagement and momentum after participants leave the virtual meeting space. Use your business tools or communication tools like Slack to keep the conversation going.
