Effective Virtual Meetings in 2024

With remote meetings now the norm, here’s a guide on running effective virtual meetings, including remote meeting tips from experts.

For businesses around the world, it looks like online meetings are here to stay. For the foreseeable future, virtual meetings won’t be the poor relation of face-to-face meetings. Instead, remote meetings will be the norm.

In this new context, it’s important for businesses to know what a virtual meeting is and how to conduct an online meeting effectively.

In this guide, I’ll share information on how to hold remote meetings. You’ll learn effective meeting strategies and virtual meeting tips from experts. By the end, you’ll have new virtual meeting ideas and will know how to make your own online meetings more effective.

What Is a Virtual Meeting?

Virtual meetings are meetings that take place online. They typically involve two or more people, and use audio, video, chat, and online applications.

Types of Virtual Meetings

There are several types of online business meetings you can have, such as teleconferencing, video conferencing, and web conferencing. Here’s a basic description of each type:

Teleconferencing

Teleconferencing is a common type of remote meeting. It consists of a conference call where participants dial in to a predetermined number and is audio-only. Since most people have phones, teleconferences are easy to set up. The downside is that, unlike other types of virtual meetings, you won’t be able to see people’s facial expressions when they speak.

Video Conferencing

Videoconferencing is exactly what it sounds like: a conference call with video. It allows people to interact live face-to-face, enabling you to read facial expressions. These are important when assessing what people say.

Web Conferencing

Traditionally, web conferencing included video but was focused more on information sharing. Web conferencing software made it easy to screen share, annotate information, show presentations, and more.

It’s worth noting that these days, the lines are blurred between web conferencing and video conferencing. Most modern apps allow people to share screens, documents, presentations, and more. And many video conferencing apps give people dial-in numbers so they can access meetings via their phones.

Benefits of Virtual Meetings

Why are more workplaces holding electronic meetings? In part, it’s because virtual meetings have several business benefits.

Here are some of the business benefits of remote meetings:

1. Location Flexibility: Facilitating online business meetings means that participants’ location is no longer a barrier to holding a meeting. You can have meetings with the best people to help your business, no matter where they are.
2. Cost Reduction: Businesses that use remote meetings more regularly can reduce their travel budget. When employees travel to meetings, you need to cover a range of travel expenses, from air or train fare to hotel rooms. If you only meet face-to-face when it’s essential, those costs virtually disappear.
3. Increased Flexibility: Online meetings allow for more flexibility because you don’t have to account for travel time when setting up the meeting.
4. Building Relationships: For companies where remote work is already the norm, virtual meetings are a great way to build relationships and rapport among widely dispersed team members.

Considerations for Holding Online Meetings

When considering how to hold remote meetings, here are a few issues to bear in mind:

• Attention spans differ. Most people find it difficult to stay alert during a meeting that lasts for hours. If people have several meetings in a day, they might suffer from Zoom fatigue and zone out altogether.
• Since you’ll see most people from the neck up, you won’t be able to fully read body language. This can make it difficult to tell how people are receiving and reacting to information shared in the meeting.
• People often jump in with contributions in a face-to-face meeting, but studies have shown that they tend to be more passive in virtual meetings.

Tips to Combat Zoom Fatigue

Moon Danipog, Strategic and Organizational Communications practitioner, has the following tips for meeting participants to battle Zoom fatigue: 

“You can switch your video off. Some people are just camera shy and not comfortable showing their faces virtually for a long time. This could increase their level of stress while on an online meeting. If you are this kind of person, remember that you always have the option to switch off the video and engage with audio only.”

“Take a break to take it all in. A common mistake that people make is to engage in another Zoom call right after the previous one. This is definitely exhausting. Give yourself some time to review your notes and check what needs your attention. Pause and breathe. Take your eyes off the screen. Drink water or take your meal!”

Tips for Running Successful Meetings

Here are some remote meeting tips to help you run a successful meeting:

1. Keep virtual meetings short, so participants are more likely to be alert and engaged.
2. Be wary of scheduling several online meetings back to back.
3. Limit your expectations: though effective, virtual meetings don’t work identically to face-to-face meetings.
4. Break up the meeting content with interactive elements.

Speaker Justin Hale emphasizes on Harvard Business Review:

“Never go longer than 5 minutes without giving the group another problem to solve. Participants are in rooms scattered hither and yon with dozens of tempting distractions. If you don’t sustain a continual expectation of meaningful involvement, they will retreat into that alluring observer role.”

Recommended Virtual Meeting Software for 2024

What kind of software should you use to hold a virtual meeting in 2024? There are several options to choose from. Some of the most popular options include:

• Zoom
• Google Meet
• Skype
• Microsoft Teams
• GoToMeeting

I personally use Zoom. It has a good free plan that’s useful for meetings of up to 40 minutes and allows automatic meeting recording.

