Managing Virtual Business Meetings
Learn simple concepts that help you improve your meeting facilitation and communication skills, and become a better team leader through easy meeting tactics.
Description
By now, virtual meetings have become a standard way of doing business and communicating with the people you work with. But many virtual meetings are not as efficient and effective as they could be. Unclear purpose, information overload and lack of participant engagement are all common challenges when conducting meetings online.
This half-day program provides tips and techniques for planning and executing virtual meetings that will engage people for peak performance. Clarify the meeting purpose and keep things focused on what is most important. Optimize platform options by using visual and audio inputs in an energizing way. Make efficient and effective use of meeting time. Encourage full involvement, and ensure that everyone’s voice gets heard.
Course Objectives
By attending this ICL training course, delegates will be able to:
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Identify the critical action steps you should take when planning for an efficient and effective virtual meeting
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Resolve technical and other unexpected obstacles when hosting and participating in virtual meetings
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Optimize meeting time by remaining on track, avoiding information overload and providing sufficient breaks
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Overcome blocks to interpersonal communication
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Increase audience engagement and commitment
How will this Training Course be Presented?
live-Online
Who is this Training Course for?
Anyone who wishes to plan, host and execute virtual meetings that will fully engage their audiences.
The Course Content
Module 1: Planning Your Virtual Meeting Efficiently
Determining the right software solution is an important first step toward effective virtual communication. However, to ensure that meetings are as productive as possible, leaders and managers should also make other preparations.
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Essential do’s and don’ts when planning a virtual meeting
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Time-saving tips and crucial action planning steps that ensure peak efficiency
Set the Ground Rules
Be sure that all team members know the basic expectations and rules of conduct for the virtual meeting; you might send out guidelines in an e-mail to all participants or even include them in your employee handbook. Some examples include the following:
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Be on time.
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Make appropriate use of the video, chat, and raise hand features.
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Mute audio except when presenting or asking/answering questions.
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Avoid distracting activities, such as eating or smartphone browsing.
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Use laptops instead of phones, ensuring steady images.
Module 2: Engaging Your Virtual Meeting Audience Dynamically
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Current research on what engages and disengages virtual audiences
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Leveraging technology and interpersonal communications to build trust and motivate participation at virtual meetings
Encourage Participation
Team members should be aware of the rules of conduct, but also your expectations for participation. Consider these examples:
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Send out a proposed meeting agenda in advance, and ask if there are any suggested changes or additions.
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Make sure that employees know if and when they’ll be expected to present, and for how long.
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Assign tasks to your employees in advance, such as facilitating discussions, managing slides, or taking meeting minutes.
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Open opportunities for all employees to speak, ensuring that nobody feels left out or overshadowed.
Module 3: Managing Virtual Meeting Challenges Proactively
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Overcoming barriers to in-person communications in a virtual meeting environment
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Addressing and managing routine and unexpected technological and interpersonal issues proactively
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Creating a Virtual Meeting Action Plan
Test Your Technology in Advance
Nothing derails virtual meetings faster than a technological snafu. Be sure to test your technological set up in advance; make sure that you have no trouble getting audio, video, and chat functions to work appropriately. Encourage all your team members to do the same, testing both their technology setup and Internet connectivity.
Set Up Your Meeting Space
Even in virtual meetings, your physical space matters. Find a place in your home office where you have good lighting, limited noise, and minimal distractions. Be sure that it also offers a good Wi-Fi connection.
Enable Communication Channels Outside of the Meeting
It’s important that your team members be able to talk together even when they’re not in a meeting; so-called watercooler chat can be important for team cohesion and overall morale. Set up dedicated groups, such as a team Slack channel, where members can interact.
Tips for Effective Virtual Meetings
Some best practices for running an effective online meeting include the following:
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Do something to break the ice.
To get people comfortable talking, ask some questions, request introductions, or plan another icebreaker activity, such as using Kahoot to have participants play a quick interactive quiz game.
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Take turns.
Encourage participants to take turns answering questions, which can minimize awkward silences.
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Use visual assets.
One of the best ways to engage meeting participants is through visual components. Shared screens, a virtual whiteboard, and slideshows can all work well.
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Refer to your agenda.
Make sure that the meeting agenda is visible on the screen, and use it to guide your meeting from one topic to the next.
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Dress professionally.
By wearing appropriate workplace attire, you can send a visual reminder that this is a business meeting, not an informal hangout.
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Look directly at the camera.
Virtual platforms make it difficult to maintain “eye contact,” but you can at least look directly into the camera to show that you’re fully engaged.
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Avoid multitasking.
When you’re in a meeting, be in the meeting. You won’t get as much out of it if you’re also trying to check e-mail or scroll through Twitter.
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Don’t get upset about glitches.
Technological issues can happen, and there’s no point in beating yourself up. Just be sure that you learn from the mistakes for the next
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Close meetings with follow-up steps.
Provide a clear list of action items, including projects that need to be delivered. Also, specify the time of the next meeting.
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Follow up.
Send out a feedback survey after the meeting, and offer to clear up any outstanding questions or points of confusion.
Virtual Meetings Platforms
Even before COVID-19, virtual communication and collaboration tools made it possible for teams to engage one another virtually, including members from all across the globe. These platforms are all the more significant now, and they vary in the capabilities they offer. Some allow for standard meetings with minimal interaction, and others are more collaborative in nature.
Commonly Used Virtual Meetings Platforms
Some of the most popular options for virtual meetings include the following:
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Zoom. Zoom has become the go-to virtual meeting platform of the COVID-19 era. Some of its top features include the ability for meeting attendees to “raise their hands,” share whiteboards, and share their screens.
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Google Meet. Similar in many ways to Zoom, Google Meet provides screen sharing, video captions, and robust encryption technology.
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Skype. Skype can be used to host fairly large groups and also allows for easily recording an entire meeting.
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Microsoft Teams. Microsoft Teams is connected to other Microsoft Office 365 applications, including Outlook and OneDrive. It offers chat, file sharing, and many other features.
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Slack. Slack’s enterprise features enable a number of communication options in your team’s dedicated channels.
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Whereby. Whereby is a simple virtual meeting app that works in your browser—no app or software downloads are required.
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GoTo Meeting. GoToMeeting is a platform that’s best used in larger groups or for hosting webinars.
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Cisco Webex. Cisco Webex is a prime option for hosting global meetings and presentations, particularly when larger groups are involved.