We have all been on conference calls or online meetings where someone put us on “hold” and the music blasted through the meeting audio. We have also all been part of meetings with barking dogs, screaming children, flushing toilets, lawn mowers mowing and all sorts of other background noises. While it definitely helps us be “real” during those meetings, if we are going to be able to effectively pay attention to what we are meeting about, the host (or co-host) has to use the tool of “mute all lines” for maximum engagement. Join me this week as I provide three reasons why “mute all lines” will help your online meetings be more successful!
- Keeps people engaged. One of the quickest ways that people will “check out” in a meeting is if there is background noise that keeps people from focusing on the content. They will likely just put themselves on mute and start checking their email or doing something else (if they even stay in the meeting!). You want to guide them on how to be engaged in a clear way (use the chat, unmute their lines, *6 to unmute if they are on the phone) rather than be frustrated with their engagement because they keep hearing lots of background noises.
- Shows respect for presenters and participants. When someone is giving you their time to present or participate in a meeting, this is a gift! Your coalition members and partners have many options on how they spend their time and you want to make the most of their time during your meetings. When we mute all lines and provide instruction on how to unmute, you are respecting both the presenters and the participants. When people feel respected and valued, they are more likely to continue to present or participate in future meetings that will help you achieve your collective purpose.
- Helps you be more productive. When you are not distracted by random background noises or hold music from other participants, as a facilitator, you are able to focus on the meeting purpose and help all participants be more productive during the meeting time. You are meeting for a purpose (remember my #1 online meeting tip) and muting all lines helps you accomplish this purpose.
So what about you? What is your best “need to mute all lines” story or background noise? 🙂
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Photo by Jason Rosewell on Unsplash
