Nowadays, video conferencing has become an essential component for connecting with anyone from clients and prospects to colleagues and team members working remotely. Online meetings have become the standard for most organizations as offices spread around various locations. Below are some tips that could help keep meeting participants engaged and interested and make your online meeting more productive.
Use collaborative conferencing software
If you don’t use the right online collaboration software, all your careful planning for a virtual meeting would be fruitless. Make sure you have the right software for your needs, allowing quick screen sharing and a simple, high-quality video conferencing experience. Select any good software from the many options available (Convay, Zoom, WebEx, GoToMeeting, Skype, Adobe Connect, etc.). This software takes care of conversations and enhances your meeting productivity. Such software has features that allow participants to raise their hands or ask questions and record the meeting for future reference.
Have a well-defined meeting agenda
Bringing people together for an online meeting can take a lot of time and effort, particularly when many people join in. So, it is essential not to waste valuable time discussing a plan once the meeting begins. A pre-determined and specific schedule is important to keep participants involved in the meeting. State the meeting’s goals and, if necessary, everyone’s expected participation. Share the schedule with participants before the meeting so that everyone is aware of their responsibilities and responds accordingly.
Start with an icebreaker
Starting the meeting with an icebreaker can help participants who don’t know each other feel more at ease in a welcoming environment. It brightens the mood and breaks down any social barriers, allowing participants to engage more freely. Questions, trivia, or something from everyday life may all be used as icebreakers. Almost every icebreaker that you can use in a face-to-face meeting can be used in online meetings.
Introduce everyone
Without a doubt, it is the simplest ice-breaking technique. If you are the host, introduce yourself and other participants attending the meeting. Everyone can put profile pictures if the meeting goes on audio-only. Participants may feel comfortable joining in a conversation if their voice is personalized.
Make the presentation interactive
Nobody enjoys a dull presentation. Your presentation slides should be entertaining, engaging, and interactive. Think about using some animations and eye-catching graphics. Insert interactions wherever necessary. You could also use some add-ins available for PowerPoint, which will help you create great presentation slides.
Pause while talking
If you are the meeting host or giving a presentation, take a moment to see if everyone is still paying attention or has any questions. A brief pause or chit-chat can make people feel more connected. Casual talk about the weather at your location or sharing a funny incident that makes everyone laugh is enough to get people interested.
Keep the meeting duration short
Longer meetings will drain participants’ attention spans. When hosting a meeting or giving a presentation, 30 to 60 minutes is a reasonably good duration you can consider. However, take short breaks if the meeting lasts more than an hour. Maintain the original plan and timeline to avoid the meeting from being dull and boring.
Send effective meeting notes to participants
Most people don’t want to read lengthy meeting minutes that outline everything addressed in the meeting. Instead, brief meeting notes summarizing decisions, instructions, and anticipated timelines are more meaningful and effective than comprehensive meeting minutes.
Review your meeting
Once the meeting is over, try to review it and your presentation performance. Thank the participants and inquire if they have any questions that they did not have the opportunity to ask during the meeting. Knowing their feedback is important so that you can improve the quality of your next meeting.
Meetings can often be monotonous, draining, and tiresome. Virtual meetings can often offer the scope of participants not paying attention; hence, it is important to keep in mind the guidelines as mentioned earlier to keep meeting participants engaged and interested.
