Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Dan's Biz Bookshelf: Make Virtual Meetings Matter

Most of us have spent the last year and a half in virtual meetings. They have become such a common occurrence in our everyday lives that I believe they are here to stay. Every kind of meeting—from sales to status to even customer and AS 91100 audits—have been done virtually since COVID hit us hard in March 2020.

Author Paul Axell provides us with a modern update from the 2015 edition, which now includes more information for the new virtual world we live in.

It was inevitable that someone would come up with a resource like this to help guide us through the struggles of getting used to these kinds of meetings. This book is filled with suggestions and ideas on how to not only run, but also attend these meetings. The author, Paul Axtell, has spent a lot of time thinking and coming up with several very good ways to make these meetings as productive—and yes, even inspiring as possible.

Here are a few tips from this book. My personal favorite is how to deal with people who are constantly interrupting. This is something that is hard enough to deal with in a live meeting—but even more challenging in a virtual meeting—where you can’t reach out and kick the person, or better yet wring his neck. But here are three options for what you can do in a virtual meeting:

Option 1: Let the person who interrupts finish his/her comments and then go back to the person who was interrupted and ask them to continue what they were saying before they were interrupted.

Option 2: Interrupt the interrupter and say, “Joe, I’d like you to hold back for a moment until Sarah finishes her thought,” or if you’re the person interrupted say, “Joe, I wasn’t quite done. I’d like to finish and then I’d love to hear your thoughts.”

Option 3: After the meeting, talk to Joe and correct the behavior by saying, “Joe, I appreciate your willingness to participate, however, I don’t think interrupting is helpful. I want everyone to have the chance to talk.”

Of course, the tone with which you say these things can regulate how bothered you are by what the person is doing.

Other tips from the book:

1. Set a detailed agenda including the objective for the meeting. Send it out before the meeting (maybe in the invite) and then stick to it.
2. Direct the meeting. If you are the meeting moderator, take responsibility for running the meeting, making sure that everyone has their chance to speak and express their feelings. Keep the meeting on track and make sure to guide the meeting toward achieving its objective.
3. And as the leader, control the take-away actions: Listen longer and more carefully. Note the commitments that are made and who made them. Recap the meetings including the next steps to take, the actions and who committed to them as well as when they will be completed; and set up the next meeting.

Honestly, these suggestions are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of all the other good advice that Axtell offers. Please read this book, especially if you’re planning on inviting me to your next Zoom call!

Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Management Group.

Make Virtual Meetings Matter: How to Turn Virtual Meetings from Status Updates to Remarkable Conversations

Author: Paul Axtell

Copyright 2020 by Source Books/ Ignite Reads/ Simple Truths

Price: $9.99