Virtual meetings are now commonplace in today’s workplace. Not only do they help bring people together remotely, but virtual meetings also help improve communication and collaboration. In fact, recent surveys have shown that 90% of businesses saw an increase in workforce productivity due to video conferencing and virtual meetings.

While a properly run virtual meeting can be very productive, some claim that these meetings also waste time. The latter is often the case when meetings are managed poorly. So how can you optimize the benefits of your virtual meetings so that they boost productivity and communication while not wasting time? We have five easy tips for your next virtual meeting.

1. Have an Agenda and Communicate It Ahead of Time

Having an agenda gives purpose to a meeting. It’s important to share it in advance to allow participants adequate time to prepare. Equally as important is to get input on the agenda from participants. This helps keep the meeting focused and prevents having to host additional meetings to address things that were overlooked. When distributing the meeting agenda, it’s also a good time to attach supporting documents and media so that everyone is on the same page.

2. Use Virtual Backgrounds

Using video during virtual meetings is critical for remote employees. It allows meeting participants to see each other face to face, creating more meaningful connections. However, using a home office for virtual meetings can pose some challenges like kids running around or animals trying to get attention. Virtual backgrounds can help to minimize distraction. No matter our actual surroundings, our background can be the picture of professionalism. Virtual backgrounds can do more than just mask the surroundings. They may promote a brand, create a mood, or display our creativity.

3. Facilitate the Meeting

Every virtual meeting host should facilitate the meeting and encourage participation from all attendees. When all participants are part of the conversation, then meaningful decisions can be made. Nothing kills a meeting like pontification, so it’s important that you make your meetings active instead of passive.

4. Use Noise Cancellation

Just as cluttered video backgrounds can be distracting during a virtual meeting, poor sound quality can as well. Using noise cancellation technology can remove distracting interference like barking dogs, lawnmowers, and doorbells. Make sure you have noise cancellation enabled to keep your virtual meetings distraction free.

5. Follow Up

After the meeting is over, meeting hosts should follow up with attendees on decisions made and actionable items. It’s also a great time to share the meeting recording in case anyone wants to listen back to the meeting or had to miss it for any reason. By following up with attendees, it helps better define expectations, creates a sense of responsibility, and provides an opportunity for participant feedback, resulting in improved future meetings.

Conclusion

Ultimately, choosing the right platform for virtual meetings can help improve your meeting productivity even more. Different platforms offer different functions. Select a unified communications platform with the unique features and functionality you need to create meaningful collaboration with your team.

If you are looking for a platform designed to help you get the most out of your virtual meetings, TPx offers the solution for your organization. UCx with Webex is a unified communications solution designed for the way you work.