Meetings can be a drag. Everyone seems to have a different agenda, and no one wants to be the first to speak. In the past, the only option for increasing engagement was to make the meeting longer. But now, many companies are experimenting with an alternative: remote meetings.
Most remote work these days involves meetings. And while most remote workers are familiar with the tradition of the meeting, many are not fully aware of the impact that these meetings can have on their company. By using certain techniques, including using resources available online, you can make these meetings more engaging, productive, and valuable for your company.
A remote meeting is when you communicate with your colleagues not in person, but over the internet. The result is that it can feel like you’re meeting in person, even when you’re not. But there are ways you can make your remote meetings more engaging for everyone involved.
Make sure your remote workers understand the meeting goal
By now you’ve heard many times that remote working is an effective way to work. It is, but remote workers need more inclusion in the planning process. If you’re a remote worker, you might be unaware of how critical it is to make sure your remote worker understands the meeting goal.
Meetings with remote workers can be a bit tricky, especially when it comes to figuring out what the meeting’s goal is and getting everyone up to speed.
Remote workers are a key to a successful remote company. They’re working from home, and they report to you, but they don’t always know the full picture about the company. How can you ensure that they’re always on the same page? You can set up a meeting goal, something every team member knows about, and make sure it’s clear how they can get there.
Give remote workers real-time feedback
Remote workers and online teams need a way to connect and collaborate on projects with each other – and the best way to do this is by using email and web-based instant messaging tools. But, if you work in a remote team with multiple people, then email and chat aren’t enough. Teams need a way to share and capture real-time feedback with each other. There’s a better way and it starts with giving remote workers the tools to give and receive feedback with each other in real-time.
Make a plan
When we run into a new client or business contact we tend to just start talking and aimlessly asking questions. This is a great way to get to know people and establish a rapport, but it can also be a complete turn off for some. The problem is that many people don’t know how to talk to people they don’t know, or even worse, they don’t know what to ask. Sites like Quora and LinkedIn are great for learning how to talk to people, but they aren’t quite as effective at helping you develop a plan for meeting people.
Set a timeline
It’s a busy day of work, and you’ve been asked to present a new feature you’ve been working on for months. You know exactly what your big idea is, but you don’t have a plan for the rest of the meeting. That’s not a problem, because there’s a simple solution: set a timeline.
Keep the meeting on time
Regular meetings are essential to many organizations, yet many of them are falling short due to poor planning and preparation . It is crucial for leaders to understand the importance of planning out their meetings to make sure they are on time and productive .
Turn off social media notifications
Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. We connect with friends, family, and colleagues on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and many other social networking sites. Yet, it can be very distracting. Notifications are sent by your social media apps to alert you of posts or posts you are following. You may even be receiving notifications for posts that you have not read, or posts by people you do not know. To make sure you can stay focused during meetings, it’s best if you turn these notifications off.
Use online collaboration tools
Gone are the days where email and phone calls are the only means for remote meetings. Today you can host meetings on collaborative tools such as Skype, Google Hangouts, and others. These tools offer a low-cost and easy to use alternative to traditional, more expensive and time consuming methods of conducting meetings. However, some of these tools do not offer the right level of functionality and collaboration tools need to be used together.
Prepare questions in advance
When you are taking a meeting off-site, it usually involves a lot of preparation. You may have to write the agenda, prepare the presentation, arrange the meeting room, meet the other people, etc. This is one of the main reasons why you should prepare questions in advance. You can find lots of valuable information about the meeting topics, the agenda, the presentation, the schedule, etc.
Use video chat for remote meetings to keep everyone engaged
Traditional meeting rooms are fine for local chats, but for bigger discussions, you need to reach deeper into the Web, using video chat for remote meetings.
Why do you need to use video chat for remote meetings? Because video chat allows you to have face-to-face meetings with more people. When you use video chat for remote meetings, everyone can see each other’s faces, which allows you to see if any of the remote participants are nodding off or falling asleep.
Make sure remote workers understand how remote participation benefits them
The more you know about your co-workers, the more you can relate to their experiences and the more effective your meetings will be. The same goes for your remote workers. You can’t expect them to be as engaged with your meetings as you are if you don’t know what they’re working on at the time, or what they need to do to prepare for them. That’s why it’s important to make remote workers feel like they’re a part of your team, and remote participation is a great way to do that.