The business world is becoming used to having virtual meetings but they’re still uncharted territory for most. Unlike regular meetings, you may not have processes to ensure everything runs smoothly and efficiently.
Productivity in a virtual meeting is vital because this may be the only time you see your team as a whole.
We meet to solve problems, to make sure everything is on track, and to brainstorm ideas, so it’s vital that virtual meetings are as productive as possible. Here are some ideas to help your virtual meeting productivity:
- Internet – Without a quality connection you are likely to get frustrated with dropping calls. Take steps to ensure your internet connection and speed are the best they can be. Connect to your router with a wired connection where possible and ensure you’re on the best package with unlimited data and decent speeds. Should your screen freeze, you can either turn your camera off or ask other members of the household to put a pause on streaming services while you’re on the call to free up some bandwidth.
- Sit up straight – Sounds obvious but not only does it look more professional, its how you would be if you were in the office, ready and prepared to take notes and add to the discussion.
- Lighting – Be mindful of lighting. It’s important that everyone can see each other clearly. Minimise direct lighting from behind to ensure you can be viewed easily.
- Camera – Most laptops come with a good quality camera. If you’re using a desktop PC, you’ll need to get a separate one. You can pick up a HD camera with a stereo microphone built in. Ensure the camera is around eye level so you fit comfortably head-on into the frame.
- Microphone – While it’s important to be seen, it’s even more important to be heard. Again, laptops will have one built in, but the quality can be questionable. It may be wise in the long term to invest in a tabletop stereo mic or a headset so you can be heard clearly, especially if you are presenting or doing webinars with any regularity.
- Stay on-screen – You wouldn’t get up from a regular meeting table so you shouldn’t go off-camera in a virtual one. Treat the meeting like you’re really in the room with the other participants. On the off chance that you really have to leave the room, turn your camera off so as not to appear a distraction and mute your mic!
- Background noise – Where possibly, try and ensure you have a quiet room without distractions. If you think there is some noise that would be distracting, mute your mic – just be sure to unmute it before you start speaking.
- Agenda – Like any meeting, a pre-approved agenda will keep things on track and ensure everyone is prepared to have input into each topic.
- Talk time – Ensure everyone has a designated time to speak so that those who might not be as verbal can be heard. It can be awkward to know when you can speak in a video call. Again, the host should agree at the start that they will bring various people into the dialogue to avoid people talking over each other. Or use the chat box to raise questions for discussion.
- Minutes – Nominate someone to take minutes of the meeting so that the content is captured and not forgotten. It would be a shame to go to the effort of organising a virtual meeting only for the content to be lost. You could even experiment with recording the meeting.
We hope you’ve found some useful pointers in our list to help your virtual meetings be more productive.
Realtime have well and truly embraced video technology, from daily meetings to our RealView technology, which allows for remote interviews and much more.
If you would like to discuss anything in the article, get in touch:
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