How to run a meeting online: A beginner’s guide
Businesses are embracing online meetings. Knowing how to run a meeting with web conferencing software is a crucial skill -- one that can give you a leg up on your competition.
Online meetings can save you money on travel, boost communication between workers and clients, even increase sales. If you run them right. Follow these 8 tips and you'll be ahead of the game.
1. Start with a written agenda, from the beginning. Don't take this lightly. Without the usual visual and verbal cues online meetings can be harder to keep on track.
2. Learn how to use your internet conferencing software. Invest a half hour in yourself and learn the application. If you're worried about the cost, most of the vendors offer free trials - sign up for one and practice.
3. Check on whether participants have done their prep work. For reasons I've never understood, people seem more willing to blow off preparing for online meetings. You'll want to gently nudge with a reminder. I prefer to do this over the phone.
4. Keep a confident smile on your face. You'll find that your tone of voice follows your face. Since the attendees can't see you, they'll read more into your voice than they would otherwise.
5. Keep background noises to a minimum. Start with a request that cell phone ringers be turned off. Don't type near the phone's receiver. If you're at home, put the dogs in a different room.
6. Don't be the note-taker. Ask someone else to handle this responsibility. Managing a good online meeting requires your attention. Don't distract yourself with the additional task of taking minutes.
7. Check for understanding. After each key topic, make a point of pausing and asking a question or two to gauge their understanding. It can be as simple as "Does this approach to the budget make sense?" Use this feedback as a replacement for seeing their facial expressions.
8. Manage the participants. Some online meetings tend to mushroom - people pull coworkers into the conference to listen in "just in case" and suddenly you have a lot of unexpected inputs. At the very least, you should know who's participating. Start the meeting with a request to quickly list who's in each location - your participants will appreciate knowing who's hearing their input.
These guidelines should help you understand how to run a meeting online. If you're still feeling undertain, I suggest you sign up for a free trial with a internet conference vendor (see resource box for helpful links). Take a few test runs with the software -- hold a practice meeting with a friend and get comfortable. You'll do fine.