Tips for Running a Virtual Meeting

With many states imposing social-distancing, shelter-in-place, or safer-at-home measures, companies and businesses have been forced to quickly transition to virtual workspaces to protect their employees. While we are fortunate that virtual meeting technology has improved well beyond just dialing in, that doesn’t mean it will always go smoothly. Beyond technology glitches, the flow of conversation is undoubtedly different in a virtual meeting than in an in-person meeting. For those just starting out, it can feel a bit like the intro to The Brady Bunch.  

Below are some tips to mitigate frustrations:

Set the stage. Many of us have been quickly launched into a virtual workspace with little time or ability to prepare the ideal home office. For a better virtual meeting environment, keep in mind that an uncarpeted room could cause echoing, have a neutral backdrop, have proper lighting, laptop imaging can be better than a smartphone that may distract you, dress the part, have the proper angle, look at the camera not all around your room, and disable IM notifications.

Test technology. Have members of the meeting test technology beforehand. Even a 5-10-minute delay due to technical difficulties can really kill the momentum and focus of a meeting. Consider offering a test run for any meeting participants who are unsure of the technology.  

Continue to send an agenda or pre-read. Just as with an in-person meeting, it is easy to lose sight of the objective and get off track if there is no agenda. Send this out prior to the meeting, giving the attendees enough time to review. Be sure you clearly call out critical items to preview.

Start with an icebreaker. This may not always be necessary, but most people are going through a major adjustment period. Help to minimize feelings of isolation and ease some tension with a lighthearted intro or check-in to start off the meeting. Interpersonal relationships are critical during challenging times.

Set ground rules and be mindful of conversation design. Let participants know how you plan to structure the conversation flow and the protocol for comments and questions. Remind people to vocalize agreement rather than nodding as this can take some time to get used to when transitioning from in-person meetings. When people know what to expect from the beginning, it will make for improved conversation and dialogue.

Minimize mute. While it may seem logical to have yourself on mute unless you are speaking, it can prevent quality conversations from occurring.  If your meeting is less than 10-12 people, consider a no-mute rule to encourage participation and minimize multitasking.

Keep presentation length to a minimum. Provide background information to the group beforehand as much as possible (see above point regarding agenda and pre-read materials). The meeting time should be primarily for discussion; it’s important to make that clear in the meeting invitation or when sending out agendas and pre-read materials so all participants come prepared to discuss.

Stop for questions. Make sure you are pausing for questions and let the meeting participants know you are doing this. You can avoid unnecessary participant interruptions and minimize tune-out that may come from a lengthy one-person dialogue.

Make video the new norm! Utilizing video functionality helps to foster the feeling that everyone is at the same meeting. There are many technologies that make this available, including Skype, Zoom, Teams, and others. While it should be clear that video is preferred, have dial-in as an option, as varying internet connections may make video a challenge for some participants.

Assign an assistant for larger meetings. If you are organizing a larger meeting with many participants, consider asking someone else to take notes. This way, you can focus on moderating the discussion and keeping the meeting on task.

Go around the “table.” Encouraging discussion and participation can be a challenge in face-to-face meetings and even more challenging in a virtual meeting. Going around the table to each participant virtually at the end of the meeting (or midway) is a great opportunity to encourage questions and comments, particularly for those who would normally sit back.

Summarize and call out any action items. Before ending your meeting, succinctly summarize what has been discussed and make sure each next step is assigned an owner and deadline to keep momentum going. Reinforce this with a post-meeting email.

Continue to send out meeting minutes or summaries. It’s just as important to send out meeting minutes for virtual meetings as it is for in-person meetings, especially when people are adjusting to the new format and may miss critical comments during the meeting. Email distribution of meeting minutes is also a great time to ask for any feedback or suggestions for future virtual meetings.

A little extra planning can go a long way. Getting comfortable with meeting virtually will likely require an adjustment period, but you will soon find that it can be extremely productive. While you may get frustrated with the learning curve, just remember that your colleagues are likely facing similar frustrations; keep an open dialogue and be accepting of suggestions for improvement. Remember to keep in mind that we are all in this together!

Sources:

https://hbr.org/2020/03/what-it-takes-to-run-a-great-virtual-meeting

https://www.forbes.com/sites/josephliu/2020/03/17/virtual-meeting-tips/#630f65297208

https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamvanderbloemen/2020/03/15/8-cardinal-rules-of-running-a-virtual-meeting/#12e6dbfa4e1d