COVID-19, civil unrest, and the global economic downturn have opened many people’s eyes to the need to bring people together and make systemic changes. This vital work requires that everyone act boldly. How can online meetings foster that boldness? Below are five sure-fire recommendations to make online meetings more effective, engaging, and inclusive.

1. Start well to foster psychological safety and bring people together

• Whenever you plan a meeting, consider how you want participants to feel. In The Art of Gathering, Priya Parker includes a vivid example of what not to do, when she describes a funeral that starts with an announcement about parking rather than heartfelt words honoring the deceased.
• Instead of starting with logistics, greet people warmly. Take time for introductions and icebreakers. Set or review shared agreements, as needed. Encourage people to turn on their video if they feel comfortable. Acknowledge that interruptions by family members, pets, and other circumstances are bound to occur for those working from home.

2. Set meeting goals and invite feedback to increase buy-in and reduce “Zoom burnout”

• Why are you meeting? Before the meeting, define and share the meeting goals in your agenda.
• Once people gather, ask them to agree to those goals and share their own individual goals. For example, depending on the group size, people could answer, “What are you hoping to get out of today’s meeting?” either aloud or in the chat box.
• To engage everyone’s minds, write agenda items phrased as a question. For example, the agenda topic of “Improving our meetings” becomes “How can we make our meetings better?”
• Decide how to measure the meeting’s success. Many platforms have a polling function. Post one or two simple questions for attendees to respond to, such as “Did you get what you needed from today’s meeting?” or “How would you rate the meeting from 1 to 5?”

3. Maximize small group and paired listening to make active participation the default

• It’s easy for people to be passive or to multitask in any large group, but particularly online ones. Small groups, by contrast, allow people to connect and contribute more easily.
• Breakout groups can work well, even when the groups or pairs last only 3 to 5 minutes. To avoid drop offs, have the moderator remind people that their participation is valuable.

4. Unleash creativity to see more smiling faces

• Creating play and fun online takes many forms.
• Some activities that can work for online meetings include: Zoom games, dance music, icebreakers, jokes, props like silly hats, social hours, contests, virtual whiteboard collaboration, or virtual backgrounds.

5. Share the work to make your meetings sing

• Give people another reason to fully tune in.
• Assign roles like co-facilitator, chat moderator, tech meeting host, tech problem solver, break/stretch captain, timekeeper, notetaker, small group facilitator, guest speaker, or photographer.

As you work to improve your online meetings, share the Employee E-tips below called “Want to enjoy online meetings? Here’s how.”

To access more highly recommended online resources and bonus tips, see the unabridged LinkedIn version of these E-tips. While you’re there, leave a comment to let us know what you found most useful.

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Click here to read this month's E-tips for your employees: "Want to enjoy online meetings? Here's how."

To share these E-tips with employees, you can:  

• Email the E-tips document to your staff as an attachment. 1) Click the link to download and save the E-tips to your computer. 2) Add your organization's logo in the bottom left corner. 3) Then send it as an email attachment to staff. 
• Print the document once you've added your organization's logo and post it in a common area in your workplace.
• Copy and paste the text into your organization's newsletter.

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