Virtual Communication
In online meetings our cognition is massively limited in comparison to a meeting in person. Communication in this context is challenging. A big part of the context and non-verbal communication is just not possible in the virtual environment; especially when we rely on audio only.
Turning the camera on not only gives the team members more context, it also enforces more focus on the meeting by avoiding side-works.
Be aware that the position of the camera on top of your screen will lead to the strange effect hat people are not looking in each others eyes. At least while talking, think about looking directly in the camera to gain a better focus and understanding of your listeners.
Agenda, Timeline and Roles
Like in any good meeting make sure to send an agenda and time planning upfront and invite only people that need to contribute to the meeting.
You should consider splitting group size depending on main purpose of the meeting:
- Big Group: Informing
- Small Group: Discuss
- 1:1: Decision Making
Make sure to send a summary of the meeting to all stakeholders - also those that were not invited in the meeting but need to be informed.
The initiator of the meeting should be also the moderator and should assign the members roles like the record keeper and expert role at the begin of the meeting.
General tips
With the lack of context, irony and humor are hard to understand and should be avoided.
In general online meetings are more exhausting than real-life meetings; this is why you might want to try to
- address people directly
- provide activating impulses like polls, questions, ...
- interact together on digital platforms like Google Docs Drawing or MS Teams Whiteboard as drawing boards
Reserving some time at the end of the meeting to request a short resumee of all meeting members will also increase the common understanding of the meeting.
Tools
Golem.de
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