Remote meetings are now a part of everyday life, but it is necessary to separate those involved in personal life from professional life. A successful remote meeting requires understanding many details. Just because you’re away doesn’t mean your meetings should be for nothing. Most managers who are still not used to remote communication tools miss their meeting altogether. If they are often experienced face-to-face, they can turn into a nightmare when they are done with the help of tools like Skype or other videoconferencing software. Focus on the basics not to forget.
Webcam or not?
In the context where you create a remote camera, you can choose to use your own camera, but participants can do the same. If your employees work from home, don’t forget that some may not necessarily want to share their intimacy and that the camera may represent an obstacle to their participation or their concentration.
However, the presence of a webcam has several significant advantages. You can already quickly identify who is speaking and see the responses and adapt your speech during your intervention, for example if you feel the person does not understand. You can also create a mixed model, where people who want it put the camera and those who don’t want to put in a photo or avatar, for example.
distance from camera
If you have decided to use a webcam, be aware that some people forget that a distance is needed to clearly see their hands when they are in front of the camera, for example For, or their body. They position themselves very close to the camera and only part of the person’s head is visible, which not only makes the presentation dull but also makes you not want to see it at all. To start, feel free to measure the distance with your camera during your presentation. Stop looking at yourself all the time because it’s not important. If necessary, don’t hesitate to re-project your screen onto a larger surface for the other participants to see the expression. Your goal is to animate your presentation as if you were physically with people and not stand still. You should energize your presentation with your presence and avoid the expert impression that conveys his expertise with great boredom. Don’t copy what is done on television
check what’s behind you
Before you begin your presentation, check what comes within the camera’s field of view; even the slightest object could annoy or disturb your audience. So, for example, check that your petanque trophies are not behind you or any other disruptive element. For example avoid letting your kids come in the middle of the meeting by closing the door (if this has already been seen live in the news!) Your decor should reflect your presentation. Don’t ignore this because you run the risk of losing the attention that is given to you. All you have to do is to see the speech of the President of the Republic on March 25 with the man who was saying hello behind that many people quickly disintegrate.
get good equipment
Nothing worse than a short presentation. Check that your equipment and your speed are good enough for your presentation to be as fluid as possible. Your image quality must be optimized to avoid pixelation as much as possible and we may follow your movements or even your explanation, for example if you have an explanatory table behind you. Don’t hesitate to equip yourself with a good camera that, for example, can offer you to zoom in from afar. Another element is fundamental: the microphone and headphones that are connected. If you want to be able to move around and not find yourself too close to your screen, having a headset is likely highly recommended, especially wireless. You can thus deliver a presentation that comes alive with the image of a show.
as for a physical meeting
In physical meetings, you don’t hesitate to have a powerful hook, pick up the news, or set the agenda. The same goes for remote meetings. You should prepare your meetings in the same way so that they are effective and take into account all the points on the agenda. Feel free to grab a punch hook and start on time or ask about everyone’s health. Technical issues may not always be an excuse to start late, and you need to have the same discipline as in face-to-face meetings. Don’t forget to give your interlocutors enough time to interact and the participants to speak, as is the case with in-office meetings. Try to be as monotonous as possible because you run the risk of passing a doctor’s speaking every 20 hours quickly otherwise. As with every physical visit, don’t forget to debrief and follow up.
Use screen sharing tools
There are many remote screen sharing tools to make your meeting come alive. For example Mikogo which in its free version allows you to share your computer desktop with up to 10 participants as well as plan your sessions and place invitations. Other tools exist such as Join.me, Team Viewer, AnyMeeting or even Skype. If you want to share documents remotely or even annotate them you’re spoiled for choice or software like LiveMinutes.
Remote meetings encompass almost all the good practices of physical meetings. However, they require a good mastery of the technicalities and keep in mind certain specifications that they are carried by telework. Technical tools play a far more important role than a traditional meeting, so don’t neglect them.