“Can you hear me?” 

“Sorry, I was late”

“My connection is unstable”

“Could you repeat, please? I can’t hear you” 

“I’m sorry, I forgot to switch off my microphone!”

“Do you have any questions?” – silence –

Ever heard them before? If your answer is yes, then you probably know how frustrating online working can be. 

It’s been a year since remote meetings became part of our daily routine and we are still trying to get used to them. Despite they represent the best way to connect people, they can often be the cause of frustration and concern.

Communication is key to business relationships, especially when we are dealing with a multicultural environment. Effective communication within the workplace can really improve our productivity as a company. But when it comes to virtual meetings, that’s when the real challenge begins. 

“According to statistics, 46 % of employees rarely or never leave a meeting knowing what they’re supposed to do next”

Source:  entrepreneur.com

One of the major problems of online conferences is a lack of communication, which can lead to misunderstandings and confusion. So how can we successfully conduct an online meeting? Is it possible to overcome these issues and avoid wasting time?

Here are some tips that can help you manage your virtual meetings.

1. Change approach!

Compared to face-to-face meetings, video conferences are a whole other story! Communication is limited and therefore you have to deal with uncertainty. It’s very important to do your best to make the meeting goes as smooth as possible. Although, if something unpredictable occurs, DON’T PANIC!

Learn to improvise, find alternative solutions and communicate optimism and confidence. This type of approach can really help you to overcome challenging situations and get away with technical issues. Also, it’s a smart way to win your audience’s trust. 

2. Organise and present your agenda

Organisation plays an important role within our business. Before a meeting, it’s essential to prepare a list of subjects and topics that you are going to discuss. In this way, you can be very clear, respect time limits and give all participants the opportunity to speak. A good solution could be posting your agenda in the chat before the start of the conference. This way, everyone can easily follow the conversation flow.

3. Engage your audience

Grabbing people’s attention is always complicated, especially through a screen. Psychology could be very useful in this way: ever heard of the primacy-recency effect?

 Studies have shown that our brain tends to better retain information that comes first and last, losing the one in the middle.

Understanding this system can help you to be more engaging while talking. You could include the most impactful and remarkable information at the beginning and at the end of your meeting to keep the attention high. 

Moreover, a good presentation should be always accompanied by captivating visuals. By doing so, you can make sure that everyone is on the same page and avoid a frontal conversation. 

4. Be more inclusive

Avoid eternal monologues. If you overwhelm people with too much information, they will get bored and won’t be able to follow you. Instead, you can awaken curiosity by asking questions and let people share their thoughts and opinions. Also, it’s a good way to prevent the awkward silence of the muted microphone.

The best results can be achieved by different minds working together.

5. Be on time

Last, but not least: be on time! Even if it seems obvious, it’s extremely important. Time management is a sign of respect towards your business partners, and a lack of this skill could really harm your professional reputation.

When it comes to remote meetings, it is necessary to make sure that everything works properly upfront.  

Also, keep time-zone in mind when scheduling meetings with people from different part of the world. Your time set can’t always be the most convenient for everyone.

Finally, these are some suggestions and tips that I hope can help you leading your virtual meetings and facing your daily challenges. Now, it’s your turn! I would love to read your experiences with video conferences issues. If you have some advice to add, please leave a comment below and share your thoughts.