Pro Tips: Facilitating Successful Virtual Meetings

From my 10am project management review meeting to daily business operations meetings, my team, like most of yours, has experienced the shift to a hybrid and virtual work environment. This revolution demands innovation from nearly every aspect of our business. One area that consistently presents challenges in this new paradigm is conducting virtual meetings where the right issues are discussed and people can bring their best thinking and energy to the conversation. Yet many of our clients struggle with the following question: How can a group meet their intended outcomes when everyone is distributed, technology is unreliable, shared purpose seems elusive, and power politics reign supreme? The complexities of organizing and leading virtual meetings are a common concern we encounter while working with clients across industries and government.

It’s no wonder why; very few of us have been spared the frustration of attending a disorganized virtual meeting at least once in recent years. From local retirement community board meetings to secure defense conferences, the same human dynamics and challenges present themselves, and they make it hard for a group to find cohesion and consensus. As a management consultancy responsible for planning and facilitating such meetings, we at The Clearing have learned the power of preparation and intention when it comes to running effective virtual meetings. This is especially evident when dealing with complex topics and participants in diverse environments. Often peers in the industry believe that simply sending out a meeting invite and video teleconference link will guarantee success. This is not the case.

How can a leader effectively prepare themselves and their teams to organize and lead virtual meetings that work? 

Begin by exploring The Clearing’s Virtual Meetings Facilitation Toolkit. This downloadable resource offers clear insights from our team of expert meeting designers and facilitators. We crafted this toolkit to assist you in developing and executing virtual and hybrid meetings that maximize the value of your participants’ time together and the significance of their contributions.

Among other helpful resources, this toolkit includes:

• An easy-to-populate checklist that helps you consider group needs that are unique to virtual and hybrid meetings so you can address challenges in advance (*this is key: your meeting is the culmination of agreements, not the beginning);
• Checklists for the key activities before, during, and after your virtual meeting that will ensure the meeting runs smoothly; and
• Key tips and tricks to improve your meeting outcomes based on our team’s decades of facilitation experience.

After you download the toolkit, let us know if you have questions. We’re available to chat anytime – reach out when you’re ready.