5 Tips for Better Virtual Meetings

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5 tips for effective ZOOM meetings

Make no mistake, virtual meetings are here for good. But leading an effective ZOOM meeting can be intimidating, especially during times of unplanned and rapid change.

There are plenty of ‘how-to’ articles out there to help you learn the technical aspects of the software, so this guide is going to focus on the human side of virtual meetings, from etiquette to setting expectations, and how to create the best possible meeting experience for your attendees.

1. Be on time and be prepared.
It might surprise you, but one of the biggest reasons that meetings are ineffective is because the organizer isn’t prepared. Challenges with technology, neglecting to distribute documents, links or files, not using an agenda, or showing up late are all signs of being ill-prepared. 

2. Set ground rules.
Will this be a working meeting or mostly informational? Or, is it for your team to share progress updates and status reports? Make sure everyone knows and if there’s a chance, communicate it ahead of time.

I help my clients discover and define their culture (how they get work done.) ­Part of the discovery process is to identify their ‘Accidental Values.’  A common accidental value is lateness (ie, being late to appointments, missing deadlines and adjusting due dates.) 

The expectation of holding meetings on-time will spark a microshift in your culture of being on-time.

3. Let people know what you are – and what you are not doing.
This one is also courtesy and sign of respect for others. Let your team know that the reason you’re looking away is due to you taking notes, or some other meeting-related activity.

4. Keep people engaged. (Yes, it’s possible.)
You can run a great virtual meeting where people are engaged if you do a little extra homework prior. 

Give people a job… some examples might include:

• Have one team member write down any questions that come up during a brainstorm.
• Have someone take notes on key discussion points.
• Have another manage Zoom resources like chat or document sharing.

Keep the lengths of your meetings down. We’ve all endured the never-ending meeting, and online meetings for remote workers can be especially tiring, boring and tedious. 

5. Be a human. Remember to smile.
Virtual meetings fill an important role, but they aren’t a perfect replacement for human connection. It can be easy for high achievers to run efficient, effective meetings. 

 But don’t miss this… build in a little extra time for connection.

Leaders, it’s so important to remember to be a human. Smile a little more. Tell a funny story or something interesting that happened to you. If you don’t have anything, ask someone ahead of time to do it.

Be patient in times of constant change. You could even close your meeting by asking people to recognize others. Call it something clever. A department in a company that I used to work called this ‘kudos’ and they ended their meetings by recognizing someone else who helped them or did something above and beyond. 

Leadership isn’t about creating followers; it’s about developing other leaders.