How to Lead an Efficient Online Meeting

Online meetings have become more popular, and their momentum is unstoppable. Since 2020, many people had to use online meetings due to working from home, and at first, they didn't think it was a good idea: crying children, barking dogs, the noisy sound of a vacuum cleaner in the background, and so on. But soon, they discovered the unparalleled advantages of online meetings: convenience and the ability to have an audience without being limited by the meeting room size. However, although online meetings can significantly improve your work efficiency, they can also destroy your work output. Online meetings require unique tools, etiquette, planning, and execution. So, in this article, we'll teach you how to conduct an efficient online meeting and ensure that your efforts yield the expected results.

Before the Meeting

Do as much preparation as possible before the meeting. Online meetings are more complicated than offline meetings because the constraints of face-to-face communication have disappeared, and the habit of communicating face-to-face will no longer exist. Online meetings require us to do more preparation before, including but not limited to:

1. Define the agenda.

• What is the purpose of the meeting?

• How do you evaluate the results of a meeting?

• Who needs to attend to achieve a successful outcome?

• What background information do participants need to discuss the outcome?

• What do you need from the participants?

Considering these questions, you can obtain a clear meeting purpose and process. Then, split the purpose into different topics and arrange various topics' discussion order and time according to priority and logical sequence. In this way, you define a well-defined agenda.

2. Send meeting reminders.

Send the agenda to all participants at least 24 hours before and confirm that everyone has received it. Set up automated meeting reminders through timed emails or some calendar apps(such as Outlook).

3. Assign the roles.

The agenda should clearly define each participant's role in the online meeting. Keep participants from discovering that they must contribute or share critical information unprepared. On the other hand, you should appoint a moderator for the meeting and host it. Meetings with a moderator can easily stay on track. When you appoint a moderator, an authoritative figure can control the meeting process, stick to the agenda, help everyone stay focused, and ensure that things run smoothly. Participants need the moderator's permission to contribute to the discussion, eliminating the problem of people interrupting. In case of misunderstandings arising from internet connection and audio or video quality issues, the moderator can clarify things, address issues, and review the meeting process. Also, remember to designate someone specifically to record meeting notes and follow-up points.

4. Check the technical system.

Learning to use technology to make you feel empowered and confident is crucial for a successful meeting. The more seamless you are with technology, the more prepared, focused, and engaged you will be during the meeting. Log in before starting to prepare. Use this time to test the meeting link, microphone, and camera to ensure everything works properly. Place yourself in a simple background, or if you plan to use a virtual background, set it up and preview it before the meeting starts. Also, check your network bandwidth. Be prepared for the leading network to be unavailable, such as taking on a mobile hotspot in advance to prevent the meeting from getting out of control due to unavailable WIFI. Alternatively, use your computer to log in to the meeting in a WIFI environment, and use your mobile network to log in to the meeting on your phone, but turn off the audio on your phone as a backup way to participate. For attendees, please ask all participants to test the software, camera, and microphone at least 10 minutes before the start to ensure they can participate.

During the Meeting

1. Set precise start and end times.

Limiting the meeting time helps to increase the participants' focus, thereby improving meeting efficiency and productivity. Set time limits for each topic on the agenda and remind participants when the time is almost up for each topic while reserving 10%-20% of the time to prevent delays caused by unexpected circumstances. Participants will understand that this is out of respect for their time and to avoid affecting their subsequent schedules. If additional discussion is needed, you can quickly record the items that need to be discussed and reschedule them after the meeting. Meeting organizers must be prepared for the lateness of participants and be flexible in responding to them. Whether to start on time or delay the meeting depends on the importance of the present attendees and not present attendees. Therefore, please prepare a contingency plan in advance.

2. Warm-up.

A self-introduction or a summary introduction of the participants can quickly attract everyone's interest and grab their attention before the formal start, whether they are familiar with each other or not. Encouraging attendees to turn on their cameras is another tip to grab their attention. Of course, the commentator should have their camera on throughout the entire meeting, as it may be difficult for other participants to connect with a blank screen. When speaking, you can focus on the web camera, which will help you engage in "virtual eye contact" and interact better with others.

3. Structure your speech.

Compared to offline meetings, it is more challenging for participants in online meetings to maintain their attention. To ensure accurate transmission of meeting information, you need to reduce the difficulty of understanding the speech. Structured speech can help participants understand the content of the meeting. Preparing a speech according to the agenda is an essential requirement, but it should not be a flat narration. You need to add pauses in your speech to allow the audience to digest your words and understand your meaning better. For example, if you want to provide a project update, you can create a structure of past achievements, current achievements, and future achievements. Speak at a steady pace and pause appropriately at each logical break. Creating these mental commas to separate your main talking points will help you analyze and organize your thoughts in a focused manner. According to statistics, when you speak about 180 words per minute, you are more easily understood. One way to control your speaking speed is to write down what you want to say and divide it into paragraphs of 150 to 180 words each. Then, practice timing yourself. Another narrative tip is to set a slightly humorous but summary title for each paragraph and then follow up with a more comprehensive explanation after attracting the attention of the participants.

After the Meeting

The note taker should take notes or record the most important insights or feedback, including any tasks assigned within the team for the next steps during the meeting. Then, please take a few minutes to organize the notes and send them to all participants via email or Slack after the meeting. Also, please send the summary of the meeting to all participants. List the action items for each agenda item, as well as the names of the people in charge. Ask for confirmation of receipt of the summary from all participants to ensure that they have understood all conclusions.