5 Tips for Conducting Effective Virtual Meetings

Virtual meetings or conferencing witnessed a huge boom in 2020; thanks to COVID-19. Many business owners began utilising and exploring various video conferencing tools for formal and informal meetings instead of the traditional method which involved meeting face-to-face. The adoption of virtual meetings has provided ease and speed as decision-makers do not need to travel across seas to meet participants. 

In today’s fast-paced world, there is unlimited access to various resources and tools to aid effectiveness on your job without leaving the comfort of your home. A lot can be achieved virtually such as collaborating with your team on a project, addressing a concern, or even an interview. 

However, certain things need to be put in place when conducting virtual meetings to ensure effectiveness and productivity. Whether you are conducting or joining a virtual meeting, these 5 tips will help you. 

• Create an Agenda: A meeting agenda is like a blueprint that guides you towards the goal. It is a great way to manage your time effectively.  

• Test Technology: Have you ever joined a meeting and both the speaker and audience struggled to hear the other while making a point or contributing at different intervals? It is frustrating but can be avoided. The best way to do that is by testing your gadgets before the meeting commences. Check your sound, internet connection, computer, dashcam and whatever technology you’ll need for the meeting. When everything is in place and working fine, you can now sit back and have a smooth and productive meeting. 

• Set Ground Rules: Because the meeting is virtual doesn’t make it informal, there should be rules guiding the meeting to get the best. Establish a meeting etiquette. For instance, all participants should be muted when someone is presenting to avoid distractions. There should be an indication by the raise of hand if participants have something to say before unmuting. If the meeting requires video, participants’ backgrounds must not be distracting. All these rules are necessary for an effective virtual meeting. 

• Assign a Facilitator: A virtual meeting facilitator is a moderator who ensures the meeting runs smoothly. He/she moderates the conversation between you and your team during meetings by setting the tone, ensuring participants are not excluded and keeping the agenda on track. 

• Choose the Right Platform: To choose the best platform for your virtual meeting, you should first understand if the platform offers what you want or need during the meeting. For instance, find out if the platform offers high-quality video conferencing, file sharing, presentation, polls, chat and messaging, or features that can make your virtual meeting effective and productive. Meeting platforms with collaborative tools for your team are best for virtual meetings.

Conclusively, following these tips will make your virtual meeting effective and productive. If you are having any difficulty setting the right tone for your virtual meeting, consider hiring a virtual assistant who can moderate your virtual meetings professionally.