During this critical time, many people are having to adjust to a new way of life and a new way of working. We’ve prepared a number of articles that might help you settle into the new routine over the coming days and weeks. Feel free to share them with your colleagues and friends.
Let's face it, this one is a no-brainer! We all know how much time, money and energy we can be guilty of wasting travelling around for face-to-face meetings. Though in reality, the quality of online meetings has developed so much in recent years. If you have yet to try the newest programmes for remote meetings, prepare to be pleasantly surprised!
For the best experiences, in both quality of picture and interactivity features we recommend (at little or no-cost):
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Zoom
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Microsoft Teams
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Skype for Business
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Google Meetup
It’s also important to develop good habits and practice with your online meetings - here's our advice for running a virtual meeting:
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Make sure you’re prepared. Virtual meetings have to be planned out well in advance. Send the agenda ahead of time, create visuals to reinforce your message and forward them to everyone before the meeting. Send log-in information (access codes, URLs, and call-in numbers) at least a day in advance so that participants can test for any software downloads needed.
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If you are hosting a single presenter with a large audience tuning in, then it is a good idea to have a facilitator designated to assist the main presenter.
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Set the ground rules. Ask participants to mute themselves when they log on. If you are able, please keep your video on, if you don’t have enough bandwidth, then move to audio only. To ask a question, type QUESTION or COMMENT in chat, then wait for the chair to invite you to speak.
Following rules such as these ensures that the meeting runs smoothly, without unnecessary interruptions. If you have any more recommendations, tweet us @Cosmic_UK, or use the hashtag: #keepSWworking.