IT leaders have had to learn to facilitate remote meetings overnight. If this transition has been difficult, refer to these guidelines for help.
Pressed by the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation, organizations have been thrust into full-time remote work with no opportunity to prepare. The time to hope for a smooth transition is past and there is a new word of the day:
"Adapt."
If you have suddenly found yourself moderating remote meetings on critical business issues, with little experience and less room for failure, you are not alone. And like most leaders over the past few weeks, you might be wondering whether your participants are truly engaged and whether you're getting your message across effectively.
The organizer and the attendees all have a part to play to ensure virtual meetings are effective. Refer to the following checklist to see how you can move beyond coping with virtual meetings to using them to your advantage:
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Organizer
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Attendees
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Before the meeting
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- Announce
that you will use video and give people enough time to set it up properly
- Test
ahead of time: camera, microphone, and any features of your teleconferencing
software you anticipate needing, such as screen sharing or chat; ask your
participants to do the same.
- If
your software has a virtual raised-hand function, test it out beforehand and
ensure everyone knows to use it.
- Invite
only people who need to participate; stakeholders who only need to be informed
of the outcome are best reached with a summary email. This helps keep every
participant engaged, as disengagement on the part of a few will dampen the
engagement of the group overall.
- As
for any meeting, set an agenda (include clear, concrete, and specific
objectives, and set a time limit for discussion).
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Schedule separate meetings for social chat, no
work. This helps replace some of the in-office conversation and keep morale
high, leading to better productivity overall.
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- Take
the time in advance to set up your workstation for video conferencing: ensure
you have good lighting, camera angles, and an appropriate background.
- Test
ahead of time: ensure your camera and microphone are working and you are
familiar with the software your organization uses.
- Review
the meeting agenda and ensure you understand:
- Why
you've been included
- How
you are expected to contribute
- Any
prep you need to do
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Ensure your environment is free of distractions,
your phone is silenced, and family members know not to disturb you during the
meeting.
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During the meeting
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- Stick
to the timed agenda and set aside any issues that require further attention.
- Move
from free-form discussion to turn-based sharing, round-robin style. This
ensures everyone, including introverted team members, can contribute and avoids
participants talking over each other. Use a virtual raised-hand function if
available.
- Address
people by name instead of the generic "anyone on the phone have anything
to add?" and say their name before asking a question to get their
attention if their mind has wandered.
- Use
the chat function for gathering ideas. If there is no explicit need for
participants to speak sequentially, the chat function can feel more fluid and
provide a written record.
- Reserve
the last few minutes for a recap and review of action items.
- Have
someone record and distribute minutes.
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End the meeting early, as you would if people
had to physically walk to another location for their next one. This provides a
much-needed mental break that is easy to forget in a work-from-home situation.
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- Be
aware that you're using video; don't check email, look at your phone, or hold
extraneous conversations over chat.
- Mute
your microphone when you're not speaking.
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Wait your turn to speak, don't interrupt others,
and use the raise-hand functionality if it's available.
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After the meeting
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- Send around minutes, action items, and any
materials shared during the meeting.
- Follow up on any items that had to be deferred due
to lack of time.
- Inform any stakeholders that were not included as
participants.
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Solicit feedback from attendees on what worked
and what didn't, especially if your organization is new to virtual meetings.
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- Follow up on any action items.
- Reflect on what went well, and offer any
constructive feedback on the remote meeting setup for next time.
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Switching to remote meetings requires adjustment, but the end goal is the same: to achieve your meeting objectives efficiently. If you are considering changing how you run virtual meetings, the only question that matters is, "Will this improve my ability to achieve my objectives?" Use this question as a guide and you will find your remote meetings improve without spending an inordinate amount of time sifting through gimmicky vendor offerings or wondering which best practice to implement next.
Our Take
- Remote meetings can work just as well as, or better than, in-person meetings if you tailor them to your needs.
- Running them smoothly requires cooperation from both facilitators and attendees, outlined in the above best practices.
- Implement only what will help you achieve your meeting objectives and cut out any extra (technology, activities, participants) for clear, efficient communication.
Want to Know More?
Effectively Manage Remote Teams
Respond Effectively to COVID-19
Web Conferencing Vendors Offer Free Access During COVID-19 Social Distancing Measures
Make Meetings Matter
Research By: Jane Kouptsova, Info-Tech Research GroupMarch 28, 2020