Tips to Make Meetings Work for Remote Teams
Making remote teams work, who are not familiar with each other, requires a more considered and structured nurturing approach to get the best out of the people and the time. It might feel as though you're injecting more formality than you’d like when you start out, but the objective is to set the norms for how the group interacts, and the structure should become a supporting framework rather than a cage.
Here are a few ideas about how to make virtual meetings work for remote teams:
Make clear your expectations of the meeting output, contribution, and ground rules, and then lead by example, especially in thoughtful disagreement.
Bring a structure to meetings in the way of a standing agenda so they aren’t simply a tick list exercise, or one person speaking with everyone else losing attention. Break meetings up into feedback and discussion slots with a clear expectation of what you’re seeking to explore, progress or decide for the meeting.
Send out notes and pre-reading materials with Goldilocks time (not too much to be forgotten, not too little as to be unreasonable) for the team to bring considered thoughts and ideas.
Changing the structure of a regular meeting each time constantly throws people’s expectations. Keep meetings and structure regular so the team get to understand the ‘norm’ over time, get comfortable with it, and enhance it to greater benefit for the operation.
Where there isn’t an obvious lead, nominate a lead for the meeting with the meeting invitation, to chair and keep things moving.
However, do allow for silence during meetings for considered responses.
Start with cameras on so you can make a stronger non-verbal connection between the team, such as waving or smiling, to reinforce a positive tone amongst the team. Not everyone is comfortable to have their camera on so turning them off after the first few minutes is an option, or individuals turning off their own feedback preview can make them feel more at ease. It is also a good way to keep people socially aware of their own personal presentation.
Often those working out in the world and not close to HQ (if that exists for you anymore) can bring back the most valuable market and customer intel. Give those people the floor to fully inform the more internally facing team members.
Help each person get accustomed to contributing to virtual meetings, and highlight to the team the value of that person, no matter where they are based or what their role by providing advanced notice to a single individual whom you would like to present their ideas and thoughts during group discussion, and check in with them beforehand on their intended input so you know they are ready to go.
Keep meeting groups small enough to contribute within the time given, and mix participants across in various purpose meetings when possible to avoid meeting teams becoming insular.
Encourage people to organise their camera so they can physically stand (as appropriate) for virtual meetings in order to boost energy and communication confidence.
Monitor the chat activity so if someone loses volume or drops out, you will notice if they are in a waiting room to be let back in. Use the chat function for boosting team morale, to add supportive comments and questions, say, if mid-presentation. Also, this way people avoid interrupting at the wrong moment, without losing a valuable insight for the whole team. Sometimes people find it easier to give praise for good work by message rather than drawing attention and speaking up in front of the group.
Sign off allowing time at the end of meeting inviting informal chat or other questions, rather than cutting the meeting off abruptly. This is a way to create a "water cooler" moment.
