In today’s digital world being at work doesn’t mean you are necessarily at the office. Remote employees are becoming more and more prominent in companies- leading to the problem of how to hold productive meetings when all participants aren’t physically there. Regardless of how good your conference call services provider, there are possible pitfalls with every conference call.
While the emerging technology that encourages this mobility may seem like a positive step for remote employees—it does have a negative side, distraction. With mobility comes more freedom for employees, and some do not always make the best choices when participating in conference calls. A recent study by Intercall found that while workers thoroughly enjoy the flexibility that remote meetings give them, they definitely take multi tasking to a new level. Over 40 percent of employees admit to texting while on a conference call, checking social media, doing other work and even going to the restroom.
How can you make sure your meeting is productive? There are a few tips and tricks to take into consideration the next time you conduct a virtual meeting:
- Scheduling: Everyone is busy. To make sure participants are as engaged as possible, be sure to schedule a meeting at least a week in advance. This way all employees can have it on their agendas long enough to not feel overwhelmed by the meeting. Along with notifying participants in advance, you must take into consideration the time of day the meeting will take place. The time of day a meeting is held can affect participants attitude; morning meetings are usually low on energy while too late in the day can leave employees anxious to call it a day.
- Itinerary: Setting a specific itinerary for the meeting will give people ample time to prepare what they want to say. It creates a more productive environment when there are specific topics to discuss and problems to solve. Sending out an itinerary 48 to 24 hours in advance gives employees time to prep, and think of questions or other discussion topics they would like to add.
- Behavior: This is where virtual meetings really get tricky, when it comes to behavior you should act as if you were in person. With web conferencing, one should show as much engagement as if it were an in-person meeting. A conference call is a little bit harder, by saying your name before you speak and practicing active listening; it can prove to be just as productive as being in-person.
Next time you’re scheduling a meeting take these things into consideration. Invite only the necessary participants and makes sure clear goals are set in place. Remote meetings can be productive you just have to take the right steps to get there.
Edited by Maurice Nagle