10 Tips to Make Your Virtual Team Meetings More Productive

Welcome, fellow leaders and remote team members, to the future of collaboration! In this fast-paced digital era, virtual team meetings have become the cornerstone of how we connect, strategize, and achieve remarkable milestones together. Whether you're part of a multinational corporation, a startup, or a non-profit organization, chances are you've experienced the transformative power of these online gatherings.

While the convenience of virtual team meetings is undeniable, the challenge lies in ensuring they are as productive as their face-to-face counterparts. Don't worry, though – we've got your back! In this blog, we'll unveil ten game-changing tips to help you navigate the virtual landscape with ease, supercharge your team's productivity, and foster an unbreakable bond, no matter the distance!

So, let's gear up and dive into the virtual world, where the magic of effective collaboration awaits. Are you ready to unlock the full potential of your virtual team meetings? Let's get started!

What is a Virtual Team?

A virtual team is a group of people who work together towards a common goal, but they are not located in the same physical place. Instead, they use technology like video calls and online tools to communicate and collaborate from different locations. Virtual teams allow organizations to tap into diverse talent and save costs, but they require strong communication and trust among members to be effective.

What are the benefits of Virtual Team Meetings?

One notable advantage is that the teams can attend the virtual meeting at their convenience. Be it from home or from an office conference room. It helps them collaborate better, as it brings all team members onto the same page. You can:

• Record Virtual Meetings
• Call Transcript
• Add participants to the ongoing meeting
• Use Whiteboard
• Advanced Admin Controls
• Screen Share and Control

Here are 10 tips that work well and will make your next meeting a definite success:

1. Break The Ice

Breaking the ice is an undervalued skill. You connect to the video call that needs to have a dozen people, and it’s only you and somebody you’ve never seen. The dead silence creeps in fast after the initial hello. It doesn’t matter if you’re leading the meet or not. Have an icebreaker ready. It’s the best way to create a positive atmosphere, and everyone who joins in next will add their two cents.

By priming the call to be positive, you break social barriers, set the tone, and lighten up the mood. In this case, anything that works in a face-to-face environment can carry over. You can ask questions, try a fun game, or trivia.

2. Introduce Everyone

Use the best business meeting tools to engage your teams. After everyone joins in, the meeting can start. Instead of crunching numbers or sharing your screen, take a minute and introduce everyone. If you’re using video, make sure you have your camera on, so others can see your face. Since you physically can’t be in the same room, at least show your face and smile. It adds a person to the lifeless image that everyone would otherwise see. When you personalize the meeting, others are more willing to do the same and initiate discussions.

3. Set The Agenda

Now that everyone’s prepped and ready to go, it’s time to set the agenda. People from all parts of the globe join in, and they have different time zones and busy schedules. You don’t want to take too much of their time. Having a well-defined agenda is crucial for them to know how long the meeting will take and what you’ll cover.

When you share the agenda, chances are that everyone will be more engaged. If you want to go the extra mile, send them the plan before the meeting. That way, everyone can prepare accordingly, do a bit of research, and prepare questions. Participants are more willing to contribute when they know what the conversation will be about.

4. Keep It Interactive

Have you ever sat through a meeting and thought that it could’ve been an email? Or maybe you were contemplating what to have for dinner or what’s the meaning of life.

Boring meetings are a nightmare. They’re tough to sit through, and no one likes them. Even the person presenting doesn’t like boring meetings. So there’s a lesson to be learned here. You need to make the meeting fun. A meeting becomes fun when it’s interactive.

Use a lively interaction every once in a while. Run a poll before making a point to see whether everyone is on the same page. Try to play a virtual game around the theme of the meeting. Seek insights from the experts in the room, or ask for feedback on a serious point of discussion.

Brainstorming for five minutes on a specific topic is excellent for getting those creative juices flowing. There are plenty of powerful yet easy strategies to make a virtual meeting more productive. All it takes is for you to take the lead.

5. Don’t Use Static Slides

PowerPoint is the lifeblood of every meeting. We’re talking over slides from high school to adulthood. So, why not make them fun?

Let’s say you’re hosting a meeting to convey business communication about a new product that soon will be available to purchase, and you need to make the presentation. No one likes reading through large chunks of text with no images. It’s boring, and it reminds you of an old teacher that made you snooze during class.
Instead, use animated logos, visuals, videos, large images, and transitions. There are so many add-ins that can elevate your PowerPoint game.

