Virtual Meetings Made Meaningful

The pandemic has taught us, over and over, that virtual meetings and gatherings can actually be productive, rich with human connection. We’ve also learned that meaningful virtual connections are not certain. Rather it takes intention for it to be possible.
 
If you’ve followed us for any length of time, you know our mantra: Intention starts with purpose. (I know. We say it all the time, (specifically here and here), but it’s true. Really.)
 
Do you want a meaningful virtual meeting? Start with these tips:

1. Plan the time together with purpose.

• Define the reason for the gathering. Make sure the purpose meets the needs of those attending and share it with everyone invited. Set the agenda so that the goal for each item is easily identified.
• Plan for human connection. Encourage each person to share their voice, their mind, and skills with each other. 
• Plan for work time – a simple workshop – that emphasizes collaboration.

 
2. Introduce everyone. Connection begins with knowing who’s in the virtual room. It’s a curtesy plus it provides everyone with valuable context for meeting expectations.

• Include time to check-in with the humans on the other side of the camera. Create a check-in question that relates to the purpose of the meeting and give people time to share. If it’s a large group, use breakout rooms to make the check-in time more effective. When attendees begin a gathering with sharing, they’re more likely to use their voices later.  
• Be creative, but intentional. During a late-day meeting, I gave everyone 30 seconds to select an item from their home/office that matched how they were feeling about the topic at hand. They then used the item to introduce themselves in one sentence. The exercise was funny and it got people moving. More importantly, we started the meeting with meaning.
  
  

3. Turn it on. This is the most important aspects of building connections with others. Since It takes a level of bravery and vulnerability to share our spaces and our faces on camera, it builds on the physiological safety among the team.

• Show yourself. Use your camera and encourage others to do the same. During the pandemic we’ve learned we just how curious we are about each other, how we live, our surroundings, and who we share our homes with.
• Use body language to show you’re listening. Reveal your eyes to the camera. It’s tough to make actual eye contact on Zoom or when you’re looking at multiple screens. A friend and I actually practice looking into the camera so the other feels like they are being seen by looking into the other’s eyes.
• Make it everyone’s business to include others with simple ground rules and explicit tactics for sharing work.  

 
4. Slow down.

• Pause – it’s ok not to fill all the time with the sound of your own voice.
• Use a tactic called 1-to-All: Pose the question. Give everyone a minute or two to reflect, brainstorm or write a few notes or ideas on their own. Then share those ideas all at once via chat to create a “chatterfall” of ideas. Give folks time to review the chatterfall, reflect again (silently), and do it again to generate lots of ideas much more quickly than if you spent the time going around the room. The iteration of this activity depends on the group size, time, purpose of gathering.
  
  

5. Recap.

• Before you dismiss the group, reiterate the purpose of the meeting and dignify the work that transpired. Highlight information that was shared, learned, and experienced.
• Ask participants to reflect on what they found meaningful. What will they take away from the gathering? We often ask people to first reflect silently and then jot down some ideas. Depending on the purpose of the meeting, it’s valuable to capture their reflections in a document shared with the participants later. 

 
6. Know what to do after the meeting is done. Various feelings emerge during and after a gathering. We humans make meaning from feelings Some are positive like the feeling of a deepening relationship or a connection with another human, or productive -crossing off items from a list. While some feelings are curious or confusing.

• Leave the meeting on a positive note. Take a moment to bask in the sense of human connection or the intimacy of shared time. Notice the attention you gave someone else and what attention was gifted you, and plan time for the next connection. 
• Log  your TODs – Tasks Owners Due dates, a simple list of who is responsible for every task and when that task is due.

 
It’s not hard to create meaning from virtual connections, but it does take time and intention. Follow up with purpose and you’ll be on your way to making your virtual meetings more meaningful and engaging.

–Rachel