With travel budgets shrinking and more workers in disparate locations, online meetings are more popular than ever.
Proceed with caution, however.
Sometimes Internet meetings can do more harm than good if not approached in an appropriate and effective manner.
Learn how to maximize the potential of remote meetings by following the advice below.
Below are 8 tips for effective online meetings.
1.
Is a meeting actually necessary, or can you communicate or solve the issue at hand by sending out an email? Decide whether a meeting is necessary and if you can achieve your objectives online.
Write out the purpose of the online meeting and send it out to the participants in advance.
2.
Only hold an online meeting with ten or fewer participants.
3.
Send out a calendar invitation in advance and then again on the day of the meeting with easy-to-follow access directions.
4.
Master your technology before you start the meeting.
There is nothing more irritating than wasting everyone's time by not understanding how the technology works.
Figure it all out beforehand.
5.
Make sure that the meeting leader is someone who can stay on topic, redirect conversation if necessary, and who is not in love with the sound of his/her own voice.
6.
Don't leave the timeframe open-ended.
Decide how long you need, let the participants know how much time to block out, and stick to your schedule.
7.
Begin your meeting with introductions if necessary.
8.
End your meeting with clear, written action items.