Setting expectations before / at the beginning of the meeting
- Add an outline to the meeting invitation
- At the beginning of the meeting, state what awaits the participants, whether there will be breaks, what is expected of them, etc.
Using the microphone
I turn off the microphone when I'm not talking. It's polite, or the option to turn on the microphone can be disabled in the meeting settings.
Using the camera
Turn the camera on or off? It always depends on the situation.
- Smaller meetings and in the team yes
- The more people there are, the more disturbing the camera is
Chat usage and interactivity
- < 10 participants: Use audio and let people talk
- 10-50 participants: Use chat and reactions in MS Teams (people would shout over each other)
- 50+ participants: Take advantage of tools like Menti https://www.mentimeter.com/ or Slido https://www.slido.com/ (Chat becomes confusing) possibly invite participants to report and call them like in school
Working with the attention and expectations of the participants
- Use a timer: https://www.orzeszek.org/dev/timer/download/ or the Clock feature in Windows
More tips
- Be understanding and keep calm: We are people and not machines, 21% of participants make purchases at online meetings, 60% handle work emails. At the same time, they can have children at home or deal with the running of the household. Whether you agree with it or not, it's happening.
- Address participants directly. If you ask the whole group "How's it going?", no one will answer you. "How's it going Ondro?" is much better.
- Alternative to a second monitor - Using a tablet and an app https://www.duetdisplay.com/
- Working with attention: Use the mouse cursor pointer after pressing the CTRL key: You can find the settings in Windows (Mouse settings / More mouse options / Pointer options / Show pointer location after pressing the CTRL key).
- Don't drag out the meeting time. People usually have a follow-up where someone might already be waiting for them.
- Is a meeting even necessary? Isn't there a better way? For example, try asynchronous communication and the tool https://www.loom.com/
