Virtual Meetings 101 – Master the Art of Productive Virtual Meetings During Social Distancing

Owing to the present lockdown situation almost all over the world, a paradigm shift has happened in work ethics across different sectors and industries. Even though so many countries are under complete or partial lockdown, it is impossible to stop work in any industry. Due to the spread of the pandemic, apart from healthcare, pharmacy, and media, all other industries are experiencing an economic meltdown from which recovering is proving to be a tooth-and-nail competition. In a situation like this, if any industry can afford to establish the new work ethic of working from home, then they are not shying away. As a result, from sales to marketing, from education to technology, and even in various government organizations too, work-from-home has become the current norm.

Yes, this new norm is bringing forth many questions regarding the availability of resources to work from home for a major chunk of employees in various sectors to the practical problems. In any case, you surely cannot afford to have a communication gap during this time, do you? That is why virtual meetings have become the necessity of the hour. Virtual meetings within the organization as well as with the clients can prove to be tricky to manage if you are not accustomed or don’t follow a set of rules. So, how can you do it more efficiently with your team as well as clients? Take a look at the following points to know more.

Set Ground Rules

Multi-tasking might prove to be useful. But it is certainly not too effective during virtual meetings. Especially when you are discussing ideas, reports or analyzing information and data. So, set some ground rules before you start virtual meetings. The devices, be it a laptop or phone, let the user split screens and do more than one task at a time. Ask your team to not to do that during the meeting. Turning the ringer off or not checking unnecessary emails during the meeting is important as you cannot waste time and attention span in a virtual meeting.

Connect and Send Message Prior

When it comes to meetings, you surely want to put the best self forward, be it with clients or your employees or team members. To ensure that, connect first and decide the time of the meeting beforehand. Make sure you as well as your team has all the necessary data and information ready before the meeting. This is a way of positive communication that can help your employees, who are working remotely, to present themselves in a more positive manner.

Engage Everyone

Virtual meetings should not be passive lecturing about something related to your company or products. When you are delivering a speech in a physical meeting, you might see one or two yawns. Now, imagine this during virtual meetings. You cannot blame if the others dose off even for a few seconds. So, instead of keeping it boring, think of engaging everyone. Share anecdotes, welcome questions and think of using data to pique interest.

Create an Environment

Unlike a physical meeting, virtual meetings bring their fair share of distractions at everyone’s disposal. When you are sharing information or ideas, if your clients or team members remain distracted, it will become a tedious episode that demands more time. So, create a meaningful environment first. Think of polls, encourage discussions, and ask for opinions.

Adapting to the new work ethic can be challenging at first. But you have to admit that this is also a chance to grow in unfriendly circumstances. So, when the world is fighting the pandemic, you can get used to the newest forms of adapting in your defense.

Amilia Brown

Amilia Brown is a seasoned business writer & strategist who simplifies complex business concepts and turn them into engaging narratives. As a trusted business writer, she delivers actionable insights with precision.