Your team members probably don't love sitting through long meetings, especially if they are over Zoom or a similar platform. Fortunately, there are several ways you can make your virtual meetings a bit more enjoyable and interactive!
How to make virtual meetings fun
Making virtual meetings fun often involves adapting some of the strategies you would normally use to make in-person meetings a bit more interesting. From adding games, contests, or icebreakers to leaving time at the end or during breaks for your team members to chat about something other than the meeting topics, you can make your teams a bit less boring and more fun.
Incorporate team building
Your virtual meetings don't have to only include the business points your team needs to discuss. Much like in-person meetings, you can supplement your necessary discussions with games, contests, and time for unrelated conversation. Many games that could be played in person can be adapted to be played over Zoom and other videoconferencing platforms by using online versions or other methods. These activities can help the members of your team stay connected even if they are not physically present in the same room, as well as build communication between team members.
Incorporate real objects
Being at home during meetings means that your employees are near most of their belongings, which can help to make breaks between topics during your virtual meetings fun. Taking a few minutes for your team members to share their pets or favorite photos or sending them on a scavenger hunt to find a random object in their home can add a bit of joy and humor to a meeting that might otherwise be boring.
Keep meetings short
By taking the opposite approach and keeping meetings on task, you can keep them short and to the point. Although some types of meetings may benefit from extra activities, others do not cover much information and should be kept as short as possible. This strategy helps keep attendees from losing interest in the content of your meeting and keep everyone engaged.
The importance of an interactive meeting
Making your virtual meetings interactive can go a long way toward boosting company morale. Although virtual meetings can naturally be more challenging to keep interesting than in-person ones, a bit of extra effort can keep your team members engaged and feeling valued, which can improve their overall feelings about your meeting and help you get more accomplished.
Keep team members engaged
No one particularly enjoys sitting through long meetings where the only thing they get to do is listen to the person running the meeting talk. By creating discussions among team members, each person present gets to contribute something to the conversation and may have an easier time staying engaged in what is happening. Breaking up your virtual meetings to allow something fun, such as a quick game or a few minutes of off-topic conversation, can also help refresh your employees' minds and keep them alert. This tip can be particularly helpful if you know in advance that a particular meeting is likely to get long.
Allow team members to feel valued
Interactive meetings give your employees the opportunity to share their thoughts about topics that are discussed during the meeting, which allows them to feel that their opinions matter. By putting a bit of effort into creating an interactive meeting, attendees feel more valued and less like they would rather be anywhere but in that particular meeting.
Conclusion
At BlueJeans, we are here to help you upgrade your online meetings. Visit our website to learn more about how incorporating our products can help you go beyond basic virtual meetings or start your free trial today!
About the Author
Priyanka is a customer centric and data driven Product Marketing Manager with a diverse experience. At BlueJeans, she is responsible for driving marketing strategy for the BlueJeans Meetings platform focused on go-to-market activities and product messaging. Prior to BlueJeans, Priyanka was responsible for driving strategy and direction for multiple product families at Fujitsu, intimately involved in creating optimal GTM strategy to achieve business goals. Priyanka has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Penn State University and an MBA in Marketing & Business Analytics from SMU in Dallas, Texas. Outside of work, Priyanka loves spending time with her family and traveling the world.
