With Taylormade Ideas being based in the Okanagan Valley and some of my clients located in Vancouver and Toronto, I find that online web meetings with my clients not only slash company travel costs, they also boost my productivity, enabling me to spend less time traveling and more time concentrating on my clients’ business. Although inexpensive and convenient, virtual meetings can sometimes be dry and may cause meeting attendees to tune out, surf the web, text, or check email! They can also be burdened with technical glitches. Here are a few tips to keep attendees engaged and interested during your next virtual meeting:
- Visually stimulate meeting participants with photos, colorful charts, and other relevant graphics to build interest and reinforce your subject. Save time by gathering all presentation materials or slides in advance. There are several companies that offer online conferencing solutions that make this easy to handle, even for techniphobes. I have been using Skype successfully for several years but Webex, although a costlier option, allows for all participants to share information with a simple click to their desktop files.
- Consider including a photo of the meeting presenter on the cover slide. If attendees aren’t familiar with others in the meeting, consider providing team photos of those attending, plus a brief one-two liner.
- Provide a meeting agenda and comprehensive log in instructions a day in advance so attendees know what information will be covered during the meeting and are given the opportunity to discuss or add other topics at the end. This also helps with ensuring attendance!
- Introduce yourself before speaking so listeners can reference you or your comments later if needed.
- Ensure your audience can hear you and ask them to please let you know if there is too much background noise, such as shuffling papers or colleagues talking.
- Encourage participants to use the “public chat” during meetings. This shows attendees that their opinions matter and allows them to provide feedback and insight without interrupting the speaker.
- Respect time limits. If your meeting is scheduled for one hour, be sure to allow time for questions at the end before wrapping up within the hour.
By helping employees or clients prepare for and drive successful virtual meetings, they will feel empowered to participate more meaningfully.
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