Best practice to run effective remote meetings
Nowadays, you are likely to work with someone on the other side of the world as a colleague in another department. That’s why it’s important to discover the right tips for remote meetings. How useful are they? and how to set them up effectively?
Online meetings constitute a major part of a team’s workflow, but making them successful is not that simple. So, which tool are you supposed to use? How do you make sure that you are covering all the topics?
Don’t panic! If you have thousands of questions.
We’ll go over everything you need to know to make your remote meetings successful.
- How to choose the right tool?
There are different types of technology available to make a virtual meeting faster, easier, and more collaborative.
To identify the right tool for your team, start by asking yourself the following questions :
What do you need to know about online meetings?
Do you want each participant to be able to collaborate on a press release? Choose Google Docs or an equivalent tool.
Do you need to see the reactions of each participant when you present new product ideas? Then think about video conferencing software.
Do you want each participant to be able to see a presentation or demonstration in real-time? Turn to screen sharing software.
Put in mind that a good tool should at first meet your needs. Even though every team has different needs, one aspect remains essential: the tool must support voice and video. One study found that 55% of communication is through body language and 38% through tone of voice. Remember that these two elements maintain a friendly atmosphere during a remote meeting.
- How many people need to be involved in your remote meeting?
The most efficient tools for a virtual One-on-One meeting are not the same as those used to organize a meeting with 15 people, or more, spread all over the world. Choose the intuitive software that can adapt to the number of users.
- How technology can make your meetings more effective?
Business technology should make access to the information easier for the team members and streamline processes as a whole so that they can stay focused on their objectives.
Business technology should not only streamline processes but also make it easier for team members to access information. It should also help them stay focused on their objectives.You should look for different useful features when evaluating potential tools for conducting remote meetings such as screen recording and sharing, which will permit you to share your recorded meeting with participants later so that your guests are not distracted by taking notes during the progress of the meeting.
- Tips for a successful remote meeting
When you work with people in the office, you have many opportunities to talk with them during the day. These informal interactions with the team build relationships that will encourage them to become more involved, and ready to give constructive feedback and that’s why teamwork matters.
However remote employees don’t take advantage of these favorable circumstances for exchange. In that case, the managers and leaders need to be proactive to make sure that the team can benefit from interactions in other ways as well. If the team members have never met before, they will be less willing to share or debate ideas with each other. Before remote meetings become an essential part of the workflow, make sure that each member of the team feels comfortable enough to communicate.
What’s the best way to do this? Create a “virtual coffee machine,” a friendly online place where the team members can have the chance to know each other and communicate outside of your meetings. Actually, through this virtual shared space, they can:
- Get to know the other team members and become more familiar with their level of expertise.
- Feel more comfortable when they need to communicate over different digital channels with participants they may not know in person.
- Feel involved despite their geographical distance.
- Identify any potential issues related to communication styles used or different points of view before a meeting.
Keep in mind that communicating with your team frequently is always a good start. Listening to your employees is an everyday part of the whole process. Ask them to share their worries and thoughts. It’s all about building strong relationships based on reciprocity and trust with your team. These Interactions will condition the smooth running of remote meetings.