Host Virtual Meetings Like A Pro
By Lisa Bodell for Forbes
With nearly half of the U.S. workforce working remotely, companies are rushing to identify tools and tech that keep teams productive and connected. As CEO of an accelerated learning company, I can relate to the inherent challenges and opportunities they’re encountering. From skill-building to improving culture, my team and I have been teaching companies how to engage employees in remote settings for more than a decade.
One of the real-world considerations in our engagement approach is the average human’s attention span. According to John Medina, a biologist and lecturer at the University of Washington, the adult brain gets bored in as little as 10 minutes. When combined with the constant distractions and demands of working from home, it’s increasingly tough to engage employees for a typical one-hour meeting.
Keeping participants focused requires the host to make things interactive whenever possible and to constantly micro-frame the discussion. Whether you’ve led a thousand virtual meetings or none, the pro tips below are designed for adoption at every level of experience.
Moderate relentlessly
The job of moderating should begin before the meeting does — with an agenda. Ideally, limit the goals of your meeting to three bullet points and if presentations or demos are scheduled, assign time slots to those team members. The night before or the morning of, share your meeting agenda with invitees.