3 Tips for Engaging Teams in Virtual Meetings

As you and your teams navigate working remotely, we’re publishing tips and best practices for leading virtual meetings, presenting virtually, and collaborating on virtual teams.

For this week’s tips, here are 3 best practices for engaging your teams in virtual meetings:

1) Genuinely state the value each member brings.This is especially important if it is the first time the group is together.  You can do this organically as individuals arrive or formally at the beginning of the meeting.  As a participant, hearing your name and purpose sets the tone and expectations early indicating that you are there to contribute.

2) Get people talking immediately.Informally or formally – just get them talking. You want your participants to know you want to hear them. It is also a great way to be sure everyone’s audio is functioning properly.

3) Call on people.Instead of waiting for volunteers to speak up, call on someone you know would have value to contribute, hasn’t spoken up, or has a stake in the topic.  To be sure no one is taken off guard, let your attendees know early-on that you will be calling on them for input.

We hope you find these tips and best practices helpful, and we welcome you to share them.

If you have a virtual communication topic that you would like for us to address in a tip, let us know; we’re here to help.