Microsoft Teams integrates online meeting options with chat (like Slack). It also allows you to blur your background, which is useful when working from home.

Google Meet, the successor to Google Hangouts, allows you to start a meeting with a couple of clicks.

If you’re looking for an enterprise solution, GoToMeeting has a wealth of features for meetings, webinars, and more.

To find the ideal video conferencing software, see our article outlining the top options:

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Scheduling Meetings Across Time Zones

One challenge when creating virtual meetings is dealing with time zones. If you’re using Google Calendar, the default is to let you see times in your local time zone and one other. Here are a couple of options:

• Use External Software: Tools like Calendly and Book Like a Boss allow everyone to see meeting times in their own time zone.
• Online Tools: Use web tools like Every Time Zone or World Time Buddy for an at-a-glance view of global times.
• Centralized Time: Many remote teams set meeting times in the middle of the day Eastern Time to accommodate multiple time zones.

Preparing for Your Online Meeting

Here are some useful tips on how to conduct an online meeting:

1. Ensure a Meeting is Necessary

Would your online meeting work better as an email? If so, send an email and skip the meeting altogether. Meetings should be for discussion—not conveying information.

Liz Willits, Keynote Speaker and Email Marketing Consultant, emphasizes:

“The worst virtual meeting mistake is having a meeting when you don’t need one. Before scheduling a virtual meeting, ask yourself: Could I send an email or a Slack message instead? If the answer is ‘yes,’ don’t schedule the meeting.”

2. Prepare and Plan

As the meeting leader, spend some time planning how it’s going to go. Allow time for participants to settle in, and identify segments of your meeting that can be shelved if needed.

Experienced public speaker, Elena Paraskevas-Thadani, advises:

“If you are leading the meeting, share an agenda in advance and solicit topics to be discussed. Seek input from the group frequently to increase engagement.”

3. Adjust Meeting Options

Most video conferencing software offers options you can change before the meeting starts. Decide if you want:

• Participants to enter before you arrive
• Everyone muted or unmuted at the start
• Video on or off
• Screen sharing capabilities

4. Schedule and Send Invites

Once you’ve checked potential meeting times, add the meeting date to your calendar. Use your meeting software to send out invitations, including meeting links and any necessary passwords.

5. Send an Agenda

Create an agenda to inform participants about the meeting’s purpose. This helps them prepare in advance and know who to contact for questions.

6. Capture Meeting Content

It’s important to have a record of what was discussed during the meeting. Consider recording the meeting for those who can’t attend or using a shared Google Doc for real-time note-taking.

7. Agree on Follow-up

Decide how you’ll handle action items post-meeting. Assign tasks to relevant people and clarify if follow-up meetings are necessary.

Virtual Meeting Etiquette and Guidelines

It’s crucial to establish ground rules for virtual meetings. Here are some guidelines:

1. Arrive Early

Arriving early ensures your videoconferencing software works and allows you to welcome participants.

2. Fix Your Background 

Ensure your meeting space is appropriate and free of distractions. Use virtual background features if needed.

3. Dress for Video

Dress appropriately for video calls. If you might need to stand, dress in business attire from head to toe.

4. Break the Ice

Start meetings with casual conversation or introductions to help participants feel comfortable.

5. Clarify Guidelines

Set rules for recording, muting, and how participants should signal when they want to speak.

6. Involve Everyone

Encourage participation by asking for input during the meeting. This helps prevent passivity.

Elena Paraskevas-Thadani notes:

“Meetings need to be as interactive as possible, so that everyone ‘owns’ the meeting. If given the option, the meeting should occur via a video platform with the functionality used liberally.”

Using Presentations in Online Meetings

Most virtual meeting software allows screen sharing, making it easy to deliver presentations within a meeting. Prepare your presentation in advance and consider using templates for a polished look.

You can find a range of templates for Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Keynote on Envato Elements or GraphicRiver.

Engaging Team Members

Utilizing presentations and visuals can enhance engagement during virtual meetings. Combine this with having different people present at each meeting to maintain interest.

Liz Willits suggests:

“Have an agenda, engage attendees in discussion, and keep meetings short. Set a timeframe and end on time or early.”

Rob Gelb, CEO of HeySummit, adds:

“Understanding attendee motivations and the appropriate format is crucial for engagement during virtual events.”

Conclusion

This guide has shared virtual meeting best practices and online meeting etiquette to help you run a more successful meeting. Remember, moving to a virtual space does not make you any less human; the same rules that apply to face-to-face meetings still hold in virtual settings.