The restrictions associated with Covid-19 have significantly changed the life of every person. However, changes have not bypassed the management bodies in large companies. Many senior managers have had to conduct meetings online. Fortunately, now there are specialized tools for this – management portals. However, running a board meeting with such a program is a real art. The tips below will help you figure out how to run quality online meetings.
Stick to the timing
Share the plan with colleagues. Try to stick to your “timing” during the meeting. You need to curtail the debate when you see the discussion dragging on. As an option, we propose to meet separately on this issue because of its particular importance.
Give each participant a say
At the beginning of the meeting, giving each participant the floor will be helpful. A short message from each will suffice. For example, by putting a specific topic on the plan, you can ask employees if they have ever encountered a similar one. In addition, you can simply ask to share the last week’s most exciting or essential event. This will help to include participants in the process immediately.
Use chat for feedback
During the meeting, you can use the chat for feedback and small surveys to not fill the air with voice comments. However, ensure that the discussion does not turn into a conversation – do not lose the audience’s attention. Participants can get carried away by correspondence and turn off the agenda.
Warn that silence = consent
Warn interlocutors that their silence in discussing options for action on critical issues will automatically be interpreted as agreement with the decision proposed by the facilitator. It doesn’t matter if the employee was silent, nodded, or was distracted by an important call and dropped out of the discussion. However, this rule does not apply to the process of assigning tasks as part of a follow-up plan. It is not recommended to “cut” the action plan for absent people. Ideally, the employee assigns tasks and deadlines for himself per the general scheme. If a participant has technical problems, he must, if possible, notify about this, for example, via cellular communication.
Speak clearly and loudly
Keep the pace of speech slower than in everyday conversation. As part of public speaking, we unconsciously speed up, so it makes sense to slow ourselves down to speak naturally and convincingly artificially. Recitative is appropriate for rap battles.
Avoid vicious disputes and raised tones
Do not let yourself be drawn into vicious disputes or discussions in raised tones. Especially if it is not directly related to the agenda of the meeting. You will lose time and look pale in the eyes of the participants. Even if you are 100% right and win the argument, your image will inevitably suffer when the working meeting becomes a bazaar of swearing. Instead, demonstrate gently but confidently that you are the forum leader and that you ultimately determine what will be discussed and for how long in the allotted time.
At the same time, it is not recommended to follow the plan blindly. Suppose, during the discussion, the audience stumbles upon an important issue relevant to the topic. In that case, it should not be brushed aside as not included in the original meeting plan. You’ve laid a margin of time for force majeure, haven’t you?