Virtual Meetings: Tips, Ideas & Tools for Your Remote Team Needs

The move to virtual meetings as a business norm is a welcome development that can help boost workplace inclusion and promote a better work-life balance. But, holding successful virtual meetings has proven to be a challenge. The phrase “Zoom fatigue” has entered the common lexicon as remote work becomes the new norm.

It’s not surprising that video conferencing can be draining. Unlike face-to-face meetings that have the advantage of connection, virtual meetings can feel alienating and awkward. Most communication is non-verbal as people rely on body language cues to decipher how others are feeling.

It’s harder to interpret these cues when meeting virtually, which results in people having to work harder to communicate better. However, these problems can be easily fixed with the right meeting technology.

In an increasingly global workplace, you can’t always have your project managers and team members in the same room for strategy, coordination, and presentation meetings. It’s a good thing that video and audio-conferencing tools have advanced to the point where you can shrink the distance between people in a virtual meeting and make them feel like they’re in the same room.

Essential Collaboration Technology for Today’s Meetings and Conferences

All that’s required to host a virtual meeting is an internet connection, an audio system, and a webcam. Essentially, anyone with a laptop and access to virtual meeting software can join an online meeting. However, it’s not so simple when managing larger groups of meeting participants. The most effective video conferences are those that utilize the technology that is needed.

If you want to avoid the connectivity issues, display and audio problems that lead to communication gaps, you’ll have to invest in meeting technology appropriate for your operation. This way, the focus of your meeting will be on communicating or strategizing rather than fixing technical issues.

Here’s how you can avoid the embarrassment of delays and technical glitches.

1. Choose the Right Audio-Visual Technology

Video conferencing technology allows remote team members to communicate effectively, especially if you’re running a large-scale operation with freelancers, gig workers, and full-time employees scattered across the globe. To facilitate face-to-face connection, video conferencing technology consists of several audio and video components.

• Displays: laptop or desktop monitor, television screen, tablet, mobile phone
• Microphones and web-enabled cameras
• Internet connection
• Speakers
• Video conferencing tools and apps like Webex, Zoom, Skype, or Google Meet

Video conferencing technology must be interoperable, meaning it has to connect to and work with different devices to ensure anyone can connect from anywhere.

2. Integrate Social Media and Enable Screen Sharing and Team Meetings

Screen sharing allows users to share the contents of their screen within meetings. It ensures people have easy access to PowerPoint presentations, videos, and any other content that can be shared during online meetings. It’s ideal for sales demos, lectures, and collaborative meetings.

A live social media wall at your meeting can empower attendees to share their thoughts and meetings and adds another interactive element to online meetings. Social media displays make meetings, trade shows, and industry conferences more engaging. Additionally, you can collect data via hashtags, handles, mentions, and keywords to evaluate your meeting and generate content that is trustworthy and meaningful for your attendees.

Whether you’re holding an industry-wide conference or a small company meeting, a social media wall allows people to share valuable feedback, reviews, ideas, and experiences in real-time. It enables interactive event discussions since not everyone can share their thoughts during Q&A sessions and panel interactions.

3. Choose An Appropriate Meeting Room and Virtual Meeting Tools

You’ll need more than HD video to make your meeting more interactive. It’s also crucial to choose the right meeting set up.

• Telepresence meeting room video calls – Involves several screens or video systems that face a meeting room table to enable face-to-face interaction between hybrid teams. It’s ideal for when you want your remote and in-person teams to collaborate on a project together.
• Room-based video conference – The AV solutions, including video systems, microphones, and monitors, are integrated into the meeting room itself so meetings can be held between people in a conference room and a remote team. This plan works best for product launches and strategic meetings.
• Desktop video conference – This is the meeting setup most people are familiar with. It involves using your laptop or desktop to Zoom into a meeting. There are several meeting platforms available that offer different features depending on your needs.

Each meeting setup will require its own set of collaboration technologies, which can include:

• Video conferencing systems
• Projectors
• Interactive whiteboards
• Touch-screens
• Virtual reality systems

Invest in Meeting Technology for Better Collaboration and Effective Virtual Meetings

Mint Solutions Company offers AV integration services allowing businesses to reap the benefits of a global team. When done right, video conferences can facilitate relationship building and foster a sense of community among remote teams. You don’t have to compromise on the benefits of in-person meetings with the appropriate meeting technology.

Contact our team today to begin integrating virtual meeting technology into your daily systems.