{"id":304,"date":"2022-07-18T07:20:15","date_gmt":"2022-07-18T07:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/?p=304"},"modified":"2023-03-22T06:22:48","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T06:22:48","slug":"11-ways-to-make-online-meetings-more-efficient","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/11-ways-to-make-online-meetings-more-efficient\/","title":{"rendered":"11 Ways to Make Online Meetings More Efficient for Your Business"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-container-2 wp-block-group\">\n<div class=\"wp-container-1 wp-block-group\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/How-to-make-company-online-meetings-efficient_header-1024x576.png\" alt=\"How to make online meetings efficient\" class=\"wp-image-311\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/How-to-make-company-online-meetings-efficient_header-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/How-to-make-company-online-meetings-efficient_header-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/How-to-make-company-online-meetings-efficient_header-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/How-to-make-company-online-meetings-efficient_header.png 1440w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Remote working encourages productivity, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cosocloud.com\/press-releases\/coso-survey-shows-working-remotely-benefits-employers-and-employees\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">77% of remote workers saying they\u2019re more productive when they\u2019re working from home<\/a>, and is proven to be great for employee wellbeing and <a href=\"https:\/\/resources.owllabs.com\/state-of-remote-work\/2020\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">work-life balance<\/a>. Remote working opens many doors too: businesses can hire the best employees no matter where they are in the world and employees can work for their dream company without being restricted by location.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Working completely remotely is made possible by the many digital tools we have at our fingertips, perhaps most importantly, online meeting software. Online meetings play a pivotal role in successful remote working by allowing colleagues to maintain good communication and promoting teamwork.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, as important as online meetings are, they can often feel unproductive, inefficient and a waste of time. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dialpad.com\/blog\/video-conferencing-report\/#:~:text=46.15%25%20spend%20under%20four%20hours,20%20hours%20or%20more)!\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">With an average of 36% of employees spending 4-12 hours a week on video calls<\/a>, businesses need to make sure this time is used wisely. Any wasted time and useless meetings can become a real drain on your business\u2019s productivity. To help you make every meeting a valuable one, here are 11 tips to ensure efficient online meetings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-3 wp-block-group\">\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_34 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"display: none;\"><label for=\"item\" aria-label=\"Table of Content\"><i class=\"ez-toc-glyphicon ez-toc-icon-toggle\"><\/i><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1'><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/11-ways-to-make-online-meetings-more-efficient\/#1_Create_an_agenda_and_set_objectives\" title=\"1. Create an agenda and set objectives\">1. Create an agenda and set objectives<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/11-ways-to-make-online-meetings-more-efficient\/#2_Choose_optional_attendees\" title=\"2. Choose optional attendees\">2. Choose optional attendees<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/11-ways-to-make-online-meetings-more-efficient\/#3_Keep_meetings_short\" title=\"3. Keep meetings short\">3. Keep meetings short<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/11-ways-to-make-online-meetings-more-efficient\/#4_Include_breaks\" title=\"4. Include breaks\">4. Include breaks<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/11-ways-to-make-online-meetings-more-efficient\/#5_Find_the_most_effective_tool_for_your_needs\" title=\"5. Find the most effective tool for your needs\">5. Find the most effective tool for your needs<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/11-ways-to-make-online-meetings-more-efficient\/#6_Ask_could_this_be_an_email\" title=\"6. Ask: \u2018could this be an email?\u2019\">6. Ask: \u2018could this be an email?\u2019<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/11-ways-to-make-online-meetings-more-efficient\/#7_Keep_your_video_on\" title=\"7. Keep your video on\">7. Keep your video on<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/11-ways-to-make-online-meetings-more-efficient\/#8_Avoid_multitasking\" title=\"8. Avoid multitasking\">8. Avoid multitasking<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/11-ways-to-make-online-meetings-more-efficient\/#9_Make_use_of_the_mute_button_and_chatbox\" title=\"9. Make use of the mute button and chatbox\">9. Make use of the mute button and chatbox<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/11-ways-to-make-online-meetings-more-efficient\/#10_Encourage_collaboration\" title=\"10. Encourage collaboration\">10. Encourage collaboration<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/11-ways-to-make-online-meetings-more-efficient\/#11_Agree_on_actions\" title=\"11. Agree on actions\">11. Agree on actions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/11-ways-to-make-online-meetings-more-efficient\/#Set_your_company_up_for_efficient_meetings\" title=\"Set your company up for efficient meetings\">Set your company up for efficient meetings<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Create_an_agenda_and_set_objectives\"><\/span>1. Create an agenda and set objectives<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before any meeting, you should set a clear agenda that covers everything you need to discuss during the call. Make sure you allocate different speakers if necessary, and enough detail so that attendees know what to expect. Once you\u2019ve created an agenda, make sure to share it with all attendees in advance of the meeting to help them prepare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As well as an agenda, set some objectives for the meeting, for example \u2018agree on project timeframe.\u2019 Keep these in mind during the call and try to achieve them to keep things progressing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-4 wp-block-group\">\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Choose_optional_attendees\"><\/span>2. Choose optional attendees<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When sending out your invite, decide who is and who isn\u2019t absolutely necessary for the meeting. Often employees find themselves in countless meetings that aren\u2019t directly relevant to them, leaving them with nothing to add. Add \u2018optional\u2019 attendees to your meeting invite to empower them to choose if the meeting is relevant to them or not.