“Imagine what it’s like trying to keep people’s attention in a virtual meeting—one they might not be interested in, a meeting they might even feel they don’t belong in. Yet, there they are, and it’s your job to keep them focused and get business done,” begins Karin Reed.
In this episode, Karin addresses the challenges of keeping participants engaged in virtual meetings and offers practical strategies to maintain active involvement. The first step, she suggests, is to assess whether the meeting should even happen in the first place and offers two questions to ask to ensure that it does, based on insights from her co-author, Dr. Joe Allen, from their books Suddenly Virtual, Suddenly Hybrid, and Running Effective Meetings for Dummies. Dr. Allen suggests that in some cases, asynchronous communication may be a more effective option.
Karin emphasizes the importance of setting clear expectations from the start—defining the meeting’s purpose and agenda upfront and encouraging participants to turn on their cameras to enhance communication through non-verbal cues.
What can you do to make virtual meetings more dynamic? Karin suggests breaking content into smaller, manageable segments and incorporating interactive elements like polls, Q&A sessions, and chat participation. She also points out the value of allowing some non-business small talk, mimicking informal in-person interactions, which can help build rapport and lead to more meaningful contributions.
Another key tip? Start the call early and stay until everyone has left. This approach opens up opportunities for one-on-one interactions that might otherwise be missed. Karin stresses the importance of keeping participants engaged throughout the meeting, whether through discussions or interactive tasks.
