How to have impactful meetings in the future

Learning how to host and participate in impactful virtual and hybrid meetings will be one of the most important competitive advantages you can give yourself in this new world of work.

Why?

A worrying (but not surprising) statistic: We are having 250% more meetings every day than before the pandemic, according to Microsoft research. Another Reclaim.ai study of 15,000 people showed that we spend more than half of our standard workweek in meetings, for an impressive total of 21.5 hours (an increase of 7.3 hours per week since the beginning of the pandemic).

Many of us have probably seen an increase in the number of meetings on our calendar since the world became remote and then hybrid. So these numbers are certainly not too shocking.

However, the problem is not the number of meetings. These are bad meetings.

Meetings must not disappear from our work culture. They are essential for collaborating and building relationships. But the increase in the number of meetings has apparently been correlated with a decrease in the quality of meetings, which means that presenters show up unprepared, participants multitask, and decisions are postponed to another meeting because no clear objective is defined at the start.

Fortunately, many offices are looking at the benefits of remote and hybrid working. Nevertheless, times are changing and our meetings - which are the lifeblood of any business - should also change accordingly.

Here are some best practices to consider for improving collaboration and future online meetings:

ALWAYS HAVE AN AGENDA AND AN OBJECTIVE

One of the biggest meeting faux pas is not planning for meetings in advance. I've been in countless meetings where someone wants to "have a talk" about something. Unfortunately, the topic isn't thought out in advance, and there's no structure to the call, so conversations get off topic, and it's unclear what we're supposed to accomplish. /p>

Enter: Calendars.

Determine what you want to solve, then put it at the top of your agenda: it's the overall goal you want to achieve. Then, determine the topics of discussion necessary to achieve this goal - these are your topics on the agenda. This will prevent meetings from going off the rails and force the host to think about the meeting before clicking "Join Call".

It's also a good idea to get feedback from attendees for the agenda. This immediately creates a more collaborative meeting, gives everyone a voice, and helps the meeting leader manage the agenda effectively.

Did you receive a meeting invite without an agenda? Politely push back and ask for one, or ask how you can contribute or what you can prepare ahead of time to make sure the host thinks about the meeting before joining you.

If you're having trouble creating your agenda or setting a clear goal, this may indicate that this is more of a status update than a discussion. Try replacing the meeting with an asynchronous form of communication, such as email or recorded video.

ENJOY ASYNC COMMUNICATIONS

Speaking of asynchrony – its intended use is to replace meetings that require one person to talk to everyone instead of those that require input and collaboration. Better yet, try asynchronous video.

This type of video is a particularly effective means of communication because it more accurately reflects the message you're trying to convey and your tone (compared to an email or Slack message where things can get lost in translation ). They also put a face to the name and can create a stronger sense of connection. Examples of asynchronous videos can be status updates, announcements and product presentations.

Additionally, async allows your team to watch or view content when it's convenient for them, regardless of their time zone. Where you can provide more flexibility and allow teams to work when they want. If you're more productive, you end up with a happier team. And who doesn't want that?

CREATE AN EXPERIENCE

Are you still using free screen sharing...