In present days video meetings are the new normal, as teams are no longer working together in the same office. Also, you’re just as likely to be working with someone in a different part of the country or world as you are with someone in a different part of the office.
Virtual meetings may be a regular part of a team’s everyday workflow, but making them perfectly efficient can be a head-scratcher.Though these meetings can pose a few challenges, they can be just as effective as face to face meetings if they’re run properly. Here are some useful tips for running a successful virtual meeting free.
Tips to Run a Virtual Meeting Smoothly for Free
An array of virtual meeting programs out there, but with some features that cost money. But if you need only to meet occasionally, the price tag may not be worth it.
You can use free virtual meeting programs that offer some excellent features that will cover for you. However, they lack certain bells and whistles compared with their paid counterparts but can still get the job done.
Roll call may be a waste of time and the fastest way to ensure that participants are disengaged. If you need a log of attendees, have each participant type their name on the chat window the time they logged on.
When you are looking forward to a successful virtual meeting, you need to make things as simple and precise as possible. Keeping things on track by setting an agenda and sharing that with attendees at the beginning of the meeting is the first priority. You can put the agenda on a slide to use it as a visual reminder. And, you can always show the slide again as a reference to help attendees refocus when things get off track.
A clear meeting agenda may include these:
Different meetings have different rules, but there are some necessary etiquette practices that everyone should follow to run a smooth virtual meeting.
You should think of them as the must-do’s of an online meeting:
After Briefly introducing yourself, thanking attendees for coming, you should share the agenda and jump right into the content of the meeting. The faster you can get the meeting started, the less likely it is for people’s minds to distract. It also shows respect for people’s time; they’ll be thankful for less fluff and more content.
It would be best if you made sure that participants have the proper login information before the meeting. Let them know if they’ll need to download any application. And let them know if the meeting requires a password. Also, provide instructions for basic things like presentation, screen sharing and muting audio. Please send all of this in an email or any platform you use for communication, then resend it minimum an hour before the meeting begins for easy access. It will be smoother if you allow for at least five minutes of troubleshooting at the beginning of the meeting for the first-timer.
If the meeting is a repeating occurrence, use the same login info every time. Which will save both the host and the attendees at least a few minutes each time as no one will have to search for new login info.
Most platforms offer a virtual waiting room, which allows participants to log in at any time but you will need the permission of the host to enter into the meeting. This is very useful if you have back to back meetings. People will not be popping in and out without the host's permission in the middle of the meeting.
These softwares have outstanding features offered for free which are simple and easy to use.
Virtual meetings can be as much as effective as face to face meetings if you know maintain some meeting etiquettes and follow the rules. Many applications offer some amazing features to hold an effective virtual meeting for free. You should also know what platforms or tools to use and how to use it. Also, tracking the meeting and keynoting the events are essential for any kind of meeting to be successful.
Daniel is a professional blogger and eLearning Industry Specialist.