For years I have been having business meetings online, we’ve been making jokes about people who forget to put the mute button on & attend calls in bed in their pyjamas for years.
This video circulated more than 6 years ago, so conference/video calls & online/virtual meetings aren’t new, but many of us have had to increase our skills dramatically over the last few weeks.
Some of my TEN TOP TIPS not only for Toastmaster meetings
- Chose the right environment and try to find a quiet spot. it’s not easy when your whole family is at home remember that your family & the pets would not be in your bricks and mortar office.
- Familiarize yourself with the platform before you join an online meeting, not everyone is using the same platform and the functionality of the different platforms is different.
- Dress as you would for an in-person meeting – if it is a casual check-in with your friends, you can dress casually, if it’s a business meeting, dress as if you are attending the meeting in person.
- To “maintain eye contact” try to look at your camera not the speaker on the screen
- Try to have a backup plan of connectivity & be aware of your device battery power
- I like to Mute my microphone, and keep my video on – if you can do that, I think that’s the best if you have a choice.
- Stay focussed and don’t look at your phone & email constantly
- Avoid eating, drinking, smoking & chewing gum, it can be distracting
- To stay engage use Q & A sessions, use polling, ask folks to turn their video on.
- Enjoy yourself and know that you can still develop meaningful relationships
Remember to have fun & enjoy your interactions with folks, we look forward to shaking hands, applauding & rolling the drums and HUGGUNG you all again !
by Nikki Quinn