Many employers opt to use online meeting software when their whole team isn’t available to meet onsite. However, these calls can easily become routine and boring—especially if it’s always the same two or three people giving their opinions.
One way to get your staff members more engaged in the process is by hosting a videoconference. The most obvious bonus is that your staff meeting is not as likely to devolve into a snooze-fest when everyone can see everyone else, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Consider these videoconferencing techniques to get your team more engaged:
- Face-to-face Q&A. If there has been a lack of communication between departments in the past, encourage open and honest questions from all members to each other. Nobody outside the department should be expected to know the inner workings, and the person asked is being given an opportunity to impart knowledge. Remember: your supervisors and managers will be more likely to speak, so ensuring that there “are no stupid questions” encourages everyone in the group to contribute.
- Check-in meetings. Videoconferencing cuts back considerably on travel time, so it can be used frequently with minimal disruption to the workday. If there never seems to be enough time to cover everything in your monthly meeting, consider having weekly check-in meetings to solve problems and have a question-and-answer session. These meetings keep projects moving and last only 15 or 30 minutes.
- Change leadership. One way to shake up the meeting is to change the structure—and that can mean handing over the reins. Ask one of your peers to host the next meeting, and see how responses change. You can also rotate hosting duties among department heads, or ask a different representative from each department to “guest host” a short (five-minute) segment each week.
At Casamo & Associates, we offer an array of services to help companies get the most our of their online meetings, seminars, and videoconferences. Contact us today to book our conference room, get technical help, or find out what else we can do to ensure your presentation goes smoothly.
