Working remotely doesn't have to translate to less productive meetings. Plans can form over Teams or Zoom just as easily as they would in a conference room.
Virtual meetings are also a great way to foster remote team bonding. Using free microsoft teams backgrounds, your virtual meetings can look professional and polished. Here are five tips for making virtual meetings more productive.Start With an Icebreaker
Icebreakers are an important part of virtual meetings. Remote teams may not know each other as well as in-person teams, and a laptop camera puts distance between participants. Help everyone feel comfortable and contribute to the meeting by starting out with a fun icebreaker. Here are a few you can try at your next virtual meeting:
• Show one picture you took that week and talk about it briefly
• Go on a scavenger hunt, finding pens, highlighters, mugs and other remote office items
• Customize zoom background and use it to play a quick game of Pictionary or guess the word
The five minutes you spend on an icebreaker will pay off in a more engaged audience in your virtual meeting.
Make Time To Have An Agenda
Freeform meetings risk wasting valuable time during the workday. It's essential to set up an agenda and send it to employees before the meeting. This gives everyone time to prepare and provides vital focus and purpose before the meeting begins.
Virtual meetings must find a good balance between overstuffing an agenda and making the focus too narrow. Calling many insubstantial meetings wastes time, while calling one massive meeting can tire out participants and lead to low productivity.
Research has shown that the average attention span of the modern adult is roughly 20 minutes. Designate 20 minutes for each important item, and don't exceed five items in one meeting.
Helping Teammates Understand Each Others' Roles
Working from home can encourage a focus on one's own task without thinking about how it fits into the bigger picture. One major benefit of virtual meetings is that remote workers can better understand their place in the team.
Have everyone speak for one or two minutes about what they're working on and why it's important. This helps employees put faces to tasks in the remote work environment.
Designate a Set Length of Time for Questions
Overly specific questions can derail a meeting and frustrate participants, but it's still important to give an opportunity to clarify confusion. Place this time at the end of each topic section and instruct everyone to hold questions. Ten minutes is a good length of time to fit essential questions in without going down any rabbit holes.
Moderate Effectively To Save Time
The most senior member of the team must moderate a virtual meeting. Practice a kind but firm style to keep the meeting on track and refer often to your agenda. The other members of the team will appreciate firm moderation so they can leave the meeting on time.
Use add-ons like whiteboards and a MS Teams background to further enhance a virtual meeting experience. Follow these tips, and your virtual meetings may exceed the productivity of in-person ones.
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