Tips for Successful Zoom Business Meetings

From conducting business meetings to holding family reunions to taking online classes, Zooming is an effective option for communicating when face-to-face meetings are not possible. Some managers have mastered the techniques necessary to run a successful Zoom meeting, and there is much to learn from their best practices. Here are some tips to help you level up your own Zoom game so that your next meeting can run more smoothly:

• Read the room — For some managers, being able to read body and facial cues has all but disappeared. The fact is, it’s hard to read nonverbal cues across a screen. For example, in a face-to-face meeting, you might be able to tell when it’s time to change your presentation to be more engaged with your audience. Focus on facial expressions, such as raised eyebrows, tight lips or lack of eye contact, to take the temperature of the participants. Posture is also worth noticing. Are folks attentively sitting up or slouching and looking away? Be on the lookout for raised hands, letting you know when participants need clarification or want to ask a question.
• Dress appropriately — Set the right professional tone by wearing office-appropriate clothing to your Zoom meeting. As the host of the meeting, be sure to shy away from bold sartorial choices, which can be distracting during the meeting. Your attire should support your message, not detract from it. Your clothing also sends a subtle message to your team to dress accordingly — workout clothes or pajamas would be inappropriate.
• Consider your background — Before you start the call, consider what participants will see behind you. You certainly don’t want there to be a pile of laundry waiting to be folded. Make sure your area is clutter-free and organized to send the right message to your team. Zoom does have a background feature that allows you to choose a setting that suits you, such as the seashore, the woods, a cityscape or a virtual office. Blurring out your background is also an option.
• Keep it simple — If you include a visual presentation, make sure each slide is clear and concise. You do not want to have too many words or graphs that can be hard to see on a small screen. Record the presentation so team members can review it later at their leisure and for those who were unable to attend. It’s also a good idea to review the video yourself to self-correct what didn’t work for future meetings.
• Gather information about attendees — If the Zoom is going to be an external company meeting, you might ask the attendees to provide you with a few details about themselves, including their name, company affiliation and contact information. This data can be added to your existing customer relationship management[E1]  or email marketing tool for future interactions. You can also generate an attendee report at the end of the meeting.
• Get the group involved — Zoom’s Whiteboard annotation tool allows participants to brainstorm ideas for a collaborative experience. This feature includes sticky notes, flow charts and the ability to upload images onto your shared screen. A timer can be added to let the group know when it’s time to contribute their ideas.
• Get a room — Breakout rooms are another option for small-group collaboration. The host has the ability to send small groups off into their own rooms to work on a designated task. The host also has the ability to toggle between rooms to check on each group’s progress and to decide when members should be called back to the general meeting.

Zoom meetings are a productive way to bring all workers to the table no matter where they are. Companies also enjoy cost savings associated with business meeting expenses. Videoconferencing is efficient, effective and convenient. Faster decision-making is a real benefit when team members can be summoned to a meeting immediately. Knowing how to run a Zoom meeting takes some time to learn but is well worth it.

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