If your business is now managing a full-time remote workforce, Video Meetings Must remain Productive and not as interruptions for the remote workers. Here are a few ideas that will help your remote teams Video Meetings to be more productive.
For remote workers, interactions are more frequent than in the office. The challenge is evolving. Due to the virus pandemic many businesses have put basic protections in place for their employees and customers. Companies have activated no-travel and work-from-home policies for most workers and physical distancing at work measures for others. With more and more people working remotely, the importance of productive meetings needs to grow.
Be Acquainted with Video Conference Tools
There are plenty of free online video meeting tools out there, each of them working in a relatively similar manner. Take the time to test different tools outside your meeting time so you’re nothing but professional during the video call.
Learn More : 5 Must-Follow Steps to Manage Remote Employees
Make it a habit to dial in at least five minutes early, so you’re always set up and ready to go. Keep your camera on and mute your mic as soon as you enter the meeting. Only unmute when you have to talk. Also, be mindful to take precautions to avoid any background noise.
Adopt Proper Video Conference Tools
Invest in modern technology. To replace the ability to talk in person, your remote team will need good video conference software to communicate and be more productive. Ensure all members of your remote team have the same tools and they are updated to the latest stable version.
Invite the Necessary Personal Only
Ever been invited to a meeting and had no idea why you’re there? Whether it’s brainstorming, problem-solving or project updates, only include people who need to be in the video meeting. Necessary personal brings focus & efficiency to the video meetings to be more productive. If you want to update a larger group, then send them the minutes over email or other communication tools.
Set The Agenda in Advance
It’s a basic rule of any meeting, but help your remote team stay on track by sending an agenda around ahead of time. Prior to the conversation, set clear objectives, and send a pre-read if appropriate. Ask attendees to do some preparation to make the most of the video conference in their given time.
Give Everyone a Purpose
Give each person time in the agenda to get feedback on a problem they may be facing. Encourage collaborative problem-solving, rather than simply reporting on what activities were achieved during the week. Avoid spending time on anything that could be just as easily condensed into a report. Ideally, video meetings are interactive, collaborative and inclusive.
Fight Loneliness and Isolation
Loneliness and isolation are real problems for remote workers and teams. As a leader, you need to make sure that people still feel the social connections that come with a work environment. Teamwork, trust, good work relationships and personal interaction can and should be maintained in a digital form.
Read More : 5 Must Know Challenges in Managing a Remote Team
Your remote team also needs social interaction with each other to feel camaraderie. Schedule regular online social interactions between your team members, and encourage water-cooler-style conversations. So always ensure no one is left alone for a long time. Include them in a video meeting to fight loneliness and isolation which will help them be more productive.
Connect and Engage in Video Meeting
People tend to perform better if they’re comfortable with their colleagues. Take a moment to check in on a personal and professional level with everyone. Then, use shared visuals to accompany your agenda. There are plenty of practical online solutions like online whiteboards, shared screens and spreadsheets. Use a video conferencing tool with a chat function or poll to keep participants engaged with the material being covered.
Disapprove Multitasking
It seems like a no brainer, but multitasking one of the most common contributors to inefficient meetings. It’s especially hard to keep participants in a video call engaged when there are plenty of other websites calling for attention. Ask attendees to shut down email and put their phones away to avoid temptation.
Keep Video Meetings Simple and Short
Video meetings are especially tricky due to bad connections, at-home distractions (like kids and pets), and the fact that people tend to talk over each other inadvertently. Video Meetings should be guided discussions that prioritize efficiency at every turn.
Also Read : How to Power Your Work at Home Team with Remote Collaboration Tools?
What’s worse than an unnecessary meeting? A never-ending presentation with too much information. While visual aids are essential to engaging attendees, don’t waffle and over complicate things. Keep each presentation limited to 10-15 minutes.
Assign Objectives and Action Points
Every person needs to leave the video call with a clear objective or action point. You as an entrepreneur or leader need to be on top of deliverable’s and next steps as well as due dates. If you are the meeting host, make sure everyone leaves with a clear to-do list.
Switch Hosts & Roles
For a recurring meeting, change the roles between participants from meeting to meeting by running a kind of lottery, so nobody knows who will be lucky to be the timekeeper, writing down the meeting minutes. A fresh face facilitating the meeting each time keeps your team on your toes and engaged.
Address Hard Topics
It may feel uncomfortable to address harder topics during video meetings, but don’t let this deter you. It may seem natural to wait to discuss tough issues until everyone is in person, but that may not be an option. So don’t shy away from controversial topics. Transparency is key in remote teams. Don’t let your role as an entrepreneur or a leader take a backseat just because your team is working virtually.
Do You Know Any Ideas to Use in Video Meetings to Be More Productive? Share them on Trdinoo for others to learn and please share us with your friends and network.
