It’s often more affordable and convenient to hire freelance workers for your home-based business, especially if you need part-time specialty work in a certain area. The remote work industry has been growing rapidly: now, nearly a quarter of the U.S. workforce works at least part of the time from home.
Staying connected with employees under such conditions has been simplified by modern communication technologies, including virtual meetings. Emails and collaboration software keep people on track from day to day, and VoIP and video calling services enable company-wide meetings.
Unfortunately, such meetings don’t always come off without a hitch. All too often, you’ll have issues with Internet connections, video, and presentation software. Participation issues may surface as well, even if you take charge and do your best to lead.
“The biggest mistake people make is assuming that influencing when you are meeting face to face is the same as influencing when you are interacting virtually,” says Lee E. Miller in her book UP: Influence, Power and the U Perspective. “It’s not. The rules are different because people respond differently when they are interacting virtually.”
It’s hard to anticipate every problem that will come along. How can you improve this kind of meeting?
1. Get Your Tech Straight
A solid virtual meeting often depends on nothing more than effective tech. You have to invest in a great video conference calling system.
If you have to manage or connect more than a handful of players, go beyond the free services offered on Skype or Google Hangouts. You’ve got to have clearer connections, fewer delays, and the constant and knowledgeable tech support that come only with paid services.
A VoIP system can also be a huge benefit for virtual meetings. It removes the video facet, but it’s often a smoother, more efficient way to connect with every participant. Carefully research the best VoIP providers by reading reviews, and get quotes.
2. Assign Roles Ahead of Time
Delegation is a huge contributor to smoother meetings because it gets everyone involved and working on the same page. Assign tasks the way you would at a normal meeting, such as nominating someone to take minutes and track the time.
You’ll also want a facilitator who’s familiar with virtual meetings and can work with the dynamics of your group. Assigning any or all of these roles ahead of time will keep things humming.
3. Clearly Outline Your Agenda
Meeting participants will do better at staying on task if you have a prepared agenda. Email it to participants before the meeting and refer to it often. If you’re doing a video chat, you might put it on a PowerPoint and set it as a backdrop for your video to provide a visual reminder of each agenda item.
4. Engage Members Without Jamming Communication
Meetings are always more productive when everyone with something to say gets involved. If everyone tries to speak at once during a video chat, however, some words will be muffled and you risk creating confusion.
Some facilitators ask that the mute button be turned on for everyone who’s not talking, but that can be a buzz kill if someone makes a joke and no one laughs.
The best way to engage members is to start the meeting off right. Ask that participants remain polite and try not to talk over others. Then give everyone five minutes at the beginning of the meeting to share their agenda items before moving on to the big-picture items.
This can loosen everyone up and raise the likelihood of greater productivity.
5. Set Ground Rules
Along with reminding people not to speak when others are talking, lay out a few other ground rules. For example, speakers might need to state their name before they speak, especially if there’s no video.
Participants should also make sure they are based in a quiet area to minimize background noise. Remind participants to keep comments short and focused.
6. Get Back on Track
Both the facilitator and the meeting organizer should monitor the conversation carefully and guide participants back to the agenda items if they get off track. Having a designated person to steer people back to the essential content can shorten meetings and make them more productive.
7. State Key Takeaways at the End
Virtual meetings may feel less focused than in-person meetings, so ensure that everyone leaves the online chat with key takeaways. Have the facilitator or note-taker go over key action items, roles, and final thoughts to sum up the most important events and decisions of the meeting.
8. Assess the Effectiveness of the Meeting
When everyone is disconnected, sit for a minute and evaluate the effectiveness of the meeting. Were there any obvious problems with the way it was structured? What could you do differently in the future?
You could also send out a survey to get more information from your participants. Together, you can create better virtual meetings.
