As most businesses switch to work-from-home setups, virtual team meetings have become an integral part of many people’s daily lives. Webinars, video calls, chats, and video conferences are some of the different forms of virtual meetings. However, regardless of the technology you choose to host your https://suasive.com/virtual-meetings/meetings on, having no face-to-face contact may result in several team members feeling disengaged and may not be able to contribute effectively.

Fortunately, while running a virtual meeting is challenging, there are ways to make it more engaging. One of these is to work with a provider that helps organizations deliver the best company virtual events to make your virtual meetings more engaging and productive.

Aside from that, here are the other strategies you may consider to run an interactive and practical virtual team meeting:

1. Plan Your Agenda Early And Keep Engagement In Mind

A virtual meeting is ideal for bringing groups of all sizes together in your remote business. Nonetheless, one of its drawbacks is that it can quickly get off track.

To keep the participants focused, give them your schedule in detail. Let some of your employees be responsible for a specific part of the plan. It promotes collaboration throughout the group.

Use the questions tab to host a question-and-answer session in your meetings to improve everyone’s productivity. The chat function may also effectively work for question and answer (Q&A). It’s also essential to schedule recurring appointments simultaneously so that attendees remain on the same page, regardless of what time zone or where they are.

2. Start With An Icebreaker

Creating strong bonds with your teammates in a remote working environment isn’t easy. Luckily, it’s possible to overcome it using icebreakers in your virtual team meetings.

Virtual icebreakers may spark informational and friendly interactions online. It also helps break down the barrier between team members and create a more connected and open environment. So, if you want to liven the mood during virtual meetings, an icebreaker game is the key to achieving it.

3. Do Fun Interactive Polls

A live poll is a fun way to get people checking, thinking, and clicking the results. Depending on your preferences, you may set up your virtual meeting polls during or before the meeting. Make sure your participants will find them on the sidebar.

When the polls get started, people’s votes are kept private, but you’ll see the results accumulate as your votes roll in. You can also use polls as an excellent way to:

  • To get feedback about the meeting;
  • Test your participants on a specific topic;
  • Learn more about the attendees; and
  • To decide as a group

Additionally, you can use live polls to punctuate your meetings and change a few things a little. By keeping your questions accessible and straightforward, you can get the best level of interaction and reenergize your virtual meeting simultaneously.

4. Take Advantage Of Games

Another way to make every virtual team meeting more engaging is to take advantage of games. Any gamification tactic can be an effective and straightforward way to boost participation levels, encourage active listening, and incorporate two-way communication.

Games may also bring joy to an uninspiring and drab setting. Participating in lighthearted competitions won’t only help reinforce team bonds, but it may also provide everyone with a quick conversation or discussion opportunity.

Some of the games you can consider are as follows:

  • Play small online games;
  • Take quizzes;
  • Smart riddles; and
  • Word association

If you’re confused about the best games to include in your virtual team meetings, you can search online for ideas or ask for suggestions from the participants. This way, you can ensure that everyone will have fun and enjoy themselves during the meeting.

5. Help Participants Avoid Distractions

When a considerable part of your life and work is digital, it can be challenging to keep staring at the screens all day. This is especially true if you often get pop-up notifications. For this reason, it’s vital to help participants avoid distractions.

You can ask participants to commit to the ground rules, such as keeping hands in full view, moving mobile devices away, and closing all tabs. The other ways to help others avoid distractions during regular virtual team members include the following:

  • Call on the participants individually;
  • Start on time;
  • End early; and
  • Plan the visual experience

Once you notice a particular point is running long, try making quick decisions if you need to push the rest of the meeting next or if you want to revisit it later.

Wrapping Up

Virtual team meetings are one of the best ways to maintain interaction and collaboration with your team members. To make your meetings more engaging, keep the above tactics in mind. You can also make it more exciting by planning and working with partnering session facilitators who can help you host the best virtual team meetings that everyone will enjoy.

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

Samantha is an HR practitioner who has worked with several companies to help them improve their HR practices. Samantha has gained decades of experience in handling all HR facets that include managerial relations, labour relations, training and development, recruitment, and compensation and benefits.

When Samantha is not busy at work, she writes articles about the importance of effective HR practices and why startups should always prioritize this area of the business.