Every organization, whether it employs three people or three hundred, holds meetings. When run well, meetings are an essential part of getting work done and can be highly effective. Communication can take many forms — in person, by phone, via email and social media, or through increasingly popular web conferencing.
Online meetings are used for many purposes: training sessions, team brainstorming, product or service demonstrations, and more. The challenge is keeping attendees engaged from start to finish.
The Good and the Bad
We’ve all sat in both productive and frustrating meetings. What distinguishes them? A well-run meeting empowers participants, conveys ideas clearly, builds relationships, and can boost morale. Poor meetings typically result from a lack of focus or preparation, inviting the wrong people, or meeting simply for the sake of meeting.
With preparation, a clear agenda, timing discipline, and techniques to hold participants’ attention, meetings become more productive and yield accountable outcomes.
Capturing Attention
Try changing your usual format and mix things up to keep attendees focused:
- Invite the right people. Identify who truly needs to attend or who will benefit most — those participants are likelier to stay attentive and contribute.
- Lead with impact. Start with your most compelling content instead of long welcomes and introductions. Begin strong to capture attention immediately.
- Use conferencing tools effectively. Take advantage of features such as instant messaging for larger groups or attendees who are hesitant to speak up, and interactive whiteboards for visual collaboration and idea development.
- Include video to vary the pace. Short, edited clips or visual summaries can break up extended talking and help re-focus participants.
- Enable social sharing where appropriate. Allowing attendees to share highlights during the meeting encourages engagement and indicates your content is worth distributing.
- Assign post-meeting actions. When participants know they must deliver results afterward — individually or as a team — they’re more likely to pay close attention.
- Encourage ongoing comments. Allow questions and input throughout the session rather than reserving them only for the end; this fosters immediate engagement and often leads to richer discussion.
It Doesn’t End There
A meeting’s impact continues after it adjourns. Collect feedback — every meeting can be improved, and acting on suggestions is especially important for groups that meet frequently.
Try one or more of these strategies during your next web conference to make meetings more engaging and productive. Don’t accept meetings that achieve little. Improve how you meet, and your business will perform better.