The COVID-19 global situation has many companies and organizations asking employees to maintain business continuity through virtual working tools. To aid employees in effectively conducting daily business in the virtual world, here are some tips for running effective remote meetings and resources for further information.
TIPS FOR ORGANIZERS
- Ask yourself, “Do we need this meeting? What is the purpose? What decisions need to be made?”
- Focus scope on collaboration and discussion.
- Have an agenda and report-out information.
- Send out agenda and report-outs ahead of time, when possible, so people can review.
- Invite only necessary stakeholders.
- Assign a facilitator.
TIPS FOR ATTENDEES
- Check meeting notice for virtual meeting platform to ensure you have it, download if needed
- Read meeting agenda and do any prereading of additional report-out information
- Understand who the other attendees are and what your deliverable is
- Make sure you allow yourself enough time to connect to meetings, both audio and video.
- Use video if you can, try to mimic an in-person meeting as much as possible
- Use headphones to reduce feedback – preferably with a built-in mic
FACILITATION
- Provide background and agenda in the meeting invite.
- Include the driver-friendly call-in number.
- Don’t double book for key stakeholders — check calendars.
- Provide enough lead time so people can download virtual application used if they don’t have it.
- Be mindful of other’s schedules especially if the meeting goes across multiple time zones.
- Call on people to reduce anxiety and ensure even participation.
- Be mindful of business culture differences across the world.
ETIQUETTE
- Be present on video.
- Greet team on the call.
- Make introductions if needed.
- Make sure you are in a quiet place.
- Place yourself on mute if there is noise in the background.
MISCELLANEOUS
- Avoid brightly lit windows so that you are easier to see on video meetings.
- Wear neutral, solid-colored clothing. Avoid black, white, patterned, or striped clothing.
REMOTE WORK RESOURCES
- New to Working Remotely? These Resources Can Help
Linkedin free learning path with 16 online courses with focus areas on productivity, leading teams, the virtual environment as well as online tools. - What It Takes to Run a Great Virtual Meeting
HBR article with tips on facilitating effective virtual meetings. - Best Practices for Effective Video Conferencing
Standford University provides best practices for onsite and remote participants. - These 5 Tech Companies Are Providing Free Remote Working Tools During the Coronavirus Outbreak
This article highlights five companies with remote working tools, that are making their services more accessible to small businesses and organizations. - Webinars — JointPivot
A free webinar from JointPivot on March 18 to walk through tips to facilitate a virtual meeting. - So You’ve Been Told to Work From Home. Now What?
Advice for individuals, managers, and teams on how to navigate remote work. - 2020 State of Remote Work
Buffer report provides the latest data and findings on remote work.
