Meetings have gone online and most aren’t going back to a conference table. That’s fine, but it doesn’t mean we’re good at online meetings yet. A lot of us continue to struggle with how to keep our Zooms and Meets running smoothly as we stare out at all the faces in boxes.
At Jute, we’ve been a remote company since day one and have thought a lot about how to run virtual meetings well. Here’s what we’ve learned.
Every Meeting Deserves an Audit
Sometimes people meet simply because they don’t know what else to do. But your answers to these questions might offer some hints about whether your meeting is worth it.
- What if your meeting were an email? Sometimes people call meetings because they want to tell other people something. If that’s you, then consider telling it in an email.
- What if one meeting covered multiple projects? Each meeting interrupts other work and can delay a person’s ability to get back to important tasks. Rather than calling a lot of little meetings, you might be able to save time and focus by consolidating meetings into a roundup that covers more (possibly in less time).
- Does your meeting need more prep? An agenda is a must. Without an agenda, people tend to wander. Project meetings could also benefit from a status sheet that allows you to tick through items one-by-one.
- Who needs to be at this meeting? You may be wasting someone’s time by always inviting them even when they’re not heavily involved in a particular project.
If you decide to make changes based on your meeting audit, communicate those changes with your teams. Share your thinking and encourage others to consider making their meetings leaner.
Don’t Skip the “First Five”
Yes, lean meetings are a worthy goal, but we’re all still human and hearts matter, too. Establish the first five minutes of every meeting as a time to check in. Allow space for your team to share what’s on their mind or just catch up. Not everyone will want to talk about themselves, and that’s fine. Let folks know they’re free to join five minutes late.
Assign Meeting Leaders
When a meeting has a leader, there’s no confusion about who’s responsible for keeping everyone on task. A good meeting leader should:
- Align with leadership on the goals of the meeting and communicate them as they kick off the conversation (or prior even).
- Establish and circulate the meeting agenda, which should include expectations and roles so that attendees can prepare as needed.
- Let people know how to add items to the agenda.
- Manage time according to the agenda, keeping the conversation focused and productive.
- Make an effort to include people in the conversation who may have useful insights but are reluctant to speak up.
- Circulate efficient meeting notes to attendees and influencers. (The meeting leader can assign an attendee to take notes, but should simplify them into a scannable and actionable summary before sending them out.)
- Serve as go-to for questions and follow up.
Discourage Multitasking
People who are only half-listening while they type out an email or send calendar invites might as well not be there. If it’s important enough to meet, then everyone needs to give their full attention as full participants.
Establish Flexible Meeting Guidelines
Individual workdays are increasingly flexible to allow people to get work done amid their complex lives. But when everyone is on their own schedule, it can be hard to meet. It’s helpful to establish expectations that make it easy for folks to coordinate and collaborate. Guidelines can include:
- Setting company “meeting hours” (i.e., between 9-11 and 1-3) to accommodate for parents juggling kids at home.
- Allowing attendees to join video calls audio only, when needed.
- Allowing attendees to leave meetings if/when it becomes apparent they aren’t needed, or their part of the meeting is over.
- Soliciting team feedback. What does everyone need to make remote meetings comfortable and productive?
There’s No Perfect Meeting
Meetings can get messy, confusing, even frustrating. That’s often why you’re having a meeting. You’re dealing with something complex and aren’t going to get easy answers no matter how you run your meetings. What you don’t want is for your meetings to be barriers to people doing their best work. A meeting is a tool. The more you put into making your meetings productive, the better people can use this tool to accomplish their goals.