Thirty days ago, many of us were just learning to communicate virtually. Fast-forward one month, and we’ve all become experts! Maybe not experts; however, the comfort level has risen dramatically, and our once unscheduled days have become full of GoToMeetings, SKYPEs, Zooms, Google Chats and the like. I, for one, have three standing virtual meetings a week, three others a month, and find that several more are added each day. This new normal will likely be integrated into our “normal, normal,” and we will never turn back.

Time to develop some communication how-to’s and tips both for the meeting initiator and the attendee. The how-to’s and tips that appear today are for the virtual meeting initiators. Next week’s blog will cover meeting attendees.

Virtual Meeting Initiator: Communication How-to’s:

1) Meeting Scheduling: Make it easy for the participants

2) Selecting a Facilitator/s: Assigning Roles and responsibilities

3) Meeting Materials: Timing is Everything

4) Setting Groundrules: Develop rules to the road that make for a smooth meeting

Meeting Scheduling:

In our eagerness to learn this newfound technology, many meeting initiators send out e-invitations with the meeting links, passwords, etc., in the email. . . weeks in advance. However, in-between the invitation email and the meeting date, the participant will have received countless emails – including from the meeting initiator –  resulting in a mad-dash search for that one email minutes in advance of the virtual meeting:

Tip: Make it Easy for the participant/s and resend the invitation email within the hour of the scheduled meeting.

“Hi All: Friendly reminder that we will meet in one hour. Here is the link, the password and all other information you need. Looking forward to “seeing you.”

Selecting a Facilitator/s: Assigning Roles and Responsibilities:

Will the meeting initiator also be the meeting facilitator? Will there be multiple facilitators? Will there be no facilitator, relying upon the good will of the participants to ensure a smooth meeting? If the meeting is one that was formerly held in person, such as a standing committee, the facilitator likely will be the committee chair, or whomever facilitated the meeting when in-person. The tip focuses on gatherings where no leader or facilitator was formerly assigned.

Tip: Consider the nature and size of the meeting.

• If the event is a weekly “Happy Hour” with three of your closest friends, informality tends to rule the day and no facilitator is needed. If anyone “over-participates,” she or he can rely upon a friend to point it out.
• If the meeting is a book club or other gathering of up to 15 or 20 where issues are discussed, opinions shared and the in-person meetings tended to operate informally, it might be time to select a facilitator to ensure all have an opportunity to participate, the “one-at-a-time” rule prevails, and no single individual dominates.
• If the meeting is a service club or other large socially oriented gathering, one or more facilitators make sense to ensure the meeting stays on track and participation is even-handed.

Meeting Materials: Timing is Everything:

Tip: As with the invitation email, meeting materials should be sent early on – with or after the meeting invitation – and then a second time within an hour of the meeting, along with the resending of the meeting notice.

Setting Groundrules:

Whether the facilitator/s set the rules to the road, or it is a group exercise, groundrules for facilitating meetings are key to success.

Tip: Rules to the Road to Consider:

• Meeting Facilitator will Share the Meeting Materials Online During the Meeting
• Everyone Participate
  • Participation can be Speaking, Listening, and/or Asking Questions
• One-at-a-Time
  • Raise a Hand, a Finger, or some other visual cue to indicate a desire to speak
  • Wait to be Recognized
• All Questions Welcomed: No Dumb Questions
• Be Mindful of Noises in Your Space
  • Place Mic on Mute When the Dog Barks or Others Speaking
• Be Mindful that Visual Movement Can be Distracting
  • Place Video on Off When Moving
• Have Fun!

To Recap – Virtual Meeting Initiator: Communication How-to’s:

1) Meeting Scheduling: Make it easy for the participants

2) Selecting a Facilitator/s: Assign Roles and responsibilities

3) Meeting Materials: Timing is Everything

4) Setting Groundrules: Develop rules to the road that make for a smooth meeting