HOW TO MAKE HOME OFFICE TEAM MEETINGS MORE PRODUCTIVE The transition to remote work due to the pandemic and lockdown decree has forced us to adapt and transform our homes into “home offices.” Living, socializing, and working in the same place (all from home or through screens) can become tedious and consequently demotivating. To avoid a demotivated and unproductive team, ending the meeting with the thought “This could have all been done in an email…” it is necessary to innovate and be constantly adapting.
10 TIPS TO MAKE ONLINE MEETINGS MORE PRODUCTIVE AND EFFECTIVE: BEFORE THE MEETING Define meeting topics and create an agenda: To make a meeting effective and productive, it is necessary to outline objectives clearly and concisely. Define a plan with specific topics and try not to deviate from these topics during the meeting.
Share the meeting agenda in advance: Creating and sharing the meeting agenda in advance with participants is a great organizational technique as it allows them to prepare ahead of time. It also enables the sharing of feedback on the topics and possible suggestions.
Invite only those essential to the meeting: Including all team members in all meetings is not always a good idea as it is often not a subject directly related to certain individuals, and they end up being silent. This can generate frustration as they feel that time is passing and they don’t feel like they are doing anything useful.
Choose a standard platform: There are several technological options for conducting team meetings, with video conferencing platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, Team, or Jitsi being the most dynamic. Choose only one standard platform that meets all the necessary conditions and conduct all your meetings through it. Do the same for document sharing – avoid using multiple means of document and information sharing as it can become confusing and disorganized. Some good options are Google Drive, One Drive, or creating a shared Dropbox.
DURING THE MEETING Start the meeting with a conversation moment: Take the opportunity to socialize with your team by talking about something other than work for a few minutes. This is a good way to build connections with team colleagues and relax before starting to work.
Remind of the meeting objective: Remind participants of the meeting objective and what is intended to be achieved in the end to keep it in mind during all moments of the meeting.
Communicate in a clear and engaging way: Communicating in a clear way involves using specific language and explaining topics in detail so that there are no doubts. That being said, meetings don’t have to be boring. Interact in an animated way, use good visual support means, and you can even create your own “meeting traditions,” such as each meeting having a theme. Icebreakers and questions that stimulate interaction are also good options.
Encourage active participation from each person: Directly asking for contributions from each participant helps team members feel involved in the meeting. It is crucial to make each person feel valued and that they have the ability to contribute to the projects/topics at hand by giving their opinions.
Invest in team-building: Investing in team-building activities is not only fun but also increases team spirit. Doing quizzes, quizzes, and interactive games is a good way for the entire team to interact and have fun together.
AFTER THE MEETING: Send a follow-up after the meeting: At the end of the meeting, send a follow-up with a brief summary of the topics that were discussed and the tasks that now need to be completed to meet the objectives. This increases the effectiveness of the meeting and reinforces the importance of meetings to team members.
However, it is only effective when it is read, so make sure the message or email is engaging – this may include the use of gifs, videos, funny photos from the meeting, etc. Create a routine so that after each meeting, the team is already expecting to receive this message.