With AI, you can type in a sentence and get the best-looking presentation you’ve ever seen. Use tools to the maximum and wow the participants. They’ll either ask you how you made the slides so they can use them too or wonder inside their head. Either way, you made it engaging and productive! However, always be aware of the websites or tools you use for help. Look for reputable services because others can compromise your computer’s security. If you open a suspicious website and create an account there, you may end up getting viruses. Think about installing antivirus software and malware removal too. This way you’ll need to worry less when searching the web for such tasks.

6. Make Small Talk

A passing joke here and there lifts the mood and helps people feel connected. You can mention something about the weather while you’re switching slides. You can share an anecdote or a funny story about something your coworker did that’s related to the subject. People love working with people.

Don’t be scared to show a bit of your personality, and try to include short, minute-long stories. Those breathers serve as mental breaks and make the setting less formal. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should overshare. It’s all about balance.

7. Follow Proper Etiquette

Distractions happen when you’re not working from the office. Your pet could bulge in the room, your kids might start yelling or crying, or your neighbor can start the lawnmower. Minimize distractions beforehand, but be prepared for them to happen. Get a good headset and microphone to ensure your audio is crisp.

Mute yourself when it’s not your turn, keep the video on, and don’t browse social media. Everyone can live without Instagram for 30 minutes, and it’s rude to zone out. If you’re using software others are not familiar with, spend a while explaining or guiding them before the meeting.

8. Keep It Short

The average attention span is decreasing. People can’t focus for extended periods of time. That’s why the sweet spot for virtual meetings is anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes. Anything longer than an hour becomes boring and bland. When you set the agenda, follow it and don’t go over the specified timeline. That will prevent the atmosphere from getting snappy. Plus, others might have more meetings, so they’ll break the conversation after the specified time. Make a plan, follow it, and keep it shorter if possible. Everyone will love you for it.

9. Send Notes After The Meeting

No one likes receiving a transcript of a 45-minute meeting. They’re not going to read it, and they’ll think you’re lazy for not giving them actionable insights.

If you’re sending notes after the meeting, make them concise. Summarize who will work on what, and specify the timelines. Make the email short and sweet. It’s way more effective than meeting minutes or sending 10-page transcripts.

10. Finish With A Review

What can you do to make the next meeting better? That question should ring inside your head after you press the button to end a call. Ask the participants which parts they liked best. Then, go a step further and ask what they liked least. Did they feel included? Was there something you could have included or skipped? If you don’t want to ask these questions personally, send a survey or poll.

Mention to them that you’d like to improve the next meetings and you’re asking for honest feedback. Plus, if you implement their tips, they’ll appreciate you for it. After the meeting’s over, reach out to the participants and say that you’re open to answering any questions they might have or going over some parts individually.

Bonus Tips

You might be used to talking to your friends on FaceTime or Messenger calls. But they’re not suited for hosting meetings. You don’t want the participants to mistakenly use a cat filter or turn themselves into a potato and not know how to turn it off.

Not only that, but the video and sound are quite unpredictable, and they can crash without reason. There are no interactive features, and you need something more reliable. Zoom, Skype, Troop Messenger, and Google Meet are the standards. They’re designed to handle loads of people, and there are options like screen sharing, polls, and whiteboards. That comes in handy when you’re trying to prove a point by drawing something on the spot.

Another tip is to always test your hardware on a dry run before the meeting starts. You don’t want your computer to freeze before sharing your screen. Log in and test your connection, microphone, and camera. See if the lighting is good, or if you need to bring a lamp. Tech gadgets are famous for breaking down when you need them most. So test them before the big meet.

A Few Final Words

With the entire world switching to virtual meetings, keeping productivity on is difficult. But if you follow these tips, it will feel like a breeze. Start the meeting with a fun and positive attitude, choose an ideal team communication tool, introduce everyone, and set the agenda. After everyone’s on the same page, engage in some small talk, and follow proper etiquette. When all is said and done, send a short email with a concise and actionable list and ask for feedback. These simple strategies will make your meetings more efficient and keep you the most fun person in the “virtual” room!