When we facilitate an in-person meeting, most folks expect to have some kind of on-site support. Someone will take notes, there might be an IT person to troubleshoot technology challenges and you may even have additional facilitators. When you facilitate an online meeting, sometimes folks make the mistake of trying to do it alone. Don’t do it! Prior to your next online meeting, enlist support. If you want to have a successful, positive and productive online meeting, you need help! Join me this week as I highlight at least three people I recommend including as part of your online meeting team.
- IT support. You are online. You need to have someone ready to make adjustments, check the sound, figure out why something isn’t working, etc. You may need this person to help mute other participants who forgot to mute their computers/phones. This person may also be able to help you record your webinar or conference call and provide a web link to the recording as well. If I’m hosting an online meeting that is larger than just a few of my closest colleagues, I enlist IT support!
- Note-taking support. If you are facilitating, it is REALLY difficult to also capture all the notes and next steps. You may be able to highlight a few things as you go and share your screen, but you want someone else to be sure they are collecting information on who is participating, what links/resources they mention, etc.
- Chat management support. In order to avoid being constantly distracted as a facilitator, enlist help to manage the chat feature. Have someone who can readily respond to questions and prompt you to know that you have a question or need to pause to address a concern. If you are trying to do it all, you will be way too distracted and just like your participants! If you missed that post, check it out here.
What kinds of support do you find most helpful in facilitating online meetings?
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Photo by Jeffrey F Lin on Unsplash
