Leading on-line meetings

We’ve all experienced, or at least read about, the various quirks of on-line meetings, whether arising from technology or personal (or animal!) behaviours. Much has been written, especially recently, about how to dress, when to mute the microphone or camera, and how to incorporate (or not) small children and noisy animals. Many of us have had fun with the background selections available on the popular platforms.

Less attention has been directed at the equally important topic of how to most effectively manage on-line meetings, and the role of the meeting leader, facilitator or chair.  Achieving effective and efficient interaction among meeting participants will be critical to ensuring that on-line meetings retain a place, when they cease to be mandatory and we are able to meet face to face once again.

The dynamics of on-line meetings and in-person meetings have much in common. Tardy arrival or attendance, multi-tasking, overbearing or verbose participants, and inability to keep to an agenda or timetable all present similar challenges. Some are magnified, and some are more easily addressed, via technology but they are all there in both formats.

On-line meetings are also serving as a useful reminder of old rules for the good conduct of meetings, rules that seem to be have been forgotten in recent times. Examples are the requirement to only speak “through the chair” and the rule that no person should speak a second time if others have not spoken for a first time.

The swift move to almost exclusive on-line meetings has also served to reveal (or remind us of) the value of much that might be thought to be time wasting. The opportunity to chat as we gather for the meeting, during coffee breaks, over a working lunch or as the meeting breaks up, are largely lost in the on-line environment. Yet all are valuable opportunities for constructive side bar dialogue, or at the very least for building rapport, understanding and engagement among participants.  On-line meetings seem to kick off more quickly, break less often and sometimes end unceremoniously (in a way that would not be possible with participants still in the room).

In this context, I would offer the following additional suggestions for on-line meetings (these are additions to other ideas, not an exhaustive list);

Distribute a written agenda, with timings noted for all to see, and stick to it.

Make sure time allocated is realistic and know where to find savings if extensions on one item are inevitable - do not just allow the meeting to run on.

Be clear as to objectives of each agenda item and how they are going to be achieved, and ensure there is an an opening statement on each topic

A strong leader/facilitator/chair must manage the dialogue and:

• control the order of speaking
• ask anyone who has not spoken if they wish to say anything
• not allow someone to speak twice until all have spoken
• encourage participants to speak concisely and only if they have a new or different point, and if affirming agreement, to say so simply and without repetition
• be prepared to park or de-prioritise issues, ensuring they are captured to be returned to later
  

In a more complex discussion, the leader/facilitator/chair should summarise periodically the stage the discussions have reached, and seek to garner consensus (or identify the points of difference)

Do not discourage, unless the timetable precludes it, chatting and friendly exchanges among participants, at the beginning, end or during a break, and don’t ignore breaks - even in international meetings with participants up very early or very late, breaks are appreciated, and allowing (indeed encouraging) informal dialogue during the break is a good idea

Use technology when advantageous, but not when it is not - just because they are available does not mean all the smart features must be used:

• side conversations between participants during a meeting would not ordinarily be tolerated in person, so private chatting should be discouraged;
• sharing screens is not a substitute for timely distribution of material, and it is often better to let participants refer to their own copies than a version on the screen (there is no objection to mixing new ways with old).