It is important to organize your meeting properly. Don’t get caught scrambling and improvising, or your engagement levels will suffer. Follow these steps to ensure your all-hands meeting goes smoothly.
Step 1: Announce in advance – Send save the dates and lots of reminders. Be sure to include all of the pertinent details, like date, start and end times, login details, and what to do if they can’t attend. Always include tech tips to ensure a smooth experience.
Step 2: Create an agenda - Your agenda sets the framework for the meeting and ensures you’ve thought through your messaging and goals in advance. Check out our blog on creating the ideal agenda.
Step 3: Set expectations – Once you have announced the date and time of your virtual all-hands meeting, make sure that everyone knows where to go and what to expect. When introducing a new platform, it’s helpful to include a link or an attachment with a brief video tutorial of how to navigate the space.
Step 4: Collect questions in advance - Employees stay with their employers when they feel valued. Provide a forum for asking AND answering questions to reinforce how much you value your team and care about their input and contribution.
To run an effective meeting, you need the right tools. Leverage next-generation technology where everyone can be in the same space, with freedom to move about and connect with team members on their own journey and in a meaningful way. Have channels for communication as a group and privately with one another. Engage the team with polls, Q&A and notifications. Give them a chance to react with emojis and chat shout-outs to keep the energy high.
Avoid tech glitches by doing a dry run in advance. This can be short and sweet, especially if you are well organized in advance. Testing ensures everyone is familiar with the technology, understands the agenda, and relieves speaker stress on the day of the meeting.
While you want to keep the team informed and your culture thriving, unnecessary distractions are…. well… unnecessary! One key way to make your virtual all-hands meeting more effective is by keeping it short and to the point. Avoid letting the meeting go over the allotted time, so you keep engagement levels high. Keep meetings consistent and be disciplined about time allocations, which will build trust with your team. A dedicated moderator who is leading and managing the discussion and steering things along can help ensure you won’t lose valuable time in getting back to work.
Fun is critical to keeping your remote team engaged. Your all-hands meeting can absolutely be a fun experience for your team. Keep things informative but also energetic, engaging and FUN!
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