When we talk about attending meetings from your home office versus in-office conference spaces, there are stark differences. When at home, you're staring at the screen, watching your teammates in their small boxes. Some participants may even have their cameras turned off. Inside a conference room, you can more easily pick up on non-verbal queues, engage with others, and maintain a natural flow to the conversation. As a result, you may feel that you have less power when hosting meetings virtually—but that doesn't have to be the case. Let's go over the steps you can take to feel confident during your online meetings.
Get yourself organized
Set an agenda for the meeting and follow it
There's nothing that screams "organized" better than having a well-thought agenda for your meeting. Establish the purpose of your meeting, outline the discussion items, and share the details when you send out the meeting invite.
Start and wrap up the discussion on time
We all love a meeting that starts and ends on time, and we love it even more if a meeting ends ahead of the planned time. This gives everyone more time to relax, get a few stretches in, or work on something light before getting back to heftier tasks. When participants trust that your meeting won't take advantage of more time than allotted, they'll be more likely to stay engaged.
Delegate efficiently
You don't have to do it all on your own. Designating a co-host is helpful in case any technical issues come up during the meeting and you need to make a seamless transfer. Be sure to brief your co-host about the meeting in advance so they are on the same page.
Share meeting etiquette beforehand
Define a set of dos and don'ts to be followed during the meeting, such as keeping the microphone on mute when not speaking, taking notes, and keeping the camera, and share it with the participants for a successful session.
Make your sessions interactive
Start with an icebreaker
Begin with a fun activity to gain everyone's attention and help participants get to know each other. Set the tone for what is expected ahead of time and slowly ease into the session.
Use screen sharing, polls, a whiteboard, and other meeting tools
Efficiently utilize all the virtual meeting tools available to you to keep your session engaging. Brainstorm effectively with screen sharing and the whiteboard, and enable an easy flow of information.
Allow Q&As for engagement
The more interactive your session is, the more people will love being a part of your meetings. Encourage people to ask questions and clarify them during the meeting, as it is more effective than taking it to chat. It's also a great way to collect valuable feedback on what was discussed.
Set limitations
Keep your meetings concise and don't let them drag
Nobody's thrilled when a meeting goes over time. It messes with everyone's schedule and could also affect people's productivity.
Allocate a specific discussion time for each point and stick to it
Plan the topics you want to address well in advance and allocate a particular time frame for each discussion. This will help you structure your meeting and end it before the desired time.
Limit attendees when possible while conducting open discussions
The best way to exercise this is to lock your meeting once the desired participants have joined the session. Opt for an online meeting tool that provides you with the option to do this. With Zoho Cliq's online meetings, you can lock your meetings to prevent people from entering ongoing sessions, even if they have the meeting link.
Follow up after meetings
Share meeting notes and actionable items with the attendees
Have someone on your team jot down meeting notes while the session progresses, and share them with the participants after the session as action points. If you're holding thought leadership sessions or workshops, share relevant takeaways and materials with the participants afterward.
While virtual meetings can be challenging, you can always work to make them sublime for your entire team. All you need is to be well prepared and recruit a little help for the best execution.
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