Team meetings rarely feel as interactive now that over half of the workforce has transitioned to a remote setting. This can prove to be problematic for companies that rely on the contributions and insight from their team members to progress and meet goals. It can feel impossible at times to cultivate a sense of real interaction between team members. That is why we have devised a list of team meeting ideas for companies with remote workers so you can create a more interactive environment.
We may have 10 best-kept secrets to make remote meetings more interactive, but it is no secret that team member interaction is crucial to overall success. Join us as we delve into some of the best tactics to use when hosting virtual team meetings!
1. Communicate Expectations
Before the start of any meeting, it is important to brief your team on what to expect. There is no doubt that the meeting is being held for a reason, and that critical information is most likely being provided via literature or covered in discussion. Ensuring that your employees are in the right mindset is imperative. You can proceed with the confidence that your message(s) will be conveyed properly.
For the best possible outcome, consider presenting your team with a problem. Maybe you’ve already found the solution for this problem and that is the purpose of the meeting. However, asking for insight from your fellow team members is a great way to be sure that they are engaged and retaining the information that they are being provided.
Also, in order to really ensure full team member engagement, ground rules should be set. Require that team members should be visible on video, in a quiet space, not working on other tasks, etc.
2. Allocate a Period of Time for Catch-Up
Many individuals have really felt the impact of isolation and stress that has come as a result of COVID-19 and the transition to working remotely. This is why it is so important for leaders to designate a period of time prior to or after meetings where they can catch up with their team members and see how they are holding up. It is certainly a stressful and lonely time for most people, and while it may not be your responsibility to take a therapeutic approach regarding your employees, it will definitely generate positive results. Be sure to ask about the highlights of your team members’ week, what challenges they are facing, and how they think that these challenges can be overcome. A compassionate leader will certainly have a positive impact on the productivity of their team members.
3. Start Meetings with an Ice Breaker
Jumpstart every meeting with a fun and inclusive ice breaker. This is a surefire way to grab the attention of your audience. Ice breaker activities get a good rapport going and set the stage for creativity and participation. Finally, ice breakers effectively get your team members comfortable with speaking and interacting with one another.
4. Assign Tasks
Remote meetings can feel like a real snooze, especially if you have little-to-no involvement in them. Employees are particularly effective at coasting through meetings without paying much attention to their content when they work remotely.
Assigning team members with tasks like note taking, facilitating, and time management is a great way to ensure their involvement and participation in the meeting. Maybe you can even assign a team member the task of conducting the icebreaker!
5. Create Interactive Material
Visuals are known to increase audience attention and memory, as well as interaction. The right content geared toward your team’s interests and strengths will generate a sensation of inclusivity. Employees will become engaged with the content of the meeting, no matter how routine it may seem. Using visuals in your remote team meetings will help add context, illustrate points, and provide levity. The goal is to capture your audience’s attention, after all!
6. Get Everyone’s Blood Pumpin’
Warm-up exercises and activities that increase blood flow are great ways to break through team member sluggishness, and to get people comfortable and ready to interact with one another. Simple desk stretches to release muscle tension or vocal exercises that will get team members in a good mood and ready to participate are excellent tasks to work into team meetings.
7. Treat Virtual Like Personal!
Treating a virtual meeting as though it is being held in person is a great approach to increase team member engagement. Think about it… when attending an in-person meeting, there isn’t a way to simply mute someone or have them mute their computer. There is also no possible way to disconnect video. All attendees should be appropriately dressed, communicative, providing feedback, and interacting with others as if they were in an in-person meeting. Ask employees to treat their dining room table or home office desk like a professional boardroom when logging in for meetings.
8. Conduct Polls
Hold polls and surveys regarding certain employee-relevant topics. Was the meeting’s material helpful? Was a certain subject covered in full? Inviting feedback is a great way to gauge group interactiveness. Attendees may also vote on follow-up actions or next steps. Polls can even be used to create a fun and humorous environment that will break the monotony of meetings.
9. Collaborate
Actively soliciting ideas and getting team members to collaborate is a great tactic to keep your virtual meetings interactive. There are a lot of free digital tools available that will prove to be helpful regarding collaboration. You can even encourage team members to host their own meetings and build a collaborative presentation.
10. Make the Meeting Competitive!
Everyone loves friendly competition! Make it competitive by testing how much your team members have been paying attention. If you don’t think the feeling of accomplishment and being valued is enough for the winner of the quiz-oriented game, try including a prize! Competition is a great way to make remote meetings more interactive.
Run with It!
These secrets are sure to transform your remote meetings into interactive rendezvous with valued members of your team. Implement some of these secret ideas for team meetings, and you just might experience more successful, productive, and engaging remote meetings!
And, for more fun meeting ideas, get in touch with TriviaHub today. We offer team building solutions for a variety of remote teams.