When you’re hosting an online meeting, there are some tools that are indispensible. Communication is one of the most important parts of business today, and there are innumerable options of how to conduct interactions with both clients and staff. Whether you’re working with telecommuters or a long distance client, there are certain rules that every business professional should know about when it comes to online meetings.
The Right Environment
Whether you’re having an online launch event or a weekly team meeting, one of the most important things to consider when you’re about to join or host a video conference is environment. There are certain standards that every team leader should take, such as making sure that once everyone is present, the meeting is ready to go.
For example, when having an online launch event, Business 2 Community advises that all participants tune in 15 minutes early and that everyone have headphones to filter out ambient noise. Using a system offered by a video conferencing provider like Bluejeans makes everything much easier. Online Meetings using Blue Jeans Video Conferencing is a step in the right direction in terms of establishing technical reliability and ease of access for your participants. Using a provider who you know will guarantee quality and not frustrate your colleagues is worth the investment. Therefore, the right environment is not only created by your dress and attitude, but also by your technical capability.
However, don’t forget that environment is also set by facial expressions and other visuals. When it comes to video conferencing, you have to make sure you’re giving off the right vibe. Don’t forget that people can see your face and read your expressions. Although this can be a great boon when it comes to meetings and achieve effective results, you have to put in the work on your own end as well. Always be conscious of how you’re coming across in voice and expression, as well as the technical reliability.
The Right People
One of the most important elements that many meeting hosts miss is the importance of simply inviting the right people, according to Mikogo. It seems obvious, but in reality, many team leaders do not invite the right staff to attend video conference meetings, or even worse, ignore when essential team members aren’t available.
One of the key factors of identifying the right people to come to a meeting are the ones who are going to be able to make decisions then and there, and also your colleagues who have the gumption to suggest solutions. This is a powerful combination that no one would ever deny has a serious impact on the direction of a project, and it’s very important to always make sure you have at least a few of these players at your digital conference table. It’s not wise to proceed with a meeting if you can’t the participants you know are essential to the process. Meetings become redundant when only the same people attend and no one believes in the progress of the actual meeting subject anymore. Disenchanted employees are worse, in fact, than inactive ones. You need everyone to be on board with the project on which you’re working.
The Right Meeting Leader
Not everyone is cut out to lead a meeting. If you’re not the one moderating the video conference meeting, then you need to choose someone who will best fit the role. Mashable suggests someone should moderate who can keep the conversation going, make sure everyone has a chance to have their voice heard, and is familiar with the features of the video conferencing system.
This is extremely important, and you should obtain training on the video conference software that you’re going to be using. Although much of video conferencing interfaces are very user friendly these days, you still want to know your way around the system. For example, knowing specific features can be extremely helpful, even if they’re simple to use. Given that all video conferencing software is its own brand of interface and program, you’ll need to at least get used to how it works and where certain features are. Think of it as getting a new smartphone. This is a step in the right direction of appointing an effective team leader to moderate a digital meeting.
The Right Materials
Last, but not least, don’t forget the most basic of essentials: the right materials. This includes such standard documents as an agenda, as well as minutes from your last meeting, whether it took place via video conference or not. You always want to arm all of your participants with the right information for the topics at hand will ensure that you have a successful online meeting.
The difference between having a successful online meeting versus a failure can all be chalked up to some very minor details. It’s simply getting them right that will lead to success or not. Brush up on these tips and think through a strategy before you engage in a video conference meeting. Preparation is what will show you a sure way to success.
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