1. Be prepared
As the host of the meeting, you’ll want to sign into the meeting on time and be ready to welcome others as they connect.
Create an agenda in advance and set objectives for the meeting. Invite only those who need to be there so everyone else can have dedicated work hours.
2. Choose the medium
Decide which platform you’ll use and if video or just audio is required. As a participant, make sure to tidy up around you and dress as if the meeting was in-person.
3. Prepare the tech
It’s always a good idea to test your camera, headphones, and microphone before your first virtual meeting. If you’re leading a remote meeting from a corporate office, make sure the projector or any other tool you’re using works.
4. Share your screen
Bring the group together by sharing your screen while presenting. This keeps everyone on the same page and allows them to see exactly what you’re talking about.
5. Stay on track
You have an agenda, but you also have to follow it. Check in throughout the meeting to make sure you’re meeting the objectives and accomplishing what you set out to do.
You can even track time to a specific task to ensure that you’re staying on target.
Hubstaff lets you create projects and tasks within those projects, so you can see exactly how much time you’ve spent in the meeting and how close you are to getting everything done.
6. Include everyone
Open-ended questions can lead to many people talking at once, so make sure to promote turn-taking.
Additionally, give your team members time to think. While it’s human nature to speak to fill moments of silence, people may be reluctant to talk in a remote meeting because they don’t want to interrupt someone.
Let your team know you want them to participate and that you may allow for silence so they can formulate their responses.
When asking questions, be direct by calling out people by name. This prevents confusion around who should respond.
Different people handle this differently, so as a meeting facilitator it’s important to look out for people who are uncomfortable butting in, and specifically solicit their opinions. - Andrew Berkowitz, TeamSnap
7. Know the etiquette
Remember that noise is one of the biggest challenges of remote meetings. To reduce noise, you’ll want to mute your microphone when you’re not speaking. This will make it easier for everyone to hear you.
Additionally, turn off all your notifications so there aren’t distracting alerts or pop-ups during screen shares or talk time. Give your full attention to the speaker and the meeting itself.
8. Start and end on time
Late starts to virtual meetings are huge time-wasters. And the risk of running over can mean that people miss other meetings or critical work time.
Consider time zones and duration when booking so if you run over, it’s not extending late into the evening.
Remember to assign action items before your time is up.
Finally, recognize that, due to video chat latency, interruptions and silent time are inevitable.
Summary