Pre-pandemic, the idea of solely virtual business meetings didn’t even enter public consciousness. Now, even years later, the use of virtual meetings in a business setting is still up by around 60%.
While they started as the only meeting option during periods of lockdown and social distancing, virtual meetings on platforms like Zoom have more than proven their worth. In fact, virtual meetings are now one of this decade’s best examples of how technology can improve business operations, making it possible to meet with even long-distance clients easily.
But virtual meetings are still pretty new to any company canon and, while all businesses had to learn the ropes pretty quickly, not everyone is conducting flawless virtual meetings even now. This can be a problem, especially when the virtual meeting room is your first point of contact for a potential sale. And, it’s an issue you can overcome by considering whether you’re making the following mistakes in your virtual meeting culture.
# 1 – You’re Overlooking Video
Virtual meetings are undeniably easier when they’re audio-only. But, there are also major issues with neglecting video during a virtual meeting, including a lack of personal connection, and an inability to read things like client body language and mood. This can result in a closed-door culture that leaves everyone feeling one step removed, and less liable to buy from your business. By comparison, choosing a professional backdrop and outfit can make a huge difference in removing virtual barriers and building trust.
# 2 – You’re all Talking Over Each Other
Issues like connection delays can mean that participants in a virtual meeting are continually talking over one another. This is a significant problem for meeting culture, as it’s not only frustrating, but also means that vital points might be missed. In some cases, clients or employees might not even want to speak out for fear that someone else will talk over them. This can create an increasingly toxic and unhelpful culture and is something you can avoid by simply implementing virtual meeting etiquette, like mute buttons and raised hands for anyone who wishes to make a point.
# 3 – You aren’t taking notes
While note-takers are standard practice in a physical meeting, many companies overlook this in a virtual setting. After all, virtual meetings tend to be faster-paced and harder for any one person to keep up with. However, the lack of things like physical presence makes it even more important that participants can return to notes that highlight any points they might’ve missed due to things like the connection delays mentioned above. Physical note-takers can still work in a virtual environment, but the best virtual meeting notes will come from a program like Supernormal – the best AI notetaker for platforms like Google Meet and Zoom. This way, you can easily ensure AI-generated, accurate notes for every virtual meeting. And, that’ll make for an open, more transparent virtual meeting culture overall.
No one can deny the value of virtual meetings in modern business, but make sure you avoid virtual meeting culture mistakes with these tips.
