Virtual meeting discomfort is something everyone has experienced in virtual work environments. Whether it’s dead silence, dodgy internet connections or distraction from the presentation, it’s difficult maintaining good momentum and audience engagement. In this blog we look at how to make collaboration in the workplace simple, enjoyable, and inclusive – no matter where you’re dialling in from.
What is a virtual meeting?
A virtual meeting is a meeting that happens online rather than physically with all the participants in the same meeting room. Attendees can share their ideas using audio, video conferencing and screen sharing tools.
Sometimes virtual meetings can be called hybrid meetings, where some attendees dial in remotely and others attend in person.
People typically use virtual meetings for work, to involve remote team members from around the world (or in different parts of the same building). The main thing is that they’re all talking and seeing each other on the screen using virtual meeting software.
How can I make virtual meetings more interactive?
It’s much easier to keep people engaged in regular meetings than it is in virtual meetings. This is often because virtual/remote meetings make it difficult to establish connections compared to in person events. Technical difficulties, poor equipment and virtual meeting fatigue can all contribute to low engagement too.
To help your employees stay engaged in upcoming virtual meetings, use these handy tips:
Create more immersive video meeting experiences
Though there are several perks to hybrid work environments, such as more flexibility and freedom, it can be hard to cultivate interpersonal work relationships. Virtual workers can also feel disengaged due to impersonal screen share.
To keep attendees engaged and help them feel like they’re all in the same room, a high-quality camera can encourage participation and add personality to any online meeting.
A good camera allows for the whole room to be seen, helping make the meeting feel as natural as possible and present you and your business in the right way, omitting a positive atmosphere for both those in the room and working remotely.
Many high-quality cameras also have auto-framing features which zoom in on the person speaking, this eliminates camera management hassle and makes it feel like all meeting attendees, whether virtual or in-house, are in the same room. This means that all meeting attendees can pick up on body language, conduct active listening and feel like a critical part of the meeting.
All cameras offer seamless integration with most video conferencing software too, making hopping onto a quick call or a full-length virtual conference an absolute breeze.
Reduce disruption
As aesthetically pleasing as today’s open office plans are, they come with a downside: excess noise. Hardwood floors and glass walls are pretty, but they don’t reduce sound like softer materials do. You’re left with an office that looks great but is unsuitable for online meetings, as hearing a person talking on a call can be rather difficult.
Sound reducing panels are some of the best products on the market for reducing noise bouncing around your hybrid or remote meeting space. Well placed wall and ceiling panels absorb noise in your office and can easily be a part of your office decor. Wall panelling doesn’t have to be boring either! Some options look like murals or other art you’d find hanging in a trendy office.
Acoustic ceiling panels are also an option while leaving the exposed ceiling open. Like wall panelling, these panels are offered in styles that help it blend into your office’s unique style while eliminating sound. Sound totems can also be used to help minimise any audio disruptions associated with background noise and echo.
Additionally, soundbars and microphones can improve the audio-conferencing experience in any room so that all the participants can be heard with ease. TecInteractive offers a variety of sleek-looking conference speakers that can be wall or display-mounted and remove the need for tabletop microphones thanks to revolutionary microphone technology that omits background noise and focuses on the voices in the actual meeting.
By implementing the above measures, you can improve audience engagement and allow remote participants to feel more involved in the meeting, similar to if they were actually there in person.
Boost engagement with interactive tools
All employees should be able to effectively work together as a team no matter where they are, and remote team members should feel as involved and engaged as possible. However, this can sometimes be difficult when using video conferencing software which often limits interactivity and participation.
For the ultimate collaboration experience, interactive displays and whiteboards offer a canvas that everyone can work from – wherever they are.
Users can enjoy the same access to documents and applications as they do from their desktop, combined with useful meeting features like digital whiteboards, zooming in, digital clipboards and remote annotation and editing. Whether the meeting is taking place in a meeting room or with remote participants, everyone has the opportunity to collaborate on the screen. Combined with video conferencing software it is a powerful tool for remote collaboration.
Encouraging two-way interactions with on-screen responses using text, images and gifs, creates a more exciting professional environment for employees and makes otherwise boring meetings more interactive.
Need more help hosting engaging online meetings?
If you’re looking to invest in virtual meeting room technology, we can help.
At TecInteractive, we give teams the tools to work better and achieve more. Making collaboration in the workplace simple, enjoyable, and inclusive – no matter where you’re dialling in from.
We shape smart tech to fit into your business, enabling you to unlock the true potential of your staff and solutions. From virtual meeting rooms to interactive displays, everything we do is designed to help you and your team stay engaged using technology.
We’ll work with you to create a system that fits into your business, enhancing productivity, collaboration and most importantly, interaction levels.
Get in touch to give your team the tools to work better and achieve more.