Best 7 Tips for Conducting Virtual Team Meetings

The year 2020 has been marked by significant changes in the way the world operates. The COVID 19 pandemic was one of the world's deadliest in decades. To break the chain of coronavirus infection, every country on the planet was put on lockdown at first. However, to get life back on track, the world is being unlocked in stages. Even as the world becomes more open, social distancing standards remain in place to prevent infection from spreading quickly. As a result, businesses and organizations are scrambling to protect their workers by implementing remote work policies. Regardless of the damage and changes caused by the worldwide emergency, business owners, managers, employees, and stakeholders still need to continue to conduct meetings. Communication has become more vital than ever before. So here are five suggestions that will help you run successful virtual meetings. 

Create some ground rules 

Virtual meetings can be tedious and confusing at times. It is because, unlike in actual meetings, it is not possible to read the attendees' body language. There is no element of nonverbal communication. As a result, many times in meetings, everyone keeps talking over each other. Another significant disadvantage of virtual meetings is their reliance on a stable internet connection. Because of these challenges, it's necessary to set some basic ground rules for conducting virtual meetings. Instruct attendees to make sure they have the fundamental physical necessities, such as a stable internet connection, a distraction-free setting, and so on. Once you've decided on that, decide what you're going to speak about and stick to it. While in a virtual meeting, following a set of rules can help establish the tone for a productive and flawless virtual meeting. 

Prepare ahead of time 

Because virtual meetings involve participants attending from various locations, having a strategy becomes even more important. It's a waste of time to have all the equipment in place and assume that the meeting will be as productive as the physical ones. Every virtual meeting requires planning ahead of time. You must guarantee that the attendees are aware of what to expect and that their contributions are appropriate. Prepare and distribute the agendas for a virtual meeting ahead of time. In your invitation email, include information on crucial talking points. You can also include any relevant files, documents, or resources that you'll use during the meeting. You can also let the attendees make comments on the documents you've shared. This will give you an indication of their viewpoint ahead of time, allowing you to prepare properly. 

Maintain everyone's interest and involvement 

It's pointless to schedule and arrange a meeting if your attendees aren’t interested. One of the most significant disadvantages of virtual meetings is that it requires you to sit in front of a computer screen. It's too easy to zone out and lose attention when communicating digitally through a screen. As a result, it becomes a difficult challenge to keep every attendee engaged and involved. When having virtual meetings, be sure that you don't jump right into discussing tasks and objectives. You should also provide room for casual and informal talks. Take some time to inquire about the attendees' well-being. To ensure that they are engaged, ask them questions regularly throughout the discussion. Assign duties to everyone in attendance. This will increase their involvement. 

Use Ice Breakers 

Virtualization of work has become the "new normal" as the globe has turned to remote work. As a result, many professionals are working remotely for the first time and attending virtual meetings. For some people, virtual encounters can be awkward and intimidating. It can be difficult for individuals to communicate with one another, especially if they are unfamiliar with one another. In this case, you could consider starting the meeting with a brief icebreaker. Although it may appear strange, icebreakers can help you and your teams get to know one another better. It also makes the process a little more enjoyable, which can help them bond more effectively. 

Follow Up 

Participants frequently linger after in-person meetings to ask questions or discuss personal matters. This option, however, is not available in virtual meetings. To avoid any doubts, you must have an efficient follow-up and feedback mechanism in place. Sending a follow-up email or performing a poll can help you establish a follow-up opportunity. Always end your meetings with a Q&A session where participants can ask any questions or clarify any doubts they may have. Make sure you collect feedback in addition to a follow-up approach. Inquire about how the meeting could have gone better, what went wrong, and how to fix it. 

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