5 more ways to get more from virtual meetings

In a recent article, the Cloud Community team looked at 5 ways to get more from virtual meetings. 

A week later from that article, we’ve got another 5 ways to extract the most value from your time.

Think about the device

If the meeting is worth having, it’s worth focusing your full attention on it. Using a laptop gives better bandwidth optimisation for your call – and with it better video and sound quality. Desktop versions of voice applications are also more feature-rich than their mobile cousins.

Mute notifications

Trying to focus on your meeting will not be helped by continuous notifications popping up during your call. Before entering your meeting, it’s good practice to mute notifications to enable you to focus on the meeting and avoid unproductive multi-tasking.

Talking of multi-tasking…

Not only can working on other things during a meeting look rude to your colleagues, it also means you won’t get the most out of the session (therefore bringing into question whether it is actually needed), or whether you need to be on it. If it goes off-course or overruns, try to politely bring it back on topic.

Make eye contact

Just like you would during a face-to-face meeting, look into your camera when you are talking. By doing so, you’ll find the meetings more engaging, and you’re more likely to get more out of them.

Minimise background noise

Although noise-reducing microphones can help, it’s also good practice to ensure you’re aware of any background noise during your meeting. Although it’s not always possible, try to avoid important meetings when you’re travelling, and have a quiet space where you can focus – if not, consider rescheduling.