So you’re hosting your first virtual meeting, but after seeing all the disasters on social media, you’re unsure you can pull it off. Will you mistakenly turn yourself into a potato, expose yourself to your colleagues, forget to hit mute when your kid comes in the room, or worse? Not to mention bombing your presentation or failing to get your point across. There’s just so much that could go wrong. While you want your virtual meeting to be a hit, chances are you don’t want it to be for some careless mistake.
How do you ensure this doesn’t happen to you? Although mistakes happen, you can take steps to host a successful video conference.
Select The Appropriate Video Conference Platform
There are multiple video conference platforms available for business professionals to host meetings. Ultimately, you want to select the software that’s easiest to use and compatible with other programs you may use during your session. As most video conference platforms are free to use, consider trying them out to see which one works best. You can also get meeting attendees’ opinions or check out online reviews to assist you in making an informed decision.
Get To Know The Software
Once you’ve selected a platform for your virtual meeting, play around with it to ensure you know it inside out. The more familiar you are with its features, the less chance you have of running into technical errors on the day of your meeting. Enlist a few employees to host a mock meeting so they can provide feedback and point out any complications that need to be worked out before your scheduled event.
Prepare And Send Meeting Materials In Advance
Having meeting materials like the agenda, PowerPoint presentations, charts, financial reports, or forms beforehand enables participants to get a general idea of what will be discussed. Hence, they’re on the same page. They can conduct necessary research, jot down notes, and prepare questions.
Sending out materials before the meeting also saves time. For instance, if there are forms, questionnaires, or simulations for guests to complete, they can do it ahead of time. Finally, preparing and forwarding materials in advance provides you with an opportunity to troubleshoot any issues (clerical errors, damaged files, missing information, etc.).
Choose The Best Location And Background
The last thing you want is to host a meeting in a location that’s distracting to you or the other participants. Whether you’re conducting the session from home, at a nearby cafe, a park, or a conference room, ensure that it is free from distractions. That could include televisions, running water, kids, or simply a bunch of traffic. As for the background, ensure that it’s something professional or, at the very least, unoffensive or disturbing. Some video conferencing applications have digital backgrounds you can use if you prefer.
Test Your Tech
Before the meeting begins, test your technology and accessories, including the internet connection, laptop, camera, lighting, and any software you plan to use during the session. You want to ensure that everything is working efficiently, so there aren’t any interruptions during the meeting.
Dress The Part
Rather than be worried you might get caught on camera with a suit jacket and pajama pants, it’s best to dress for the video conference just as you would an in-person meeting. If you’re worried about how it will look on camera, play around with outfits in front of the screen to see which selections suit you best.
Follow-Up
Last but certainly not least, ensure that you follow up with participants after your video conference. You can get feedback for future sessions and provide them with meeting minutes to ensure everyone remembers key points and tasks.
While hosting any meeting comes with a bit of pressure, it doesn’t compare to the stress of a virtual conference. As you can see from the many examples amid the pandemic, many things can go wrong. Fortunately, you can minimize the risks and pull off a successful gathering by using the suggestions listed above.
