Why Virtual Meetings Are Still the Best Thing to Happen for Your Team

The transition to remote work has changed a lot, but one thing has remained the same - the existence of dull meetings. We are left wondering how to make virtual meetings more fun and improve team bonding for colleagues. The search for fun in meetings is certainly not new, but we are here to show you how to adapt virtual meetings for your team.

The advantages of virtual team meetings are immense:

  • Team building. Bringing employees together for virtual team meetings is just as good as any team-building event you can host in person. Employees will meet up with each other from the comfort of their homes. Naturally, this can have surprising benefits for the unity of the whole company long after the meeting is over.
  • Help break the ice. Maybe your team has just formed, or maybe your meetings are quite rare. Virtual meeting games are great for breaking the ice. They allow team members to connect and get to know each other on a human level, even if they cannot see each other in person every day.
  • Remember meetings better. Things that are different and funny are remembered. Do you remember every one of your 100 face-to-face meetings with your boss, or do you remember one time a cat played with a toy in the background virtually? Virtual meetings can help you remember the details of your social later.
  • Mental health. The most important advantage of virtual team meetings. About one in three remote workers cite loneliness as the biggest problem when working from home. Co-op meetings can do wonders for your employees' moods and give them a sense of togetherness.

Define your goal to have an effective virtual meeting

Preparation is key to hosting a good online meeting! But all the preparation is done towards achieving your ultimate goal, so what are your goals for your event? Is it collaboration, implementation, training, announcement, or something else? The goal will determine the structure and the most effective tools for the virtual meeting. For example, if the goal is learning, you could introduce a gamification component or a fun interactive element into your virtual meeting. On the other hand, if brainstorming is what you are looking for, you can focus on virtual meeting software designed to introduce ideas, such as mind mapping tools.

Appoint a team coordinator to ensure all voices are heard

In a virtual meeting, it is important to have someone who can keep people from talking to each other, bounce back if someone interrupts, and ensure that all voices are heard. The coordinator may also suggest breaks for longer meetings. As practice shows, the duration of virtual meetings should be less than 30 minutes with intervals between them. A little more and you will want to take breaks, as in personal communication. The coordinator can use the break and start times of each meeting to help each participant feel comfortable. A good coordinator is just as important for a virtual meeting as a good party organizer is for a live event.

Assign additional roles to ensure multiple people participate

Those who are involved in the creation of a project often feel more involved in it than observers do. If you assign roles to different participants, including the video remote interpretation platform or specialist, you will attract more people to the results of the meeting. Assigning participants to these roles can be invaluable since they ensure that the meeting continues smoothly and everything falls down in their place. Just make sure they have a copy of the agenda so they can revisit issues at the appropriate time in the meeting.

Solve technical problems before they arise

Technical problems are one of the most frustrating moments of virtual meetings. It is good to anticipate possible complications in advance. One of the most common problems occurs when the person who is supposed to share their screen or their report/results is unable to do so. While screen sharing is the most compelling and practical way to stay focused on a call, a trained virtual meeting leader will have copies of the data or content you share. They must be available in advance through a shared drive or application. They can also be emailed so everyone can link to the same document, even if screen sharing is difficult or impossible.

Final Words

Often, a virtual meeting focuses on technology. However, that should not be the most important factor. Your primary goal needs to be making sure that the business goal of this meeting is achieved. You can do this by applying the virtual meeting best practices and strategies outlined above. Virtual meetings can impact and boost communication and collaboration of your team and enhance the overall motivation.

About the Author:

Emily Martin is a Corporate Recruiter with more than 5 years of recruiting and HR experience. Currently supports full life-cycle recruiting, including proactive candidate searches, and interviewing. In her role, Emily assists in developing sourcing strategies for both short and long-term purposes, coordinates interviews and conducts candidate screening calls, and places candidates in positions across a wide range of functional areas and compensation levels. Emily is passionate about traveling and writing.

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