Effective virtual meetings can be a practical way to discuss important topics, collaborate on technical tasks, and achieve consensus within a remote team. However, when done badly meetings can be the antithesis of productivity and focus. In this guide, we explore the Hivekind approach to running virtual meetings.
Key strategies for running effective virtual meetings
1. Assess the need for a meeting
Before planning a meeting, it is important to ask why it is necessary. It is integral to ask if a legitimate purpose exists for the meeting and whether the same can be adequately accomplished over email or instant message. This assessment accomplishes two things:
Displays respect for others time
By questioning the necessity of a meeting, you demonstrate respect for your team’s and clients’ time. Meetings can be time-consuming. Having unnecessary meetings can impact productivity, and lead to frustration and disengagement.
Helps clarify objectives
Identifying the need for a meeting also helps clarify the meeting’s objectives. Understanding why a meeting is needed allows you to analyze and define what you hope to achieve. This makes it easier for you to craft an agenda, and select participants for the meeting.
2. Communicate the meeting well in advance
Once you've established that a virtual meeting is justified and its objectives are clear, communicate it early so participants can prepare effectively.
State the purpose
State the meeting objectives clearly so attendees understand what topics will be explored. This enables you to keep the virtual meeting on track if discussions diverge.
Define the agenda
Structure how the meeting should flow from one topic to the next, allocating appropriate time for each discussion point. A clear agenda helps achieve meeting objectives and gives attendees a roadmap for the virtual session. Assign owners to each agenda item so participants can prepare in advance.
For example:
Goal/Objective: To decide the product direction based on recent spike results.
Agenda:
- (5m) Context, agenda and decision points - Iggy (Tech Project Manager)
- (15m) Investigation results and proposed solutions - Luna (Lead Developer)
- (25m) Stakeholder feedback and solution consensus - Iggy, Luna and Helga (CTO)
- (15m) Open discussion and questions - All attendees
Select the right participants for the virtual team meeting
Consider carefully who needs to actively participate to achieve the meeting's goals. Virtual team meetings can be costly when factoring in the combined hourly rates of executives, managers, and lead developers. However, don't exclude stakeholders who might benefit from the discussion – our robust asynchronous communication ensures they can review and provide feedback on meeting outcomes later.
Choose the right technology for the online meeting
Selecting a reliable virtual meeting platform is crucial for the success of a meeting. The platform should have all the features that you need to effectively conduct the meeting. Also, it should be a platform that is used by all of your participants.
Send out the invites
Once your virtual meeting objectives, guest list, and meeting platform are finalized, schedule the meeting, include the agenda in the description, and send invites at least a day in advance.
3. Prepare yourself for the meeting
As the organizer, familiarize yourself with the meeting objectives and prepare questions to guide discussions effectively. For crucial meetings, consider having pre-meeting discussions with agenda item owners to coordinate presentations and timing.
4. Set up your virtual meeting environment
Creating the right environment is crucial for effective virtual meetings. Here's your pre-meeting checklist:
- Prepare and open all relevant documents before the meeting. This eliminates the need to search for files during the call and reduces loading times for apps like Figma and Notion, ensuring a smoother presentation.
- Test recording capabilities if needed.
- Turn on your webcam for better engagement (this encourages others to do the same).
- Manage audio settings to minimize disruptions.
- Remove distractions (put your phone on silent mode and mute notifications).
5. Host the meeting
Running a successful virtual meeting requires active facilitation and attention to detail. Follow these rules to run an effective virtual meetings that keep participants engaged and achieve your objectives:
Start with a clear opening and state the ground rules
- Begin exactly on time to respect participants' schedules
- Welcome all the attendees and thank them for joining
- Provide a short recap of relevant projects or previous meeting outcomes
- Review the meeting agenda and objectives clearly
- Set expectations for participation and interaction
- Remind participants about meeting protocols (using raise hand features, muting when not speaking, etc.)
