From AA Spark: Adapting to the Virtual Working World

The COVID-19 global situation has many companies and organizations asking employees to maintain business continuity through virtual working tools. To aid employees in effectively conducting daily business in the virtual world, here are some tips for running effective remote meetings and resources for further information.

TIPS FOR ORGANIZERS

  • Ask yourself, “Do we need this meeting? What is the purpose? What decisions need to be made?”
  • Focus scope on collaboration and discussion.
  • Have an agenda and report-out information.
  • Send out agenda and report-outs ahead of time, when possible, so people can review.
  • Invite only necessary stakeholders.
  • Assign a facilitator.

TIPS FOR ATTENDEES

  • Check meeting notice for virtual meeting platform to ensure you have it, download if needed
  • Read meeting agenda and do any prereading of additional report-out information
  • Understand who the other attendees are and what your deliverable is
  • Make sure you allow yourself enough time to connect to meetings, both audio and video.
  • Use video if you can, try to mimic an in-person meeting as much as possible
  • Use headphones to reduce feedback – preferably with a built-in mic

FACILITATION

  • Provide background and agenda in the meeting invite.
  • Include the driver-friendly call-in number.
  • Don’t double book for key stakeholders — check calendars.
  • Provide enough lead time so people can download virtual application used if they don’t have it.
  • Be mindful of other’s schedules especially if the meeting goes across multiple time zones.
  • Call on people to reduce anxiety and ensure even participation.
  • Be mindful of business culture differences across the world.

ETIQUETTE

  • Be present on video.
  • Greet team on the call.
  • Make introductions if needed.
  • Make sure you are in a quiet place.
  • Place yourself on mute if there is noise in the background.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Avoid brightly lit windows so that you are easier to see on video meetings.
  • Wear neutral, solid-colored clothing. Avoid black, white, patterned, or striped clothing.

REMOTE WORK RESOURCES

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