When managing a remote team (or any kind of team for that matter!) periodical meetings are important. Not only do these meetings provide an opportunity to evaluate what is working and what’s not in the current business strategy, it also creates an opportunity to share new ideas and visions that will take you closer to realising your company’s goals.
But let’s be honest, many people don’t like meetings – mostly because they can be very tiring and boring. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Here are a few tips that will help make your virtual meetings more exciting and get the best out of your remote teams
Choose the Right Meeting Tool(s)
One of the greatest challenges of a virtual meeting is the lack of proximity. And sometimes you may need to do a bit more than see each others’ faces and hear one another’s voices. Sometimes you may need to circulate some documents around for every one to contribute to or pass around some slides during a presentation.
This is why you need to leverage the right meeting tools which are flexible enough to allow connection, collaboration and feedback. Examples of tools that combine these capabilities include Zoom and Join.me. Being able to easily exchange information in different presentation modes helps greatly to improve engagement.
Fix a Mutually Convenient Meeting Time
Scheduling an appropriate meeting time isn’t so much of an issue when all your workers are in the same building, but when they’re half-way across the world, you definitely need to get it right. While fixing a meeting for 10 AM may be perfect for you in the US, it may not go down so well with your graphic designer in Australia, who’s probably trying to catch a good night’s sleep. Therefore all your hopes of getting intelligent contributions from that quarter goes down the drain.
So, before scheduling a meeting, check with all the participants to find out if it will be convenient for them. If it’s not, change it. Look for a time when you’re all relaxed and motivated because this will encourage the participants to actually “participate” in the meeting.
Express Appreciation when a Task is Well Done
Employees are more likely to actively participate in meetings when they’re intrinsically motivated. And one of the easiest ways to motivate employees is by expressing appreciation to them.
By appreciating (and encouraging others to applaud) a worker that does a stellar job on an assigned task, you’ll not only encourage such an employee to be fully engaged in the meeting, but to do even better on future projects. Furthermore, this can also bolster team spirit.
Don’t Be Too Serious
This is probably what kills the life in most meetings. While it’s important to focus on the technical issues at hand, it’s just as important lighten the atmosphere with jokes every now and then. This helps to ease tension and encourages more participation.
Another approach is to introduce some games. For instance you could ask your co-workers to identify something different in your presentation and promise whoever spots it a prize. The prize may be something funny in itself, but the point is that you would have succeeded in improving engagement among the participants.
Give Everyone a Responsibility and Listen to Their Opinion
Maintaining a dictatorial, top-down approach is one of the surest ways to create a mind-numbing meeting. Everyone loves to be heard, so listen to them. The beautiful thing about accommodating diverse thoughts and ideas is that it creates a full picture, which helps you to make informed decisions.
Asides listening to your employees, give them specific responsibilities based on their skill set. Then ask them to lead the discussion when their topic comes up. Giving everyone a sense of purpose and belonging is a major incentive that significantly boosts participation among team members.
The bottom line? Virtual meetings don’t have to be a necessary evil. It can be a genuinely enjoyable time of sharing valuable ideas among team members. Throw these tips into the mix and your meetings will spark into life.
Guest Blog by Maria Espie Vidal of Timedoctor
Maria Espie Vidal writes for Timedoctor – a productivity app that helps you manage your time better.