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-5 wp-block-group\">\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Keep_meetings_short\"><\/span>3. Keep meetings short<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Long meetings can be a test for many people\u2019s attention spans, so keep things short and to the point. Stick to talking about only the items in your agenda, and reserve other discussions for seperate one-to-one calls. Keep calls to a maximum of 45 minutes where possible. Don\u2019t fill in extra time for the sake of it either &#8211; if you cover everything early, end the call and let everyone get on with their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep supporting presentations short too with clear, non-busy slides that highlight the key things you want to discuss. Give yourself enough time to answer questions about any of the info presented.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-6 wp-block-group\">\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Include_breaks\"><\/span>4. Include breaks<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For unavoidably longer meetings, add in short breaks to allow attendees to take a moment to pause, move around and reset. A simple 5 minute coffee break is enough to help keep your employees\u2019 attention!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-7 wp-block-group\">\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Find_the_most_effective_tool_for_your_needs\"><\/span>5. Find the most effective tool for your needs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The most popular video meeting tools are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-gb\/microsoft-teams\/group-chat-software\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Microsoft Teams<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/zoom.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Zoom<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/meet.google.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Google Meet<\/a> &#8211; although there are many more. Don\u2019t just opt for one because it&#8217;s popular however, make sure you take into account your needs as a business first. Consider things like the size of the meetings you plan to run, whether you need the option for breakout rooms or screen sharing, and if the software will fit with other tools you\u2019re already using.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If video quality is incredibly important to your business, Zoom and Microsoft Teams are a better choice than Google Meet. However, if your organisation already uses Google Drive to share and collaborate on documents, Google Meet would work more seamlessly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-8 wp-block-group\">\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_Ask_could_this_be_an_email\"><\/span>6. Ask: \u2018could this be an email?\u2019<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before scheduling any online meeting, ask yourself whether it could be an email. Sometimes video meetings are redundant if the action points are clear, and there isn\u2019t much discussion needed. If your agenda is only one item with a straightforward task, then send it as an email and save your colleagues\u2019 diaries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-9 wp-block-group\">\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7_Keep_your_video_on\"><\/span>7. Keep your video on<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Good communication is far more than just speaking. When we interact with each other, we send off and receive many small non-verbal cues which help to build relationships and human connections.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-10 wp-block-group\">\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"8_Avoid_multitasking\"><\/span>8. Avoid multitasking<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Although we may feel <em>extra<\/em> productive when completing a task whilst on a call, it actually has the reverse effect. Multitasking during online meetings means you\u2019re only giving 50% effort, concentration and focus to each task. Writing an email means you may miss some important points from the meeting, and on the other hand, you may be distracted and send a mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re in a meeting where you have nothing to contribute and find yourself working on other tasks &#8211; consider if you really need to be involved in the meeting at all.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-11 wp-block-group\">\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"9_Make_use_of_the_mute_button_and_chatbox\"><\/span>9. Make use of the mute button and chatbox<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s an obvious one, but make sure everyone in your team is clear on your mute button policy. Make sure everyone stays muted while someone is speaking and \u2018raises their hand\u2019 if they want to jump in.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To ensure efficient meetings for larger groups, let everyone know that they must remain on mute until the end, or use the chat box for questions. This will help keep things moving and will avoid deviations from the agenda.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-12 wp-block-group\">\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"10_Encourage_collaboration\"><\/span>10. Encourage collaboration<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Make your meetings conversations rather than lectures. Regularly ask for opinions, feedback, thoughts and suggestions. Involve others by asking them to speak or going \u2018around the room\u2019 to give everyone a turn to speak.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-13 wp-block-group\">\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"11_Agree_on_actions\"><\/span>11. Agree on actions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the last few minutes of every meeting, agree on a list of actions and allocate them to the relevant individual. This will help your online meetings to spark progress and will ensure that none are unproductive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-14 wp-block-group\">\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Set_your_company_up_for_efficient_meetings\"><\/span>Set your company up for efficient meetings<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Online video meetings are different for every business, so make sure to regularly ask for feedback and strive to keep improving. Learn from any mistakes and address them to ensure that your next team call isn\u2019t a drag.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn how to make your company online meetings more efficient and save time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":320,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_wp_applaud_exclude":false},"categories":[1,12],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=304"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1001,"href":"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304\/revisions\/1001"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quidlo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}