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How To Run an Effective Virtual Meeting
Studies found if the hosts utilize meetings appropriately, they can reduce the time spent in meetings by 25%, translating into huge savings.
Like many of you, I lost track of time spent in virtual meetings this year. Thousands of hours are spent online, connecting with clients and teammates across timezone. There are often some meetings showing up in our calendar that we are unsure why we are invited in the first place or what the group would like to achieve in the 60 minutes.
Until recently, while I have started working with a senior manager (let’s call him Scott) remotely, I observed how a meeting host could boost efficiency by structuring a conversation within an hour. The way he drives a meeting inspires me to reflect on my current meeting etiquette, especially when everyone is jumping in and out from different calls all the time.
1. Make sure everyone knows everyone
In a virtual call, we may tend to invite more people to join, given that you don’t have any physical limitations. As usual, you may find some people turn off their cameras, and some have a very noisy background behind them. You would be tempted to skip the introduction part and head straight to the conversation.