Meeting Effectively in the Virtual Setting
Our meetings are looking a bit different now, with the vast majority of them now being held virtually as the COVID-19 pandemic uproots traditional in-person meetings in the workplace. As we navigate this “new normal” in the remote working environment, I immediately thought of a favorite article that was featured on Harvard Business Review a few years back. Titled “The Right Way to End a Meeting”, author Paul Axtell explains that if you end a conversation well, it will improve each and every interaction you have, ultimately creating impact. Too often than not, he goes on to explain, meeting discussions around the same issues are talked about over and over again but nothing ever seems to happen. When this ineffectiveness happens, not only does productivity suffer and action is delayed, but time is wasted as well. While the author of the article probably had in-person meetings at the forefront of his mind when writing this, the points made certainly are effective in the virtual setting as well, if not more so as our time becomes more and more valuable.
We are juggling more than every before in the information age where you can host or join a meeting from anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice. And especially over these past few months when workers are managing more than ever before during the workday, such as homeschooling their school-aged kids or caring for their young children and elderly parents, time is precious. Therefore, my top tips for meeting effectively in a virtual setting include:
1. Create a Meeting Agenda. Approach the conversation with an agenda as you would an in-person meeting, and ensure that every item is discussed on the agenda.
2. Schedule Wisely. When scheduling the meeting, be sure to allow for enough time in case there are multiple items to be discussed that are not on the agenda, but do NOT try and fill the time. Also, always allow for a 5 minute “buffer” for those who may have trouble logging in or finding the right web link to the call or video-conference.
3. Assign a note-taker, or consider recording the meeting. This allows for increased accountability and a streamlined way to communicate and share “actionable” items.
4. Begin with the HUMAN interaction. There is so much talk each day about the crisis' in our country that I try and start each meeting with a few minutes of something to lift everyone’s spirits before tackling the items on the agenda.
5. MANAGE the conversation rigorously. This component is key to ensure the discussion stays on track and everyone stays engaged.
6. RESPECT their time. Again, as workdays fill up with more household responsibilities then time is more limited to spend constantly in meetings. People really appreciate it when you respect their time and are more excited to book a call with you if they know you are focused and empathetic to their needs.
7. CLOSE the conversation with CLARITY. Clarity on next steps and alignment on any deadlines or items needing immediate attention & follow-through should be a top priority. Closure is more often than not the missing link between meetings and impact.
8. Post-meeting REFLECT. When the meeting concludes, think about if everything that needed to be accomplished was accomplished and if not, ask “how can it work better next time?” Then plan to re-work how your next meeting is run.
Do you have any good tips on meeting effectively? Share them with us in the comments section below!