Long before COVID-19 made working from home mandatory and the preferable choice for a lot of employees, remote videoconferencing was already well on its way to becoming a fast-growing trend across various business sectors.
As we live in uncertain times due to the pandemic, COVID-19 has proven human beings can be incredibly innovative and resourceful when the occasion calls for it. Videoconferencing technology is a proof of that.
Despite most working from home, some key office personnel such as management staff may still be required to come into office every day. Consequently, videoconferencing provides top-level executives with the ability to easily communicate with their remote working staff—but only if it’s executed correctly.
Here is a list of our top tips to help you keep your videoconferencing meeting professional and productive:
1. Select a Reliable and Secure Videoconferencing Platform
Whether your videoconferencing meeting involves two people or two dozen people, you need a reliable and secure platform to ensure strong network connectivity and privacy.
Software providers give you the option of encrypting your meetings with password access-only setups to prevent uninvited guests from trying to get into your virtual meeting. Schedule the meeting for a specific date and time. Then, create a virtual waiting room area where early attendees will have to wait until the meeting starts.
2. Set a Meeting Agenda
Setting an agenda ahead of time keeps your meeting on track, ensures organization, and guarantees that all attendees are always on the same page. Maintaining control of large meetings can be difficult as it is, but doing so virtually comes with its own set of unique challenges.
Technical difficulties and lack of concentration are just two of the challenges you may face. Planning out the meeting ahead of time and sending out a memo about what the topic of the meeting will be gives people plenty of time to prepare and do the necessary research.
3. Make Sure Your Technology Is Working
It is crucial to check to make sure that all of your equipment is in working condition prior to the meeting. Make sure you have strong Internet connectivity to avoid getting disconnected partway through the meeting. Give yourself plenty of time to setup and test out the equipment before the meeting in case there are any kinks that need to be worked out ahead of time.
4. Treat Videoconferencing Like a Normal Business Meeting
At the moment, things may not be business as usual right now, but you still have to maintain an air of professionalism when holding or attending business meetings. For example, if you’re working from home, make sure you dress for the occasion- and yes no cheating! Your bottom half does need to match.
5. Use the Mute Button
I think we can all agree that mute button is not something we have had to use before COVID-19, but it is a godsend for virtual meetings. When other colleagues are speaking, turn on the mute button to avoid any background noises from your end. Also, the mute button prevents people from talking over each other which happens very often on videoconferencing calls.
By following these top tips, you’re guaranteed a successful videoconference call.
