How to run a great business virtual meeting

Since COVID-19 arrived and spread around the world, a lot of companies have chosen to establish work from home for their employees. The good thing is that technology allows us to have face-to-face meetings without having to be in the same country, much less in the same room.

Without a doubt, we know that there are great differences between face-to-face meetings in office and online. If you are new to working in this mode, here are some tips on how to ensure that your virtual meetings are effective and productive.

 
Use the video option

Since everyone on the call is in different places and has surely been cut off from the world for quite a while, the best thing to do is to use the video. There are a few options to choose from, such as Hangouts and Skype. The video makes people feel more engaged because it allows team members to see each other’s emotions and reactions, which immediately humanizes the room.

 
Follow the agenda

Make sure you give everyone on the meeting time to talk and expose their point of view. It is important to stick to an agenda and cover every issue you want to solve. You can give 5 minutes to each one of the members to expose their standpoint on each issue and and come to a conclusion faster. 

 
Stop multitasking

It is important that everyone is focused on the meeting and not doing two different tasks at once. This is not only bad for the brain; It is bad for the team. Managers must establish a firm policy that multitasking is unacceptable, as it is important that everyone is mentally present. For this, it is important to have well defined schedules in advance so that each team member has time to prepare their work before the meeting.

How do you handle online meetings? Remember that icebreakers and introductions are important for fostering inclusivity and communication.

 
Source:
Harvard Business Review