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Ways to Keep Virtual Meetings More Engaging For Remote Workers
The global pandemic has made a huge difference in everyone’s daily agenda. Gone are the days of stopping for a quick bite to eat with friends and family after a long day at the office. Instead, we’re staying home and working remotely to practice social distancing and help flatten the curve.
And while many organizations are still adjusting to this new way of life, technology has helped to normalize self-quarantine and made it easier for employees to communicate and engage with colleagues. Zoom Video Communications, Inc. for example, has made a major impact on the current state of socialization and communication between family members, friends and even co-workers. In fact, research found that Zoom’s active mobile users in March were 151% higher on average than they were last year, Reuters reported.
But Zoom isn’t the only platform seeing more traffic these days. Other platforms include, but are not limited to Cisco Webex, Microsoft Teams and ClickMeeting.
Taking advantage of any of these digital communication outlets is a positive from a company perspective. But conducting various virtual meetings within a few days – or even hours – can get stale. Even when you’re in the business of media, communications and production, a traditional chat via webcam can be tiresome.
And this doesn’t just go for the quick team huddles managers are having with employees. Bigger events, such as conferences and stakeholder missions, are now taking place via virtual connection.
Do your virtual meetings need more action from your employees? Here are a few real-world examples and tips from businesses and professionals who are keeping remote workers engaged during the pandemic via virtual communication:
(Almost) IN-PERSON
Let’s face it: Company events just can’t go on in these conditions, and it’s hard to say when we can go back to holding large corporate conventions in massive halls. But that doesn’t mean you have to cancel the event all together. Virtual events are currently taking the country by storm, according to the Bizzabo Blog.
(Almost) IN-PERSON, for example, is a virtual event for marketers to continue making meaningful connections and sharing ideas during this time. Professionals are coming together virtually to discuss solutions that will carry the industry into this new normal. The conference is open to event and marketing professionals around the world who are interested in (virtually) speaking directly to industry thought leaders, learning about how to create unique hybrid meeting experiences and explore other content strategies that are surfacing during these times. By giving conference-goers the opportunity to talk directly to speakers – in the comfort of their own home – a new and exciting dimension to the world of marketing is introduced.
With the technology available now, you don’t have to cancel the company conferences. Try taking a virtual leap instead and add interesting features like (Almost) IN-PERSON did, or by reaching out to your Crews Control production manager for more livestreaming and virtual meeting methods.
USP 2020 Convention Meeting
We can all appreciate having information ahead of a large conference or meeting to prepare questions or simply better understand the mission of the meeting altogether. These expectations won’t change when it comes to virtual conferences. In fact, they become heightened.
After making the decision to hold a virtual convention meeting instead of canceling the event altogether, the USP’s 2020 Convention Meeting is rolling with the punches led by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a public health organization, the company felt obligated to prioritize the health of USP staff, convention delegates and volunteers. So they decided to continue the conference in a more socially distant – and responsible – way.
To ensure convention attendees feel confident in this new and unfamiliar setup, USP gave everyone an inside look into what they can expect from the convention this year. All of the details are on the company’s website. Everything is shared, from the pre-meeting activities, to the virtual meeting itself and the final phase of the convention, which includes the voting on proposed resolutions, amendments and board of trustees members.
Not only does this help the attendees feel more confident about how the subject matter will be covered, but it also allows them to feel productive and engaged in the content before the convection even occurs.
Kahoot!
Yes, having your usual client communications, staff one-on-one’s and team meetings is critical during these times. But it’s also important to have some fun and remind your employees why working for your team is so thrilling. Luke Mckend, the country director for Africa, Southern and Eastern Europe at LinkedIn, worked together with senior relationship manager Jenali Skuse to arrange a virtual quiz among staff members using Zoom and Kahoot!, a game-based learning platform:
“As we all get to grips with wfh it is important to schedule some time for a bit of fun alongside all of the catch ups, forecasts, virtual coffee meets etc. Jenali Skuse arranged an awesome virtual pub quiz for the Linkedin teams covering Africa, Turkey, Israel and Central and Eastern Europe today and it was brilliant. Using a combination of Zoom, Kahoot, Teams and Whatsapp, we were able to get 50 people connected and answering Jenali’s fiendishly difficult questions! #linkedin #pubquiz”
Help employees look forward to something after a long week in the “office” and consider using an app like Kahoot. This platform can host up to 4,000 people on a single game. And while that may seem like a lot to control and maintain, the app enables your colleagues to connect with each other, blow off some steam and show off their trivia knowledge.
Recap
As stay-at-home orders went into effect, these new technologies and virtual platforms have definitely saved some companies. And they will continue to do so under current conditions. Now that some lockdowns are beginning to ease, many wonder if virtual meetings and other virtual tools are a permanent tool or just a Band-Aid for the times. We’d love to know what you think.
While your company gets used to this new normal – that could potentially become a fixed staple in the business world – and perfects its communications among staff members, keep Crews Control in mind for your creative needs. We’re more than comfortable with working with video and can lend a hand during these strange times with your outsourced editing, motion graphics and animation needs. For more information, click here.
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