As your business grows, you can transition part or all of your staff to a remote work environment. Going remote has many benefits, including saving on overhead and increasing productivity in your workforce. Day-to-day tasks and responsibilities might feel similar, even when accomplished remotely. Things can get complicated when you need to gather everyone together. Using a virtual meeting agenda template can help you stay organized while working remotely. Read on for an accessible overview of planning and approving virtual meeting agendas.
Set What Needs To Be Discussed
When you plan your virtual meeting agenda, you should set what needs to be discussed like you would if meeting in person. Even though you're going to meet in a virtual space, you still have to consider the primary elements of an effective meeting, which include:
Priorities
Goals
Time
Structure
The best meetings are specific, organized, and timely. When planning your meeting agenda, the worst thing you can do is underestimate how long it will take to get through the content. If that happens, you'll exceed your allotted time, leading to missed meetings and frustrated team members. If you can't fit everything you want to discuss in one meeting, let your team know that you'll have to meet more regularly to get through the content and achieve your goals.
Who Is Presenting
A key aspect of your virtual meeting agenda relates to who is presenting. If you work with bigger teams, each team needs to dedicate a single presenter from the group who will communicate the team's updates during the meeting. This process works well for everyone involved because the person who needs to present can prepare for the meeting and feel comfortable in the virtual space.
If you are scheduling a meeting with a top-down structure, where you need to do a lot of the talking yourself, there are a few ways to diversify who is speaking. Consider delegating some of the burdens of presenting to other management team members, or break up your presentation with a few interactive activities that get everyone involved.
Create an Agenda Ahead of Time
While some meetings happen last minute, creating and approving your agenda beforehand is best. Even though virtual meetings might feel more casual, you should set a professional standard for your organization and treat each meeting, whether online or in person, as an important event.
When you create an agenda early, the people involved in the meeting will have ample time to prepare reports and strategize their presentation style. Your employees will be much happier if they don't have to stay up late the night before a meeting to throw together slides about their progress.
Get Agenda Approved
Once you have a complete draft of the agenda for the virtual meeting, you'll want to get it approved. It's best to start on this step, as your agenda may have to change based on the needs of other teams or new updates from management. If you're setting up a two- to a three-hour meeting involving multiple teams, get approval from the appropriate person in each group and follow your organization's existing chain of command.
Remember to clearly state a deadline for when you need a response about the meeting agenda. When people get busy, they tend to skim emails and mentally set aside tasks that seem less important. Place the suggested deadline in the subject line for maximum impact.
Virtual meetings can be more relaxed and effective than in-person meetings. Find out how to create a customized virtual background with Custom Virtual Office so you can present your company with pride.
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