Adapting to Remote Meetings - Effective Group Communication

Offline meetings have shifted to online meetings due to the advent of technology, globalisation and, recently, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. However, before you learn how to adapt to online meetings, you need to learn how to execute offline meetings properly.

Meetings form an integral part of an individual’s professional life, yet not many attendees know what to do after a meeting. Professional meetings could create some unexpected situations. In this segment, you will learn how to adapt yourself to unexpected situations that arise from professional meetings.

In the upcoming video, David will talk about different methods to make your meetings more effective.

Meetings are an excellent platform to showcase your ideas or products and try to capture the audience’s interest and attention. Moreover, holding a productive meeting will help you as well as the stakeholders with organising tasks and schedules. 

A general observation in any professional scenario is that with an increase in leadership responsibilities, there is an increase in the number of meetings that one has to attend; hence, one must be effective in meetings. 

One good practice to follow to make meetings effective is to reserve two-thirds of the meeting duration for setting the context and at least one-third for questions. Keeping the floor open for questions and answering these questions can create more engagement among the target audience. 

Now that you know about offline meetings, it is essential to know how to adapt yourself to online meetings. The next video will give an overview of online meetings.

So, as you learnt from the video, here are some good practices that you can follow for online meetings:

1. Ensure that you have a proper internet connection and are familiar with the video conferencing technology/application.

2. Ensure that you present yourself well. This includes the lighting, background and your attire.

3. Ensure that you are empathetic towards others who are facing issues. You can speak clearly to overcome potential technical glitches, look at the camera so that you can maintain appropriate eye contact and understand that other participants could have their own challenges.

Now, let’s say with the aforementioned etiquette in mind, you have tailored your presentation over video meetings and become familiar with the required software. But are these enough to make your online meeting effective?

With the coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc across the world, everyone is burdened with additional personal responsibilities. Your participants are constantly required to supervise, or exercise control, in many of their personal commitments when working from their homes. 

In the next video, David will share his thoughts on what could be some good ways of expressing empathy and being compassionate towards your colleagues who are working from home.

You saw how you could be understanding towards your colleagues who are working from home. Expressing solidarity with your team during a challenging time will push you miles ahead as a compassionate leader.

Do not let virtual or online meetings hamper your ability to express such solidarity effectively.

So, the next time you join or leave a meeting, be sure to ask the audience how they are feeling and tell them that you hope they are doing well and are safe.