7 strategies to create successful virtual meetings

How to create a successful virtual meeting.

Creating a successful virtual meeting is an art, and many different elements must be used to optimize the experience and create employee engagement. Having successfully delivered virtual presentations since 2006, I have identified 7 strategies for creating successful virtual meetings.

7 strategies to create successful virtual meetings

1. Create a detailed outline, do your homework.

Organization is the cornerstone of creating a successful virtual meeting. By creating a detailed outline that includes pre-planned exercises, polls, and Q&A, you’ll be able to keep attendees engaged and focused on the topic.

It is essential to have a guide to ensure that all vital content is covered. Also, it’s important to design collateral for employees to support virtual training long after the meeting is over.

1. Understand the objective goals and outcomes of the meeting.

When planning your virtual meeting, it’s important to have a clear understanding of what the main goals and objectives are for attendees. When you create your meeting schedule with the management team, you’ll have a better understanding of what needs to be accomplished.

This will keep you focused on the material, any interactivity and engagement needed to achieve results!

If your team needs to learn specific skill sets during the virtual meeting, you can incorporate exercises, discussion topics, and real-world examples that can help them develop those skills.

1. Be sure to communicate details about the meeting/training well in advance.

Someone said that “luck is when preparation meets opportunity.” If you want the full participation and commitment of your team for the virtual meeting, you need to prepare. Be sure to consistently communicate meeting details and attendee benefits for showing up.

As many of us operate remotely and send out reminders, emailing and including the details in your company newsletter and message board will help ensure full participation.

1. Make it easy to access.

Your virtual meeting should be easily accessible, even for non-tech-savvy team members. Access and navigation should be simple and straightforward, and everyone should know how to log into the system to attend the live event or webinar.

Another alternative is to record the virtual event and upload it to the company’s website for future reference or for those who missed the live event. Also, some companies may prefer a recorded version to ensure there are no technology glitches for your live meeting.

1. Include polls, Q&A, and interactivity to drive engagement

Creating a virtual meeting or event is always enhanced when you include polls, Q&A opportunities, and attendee interactivity. Many times, the use of meeting rooms and pre-planned interactivity drive retention and ensure a positive experience and outcomes for attendees.

1. Foster and promote group collaboration on social media.

Social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn can be valuable tools to support collaboration and discussion before, during, and after the event.

Entertaining questions from people on the platform or watching the live stream enhance the meeting and encourage and motivate attendees to collaborate long after the event is over.

1. Avoid information overload.

When running a virtual meeting, it’s easy to want to pack 25 pounds of information into a 5-pound bag. That is an error! Try to keep the sessions as short as possible and include only the information that is necessary. It’s important to keep having fun to keep attendees engaged while staying on topic. I believe that if you follow these seven strategies for creating successful virtual meetings, you’ll find that your attendees are more engaged, motivated, and productive, even if they’re operating remotely.

Since 2006, Dr. Rick has successfully delivered virtual programs for his clients in the United States, South America, Asia, and Europe. Tea Solution-oriented virtual experience™ is a unique and powerful process designed to deliver phenomenal results, your team will be highly focused, refreshed and reinvigorated to serve your clients.