With a little pre-planning and organization, you can host virtual meetings that engage your team members and keep your team moving forward. Even with the proper preparation, there is no guarantee that every meeting will run perfectly.
Here are a few common problems you may encounter and some tips on how to manage them.
Preparation is key
As a general rule, take the time to email a meeting agenda ahead of time to all meeting participants and include instructions on how to join the virtual meeting.
If there are items that you want participants to read or prepare before the meeting, clarify your expectation when you email the agenda. Remember to attach any reading materials for review.
Do you have participants in different time zones? Ensure that everyone knows what time the meeting will start in their own time zone. For example, “Time: 3:00 PM PST; 6:00 PM EST” will mitigate the risk of someone missing the meeting because they were mixed up about the start time.
Technical issues
Sometimes, despite our best efforts to set things up carefully and even practice with the online platform, technology fails. At some point, most of us find ourselves trying to troubleshoot technical challenges in virtual meetings.
Have a backup plan that you’ve tested. Then include details about the backup plan when you email the agenda. For example, “We’ll use ABC platform for this meeting. If something goes wrong, then we’ll host an audio call by dialling 1-888-123-4567.”
When your participants are familiar with the backup plan, everyone can quickly switch without losing much time on your meeting agenda.
Manage meeting time carefully
Though virtual meetings can be as simple as walking from your couch to your desk, they don’t always start as smoothly as sitting down at a boardroom table. Make sure you take into consideration technology difficulties that may leave some struggling to join the video conference. Plan for the added time this may require. Be careful not to keep the group longer than promised as it does not encourage trust and can interfere with everyone else’s day.
Avoid distractions
Set some ground rules before each meeting. For example, encourage everyone to put their phones on silent and set up in a quiet room for the video call. Some distractions may be inevitable with remote work or hybrid work situations, so be respectful of each participant’s unique situation. Some leaders find it helpful to state at the start of a virtual meeting that participants who need to duck out for a few minutes may do so without announcing it to the group.
The sound of silence
Don’t panic if you ask for feedback and everyone stays silent. Sit with the silence for a minute so the group has time to reflect on the idea or issue being discussed. Then acknowledge the silence and ask if anyone would like you to clarify anything. Speaking up in a virtual meeting can be intimidating as it’s harder to read body language or “feel out the room” than it is in an in-person meeting. Sometimes a little encouragement is all that’s needed to get the group talking again.
Lack of engagement
It can be challenging to keep participants feeling engaged and connected in a virtual meeting. Getting everyone to actively provide feedback and share their ideas is beneficial, but not always easy. Try using online tools to elicit participation in discussion. Many organizations use interactive polling features, sticky notes, and visual collaboration tools. For example, invite everyone to vote for new policies with an online poll, make changes to a document by placing edits on virtual sticky notes, or brainstorm ideas together on a virtual whiteboard.
