In the wake of the Coronavirus epidemic, everyone is being forced to adapt to uncertainty. You’re trying to operate business as normal with the world being far from it.
As part of your operations, you need to learn how to run virtual meetings. Zoom has become the go-to platform for meetings and companies are learning how to implement it on the go.
If you want to keep your employees productive and engaged while working from home, you need to know how to run a good meeting.
How can you become a master at virtual meetings?
Keep reading to find out.
1. Set the Technology Rules
You can have the best intention to run a great virtual meeting, but there’s going to be one person who derails the entire thing because they can’t get their systems set up.
As a meeting leader, make sure you send out instructions on how to install and run your meeting application days before the meeting. Notify people that the meeting will start on time, whether they’re in the room or not.
That type of courtesy should extend from in-person meetings to the virtual ones.
As part of the technology rules, you have to emphasize security. Zoom, in particular, has been under fire for security breaches and hacking.
You should know how to secure Zoom meetings and pass that information on to your team.
2. Have an Agenda
Virtual meetings can also get derailed by idle chit-chat about the day and how they’re managing during this time.
An agenda will help you prevent the entire meeting becoming a conversation about the pandemic and how everyone is learning how to bake bread at home.
Create an agenda and send it out to participants beforehand. Set aside a few minutes for people to vent about the situation, but there comes a point to get down to business.
3. Running the Meeting
The hardest thing to do during an online meeting is to run it and control it. There has to be one person who is in charge of running the agenda and keeping everyone on task.
That role is critical to keeping the meeting moving along, preventing dead space in the conversation, and preventing someone else put forth their agenda for the meeting.
4. Following Up
The key to any successful business is in following up. You should have someone taking notes during the meeting or recording it for future reference.
You want to note any decisions that were made. You also want to note any tasks that have been assigned, who are responsible, and the deadlines.
That will keep your team accountable and help your company move forward.
Take Control of Your Virtual Meetings
Running a good meeting is hard enough in-person. Trying to do it virtually can be impossible. Your participants are likely to have more distractions and have a hard time focusing.
Remote meetings take planning and follow up. You want to have an agenda and make sure that everyone is up to speed on the technology.
For more great insights, check out this site often.
