Online meetings are a great way to stay in touch with colleagues, customers, or clients when you can’t meet in person. They offer the ability to see and hear each other in real-time and share documents and screen space. This also allows you to build rapport with your guests.
According to a study by Lifesize, 41% of users say that companies using this form of communication have more involved staff members. This shows that by using online meetings, you are more likely to have engaged employees. However, to make your online sessions successful, there are a few best practices you should follow:
Plan and Prepare
Just like with any meeting, you need to have a plan and prepare. This means having a clear purpose or goal and an agenda. You should also send out meeting materials in advance so everyone has time to review them. This will ensure that the meeting runs smoothly and that everyone is on the same page.
You need to first determine what you want to achieve to have a clear goal or purpose for your online meeting. Once you know this, you can create a specific goal for the meeting that everyone can work towards. Having a clear goal will help keep the discussion on track and keep everyone focused on what needs to be done.
For example, you want to have a meeting to discuss the progress of a project you are working on. In this case, your goal for the meeting could be to update everyone on the project’s status and get feedback from team members.
After you have determined the purpose of the meeting, you can create an agenda. This will help you stay organized and on track during the meeting. Send the agenda to all attendees in advance, so they know what to expect and can prepare any questions or comments.
Choose the Right Tools
Various online meeting tools are available, so it’s essential to choose the right one for your needs. Some factors you should consider are:
- The number of participants
- Type of meeting (e.g., audio, video, or web conference)
- The features you need (e.g., screen sharing, file sharing, or recording)
- The compatibility with your devices and operating system
Some popular online meeting platforms include Zoom, Skype, and GoToMeeting. Find one that best fits your needs and is compatible with the devices you’ll be using.
Investing in a platform that does more than just handle your meeting schedules also makes sense. It also makes sense to select a platform that sends you leads and even offers lunch catering services for work meetings. With the help of this tool, you are giving your guests the chance to have face-to-face interactions while keeping them satiated during long sessions.
It helps to talk to your guests and check if they are familiar with the technology you will be using. Find a way to test the meeting platform before the meeting to ensure everything is working as it should. This will help avoid any technical issues that could arise during the meeting.
Give Everyone Has a Chance To Speak
In an online meeting, it’s easy for some people to dominate the conversation while others stay silent. This can be a problem if you’re trying to get everyone’s input on a topic. To avoid this, you should give everyone a chance to speak.
One way to do this is to use the “raise hand” feature in most online meeting platforms. This allows people to virtually raise their hands when they want to speak. The meeting host can then call on them one at a time.
You can also try going around the group and having each person share their thoughts on the topic. You can ask each person to type their thoughts in the chat box or by going around the group and unmuting each person one at a time. Either way, make sure that everyone feels like they have a chance to contribute to the discussion.
Encourage Participation With Visual Aids
Statistics show that up to 65% of people are visual learners. If you want to keep everyone engaged in the meeting, use visual aids. This could include anything from presentations to charts and graphs.
Using visual aids will help people follow along with the discussion and understand the points you are trying to make. It also allows you to break up the meeting, so people don’t get bored. To make your visual aids are straightforward and easy to understand, consider the following tips:
- Use simple, concise language
- Stick to one or two main points per slide
- Use charts and graphs sparingly
- Make it a point that all visual aids are relevant to the discussion
- Keep slides clean and uncluttered
- Use fonts that are easy to read
With these visual aid tips, you can keep everyone engaged and ensure that the meeting is productive and informative.
These are but four best practices you should keep in mind when running an online meeting. There are plenty of others, but these should help you get started. Just remember to be prepared, choose the right tools, use engaging visuals, and make sure everyone has a chance to speak. With these tips, you can run a successful online meeting that will be productive and informative.
Meta title: Best Practices for a More Engaging Online Meeting
meta desc: Does it seem like your guests are always bored or disengaged during online meetings? Here are four steps to follow so you make online meetings more engaging.
