Zoom has revolutionized the way in which businesses and individuals can meet, chat and work together. While video conferencing is nothing new, Zoom has provided a platform that has easily become one of the top choices for people wanting to take part in a group conversation — and especially where business meetings are concerned.
If you’re new to Zoom, or even the prospect of a remote video meeting, the software might seem daunting. Business meetings should always be productive and effective, and using Zoom won’t get in the way of that as long as you know the best tips and tricks for a successful virtual meeting.
1. Choose a Leader or Host
Meetings always need a leader to take charge and steer the schedule, and this is even more important for a virtual meeting, as working from a distance with a lot of people in different places can easily lead to distraction or disorganization.
Having an elected leader for the meeting to take charge can help everyone to stay on track and organize the conversation. The host may also want to be in charge of setting up the date and time of the meeting, as well as being the one to control the dashboard and add attendees.
2. Don’t Forget About Captioning
One-on-one meetings can help participants to focus in a much better way and have a more detailed conversation — but what about those Zoom meetings which may see you hosting a large group of participants? If you’re working through a lot of important information with a lot of attendees, then captioning can be a must to make sure no information is missed.
Closed captioning software can help the meeting to be more productive and communicated in a better way.
Also Read: How to Use Zoom Like A Pro
3. Choose the Right Time of Day
Most people might not react well to having a long video meeting at the end of a busy workday, so it would be more productive to try first thing in the morning or a time earlier in the day, which works for everyone.
Choosing the right time also applies to time differences. If you’re having a business meeting with contacts abroad, then it’s good etiquette to take in any time differences to find a time that comfortably works for everybody.
4. Secure Your Meetings
Success also means security, after all, especially if you have a large number of people joining and the risks of an open link. Be sure to turn off the Join Before Host option, and set up a password for attendees to log into the meeting.
5. Control the Audio
There are plenty of things that can become difficult when it comes to virtual meeting audio, especially if you have a high number of attendees. Some participants may be getting involved from a busy, public location with high background noise. Other participants may have a habit of interrupting or talking over other attendees.
Without audio control, you can risk a meeting getting out of hand, which is more difficult to control when not in person. The host of a meeting — or elected person — should be in control of mute options for participants to bring order when needed and create a more productive flow.
