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Understand appropriate meeting etiquette for online calls
You may not have facial and physical cues to guide you through the conversation; however, displaying proper online meeting etiquette is equally important. An ill-prepared meeting makes a poor first impression and will impact how others view you and your company. It's crucial to establish proper meeting etiquette whether the participants are right in front of you or thousands of miles away.
Here are some online meeting etiquette basics that will let you put your best foot forward:
Defining your company's client meeting etiquette doesn't need to be set in stone before your first meeting. During the call, note any issues that cause delays, friction, or confusion. As you fine-tune these issues, update your etiquette guidelines accordingly.
Take steps for facilitating online meetings
As you prepare for your meeting, follow these first steps:
How to run collaborative meetings
If your meeting is a collaborative one, make sure any documents or files that will be discussed are sent well in advance. Determine who will take on what role during the meeting. Ideally, the host, the note-taker, and the team member running Q&A should not be the same person.
Follow these sure-fire tips for effective online meetings
One of the best practices on how to improve meeting effectiveness is proper planning. Prepping in advance for online meetings will likely increase attendance and promote engagement. These useful steps will help you create a successful framework for your meeting:
Follow these sure-fire tips for effective online meetings
Knowing how to run an online meeting with audio, video, and file sharing is vital to a smooth, trouble-free session. Do a practice run with coworkers before your first official meeting to ensure your location, software, and hardware are all working correctly.
You need to keep the meeting on track if you expect participants to remain attentive and engaged, so your agenda should be more than a simple to-do list. Include scheduled breaks for questions or comments, organize requests from attendees to share updates or expertise, and assign participants tasks to keep the momentum going.
As the host, knowing how to participate in meetings effectively can be a fine line to walk. You want to lead but not dominate. Don't be afraid to jump in if the meeting starts to derail and gently, but firmly, guide everyone back to the task at hand.
Reap the benefits of online meetings run with proper etiquette
When you pay attention to how your online meetings are conducted and follow proper online meeting etiquette, your online sessions will become increasingly more effective. There are three final, yet critical, things to keep in mind:
Follow these online meeting etiquette steps for your next virtual session and watch productivity and participation increase. By laying out your expectations, avoiding miscommunication, and ensuring all participants feel valued and respected, you'll be able to master effective online meetings in no time.
With GoToMeeting, you can deliver presentations, perform product demonstrations, brainstorm with colleagues and securely share confidential information online from anywhere at any time. Your meetings can be one-to-one, or you can meet with multiple people at once.
Presentations: Give a slideshow to your online audience and reduce travel costs.
Demonstrations: Show prospects how your product works by inviting them to view a demo in real time, whether they are across town or a thousand miles away.
Work together: Meet with others online to share, discuss and edit any document. Transfer presentation controls to other attendees.
On a PC
To schedule a meeting in advance, right-click the GoToMeeting system tray icon on the bottom-right corner of your screen, select Schedule a Meeting... and log in by entering your account information and clicking the Log In button. Then, on the Schedule Meeting dialog box, enter your meeting information and click the Schedule button.
You will be notified that your meeting has been scheduled. If you are using Microsoft Outlook, a meeting reminder will be generated and give you the option of inviting attendees via an Outlook Calendar appointment.
On a Mac
To schedule a meeting in advance, click the GoToMeeting icon in the dock, select Schedule Meeting and log in by entering your account information and clicking the Log In button. Then, on the Schedule Meeting dialog box, enter your meeting information and click the Schedule button. You will be notified that your meeting has been scheduled.
On a PC
To set up a recurring meeting, right-click the GoToMeeting system tray icon on the bottom-right corner of your screen, select Schedule a Meeting... and log in by entering your account information and clicking the Log In button. Then, on the Schedule Meeting dialog box, click the check box next to Recurring meeting. This will disable the scheduling settings, keeping the meeting open and available in My Meetings until you delete it. Click the Schedule button.
You will be notified that your meeting has been scheduled. If you are using Microsoft Outlook, a meeting reminder will be generated and give you the option of inviting attendees via an Outlook Calendar appointment.
On a Mac
To set up a recurring meeting, click the GoToMeeting icon in the dock, select Schedule Meeting and log in by entering your account information and clicking the Log In button. Then, on the Schedule Meeting dialog box, click the check box next to Recurring meeting. This will disable the scheduling settings, keeping the meeting open and available in My Meetings until you delete it. Click the Schedule button. You will be notified that your meeting has been scheduled.
Screen sharing needs to be turned on after starting a meeting – GoToMeeting starts with it turned off to prevent early attendees from viewing your preparation.
To enable screen sharing, click Show My Screen in the organizer control panel.
If attendees still can't see your screen, please contact Global Customer Support.