Virtual meetings face a lot of www.boardroomkitchen.com/providing-administrative-support-for-effective-meetings/ the issues that in-person meetings face, but with additional distractions and technological barriers. However, you can conduct effective virtual meetings by following a few basic rules for meeting conduct.
Having an agenda is key to running virtual meetings on time, and to keep the participants engaged throughout the meeting. You can also motivate participants by asking open-ended questions, asking for feedback and assigning roles to note down or record next steps.
If you’re planning slides or other visuals for your presentation, be sure to test them prior to time, and also any hardware or software you may need. Be sure to arrive on time so that you have enough time to address any technical issues that might arise before your scheduled start time.
It’s difficult to discern body language and emotions when you can’t see attendees – so make eye contact, or at a minimum, ask everyone to do so when they’re comfortable. It’s important to have an area that is uncluttered and free of distractions to give your full attention to the meeting, and to mute your microphone when you’re not talking.
You can ask for feedback at conclusion of a session if you are the moderator. This will help identify areas that need improvement and also give participants a clear understanding of how their input is valued. In the final two minutes of a meeting it’s important to provide a brief overview of the next steps, and to track any action items that are assigned.