The biggest challenge with any web conference is keeping everyone involved and focused on the agenda. This becomes an even bigger challenge when you are conducting a web conference with team members scattered across the country or even the globe. There are key steps that you as a team leader can take, both before and during, to ensure everyone stays focused and engaged.
With the advancement in technology, it is easy to keep everyone connected and engaged no matter where they are. Here are a few key steps you can take leading up to your web conference to ensure everyone participates.
Email all team members the agenda and their roles and responsibilities within the meeting and expected contributions.
Set the Ground rules and email them along with your agenda.
Send a reminder with the start and end time, as well as the time zone and the login information. Here are a few things you can do during the web conference to keep your virtual team engaged.
Introductions - have each person introduce him or herself.
Use language to promote engagement by asking questions that require them to take an action or give a response.
Call out the Behavior. If the attendees are silent, ask what the silence is about since there are many factors that can lead to silence.
Take a break. If the webconference is going to be 90 minutes in length we suggest you take a 10 minute break
Provide a Summary at the end of each agenda item to help keep the participants engaged
Evaluate the meeting to determinewhat went well and what improvements should be made.
Taking these few steps before and during a web conference will determine the amount of engagement you can expect from your virtual team.
Make sure you catch this week's podcast where we will be continuing our discussion about engagement using web conferencing technology. Next week we will discuss how the relationship between the manager and an employee's ability for engagement within a virtual team make a difference. See you there!