In what seemed like the blink of an eye, life changed as the world reacted to the spread of COVID-19. School and work moved online, businesses shut down, and individuals were forced to stay home. Though no one knew how long these changes would last, it was clear that companies and employees had to quickly adapt to their new virtual landscape.

This article will discuss one aspect of this “new normal” and describe how to successfully conduct virtual meetings.

The Rise in Virtual Meetings Pre-COVID

It can be difficult to think back to life before COVID when large groups of individuals could gather closely together in restaurants and bars without a mask in sight. Though the use of virtual meetings skyrocketed in the wake of the COVID shutdown, they had been growing in popularity for the past few decades.

When travel was halted due to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, companies rescheduled meetings virtually. During the 2008 financial crisis, companies turned to virtual meetings as a cost-effective alternative for meetings and conventions. Virtual meetings had further become solidified as companies became more globalized and project managers were responsible for team members spread out across entire countries.

COVID-19 Virtual Meetings

With COVID-19, virtual meetings completely replaced any sort of face-to-face meetings as individuals were forced to work from home. Initially, the thought of working from home all day and simply rolling out of bed and into meetings sounded tempting, yet many were not ready for the “screen fatigue” that accompanied constant virtual meetings.

Psychology.com describes that this fatigue arises from physical strain plus emotional exhaustion. The pandemic has brought on heightened anxieties, from financial worries to stress and grief for loved ones who are suffering from the virus. Individuals have experienced all these emotions in addition to workplace demands and adjusting to a whole new way of life.

Another aspect that contributes to screen fatigue is the blurred lines between work and home life. Due to COVID, all forms of communication with the outside world now take place through a computer screen: a full day of virtual meetings can end with virtual happy hours or social gatherings. Sitting in one position all day on house furniture not originally designed for long-term sitting can lead to headaches and pain and further contribute to a negative mood.

It can also be more difficult to find a work-life balance when both work and life are located at the same place. There is no evening commute for individuals to decompress and separate their professional and personal identities. Individuals might feel more tempted to keep working late into the night and disregard self-care regimes that are more important now than ever before.

Tips for Conducting Successful Virtual Meetings

Knowing that virtual meetings can present these additional challenges, here are some tips to reduce screen fatigue and conduct successful virtual meetings.

Learn the Software

Online meetings pose vastly different challenges than in-person meetings. How many times would you have to worry about people not being able to find and enter the conference room for an in-person meeting or background noise causing disruptions?

If you are conducting a virtual meeting, take time to familiarize yourself with whatever platform you are using. Learn how to mute and unmute participants, turn off video, admit individuals into the meeting from the waiting room, and adjust any other meeting settings. Be proactive and disable any features that might cause distractions, such as choosing virtual backgrounds or filters.

Invite, Remind, and Educate

Once you’ve scheduled a virtual meeting, send out online invitations so that attendees can add the event to their calendar. You’ll also want to send reminder emails leading up to the event so that attendees don’t forget. Whereas you might be reminded of an in-person meeting by seeing colleagues walking to the conference room, individuals can easily forget to attend a virtual meeting if they are by themselves in their home.

In addition to sending out the meeting invitation and reminders, you should also prepare and send out a short document with information about the meeting software. The document should contain information such as how to get into the meeting, how to mute and unmute, and how to pick a neutral and professional environment that will provide the least amount of distractions. The goal is to minimize the amount of time used for technological issues and maximize what actually needs to get accomplished during the meeting.

Engage Your Attendees

For your first meeting, start with a roll call to make sure everyone has properly logged on and knows how to mute and unmute. As attendees become more familiar with the platform, substitute a verbal roll call by having attendees type their name into the chat window. This prevents attendees from immediately become disengaged and saves time.

After an introduction, make sure to stick to the meeting agenda. This keeps the meeting feeling organized and instills a sense of purpose for the attendees who otherwise might feel tempted to open up other browsers on their computers and lose interest.

Online meetings can sometimes feel like television shows in which the host simply talks at the attendees. Due to lagging issues and poor video quality, it can be hard to discern subtle visual or speaking cues that humans rely on to know when to speak next. As a result, attendees might not want the hassle of being interrupted or interrupting others and could choose to remain silent.

Require that attendees use their camera and raise their hand (visually or through the platform) when they want to speak. This will help the conversation be less disjunct and help attendees remain more focused on who is speaking. Additionally, frequently ask if anyone has questions or additional thoughts, and call on attendees who haven’t said anything throughout the meeting to make sure everyone feels like a member of the team.

Reflect and Improve

After each meeting, take some time to reflect upon what went well and what could be improved for the next meeting. Did the icebreaker take up too much time at the beginning of the meeting? Were attendees able to log onto the meeting successfully? Could you integrate other apps such as polls and quizzes for more engagement or efficiency? Consider also how these techniques for online meetings could translate into improved face-to-face meetings for the future.

Bhr Consulting

The transition from in-person to online meetings can be daunting. Bhr Consulting provides training for all levels of management and can help transform your online meetings and ensure that they are effective and engaging. Reach out to us today to see how we can assist your company!