Not too many people enjoy online web meetings. In order to have less, each meeting should be as efficient as possible. A key factor in meeting efficiency is engagement from your participants. In this post, we will talk about the 10 tips to boost your engagement during online web meetings.
Start or End the online meeting with a joke.
This humor-loving writer strongly believes that starting with a joke would swiftly get the attention of your attendees. Here’s an example: “How many employees does it take to fix an echo? No, seriously someone fix that echo or you’re all fired.”
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Pay attention to subtle things. Day of the week, meeting times and attendee schedules can all factor into their attention spans. Keep meetings as short as possible with engaging conversations and visual aids to keep people fresh.
Clearly State the Agenda of the Online Meeting.
Organization is important. The moderator of the meeting should list out all topics to be discussed. You can do that in the beginning of the meeting, or put it in the agenda section of your meeting invites.
Encourage an interactive atmosphere.
The moderator should give roles to all attendees on what to input on your meeting topics. While they can decline, call on people to speak. Before moving to another subject, call on people for input. Make sure they are not on mute.
Candy Crush.
Eating Candy encourages engagement, even in this case they have to provide it themselves. Each participant eats a piece of candy when a keyword is used, helping them pay attention and get a sugar rush.
They can decline, but call on them.
If the moderator calls on people to speak, everyone will be more involved. This would put the necessary pressure on attendees to pay attention, as well showing a sign of respect for everyone’s opinion.
Take notes.
Why do students take notes during a lecture? To retain information and participate in their education. The same concept applies here, have your attendees take notes for the online meeting and post-meeting.
Look for signals that people send when they want to speak.
Some people (like me) might be too shy to interject during an online web meeting. Doesn’t mean our opinions are any less valuable. If only the moderator can give us a nod.
Leave some results to negotiations.
Conclusions of the meeting topics can sometimes be negotiated. Show your attendees that their opinions matter by giving them a vote, an argument, or even the deciding factor. It will definitely help engagement at the next meeting.
Simplify the decision making.
In the interest of time and efficiency, the decision-making process should be as smooth as possible. The moderator should have a process of driving to that decision easily whether it’s a vote, clear choices or a schedule.
