The modern workplaces today have a massive increase in the use of online applications, specially the remote working structures that have made ways to the adoption of online conferences and webinars. With the technological advancements and upgraded services, the growth of virtual meetings is likely to go tenfold in the next few years.
These technological advancements to conduct virtual events have reduced the expenses of physical meetings. Online meetings have become extremely popular and convenient to exchange information and grow a network. However, conducting a meeting online can be a little trying at times for both the employer and the employees. There are certain concerns that must be taken into consideration before planning for the virtual event to ensure a glitch-free virtual gathering.
5 TIPS TO CONDUCT ONLINE MEETINGS EFFICIENTLY
Plan your agenda and stick to it:
Always ensure to plan well before you set out to conduct a virtual meeting or event. To make it a success you should always have a basic structure of the flow of the meeting. This helps in avoiding chaos. Make sure that all your invitees and participants are notified about the agenda and the flow prior to the meeting via email. Make space for every participant such that each one gets an opportunity to present their observation and feedback.
Be compact and precise:
Try to conduct meetings with a clear and to the point message. Wasting time unnecessarily with useless rambles tends to bore people and they lose interest eventually. If you feel that the agenda can be lengthy enough to stretch over an hour or more, make efforts to break it up in parts and conduct more than one meeting over a span of time.
Do not encourage multitasking:
There are people who tend to catch up on other tasks while a meeting is in progress. Request the participants at the very beginning about their undivided attention, rather be a little strict on this. And the same applies to you as well. Respect others’ time and effort and pay attention to the meeting to make it smooth and successful.
Choose a quiet location:
With the help of online meetings, the participants get to attend them without traveling. But the location you are seated matters as quietness and non-disturbing ambience is essential while you are in a meeting. A background noise disturbs an ongoing meeting, interrupts and creates distractions from the main focus. Try to be courteous to your fellow participants and sit in a quiet place while attending the online meeting.
Get acquainted with the platform:
It is not possible to know and be aware of every computer software to conduct or participate in an online meeting. Generally most virtual meetings are being conducted through a meeting application or software that provides a multitude of key web conferencing features. If you are a facilitator or a participant, get to know about the software beforehand and not while the meeting is in progress. It is appreciated if the host sends a simple know-how about the platform to the participants over the meeting invite email.
Do you need to attend online meetings in your office? What is your favorite software to conduct an online meet? Share with us in the comments.
Also, read our article on: “5 Best Virtual Meeting Platforms in India“