Business meetings are done to ensure everybody in the company is in accord with several or a few things deemed necessary by the employer. This could range from anything to employee performance, losses, business goals, modifying work practices, and a lot more.

Remote meetings aren’t different. What’s different is how people will be like during the remote meeting. Here are 7 things to consider in making a remote meeting effective.

Tips For Running A Successful Remote Meeting

Use a Reliable Remote Meeting App

There are a lot of video conferencing apps available, and some apps actually work as video conferencing substitutes, depending on the nature of the business. The most common apps for conferencing are Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Ring Central, Hangouts, and a lot more. If one’s business were in the gaming industry, apps like Discord can be a good option as it fits the overall theme.

Some apps work more effectively than others. Depending on the needs of the company, it may require more participants. Some apps, unfortunately, have a limit to how many can join in a conference. It has more to do with how the app or software is designed and people who decide to do remote meetings should scout for the best possible option to fit their needs.

Plan How Time is Going to Be Used in the Meeting

When one wants to make use of their time in a video conference in the best way possible, it’s necessary to plan ahead. One of the things one needs to consider when factoring in time is when the meeting will start. 

It’s the one thing that people should agree to first before starting a meeting. Is it amenable for everybody? How will the start time and end time of the meeting impact everyone’s schedule? Some employers will most likely use a whole workday to do a meeting. And meetings are not just for giving updates. One can simply send updates via email or via successive phone calls.

The duration of the meeting is also important. Most people won’t really have an attention span longer than 30 minutes and setting the whole day for a meeting isn’t going to make everybody absorb all the material that will be discussed. Break times may be needed. Depending on the employer, break times may vary from none to at least 4 times per meeting. 

And it doesn’t end there. Meetings will happen in the future and employers should discuss with their workers how often these will take place. Meetings done every two weeks could be the best. Weekly meetings are more suited for employers who want to keep track of their employees’ performance. Once-a-month meetings are very useful but the takeaway is the longer amount of time to finish the meeting.

Making Sure There’s A Reason for Holding A Meeting (at all)

Sometimes, meetings aren’t really necessary. Employers should consider if a meeting is needed at all or a simple email can do the job. The employees already have a set schedule and everybody working at home can’t afford to lose time for their family.

 It’s not in anyone’s best interest to be holding a meeting in the middle of the night unless the setup is that of an international company where everybody is somewhere around the globe.

Having a purpose for the meeting makes it easy to plan the meeting itself.

Decide Who Will be Joining the Meeting

It’s not a detail most employers would consider. But thinking about who will be joining the meeting is also a good strategy to make sure it proceeds without any issues. If a meeting is held and the person (or persons) who have relevant input are not present, then the meeting is considered pointless.

As with all other meetings, if the relevant person or persons are not present, then they should take the initiative to have a proxy.

Decide What to Discuss in The Meeting

Now that there’s a purpose for a meeting, it’s important to make sure there’s an outline of the things to be discussed. Having an outline makes sure everything is covered. It also effectively lessens the time needed to discuss everything. It’s going to be even easier to address questions since it’s divided into sections.

Not Forgetting the Little Things

In any procedure, attention to detail is important. That’s why for meeting apps, there are several features available to make the most out of each meeting. 

The chatbox is one of the most useful things in remote meeting apps. If the wifi doesn’t work well, chances are people will not understand each other clearly. It happens a lot of the time. With the number of people using video conferencing apps, it’s going to take a toll on the servers. This results in laggy videos and delayed sounds.

The chatbox saves everyone the time repeating themselves and consequently risking misunderstanding. Having to type the questions instead of asking them to be repeated will allow everyone to understand. And speaking of everyone speaking, one of the most useful features for a video conferencing app or software is the ability to mute anyone.

There should be rules established in a remote meeting. This will save time and help the parties involved proceed with the meeting clearly. 

Record the Meeting

Most video conferencing apps will give an option to record a meeting. This is especially useful when time constraints are considered. If an employee has said something in passing and needs to be addressed in the next meeting, then a simple view of the recording will make sure nobody forgets.

It’s also important that employers should assign someone to record the meeting. It’s also important to make sure the person or people assigned with recording the meeting understands why they’re doing it. Surely, no one would want their meetings to be recorded without their permission, especially if the things discussed need more privacy.