subject: Good Tips For Audio, Web And Video Conferencing Meetings Continued [print this page] In our previous post we began to our list of good tips for great meetings. As we've said before, it's easy to get lost in traditional introductions and complex PowerPoint slides and spreadsheets. But when that happens, you run the risk of losing the art of "hosting" to business formalities and miss out on the chance to meet your participants in an impactful way.
So, back to our list of event best-practices that will help to keep your participants engaged and eager to come back for more (including a quick recap of 1-4):
Practice makes perfect
Eliminate the guess work for your participants
Cut out unnecessary downloads for participants
Organization is essential for an effective and engaging conference
Equal participation for all attendees every group has a microphone hog, and for each hog there are an equal if not greater number of participants waiting for a chance to speak. Each participant's time is valuable, and for that reason, part of your job as a host is to ensure each of your participants has the opportunity to contribute. If you feel someone in your group hasn't had an opportunity to speak, try bringing them into the conversation directly, leading with a short statement about their strengths and/or expertise
Engage your participants with pertinent information in the event that you find yourself hosting a meeting on a topic you are, to put it politely, less than thrilled about, set aside time to find an interesting aspect of your topic and bring it to life with a photo, relevant media story or short video case study
Leave on a high note start collecting your thoughts about 15 minutes prior to the end of your audio, web or video conference and provide your participants with a brief recap. Cover the decisions that were made, brainstorm conclusions, edited documents, etc. and go over any follow-up tasks. Ending a meeting on time, or better yet early, can significantly affect the way your participants feel about the event and you as a host
Don't forget the "thank you" your participants' time is valuable, so be sure to thank them for taking time out of their day to take part in your conference. Send them a quick follow-up email that also offers a more detailed recap of what decisions were made, goals were reached, etc. during the conference as well as any follow-up tasks for participants
