Even Better Remote Meetings

remote meetings

While many of us have become increasingly accustomed to remote meetings, and while we’ve shared best practices for running the best remote meetings in the past (see e-book), a few “even better” ideas for running the best remote meetings were shared in a recent article by speaker and author Julie Winkle Giulioni.

One of the most underused videoconferencing features is the whiteboard, Giulioni says. It’s “a tool that can allow a more organic sense of participation and exchange during a virtual meeting.”

She suggests using whiteboards in several ways:

  • Brainstorming. Everyone can type or write in their individual ideas.
  • Capturing issues and actions. An ongoing visual log demonstrates respect for participant contributions while enhancing clarity and agreement.
  • Facilitating fun. Drawing, doodling and other creative ventures are possible via whiteboarding.

Another thoughtful suggestion in her article involves addressing potentially-hidden concerns some people have about screen sharing.

“Spend a few minutes walking your group through the details of the [screen sharing] technology,” she advises. “Demonstrate how it works, with a focus on whether full desktops or just individual applications can be seen by others. Encourage tidying up one’s desktop, if necessary. And help meeting participants find the do not disturb setting on their computers so text and email previews don’t pop up at inopportune times.”

The piece also shares ideas for making more effective use of the chat feature. One suggestion is to use it as an ice-breaker during sign-on time by posing a simple question to each participant as they log-on and having them respond via chat; a summary of interesting answers can then be shared with the group.

In addition, if the group is large, chat can be an effective tool for brainstorming as it avoids the chaos of people talking on top of one another. It can also make it easier for introverts to share their ideas.

“Remote work is here to stay,” Giulioni said. “As a result, effective leaders must recognize the power of virtual meetings – not just for taking care of routine business, but also to achieve other critical outcomes like community building, engagement and business results.”

Read the full article…