Foster inclusive communication
- Introduce each agenda item with context and its intended outcome
- Present the item owner and give them clear control of the virtual floor
- Use prepared questions to spark meaningful discussion
- Encourage participation from quieter attendees by directly inviting their input
- Practice active listening and acknowledge contributions
- Capture key points and decisions in real-time
- Use virtual meeting tools effectively (polls, breakout rooms, shared documents)
Mind the duration of the meeting
- Keep track of time allocated for each agenda item
- Provide gentle time checks ("We have 5 minutes left for this topic")
- When discussions go off-track acknowledge the importance of the tangent
- Suggest creating a separate virtual meeting for detailed technical discussions
- Guide the conversation back to the agenda with a clear transition
- Be prepared to make real-time adjustments to the agenda if crucial discussions need more time
Summarize key points and assign action items
- Take notes during the meeting
- Keep track of action items as they emerge
- At the end of the meeting summarize the important decisions that were made
- Assign action items to relevant participants and communicate clear deadlines
- Confirm deadlines and expectations
End the meeting right
- Schedule any necessary follow-up virtual meetings
- Thank participants for their contributions
- Specifically acknowledge those who joined from challenging time zones
6. Follow through after the meeting
Now that the meeting has ended, it’s time to send a summary of the meeting to all participants. The summary should include key decisions that were made, action items with owners and deadlines, and links to relevant documents or resources. If you planned for a follow-up, make sure to include that as well.
It’s always a good idea to confirm that meeting recordings and notes are accessible to everyone, including those who couldn’t attend the meeting.
During the meeting, we sometimes create tasks directly in the project management tool. If we haven't done this, now is the ideal time to update our project management tools with any new tasks that emerged from the discussion.
Solving common technical issues in virtual meetings
Bad Connection
A bad connection can severely impact the effectiveness of your meeting. Before joining important meetings, make sure to test your internet speed using a tool like Fast.com. To optimize your connection, close all unnecessary browser tabs and apps that may consume bandwidth in the background—don’t have anything downloading in the background. For a stable wireless connection, position yourself closer to the router. If you're experiencing a slow connection, try turning off your video or lowering its resolution to help stabilize your connection. Finally, always always have a backup plan ready.
No internet
Your internet connection may occasionally fail. To prepare for this, keep your phone nearby with a reliable data plan. If your primary connection goes down, you can quickly switch to your mobile hotspot or join the meeting directly from your phone. Make it a habit to download any meeting materials beforehand. This way you can reference them even without internet access. Plus, it reduces the load on your connection when it gets slow.
Microphone not working
Audio issues can be frustrating. So always test your audio settings before joining important meetings to ensure everything is working correctly. When troubleshooting microphone problems, start with the obvious—check if you're muted. Next, check if both the meeting app and your system is configured to use the correct microphone input. If that doesn’t help, try unplugging and reconnecting your audio device. It’s always good idea to have a spare headset or earphones.
Feedback, noise or an echo
Audio feedback and echo issues can make virtual meetings unbearable, but they're easily preventable. The best solution is to use headphones, which prevent your microphone from picking up audio from your speakers and creating a feedback loop. Also, make it a habit to stay muted when you’re not speaking. Choose a quite location for your meetings whenever possible. If this isn’t feasible, you can use a noise cancelling software like Krisp.ai. Advise your meeting participants to follow these practices as well.
Wrapping up…
Remember that hosting effective virtual meetings is a skill that improves with practice. Pay attention to what works well and what doesn't, and continuously refine your approach. The goal is to create an environment where remote participants feel engaged, heard, and clear about the meeting's outcomes.
By following these detailed guidelines, you'll be able to host virtual meetings that not only accomplish their objectives but also respect everyone's time and enhance team collaboration. Whether you're leading daily stand-ups or quarterly strategic sessions, these practices will help ensure your virtual meetings are both productive and engaging.
