Video meetings have become a standard for many businesses nowadays, especially for teams that need constant updates from one another. While you can conduct video meetings in the comfort of your home, there will still be issues that may affect how well your meeting will go. With video meetings, people can hide different reactions and body language from the screen, and this may affect the observations you have regarding your colleagues during these meetings.
If you want your video meetings to be effective, here are some great tips you can apply:
Always consider everyone’s tasks before scheduling meetings
Before you schedule a meeting, take note of everyone’s situation and see if it may cause problems during the meeting.
Some workers may have family members at home that would need to use the computer at a specific time. Others may have to take care of their family members and have limited time to do other things.
Ask your colleagues when they can do the meeting and find a common schedule that can accommodate everyone.
Let everyone know the agenda in advance
Nobody likes to get caught off guard. If you are the one tasked to arrange the meeting, send the agenda in advance to everyone. Let them know the topics to be discussed in the meeting for them to prepare questions and suggestions beforehand.
Not only this will boost everyone’s focus on the meeting, but it will become more productive in a shorter span of time.
Do not force everyone to turn on their cameras
If it is not entirely required for the meeting, don’t force everyone to turn on their cameras. Of course, it is encouraged to have it turned on, so everyone can see each other and interact like in an in-person meeting. However, not everyone will have an office or a private place in their house to conduct the meeting.
Some may not want to show too much of their private lives, especially if they live in a small house or with many family members, while others may have lesser time to prepare themselves for the meeting because of their tight family’s schedule.
Sometimes, letting your colleagues turn off their cameras can help them to feel more relaxed and less self-conscious during the meeting.
Always conduct meetings according to time zones
If you have team members from different time zones, consider the appropriate time for everyone to meet online. Once you take note of their time zones, stick with a schedule you can all agree on.
Also, don’t change and exceed from the set schedule as it can affect someone’s private schedule like eating or sleeping times.
Organise your space to be more conducive
If you are conducting a team meeting from home, make sure to do it in a private space with minimal background noise.
You should also make sure you are comfortable in your space by keeping your desk well-lit and clear from any distractions.
Give time for everyone to speak
Some attendees will be silent throughout the meeting. They may have problems speaking out, or they cannot get the right timing to say something. To help out these colleagues, give everyone an appropriate time during or after the meeting to voice their opinions, objections, questions, or suggestions.
You can also make the discussion more interactive by using an online whiteboard to jot down their ideas and opinions. Splitting the team into smaller groups is also a good idea, so people can interact and speak more confidently to a lesser number of people.
Always record the meeting and instruct someone to take notes
You should always have a recorded version of the video conference and the minutes of the meeting. Ask or instruct a team member thoughtfully to take notes every meeting and let these records be available to everyone.
Surely, there will be people who may end up late in the meeting because of other tasks and interruptions, so having the recorded meetings and notes online will let everyone be informed. They will also have a chance to give additional comments and suggestions.
Conclusion
A perfect video meeting doesn’t exist. With all the possible distractions and interruptions that can happen, everyone should be prepared on all conceivable outcomes. However, problems during the meeting can be avoidable if everyone can prepare ahead of time.
This will make the meeting flow smoothly and become a successful and fruitful interaction for everyone. With the tips mentioned, you can help improve the quality of your video meetings. Moreover, you can be an instrument to encourage everyone to contribute to the topics in a more upbeat and welcoming way.
To make sure your video meetings are conducive and productive, here are some more tips: Why Are Video Conferences So Exhausting and What You Can Do About it Best Video Conferencing Tools besides Skype and Zoom Most Embarrassing Moments Where Someone Forgotten They are Streaming Live
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