{"id":10087,"date":"2020-07-09T11:17:35","date_gmt":"2020-07-09T10:17:35","guid":{"rendered":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/?p=10087"},"modified":"2020-09-30T11:12:55","modified_gmt":"2020-09-30T10:12:55","slug":"tips-to-keep-your-audience-engaged-during-online-meetings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/tips-to-keep-your-audience-engaged-during-online-meetings\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips to Keep Your Audience Engaged During Online Meetings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Business meetings are not a new phenomenon across the corporate landscape and most any professional can recount stories of more than one meeting that felt like an eternity, provided little to no value, and left you wanting to regain the lost hour of the life that was spent counting the ceiling tiles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the number of <\/span>hours professionals spend in meetings continues to increase<\/span><\/a>, ensuring the attention of those present has become even more of a challenge given the shift to working from home<\/a>. One only needs to look at the meteoric rise of video conferencing tools since January to know that online meetings are now normal for businesses worldwide and from all future outlooks, will be the case for the near and distant future.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, having the technology to support these online gatherings is just the beginning. The real focus of managers and executives has to shift to ensuring the engagement of attendees and ensuring they deliver value.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Having worked remotely for the majority of my career I believe there are some things that can be done to ensure that you have an engaged audience during an online meeting. To help with that, I\u00a0 have listed some of my best tips below.<\/span><\/p>\n

Create interaction<\/b><\/h2>\n

Meetings that consist of one individual doing all the talking and presenting are those that in most cases could be avoided and the contents shared via an email. A productive meeting is one that fosters dialogue and interaction and even more so when they are conducted online.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When holding an online meeting, one of the best ways to ensure your audience is engaged is to ask questions, ask for input, and open the door for attendees to provide additional insights. If you are giving a webinar<\/a> to an audience, be sure to let them know you will take questions throughout the event instead of waiting until the end. This will minimise the likelihood of your attendee logging off or worse yet, tuning out. If it is an internal video conference and you find the attendees hesitant to participate, consider calling them by name and asking them for their thoughts on the topic at hand.<\/span><\/p>\n

People, by nature, want to be engaged and if you create the space to make that happen online you will have a more productive outcome.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t