We are a year in and participating in virtual meetings has become a way of life. In the run of a day, I attend 3-4 virtual meetings during the workday plus 1 or 2 more after hours. When I'm facilitating a meeting, there are certain things that need to be taken care of so that I don't have to worry about them during the meeting. My preferred platform is Zoom, however whichever video conferencing format you choose, these must-haves still apply.
Co-host - designate one or more co-hosts to manage the behind the scenes tasks such as taking attendance, admitting participants into the meeting, muting background noise, monitoring the chat, and screen sharing.
Attendance - capturing who's on the call is important for meeting minutes and attendance records. Zoom tracks this for you if you require registration. If you are not requiring attendees to register, it's important to designate someone on the call to take attendance for you. This is easiest by using the participants' icon during the meeting or you can just chase video frames and make a list based on who you see.
Admitting participants - there's nothing like sitting in the virtual waiting room waiting to be let into the meeting while the meeting goes on. Assign a co-host this task so that you can facilitate the meeting and late arrivals can be managed by someone else.
Muting background noise - when a participant fails to mute themselves during a meeting, the background noise can be rather distracting. Assigning one of your co-hosts the task of monitoring background noise can protect the flow of your meeting.
Chat box - here's another area that can be managed by someone other than you. By assigning the task to someone else, they can respond and answer the questions on your behalf or get your attention during the meeting so that you can respond openly to all.
Screen sharing - when you're facilitating a meeting, sharing your screen is often necessary, but annoying - for me, at least. Tasking someone else to share their screen frees you up to facilitate, give feedback, respond to questions, and make eye contact with participants.
Note-taking - identifying someone who will take thorough notes to share with you and the other participants helps keep track of what was slated on the agenda, those tasks that you accomplished during the meeting, and any next steps.
These are a few must-haves that I include when I'm facilitating a meeting. The key is to have trusted team members who are comfortable with supporting you. Give it a try.
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