Online meetings are nothing new. A way to connect and do business with those on the other side of the world, online meetings can take many forms, from video to audio and even text. However although it may seem easy and simple to set up, there are steps you must take to ensure your next online meeting is a success. So here’s three strategies to employ to build your next online meeting:

Build relationships

Everyone is a new colleague at some point in their working life, so it’s important to ensure relationships are built with these before the meeting takes place. Drop an email to a new colleague to introduce yourself and create an overview of what you do at the company and what you are responsible for. It’s also worth highlighting what you expect from them over the course of the next few weeks or months. This will give them a goal to aim for and allow them to have a bigger input in the online meeting – where individuals can get lost. If everyone in the meeting is experienced at the company, it’s still an idea to open up dialogue before the meeting to ensure the two-way communication lines are open.

Create and distribute an agenda

As with all meetings, it can be easy to go off plan. But when an online meeting is concerned, the chances of this happening are even higher as there’s no one to pull it back in. Creating an agenda before the meeting and distributing it a few days before allows everyone involved to think about their position and plan what angle they are going to take. This will ensure a smoother and more on plan way of working.

Give everyone the chance to air their views

There’s a reason everyone was included in the meeting, so it’s imperative everyone has the chance to speak. Creating a checklist of everyone in attendance and asking those who have had very little airtime to chip in will guarantee meeting success. After all, you don’t want to waste talent and good ideas just because someone isn’t sat in front of you.

Online meetings can work incredibly well, but a little more thought does need to be taken to ensure they are as productive as they can be.

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