5 Tips for Improving Your Remote Meetings

Don’t let an out-of-office workforce halt your productivity. Use these tips for making the most of your remote meetings.

The way teams work and collaborate is changing. Consulting, remote workforces and outsourcing are all on the rise. Even if you operate a team that is technically based in the same physical office, it’s becoming more and more common that your clients prefer to communicate in a virtual manner instead of in person due to the time constraints. One of the biggest issues that have surfaced around remote workplaces is how to handle company meetings. How do you communicate effectively when the meeting is with teams that are several hundreds or thousands of miles away instead of face-to-face metting in a conference room? How do you ensure that your employees are a part of the meeting, instead of just following directions? Below are seven strategies and techniques that will make your next virtual meeting just as effective as its in-person counterpart. After incorporating these tips, you may actually find that you prefer remote meetings, too — even if the other party is accessible in person:

1. Screenshare it. Sharing your computer screen in real-time allows your employees to effectively “look over your shoulder” as you are talking. Your employees will be able to see your screen as you see it. You can also change the presenter, so you’ll be able to see the employee’s computer. Screenshare technology is the closest you can get to a physical meeting, and in many cases is actually more productive. Examples of services that you can use include Skype, GoToMeeting, Google Hangouts and Join.me.