3 Quick Tips for Leading Virtual Meetings

by Amy Glass | Sep 2, 2021 | Virtual Meetings

I recently came across A LinkedIn Pulse article, “You’re On Mute” – Tips for Leading Effective Virtual Meetings, that reminded me of something that happened to a colleague a few years ago — long before virtual meetings became the norm.

A Common Mistake

The issues that Mary ran into have not changed. She’d been recently promoted. As part of her new job duties, she facilitated a weekly sales meeting with regional sales staff – all done by conference call.

As the weeks went by, Mary began to notice that people joined the call later and later. Whenever the weekly meeting came up in conversation, it was increasingly obvious that no one was happy with them – and, in fact, considered them a waste of time. She finally pulled two sales managers aside to determine what was happening.

It turned out that Mary was making a common mistake for people new to management positions: She was trying to be too nice. If people were late joining the call, she made everyone either wait “just a few more minutes before we get started.” Or she tried to catch-up the ones who joined late, wasting everyone’s time who had been punctual. As a result, everyone was joining later and later to avoid hanging around waiting for the meeting to actually start.

Once she realized the problem, Mary made sure to begin the meetings promptly. She told the team it was their individual responsibility to catch up on what they might have missed if they arrived late. Mary also started using an agenda to keep the meeting on track. Soon, things began to change. Fewer and fewer people joined the call late each week, and the meetings became a productive way to keep everyone updated on team priorities.

How can you show leadership in virtual meetings – and the even more challenging phone meetings?

Here are 3 quick tips for leading virtual meetings:

1. Remember, your primary role is tolead. Focus on what needs to be accomplished. Use a meeting agenda and confirm next action steps when needed.
2. Stick to the schedule.Start and end on time. If attendees are chronically late to meetings, speak to them one-on-one. Letting it slide will just perpetuate the problem.
3. Call on people by name.It keep your attendees on their toes! At the same time, you don’t want to put someone “on the spot” – so say their name first; then ask the question. For example, “Steve, you’ve been dealing with this issue as well. What are your thoughts about the recent updates?”

You can also download our Meeting Planner, designed to help you consider your objectives, attendees/stakeholders, agenda, and next steps.

Facilitating virtual meetings is a critical skill for team leaders. To learn more about developing this skill, check out BRODY’s Meeting Facilitation training or Contact Us to discuss a customized training for your team.