words Al Woods
As technology becomes more and more advanced, it is hard to limit our reliance on it. Cutting-edge software like Zoom and Microsoft Teams have made online meetings the new normal. More businesses are turning to these platforms to hold their meetings. As convenient as these platforms are, they can make engagement rather difficult.
More people find it easier to tune out online meetings and avoid being as engaged as they would be during in-person meetings. This article will detail five tips to increase engagement in your Zoom meetings.
1. Hire Help
The simplest way to engage people is to give them something interesting to look at. This can be in the form of a comedian or another kind of talented act. Zoom magicians are all the rage these days, and they are easy to find. Just visit a site like this one to hire a magical performer for your meeting.
By enlisting outside talent to perform during your meeting, you can liven up tedious information sessions. It’ll help your employees loosen up, get to know each other better, and have something to look forward to.
2. Ask Questions
Asking questions is one of the most basic ways to engage your audience. By asking questions, you force your audience to pay attention to what you are saying.
Even better is to randomly ask questions to keep everyone on their toes. Common questions can be as open-ended as, “What do you think about this new change we’re implementing?” Or, you can try more matter-of-fact inquiries that relate to your employees’ personal development, such as, “What kind of training would you like to receive in the future?”
3. Assign Topics
When holding a meeting, it is a good idea to delegate the issues you plan to discuss. For example, if you are discussing a project, then you should assign a subpart of that project to other members in that meeting.
By assigning topics, you’ll make it easier for yourself by decreasing your own workload. You are also forcing others to be more active in the meeting because they have a stake in the discussion.
To follow this strategy, it’s best to separate your team into smaller groups that you can oversee.
4. Keep It Short
No one wants to sit through an online meeting that’s unnecessarily long. Even though your employees are likely in their pajamas from the waist down and sitting in the comfort of home, they’d rather spend their time doing the job they signed up to do. Trust us: listening to you ramble is low on their list of desires.
So, follow these tips to keep your meetings short:
- Stick to a meeting agenda with concise bullet points
- Establish time limits for each topic
- Invite only those who need to attend
- Create a conclusive ending
When you run an efficient meeting, your employees will be more likely to pay attention.
5. Use Pictures & Other Imagery
Pictures are a great way to grab people’s attention. A cute cat picture or a funny meme may seem simple in principle, but they are actually very useful tools when it comes to grabbing your employees’ attention. Just be sure these additions don’t distract from the main goals of your meeting.
Note: If you have to display numbers, it’s best to use a chart rather than a table. People can easily look at a chart and understand it, while a table takes more time to interpret. For example, most tables have various columns that a viewer needs to digest, and it can be hard to trace the rows of a table if there are multiple columns.
Final Thoughts
Any business owner will know that it can be difficult to engage an audience regardless if you’re holding a meeting online or in person. If captivating your audience is your main goal, keep your meetings direct and simple but still provide entertainment along the way.
