held in cyberspace instead, where do you start? The key is in being well pre- pared before, during and after the event.
REARLY STAGES Planning “The most important thing is to have the right people,” says Katherine Woods, founder of Meeting Magic Ltd. “Once you have selected who to invite and have fixed the date and time, then the technicalities of setting up the online plat- form can begin.” When choos- ing delegates, you must consider the limitations of conferencing software as some programs will have a maximum number that can
take part. Katherine added: “The timescale
for arranging online meetings should be the same as for those that are face-to-face – but organ- isers tend to not put the same amount of preparation in.” Although online meetings are becoming increasingly popular, it
would be helpful to send delegates a guide on how to make them work in case they not so familiar with the idea.
Choose your software Before buying any specific software, look at all the options, taking advantage of the free trial periods, which can be up to a month, to find the most suitable. Compare several programs, paying close atten- tion to what features and benefits you get for the price. Simplicity and ease of use is one consideration, but spend time investigating all the features offered to make a better choice in the long run. To prevent someone gate crashing the pro- ceedings, use a secure site that is pass- word protected.
Choosing a chairperson Next up, decide who will chair the meet- ing. This person should have enough time for planning the meeting and be able to control it when necessary to keep the del- egates on track. According to Katherine: “If you want genuine contribution and dis- cussion, this needs to be tightly managed. The problem with most online meet- ings is that they are mainly used to give information. When the discussion is opened to the floor and it is not managed you end up with a bun fight or nothing.” On the day, the chairperson should be close to where most of the participants are and have a solid working knowledge of the conferencing software being used.
RIN THE RUN UP When sending out invites include the web
address or server where the meeting will be held and the name, phone number and email address of the host. Ensure everyone involved is comfortable using the internet and has installed the latest versions of the correct software. Encourage them to prac- tice with it so the conference can be as pro- ductive as possible. You don’t want to waste time waiting for everyone to connect. Remind participants to close all
unnecessary programs during the meet- ing to prevent the accidental sharing of private or irrelevant files. Now you can start preparing the meeting itself. Visual aids work well in online meetings, so use PowerPoint presentations, graphs and videos to enhance the experience. Avoid reams of text, or participants may soon lose interest. Remember to have a backup plan for if a server fails or some other technical issue interrupts the proceedings.
RA FEW DAYS BEFORE THE MEETING IS HAPPENING Send out the meeting agenda and any nec- essary written materials a few days before the meeting, and encourage everyone to familiarise themselves with it. Katherine says: “Send out the pre-work close enough to the meeting so it doesn’t get ‘filed’, but far enough ahead to give a reasonable amount of time for it to be dealt with. I usu- ally reckon on four to five working days.”
RJUST BEFORE THE MEETING COMMENCES Connect to the site well before the meet- ing is scheduled to start so that you can wel- come participants as they join and address any problems they might have. Check the audio and video are working properly and test any graphical presentations.
RDURING THE MEETING Don’t let one person dominate the meet-
ing. Use your negotiating skills to give oth- ers the opportunity to air their views. Conduct the meeting as you would a face- to-face meeting. Don’t let participants stray too far from the agenda and get ready to mediate during differences of opinion. Online meetings should be treated
with the same respect as a boardroom meeting. Tell participants to be ready early and to let the organiser know as soon as possible if they think they are going to be late, or miss it all together. Online meeting software lets the partic- ipants know who is logging in, and when. So nobody will be able to join the meet- ing late without being noticed. E
PROS AND CONS
PROS :Everyone involved needs only to be present at their computer, laptop or tablet rather than having to travel to a meeting venue. :Cuts the expense of having to hire a meeting venue, and provide drinks and other refreshments. :Tends to be shorter and easier to set up than face-to-face meetings so people are able to get together more regularly. This can creates camaraderie and friendship among colleagues. :Creates a great opportunity for the exchange of ideas for employees who might not get to interact in person or on a regular basis. :Online meetings can change the dynamics of your business in many ways by keeping in contact with your associates, providing you with more freedom and flexibility.
CONS <Lack of personal interaction. <Face-to-face meetings work better when building new relationships. <Equipment can fail, or users fail to operate the system properly. <It may seem that you have made more effort and deem the meeting more important if you have a traditional meeting. <Missed opportunities in not having the chance to engage in discussion with delegates that otherwise you might not have had the opportunity to meet.
WHO TO TRY
1 Teamviewer
www.teamviewer.com 1 Cisco WebEx
www.webex.com 1 GotToMeeting
www.gotomeeting.co.uk 1 MyMeeting123
www.mymeeting123.com 1
Megameeting.com www.megameeting.com 1 Fuze meeting
www.fuzebox.com 1 InterCall
www.intercall.com 1 Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro
www.adobe.com/go/aacpro_try 1 WebConCentral
www.web-conferencing-central.com
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