Virtual meetings can be daunting, especially if you don’t take the time to explore new ways to make them more exciting. In a virtual world, our calendars are constantly chalked full of meetings. We move from one to the next, rarely taking the time to engage, or dive in to the best of our abilities. 

If you want an engaged audience, spicing up your virtual meetings is a must. In this article, we’ll dive into 5 things that you can do today to prepare for excellent meetings tomorrow. 

1. Strike the perfect balance between talking and listening 

Gone are the days of boring meetings. Nothing is worse than a lengthy meeting with one speaker. Employees become disengaged and there’s little to no opportunity to foster impactful conversations that are necessary for remote teams to thrive. In today’s day and age where communication and collaboration are imperative, it’s now more important than ever to host meetings where everyone has the opportunity to contribute to the conversation. 

If employees don’t have the opportunity to participate, they may feel as though they aren’t valued or part of the team. While your needs may vary, research suggests that the meeting host or speaker should speak no more than 70% of the meeting and allow coworkers or teammates to converse, ask questions, and participate in the conversation during the remaining 30%. While it’s important that the host takes up no more than 70% of the meeting, that doesn’t mean that you can’t allocate more time to healthy discussions. To spice things up, you may want to consider extending the conversation in a virtual breakout room. 

2. Keep meetings short and effective 

Nothing is worse than an unnecessary lengthy meeting. Scheduling shorter meetings is one of the easiest things that you can do to ensure meetings are more invigorating than draining. Shorter meetings force you as the host in addition to meeting participants to remain on topic and move from one point to the next both quickly and efficiently. 

The shorter the meeting, the less time available to become distracted or tune out. When attendees are engaged, they are more inclined to participate and retain the information. In addition, if attendees are under the impression the meeting is only 15 or 20 minutes, they simply won’t waste time. They will proceed from one talking point to the next with conviction and will be more inclined to participate if there is an end in sight. 

3. Allow your teammates to socialize, when appropriate 

One of the major downfalls of remote work is not having the same opportunity to socialize as in-person employees. As a result, it’s extremely important to provide employees with the time they need to socialize. While you may create specific meetings designated to watercooler chats or virtual happy hours, you can also simply provide your employees with an extra 5 minutes before or after your regular meetings in which they can converse and catch up with their teammates. 

Failing to provide remote employees with opportunities to socialize can lead to feelings of isolation or disconnection. By providing your employees or teammates with opportunities to socialize in meetings, you boost morale and strengthen bonds between coworkers. While it may be difficult, avoiding the urge to stricture every talking point in your meetings will allow employees to form organic connections.  

If you wish to host an effective meeting while simultaneously providing your employees with the opportunity to chit chat, you may want to encourage your employees to arrive early or stay late. This way you can keep the conversation on track while still making it possible for your teammates to connect in real-time. As the meeting host, you can arrive to the meeting early to make sure your employees have access to the meeting room in order to chat with their teammates. 

4. Leverage engaging visuals 

Virtual meetings can be daunting or even boring when additional elements aren’t used to compliment the host. While you may be used to hosting meetings with little to no visual components, virtual meetings pose an excellent opportunity to let technology take the center stage. Whether it be interactive elements within your telecommunications software like polls or breakout rooms, or creating a slide deck in advance, leveraging visual components is crucial for hosting an effective, engaging meeting. Sharing your screen, uploading slides, or incorporating videos that complement the conversation are all great tactics that can be used to spice up your meeting while keeping your audience engaged. 

Tools like Remo help take the visual aesthetic of your meetings to new heights. Remo is an immersive virtual event and meeting platform that empowers users to recreate natural interactions in any type of gatherings, from global events to virtual meetings between colleagues. Where other telecommunication tools allow users to meet via videoconferencing, Remo empowers users to create customized virtual environments of all kinds including recreating your office building, your favorite beach, or even a nice cozy coffee shop! 

For the first time ever, you can create a stunning visual environment that compliments your meeting and keeps your audience engaged. Simply create your own custom environment or have an expert do it for you. With Remo, you can: 

• Create unique environments that foster communication and collaboration. 
• Craft virtual gathering spaces that are both functional and visually appealing.
• Create designs that align with your brand and speak to the unique needs of your event or gathering.

5. End your meeting on a high 

Spicing up your virtual meetings doesn’t have to be complicated. Employees want clear direction, positive feedback, and to feel valued, heard and understood. Finding ways to incorporate these positive practices into your meetings is a great way to foster positive interactions and a healthy work environment. Ending your meetings on a high is an excellent way to energize your team and boost morale.

There are numerous ways that you can end your meeting on a high including: 

• Shouting out valued team members 
• Performing a company chant or cheer 
• Ending with a breathing or meditation exercise 
• Providing positive reinforcement or a quick motivational message 
• Wrapping up with a riddle that participants can answer during the next meeting 

Ending your meetings on a high means your teammates will always have something to look forward to and will be more inclined to engage and participate from start to finish. This simple yet effective tactic is an excellent way to engage and energize your teammates during your next meeting. 

Are you ready to spice up your next virtual meeting? 

Remo is an immersive virtual event and meeting platform that empowers you to recreate natural interactions in any type of gathering, from global events to remote work meetings with your peers. Remo makes it possible for you to connect with others in real-time by providing you with the tools you need to immerse yourself in an event, host round table discussions, create a workshop, or brainstorm with your teammates. We’re transforming the way people around the world experience meetings by humanizing online interactions. Leverage Remo today to spice up your next virtual meeting.

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