To help you conduct more productive online meetings, here are seven tips that can be implemented immediately. Have a well-defined agenda. ... Appoint
7 Powerful Tips for Extraordinary Online Meetings
If something makes the meetings worse, you will have to travel around the country to attend. Here's how to make a productive meeting online.
Business meetings are an integral part of the organization's
daily routine. According to the Harvard Business Review, senior decision makers
spend about 65% of their time meeting with various working heads to collect
updates on career progress. But anyone who has worked in a corporate
environment knows that business meetings can also be time consuming.
This is especially true if you are holding an online meeting
and the participants are from different places. Without advances in
communications and technology, it is still a challenge to hold effective online
meetings, as participants may experience communication problems and
communication delays. They may find it difficult to hold the meeting in an
orderly manner if more than one person starts talking at the same time.
How to make an online meeting fun
Before planning an online meeting, consider ways to keep your
remote employees engaged. Listening to a manager read from a display card will
not refresh your team. Here are some fun ways to renew an online meeting:
• Make introductions. Walk around the visible meeting room
and ask everyone to introduce themselves. This works like a snowman and sets
the tone of the meeting.
• Introduce brainteasers. Start by exercising by forming a
team before going into business. Make it a race to see which team can build the
most creative thing with Lego bricks or finish the puzzle first. Funny
entertaining questions can also break the ice among those who attended the
online meeting.
• Play a guessing game. Another thing that breaks the ice is playing the I Spy game. Ask each participant to describe something unique in their remote workplace and team members to guess the item.
Bottom Line: Use icebreakers and exercise by forming a team at the beginning of the meeting to engage participants and eliminate some of the difficulties of connecting online.
How to hold productive meetings online.?
As remote operational arrangements increase, even ordinary
businesses will see an increase in online meetings in the coming years. To help
you conduct more meetings online, here are seven tips that can be used quickly.
1. Have a well-defined agenda.
An assembly with an ambiguous purpose can lead to confusion
and waste of time. Do not hold an online meeting without a clear agenda. To
make things easier for everyone, prepare a formal agenda and all the issues
that will be discussed at the meeting, and then organize them according to the
needs of your business. Also, describe the role of each participant. Post this
agenda at least 24 hours before the meeting, and make sure everyone has
received it. Finally, set a default meeting reminder using Google Calendar.
Tip: All business meetings should be important, including remote meetings with your team. Keep meetings organized to avoid a reduced product.
2. Appoint a meeting manager.
A meeting without a president can be traced. By appointing a
manager, you give that person the authority to manage the process. No one can
speak without the president's permission, and the president keeps everyone
focused. This is especially important for online meetings, because issues of
online connectivity and audio or video quality can lead to inappropriate
communication.
3. Prepare your plan in advance.
Ask all participants to restart their computers at least 20
minutes before the meeting. Make sure your camera and microphone are working
and that your conference software supports multiple participants. In individual
meetings, you can choose a standard video calling service such as Skype.
However, for meetings with more participants, a special app like Zoom is
better. Our full review of Zoom emphasizes how it can help you conduct online
meetings efficiently.
4. Set time limits.
Making time for your meetings can greatly increase your
productivity and help you produce more value in less time. For example, you can
set a meeting length of 30 minutes and mark 10 minutes for each agenda item. In
this way, participants will remain focused, and the meeting will not be off
track.
5. Minimize distractions.
Distractions can cause inappropriate communication in online
meetings. To judge them, make sure all your participants live in a private and
well-lit room. Also, it is better to use headphones and collar microphones than
laptop speakers and your mic to ensure clear communication.
6. Conclude with some action items.
Many meetings end with vague promises and confirmations from
participants. It is the president's job to bring out the items for the agenda
points and get the information from all stakeholders. The key is to create an
action object, assign it to an individual or group, and agree on a deadline.
Without these three elements, nothing action can be successfully followed.
7. Share meeting notes.
When your online meeting is over, send a summary of the
meeting notes to the participants. Write an action item for each agenda item
and the name of the person or group responsible for its delivery. Ask all
participants to make sure they get a summary and their understanding.
Tip: Take notes and attend every meeting online. Too many activities show that you do not value the participants' time.
Conducting online meetings with people from different
backgrounds can be difficult to manage. If you plan ahead and make sure your
meetings are well-organized, moderated and connected, online meetings can be a
very effective way to connect your company's employees and employees, as well
as save on travel.
Popular online platforms
Now that you have learned the basics of holding online conventions, you should decide which platform to use. You have all sorts of options in the past, and we have listed just a few of the most popular ones below. [You can read more about the options we recommend as the best video consulting services for small businesses.
Probably everywhere in the online conference platforms, Zoom is ready to gather hundreds of people in an unlimited visual setting with an easy-to-use display. Zoom is best known for its chat tool, hand-held tool and flexible meeting facilities (webinars, panel presentations, lounge rooms, traditional meetings and more). However, to accommodate more than two people in meetings lasting more than 40 minutes, you will have to pay for the top Zoom tiers, starting at $ 149.90 per year.
2. Google Meet
3. GoToMeeting
Our review of GoToMeeting shows how this online forum is
intended for small businesses with its diagnostic reports and automated
delivery. GoToMeeting provides additional staff training and price sharing
solutions, not to mention video conference equipment. Its plans start at $ 12 a
month.
4. Microsoft Groups
Our Microsoft Team updates highlight how this online meeting tool
saves files and chat histories from the interface where you start your calls.
As Groups is a Microsoft product, it allows you to collaborate on Microsoft
Word documents, PowerPoint slides and Excel spreadsheets with others present.
In the free Microsoft Teams program, meetings can last longer
than 60 minutes, with paid plans starting at $ 5 per user per month. It costs
very little for the services listed here, but if you play your cards well, your
online meetings can be free no matter which platform you choose.
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