What It Takes to Run a Great Virtual Meeting

Not only is working remotely completely different than working in the office, engaging remote employees requires a different set of skills. (And a whole lot more energy!) You’ve already figured out best practices from the office no longer work remotely. 

I am not talking about how to lead virtually here, if you are interested in that topic, click here 

This article covers hosting remote meetings. 

Hosting a virtual meeting can feel like throwing a tennis ball into a curtain.

Thud. 

If you want to have lively, interactive and productive meetings you must PREPARE. Create your own prestage plan: Log on early, have water handy, close your email, and chat apps. Check your background. Check how you look. Silence your phone. Oh, and you might as well go ahead and use the bathroom. 

You have practiced your in-person presentation style and are probably very comfortable with it. 

Now you are having to start over with creating a virtual presentation style. It takes more prep, more creativity, and a lot more energy. Become a student. Look at some youtube videos and read articles on hosting video calls.  Be creative and try new things. Remember, there are no experts at this. 

Be open with your team, tell them you are trying to figure this out as we go along and you might make some mistakes or do some dumb things. Ask them to bear with you.  By doing so, you are giving them permission to be less than perfect, too.  Ask for their help and feedback - What did you like about the call? What could have been better? 

People are beginning to become increasingly stressed. Fatigue and sniping are becoming common. People are fraying at the edges. People are wearing down. Silos are going up. These are the bigger issues you need to be mindful of.

People need connection now more than ever.  Be Human. Create Psychologically Safe environments. Give people time to talk, vent, share, etc.  Don’t just pop on a meeting, say something and drop off.

Being on early can allow you to have some small talk with members of your team or allow any of them to ask you questions they might have before the meeting gets started. 

 If you are leading the call, share the agenda, let people know if you plan on cold-calling on them, let people know ahead of time what you want them to contribute.  Do a round-robin giving everyone an opportunity to share. 

Start on time. Stop on time. No exceptions. Make sure you are including everyone. Know who on your team are talkers, and make time for them. Be sure to include the ones that are more reluctant to speak up. 

By making sure to include everyone in each meeting, you’re showing that you value each team member. 

Start meetings with something positive - share a story of someone doing something outstanding. Take time to recognize and thank people. 

Use breakout rooms, polls, chats, thumbs-up, thumbs-down, surveys, etc. Mentimeter is a great tool. While I haven’t used Kahoot, a lot of people have and love it.  Ask other people you know for their best practices. 

When it comes to providing “feedback” and “coaching,” don’t do it through email or over the phone. There is too much at stake for misunderstanding. Hop on a video call. Your tone of voice, eye contact, and listening will provide much-needed context.  More importantly, you can be aware of body language and their cues. Remember, people don’t remember what you say as much as how you make them feel. Don’t rush these conversations.  

Have some fun while creating closer bonds with your teammates. Host virtual lunches or “coffee breaks.” If you have a lot of extraverts, pull the team together daily for a catch-up session.

Find and ask for fun things to do, such as a “show-and-tell” during a call.  For that, each person on the call shares something that is in their workspace that has meaning to them. For me, I always share my origami.  What would you share? There are tons of ideas for virtual activities — just google it and you’ll find lots of options.

These are unprecedented times. None of us have experience managing or working through a pandemic. We need more patience and empathy than ever before.  Everyone is under tremendous stress.  Emotions are running high and communication missteps can result in hurt feelings, lack of trust, and low engagement.

Manage your Virtual Presence and be a Star.