The adjective that must undoubtedly follow “meeting” is “effective.” It will have happened to more than one of them that of finishing a meeting, either face-to-face or remotely, and noticing the critical loss of time that it has meant. Or what is worse: ending the session with the impression that not even all the issues initially raised have been addressed.
Well, organization is essential for this. The organization before, during and after. In this way, the chances that all the meeting members leave satisfied skyrocket. In addition, the ideal is to schedule the meetings in the morning, since we are fresher and they do not exceed 45 minutes.
Before A Meeting
The start of the meeting itself should be the last step in this section. Previously, we must prepare the detailed action plans of the members and the contents to notify them well in advance and that the participants are warned, and thus they can come with some of their homework done. In addition to that, it is essential to determine what the key points are, narrow them down and establish priorities detailing them in a guide. And, as prevention is better than cure, it is beneficial to anticipate possible problems or questions. Once we have all the necessary material, we can start our meeting.
During A Meeting
If there is something that we can —and must— demand, it is punctuality. Starting on time is key to the proper functioning of the meeting and is, above all, a sign of respect towards the rest of the people summoned. If an attendee is not present when the meeting is scheduled, it is even counterproductive to wait. It will be the job of the unpunctual participant to find out what was previously discussed. During the first few minutes, it is interesting to do a kind of review of all the topics that will be discussed. The success of the meeting will largely depend on this. Once this first procedure is done, the moderator of the meeting is the one who starts the conversation. Because it is a conversation, never a monolog, it is necessary to know all points of view. It is widespread for one of the participants to take over the floor and not favor a climate of dialogue. We will also have to consider that we can find ourselves at any given time with specific situations or topics that generate controversy. It is essential to remain calm and not impose our opinions. And, of course, restrict the use of electronic devices. This will encourage a greater concentration on the subject to be discussed.
After A Meeting
Once the session is over, there are some steps that we cannot miss. There may be participants who have doubts or want to make suggestions, and it’s the moment. We will also have to mention for the second time the topics that have been discussed and accompany them with conclusions, as well as make concrete decisions on them. It is the way to recapitulate and that nothing is forgotten. So that we do not have doubts in the future, it will be necessary to put together a document (it can be informal) where we write down everything that has been addressed. Last but not least, thank each of the people for their participation and, if necessary, summon them to a second meeting to resolve problems or incidents and see the evolution.
How To Conduct A Virtual Work Meeting
In general, the advice that we will follow when asking ourselves how to conduct a work meeting will not differ significantly from those we will follow for a remote work meeting. However, there are some other aspects to take into account.
It is choosing the right platform. Above all, to avoid connection failures. So, before the meeting, a good option is to assess and try some of the options we are considering.
Assess conditions. Ideally, we will find a quiet place where we do not have too many distractions. To avoid noise, we will silence our microphone until we want to intervene.
Better with a camera. It will be our excuse to “trick” our mind and make it believe that we are working, just as if we were doing it in an office. It also helps to transmit messages more efficiently.
Patience with delays. No matter how good a connection we have, the sound or image may be temporarily cut off, and we have to repeat some point. It is best to pause and then return to the sentence in those cases. Humor, as always, can be our ally to take the iron out of the situation and favor a pleasant climate.
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