With the hustle and bustle of today's world, gathering a team at the same time and place for a meeting was already laborious and costly. Now, in the midst of care for the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become unfeasible and companies use online meetings as their first option, which, with the advancement of technology, have also become simpler and more functional.
However, online meetings present unique challenges and require more discipline, so focus is not lost. In addition to technological problems in the process, which can generate frustration and make it easier for participants to get distracted.
Here are some tips for making your meetings more productive:
1) Choose the appropriate tool and check its operation
Before calling a virtual meeting, it is necessary to define which tool will be used, taking into account the company's resources and level of reliability that the meeting requires. Today, many options are available, some that only require a good internet connection and audio and video equipment, but they do not have strong information security systems and may have connection failures. Others, however, are more structured, have good protection and provide restricted access passwords to guests.
A check before the meeting is important to confirm that the participants are using the recommended tool and that the connections are working.
2) Plan the meeting in advance
As with a face-to-face meeting, planning a meeting is an essential point for its smooth running. The first step is to have a well-planned agenda and, if possible, sent in advance by e-mail to the participants, so that they can prepare in advance.
In addition to the agenda, it is important to determine an approximate length of time, so that people can adapt their schedules without conflicting with other commitments, invite only those people who really need to participate in the conversation, and seek to optimize the approach to each topic, so that there are no excessive delays.
3) Delegate a facilitator for your meeting
One of the biggest challenges in online meetings is interruption. Even with the aid of technologies, someone is needed to mediate the conversation, so that the participants organize themselves and do not trample on the lines. The ideal is for one person to direct the meeting, another to be responsible for technical support, and another to distribute the agendas and accompanying materials. Depending on the size of the meeting, a manager or key stakeholders may be in charge. Otherwise, it's worth assigning someone to lead the meeting and help keep things flowing smoothly. If you are responsible for leading the meeting, try to ensure that participants are alternately included in the topics covered and incorporate their comments into the debate.
A facilitator can also help if the meeting includes a question and answer session. Most meeting software also includes a chat or question and answer function that allows participants to submit written questions, which the moderator can manage or answer later. A best practice is to repeat participants' questions before answering them, to ensure that everyone can understand the question and better follow their response.
4) Minimize distractions
Every meeting that involves remote participants has a high potential for distractions. Participants will be free to browse the web or work on other tasks. If they are in the home office, pets or children may enter the room, in addition to outside noises that may cause interruptions, especially for participants who may be attending the meeting in a public place. To help mitigate these challenges, encourage your remote team to use a quiet, dedicated workspace for meetings. Provide good practice guidelines before meetings, such as muting audio when the participant is not speaking.
5) Document your meeting and follow up
Although most software records the meeting, technological errors can occur, so you can also assign a participant to take notes on the topics discussed in the virtual meeting, maintaining clarity in communication and helping participants who cannot be present or who had a problem connecting to update themselves later. Documenting the topics and their discussions help ensure that everyone is aligned in terms of approach, roles, responsibilities, and action plans. Follow-up with the participants is also recommended, to list what was defined at the meeting and the tasks to be performed.
The most important thing is to always treat an online meeting in the same way as a face-to-face meeting, with careful preparation, adequate monitoring from start to finish and respecting the participants' schedule, considering the time allotted and communicated in advance. It is fundamental to the success of an online meeting that everyone feels involved and has the time to express their doubts and opinions.
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