How to Effectively Host Virtual Meetings and Events

By Sara Black, Partner and Co-Founder, Luminaries Consulting

No one sits in the back row of a zoom classroom! That might seem like a minor detail but when everyone is front and center, it demands a different level of engagement and that’s a great thing. Last week TMSA and Luminaries Consulting partnered to offer a Virtual version of the Transportation Sales Workshop that was hosted in person last October. To our surprise, we enjoyed the session even more this time! We used tools like Slack, Zoom and Thinkific to engage learners in various ways but the best part was being “back together” with people from the industry, in a virtual environment that felt very much like the real thing. The two days went by quickly as we had a handful of large group discussions that we coined “zoom power hours”, small group breakout sessions, self-directed assignments, practice time to try new entrance strategies with prospect customers and create real time action plans for immediate application.

Our message to you is this – DO NOT wait for things to get back to normal to plan that team meeting, training workshop or networking event! Now, maybe more than ever, employees need to feel appreciated, connected and that invested in. So, what will it take to make sure your event is an effective use of everyone’s time? Be prepared to do the work before the event! If you want your attendees to enjoy the experience and be engaged, then you’ll have to do the proper design and set up beforehand. This includes things like setting expectations, putting a schedule together, making sure everyone is set up as users in the systems you will be using, having people get into the systems to practice ahead of time, testing technology, putting plans in place for how you’ll keep the energy up and discussion lively, and maybe most importantly – a plan to make sure that the attendees are DOING things and not just passively participating. Luckily, with tools in Zoom such as whiteboards, pools, annotate features, chat and more … you can easily engage throughout. 

Although the virtual event went really well, there are definitely things we’ll do differently next time! I’d like to share a handful of considerations that will help with setting expectations and engaging your participants in this virtual world.

I realize that “setting expectations” might sound like a minor detail but this is a new environment and therefore we must set new expectations. For instance, if you expect for participants to participate and be present the whole time – help them to plan for that!  Send a meeting invite that blocks the full time needed, tell attendees that they will be on video and to plan appropriately, and then engage each person in conversation as soon as they log in to the meeting! Don’t mute participants or wait until the top of the hour to kick things off. Instead, tell people to log in 10 minutes early and then do the same! Start the meeting early, turn on background music, turn your video on, talk to people when they log on, have casual conversations and get people comfortable with the environment before the meeting begins. After the meeting starts, keep the video going even when you are sharing your screen or materials. Taking a break? Have everyone stay logged in, just mute and turn off their videos. When break time is almost over, start as you did earlier … get on early, start the music and as people turn their videos back on you can welcome them back. I know these are really specific details but they matter and this stuff works!

The video conversation can be effective on it’s own, but we’d suggest using various techniques to keep the energy up. The breakout rooms in Zoom are great for small group conversation, the polls to gather feedback/opinions, and the annotate feature so people could mark up the screen for different activities. These features encourage movement and get our brain re-energized and refocused.  You can plan for how you’ll use these tools ahead of time and/or create polls and breakout rooms on the fly. Lastly, take time for practice and application! With a little instruction and set up, you can guide people to try to new skills and behaviors, with each other or individually.   

Don’t rely on tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and others to just present and share information. Bring people in. Make it a shared experience. You don’t need to take time away to travel, spend money on hotel space, or host a dinner to bring people together. The technology exists and with a little extra effort, you host effective virtual meeting and events today!