Hosting Virtual Meetings

In light of all the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses and organizations are scrambling to keep up with local mandates while also trying to keep business going.   

One of the easiest ways to do this is by moving away from the in-person meetings and create a virtual experience for your team.

Why is this a great idea? It keeps your team members safe (#1 priority), but the hidden silver lining might be that it saves you more time. Which, let’s be honest, is equally important. Heck yes, especially when you’re in the middle of dealing with a crisis.

Here are some key things to think about in order to host a successful virtual meeting.

Determine WHY this meeting is important.

What is the purpose of gathering all these people together in a virtual meeting platform? Be thoughtful about why you need to meet and what you’re looking to accomplish at the end of the meeting.

Just schedule it.

Getting a consensus of what days and times work for people, is reasonable, but trying to coordinate with every single person, is not. Just get the meeting on the calendar and those who cannot attend can catch up in the minutes after the meeting. (I’ll talk about that in a few.)

How much time is really needed?

So often I see meetings set for an hour, but I challenge you to really think about how much time you need to solve the problem that you set out when deciding to schedule an online meeting. Can this be done in 30 minutes? Can this be done in 15 minutes, maybe instead of an hour, it’s 45 minutes? The great thing about reducing the amount of time for a meeting is that you're going to get right to the point. You're going to check off the action items on the meeting agenda and get right down to business. Who doesn’t love a short and efficient meeting?

Have an agenda and send it out before the meeting.

This is crucial. Virtual meeting tools like agendas allow people to prepare notes or updates and be mindful of the purpose of the meeting. It also gives you a guide to staying on track.

Start on time and set the right tone.

Start the meeting on time. Seems easy enough, right? But seriously, be respectful of people’s time.

As for the introduction, set the tone in order to create an effective virtual meeting. Let your teammates know what you’re hoping the end result will be. If you’re meeting with teammates, get a quick update on what everyone is working on, but keep this short and to the point. If this is a new group, make sure that introductions are kept really short.

Make sure people are being heard and have an opportunity to speak.

We've all had that long-winded person who really seems to take over and engulf the conversation. As the organizer or the mediator of the meeting, be being thoughtful about making sure everyone has an opportunity to speak.  Be direct in asking questions to endure everyone feels heard and has had their question answered.

Wrap Up.

End on time! Meetings really could go on forever. Honor people’s time and boundaries by ending your meetings on time. Maybe even a few minutes early. This is an important part of virtual meeting etiquette.

As you wrap up the meeting, one of my favorite tactics is to go around and ask, “what is your takeaway or do you know what you need to do after this meeting?”

Make it clear what the next steps are and as a manager, this will give you an opportunity to follow up with your teammates to ensure they feel supported. It's important to know what each of your other colleagues isare doing to avoid duplicating efforts.

Follow Up.

Finally, by sending out a follow-up email, you can provide an update to those who could not attend and let everyone know deadlines and action items moving forward.

Of course, absolutely nothing replaces being in person with people. However, during this time, this is a great option for anyone who needs to have a meeting.

There are a ton of options to host a virtual meeting including Google Hangout, Skype, but I really like Zoom. It's the way to go.