5 Quick and Easy Ways to Improve the Productivity of Your Virtual Meeting
Virtual Meeting using the Virtual Workplace tool makes it easier than ever to collaborate with your team. It’s no longer necessary to find or travel to a convenient meeting place.
In fact, your team no longer needs to reside in the same geographic area in order to meet face-to-face thanks to video and web conferencing.
As wonderful as video conferencing is, there’s always room for improvement. If your virtual meetings are not as productive as you’d like, these virtual meeting housekeeping tips are for you.
1. Designate someone to take notes and record the meeting. You’ll want to start your virtual meetings with some housekeeping, starting with designating one person to take notes using the shared notes feature in Virtual Workplace.
This will free everyone else from the task while also putting the information in a shared environment for instant access if needed.
Let everyone know that the recording is also being recorded and will be distributed to them afterward. This step will help your team members to be more present during the virtual meeting.
2. Make use of the chatbox. The chatbox isn’t just for idle chitchat. It serves an important organizational purpose. Encourage attendees to enter their questions and comments into the chat box as they arise.
While you might not address them then and there, at the end of the meeting you can go through the list. This is a great way to get input from the introverts in the group who might otherwise hesitate to speak up.
3. Do a quick “round-robin” at the beginning or end of the video conference. Just as you’d go around the conference room table seeking input from attendees, do the same in your virtual meetings.
It’s smart to have each person answer the same routine questions such as what they’re working on, what they need help with, and what are the near-term projects they will be working on.
4. Use PowerPoint slides to highlight agenda items. Having and sharing an agenda is crucial for productive meetings, so make it a prominent part of your video-based meetings by converting it into a PowerPoint.
Create a slide for each agenda item using a large font and engaging visuals. If an agenda item is assigned to a particular person, add that person’s name or photo to the slide. This could help prevent others from commandeering the topic.
Keep your slides simple and uncluttered. As the presenter of the virtual meeting, you can share your screen. However, while the agenda is important, don’t hide behind it.
Alternate between being on camera and then switching to the agenda or use a split-screen format where both your face and the PowerPoint are visible. Keeping the agenda items prominent will help in keeping the meeting focused and productive.
5. Use an on-screen timer. If you have sufficient PowerPoint skills, consider building a timer into your PowerPoint slides or setting each agenda item to automatically progress to the next slide after a predetermined duration. Here’s an easy way to add a progress bar to a PowerPoint slide:
Including an automatic timing element in your virtual meetings will help everyone to stay on track. For example, as the progress bar reaches its end, the speaker will know when it’s time to wrap up the topic.
Your own workspace branding
Another way is to make sure you’re using a user-friendly video conferencing tool such as Virtual Workplace.
If you are meeting with potential or existing clients, consider the benefits of a ‘branded’ meeting. Branding with your own company logo and domain can provide your enterprise with a great first impression.
You can enable the consistency, prominence, and credibility that your brand offers. Enable your website branding to carry over to your own virtual workspace.