Hosting an effective meeting takes planning to ensure the right stakeholders are in attendance and that clearly defined meeting goals have been communicated prior to the meeting. Well-run meetings are a great tool for sharing knowledge and solving problems while keeping everyone in sync. At their best, they increase employee engagement and strengthen work teams. At their worst, they cause frustration around unclear work objectives and clashes with colleagues.

Not being able to physically meet together creates challenges that stem from not being able to read body language, participants not being fully attentive, and fear of silence.

In order to get the most out of your virtual meeting experience, practice the following tips:

1. Use video. Showing up on video makes people feel like they are all at the same meeting. Also, it is more difficult to be distracted by email and other activities if you are present on video. While you should always provide an audio dial-in option for participants with weak internet connections, make it clear that being on video with cameras on (if possible) is expected. Showing up on video allows people to see each other’s facial expressions and to read body language.

Best video practices: Turn camera on; mute when not speaking; sit close to webcam using an angle that shows your face and shoulders and not just your forehead or up your nose; use a background or blur the background to minimize distractions (like an unmade bed); avoid eating when your video is on.

Tech hint: Microsoft Teams allows you to preview what your video will look like before joining. Click your Profile bubble (top right)  > Settings > Devices > Camera to see Preview. In Zoom, if the ‘always show video preview’ box has been checked, you will be prompted about video before joining, which shows you how the video will look.

2. Stick to meeting basics. Prior to the meeting, set clear objectives. Just like for in-person meetings, follow a meeting agenda that includes a timeline and any accountabilities. For virtual meetings, minimize presentation length. The only thing worse than a long, drawn-out presentation is one given virtually. Provide background information prior to the meeting, allowing ample time for pre-review.

Meeting basic besties: Set rules of engagement like using chat, unmuting, or raising virtual hands; stick to meeting objectives and park new topics for future discussion; assign a note taker to capture outcomes.

3. Assign a facilitator. Consider assigning a facilitator to read information in the chat and to call on persons who have raised their virtual hands. This allows for the person running the meeting to focus on the content yet assures that all voices are heard. The facilitator can also create a parking lot list of items to be addressed in future meetings.

Facilitator besties: An ideal facilitator can answer questions about the technology being used and how to overcome technical issues.

4. Encourage participation. Encourage participation by using polling features and calling on people. Polling allows the facilitator to gather a quick pulse in the absence of visual cues. Avoid asking open-ended questions to the whole group and waiting for one person to respond. Instead, call on people by name to encourage participation and to avoid having multiple people speak at once. Calling on people gives individuals a chance to speak without being talked over and will give everyone the opportunity to provide input.

Participation best practices: Go around the ‘table’ when calling on participants or have participants raise virtual hands when they want to contribute.

5. Get comfortable with silence. Silence during a meeting, especially a virtual meeting, is awkward. That said, silence allows participants to think and process prior to contributing. Instead of thinking of silence as something to be avoided and chastising attendees for not participating, ask participants what they are thinking about.

Silence besties: View silence as a sign of hard-working minds and avoid filling the silent void with chit-chat.

In summary, facilitate and participate with the virtual environment in mind. Most of all, be gracious with each other during these trying times.

Information sourced from Harvard Business Review, What it takes to run a great virtual meeting