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You might ask yourself, “Are online meetings effective?” Here are some tips. Start by getting everyone on the same page by setting an objective for the meeting and allowing ample time for housekeeping. Keep people engaged by avoiding social loafing, distractions, and imperfect action. If you can manage all of these factors, you’ll have a productive virtual meeting that produces more value for everyone involved. And, remember to be patient!

Keeping people engaged

One way to keep your team engaged in an online meeting is to involve them in the discussion. You can do this by using icebreakers, team brainstorming exercises, polling tools, and chat features. Asking questions and being personally involved in the conversation is an excellent way to maintain engagement among team members. A simple quiz or poll is another effective way to engage your team. And if you don’t have time to hold a formal survey, use a simple poll to gauge participation.

Another way to engage your team is to use pre-work. If the majority of your participants will be sitting at the computer, allowing them to complete pre-work beforehand will save everyone’s time. Use the virtual meeting to collaborate and co-create rather than lecture them. This way, people will feel connected to the discussion and will be more inclined to participate in the virtual meeting. Moreover, using pre-work to make it more interactive and enjoyable for everyone will increase engagement levels.

Avoiding distractions

Whether you are attending an online meeting for work or for pleasure, a few simple tricks can help you avoid distractions. Close down non-essential applications on your computer, turn off Wi-Fi, and stay put during the meeting. Avoid reading email or self-deprecating tweets. Also, make sure to clean up your workspace to eliminate clutter. Distractions, such as social media, are a major source of distractions.

Try to avoid using applications to post photos, messages, or videos. While this is convenient, these can be distracting. If you’re preparing for a large online meeting, block websites you’re likely to use during the meeting. The more distractions you avoid, the better off you’ll be. Avoid allowing other people to interrupt you by informing them about the meeting. If you’re a remote worker, you’ll find it much easier to focus and avoid interruptions if you’re aware of your meeting.

Avoiding social loafing

To avoid social loafing in online meetings, make sure you understand the concept. Social loafing occurs when an individual chooses to perform a task without exerting as much effort as they could have if the task were assigned to them alone. It can affect the quality of the work being done and ultimately lead to burnout. To avoid social loafing, keep tasks to a minimum. If you need to collaborate on notes, try using an app such as Fellow.

Another effective way to avoid social loafing in online meetings is to assign specific tasks to team members. You can use a work management tool that will help you track responsibilities and the due dates of each task. You should also assign one person to each task so that they know exactly how each member contributes to each project. This way, you can minimize social loafing and keep everyone accountable for their work. In addition to this, you should create a task list for each team member to follow up on.

Imperfect action

If you want to increase the likelihood of your actions, you should discuss how you could have done it differently. A common example is having a “Yoda moment,” the final “speak now or forever hold your peace” moment. Think of it as a water-cooler type conversation. During the meeting, everyone can offer suggestions for how the meeting could have been improved. If there is room for improvement, try changing the way you approach the meeting.