{"id":41436,"date":"2024-07-29T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-29T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/how-to-run-virtual-all-hands\/"},"modified":"2025-03-13T06:18:14","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T13:18:14","slug":"how-to-run-virtual-all-hands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/us\/en\/blog\/how-to-run-virtual-all-hands\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s an all-hands meeting? Explanation and tips"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve worked in an office, you\u2019ve surely experienced an all-hands meeting. It\u2019s as common as a 1-to-1, a performance review, or an awkward social event. And while all-hands meetings are logistically challenging and potentially tedious, they\u2019re often necessary.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re going to participate in them\u2014or host them if you\u2019re in management\u2014you should try to understand these best practices. With solid knowledge and preparation, all-hands meetings can feel less like a chore and more like welcome gatherings.<\/span><\/p>\n

This guide is here to help you make the most of your meetings. We\u2019ll define \u201call-hands meeting\u201d, explain why these meetings matter so much, and detail three core actions: hosting an all-hands meeting, setting an agenda, and choosing a meeting format.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ll then wrap up with some general tips to help you nail the sometimes-tricky feat of presenting during a meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is an all-hands meeting?<\/span><\/h2>\n

An all-hands meeting, also known as a town hall, is a recurring gathering of everyone within an organization. It allows managers, employees, and investors to share updates, discuss progress, and address issues. It can be held in person, remotely via video call<\/a>, or using a hybrid approach.<\/span><\/p>\n

The term \u201ctown hall\u201d uses a civic metaphor to reflect how an organization is stronger when it fosters a sense of community and seeks the involvement and input of every stakeholder. If everyone knows what\u2019s going on and what the organization\u2019s goals are, effective collaboration becomes much easier to accomplish.<\/span><\/p>\n

All-hands meetings are useful for all organizations, but they\u2019re most important for enterprise-level businesses as keeping large teams in alignment is a challenge. Bringing everyone together on a regular basis (monthly or quarterly) makes it easier to avoid redundant work and achieve optimal results.<\/span><\/p>\n

All-hands meeting meaning explained<\/span><\/h3>\n

You might wonder why an all-hands meeting is called that. Why not an all-employee meeting, or an all-staff meeting? The explanation is fairly simple.<\/span><\/p>\n

People started using the word \u201chand\u201d to mean \u201cmanual worker\u201d <\/span>back in the 1580s<\/span><\/a>, and it soon made its way into the sailing world, becoming the common term for a ship worker (along with the extended \u201cdeckhand\u201d). The command \u201cAll hands on deck\u201d thus called for all members of a ship\u2019s crew to gather on the deck, often to address a serious problem, consider plans, or simply raise morale.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the same vein, an all-hands call in the business world requests all employees and stakeholders to gather in one place for a discussion, whether it\u2019s real or virtual.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why are all-hands meetings important?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Any business owner who doesn\u2019t currently hold regular town halls might wonder whether they should make it a priority to introduce them. <\/span><\/p>\n

Running an all-hands meeting can be a lot of work, after all, so it needs to return enough value to make that worthwhile. To explain why it\u2019s worth taking the plunge, let\u2019s dig deeper into the key reasons why all-hands meetings are so important.<\/span><\/p>\n

They clarify and explain official positions<\/span><\/h3>\n

Organizational objectives and stances can shift quickly, and the changes aren\u2019t always as clear as they should be. Messages from the C-suite can be misinterpreted at several points, resulting in workers concentrating on the wrong priorities. A lack of justification can lead to people becoming frustrated and disillusioned.<\/span><\/p>\n

Holding a team meeting provides an ideal opportunity to set the record straight. Leaders can directly address points of contention, dispel rumors, answer questions, and offer the context behind changes that might have seemed arbitrary. <\/span><\/p>\n

After a good all-hands meeting, everyone can get back to work with an accurate understanding of what\u2019s being done and why, enhancing productivity.<\/span><\/p>\n

They help colleagues feel connected<\/span><\/h3>\n

Colleagues who get along work together more effectively. Maintaining positive relationships is difficult, though, especially with remote workers who don\u2019t have many opportunities to spend time together in person. Factor in the commonality of people working unusual schedules and\/or hours and things get even trickier.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even if they only take place remotely, team meetings grant colleagues a chance to catch up and connect. Using RingCentral’s free conference call services<\/a> is a great way to get everyone together on the same call, no matter where they are in the world. Prompting people to join slightly early is a good way to encourage friendlier communication, as they can take a few minutes to chat. And since all-hands meetings are only occasional, they\u2019re not too hard to schedule.<\/span><\/p>\n

They encourage the sharing of opinions<\/span><\/h3>\n

Some people like to speak out about what they think should be done, but many others tend to stay quiet unless asked to contribute. This can lead to great ideas and points of criticism being missed. Not all thoughts are insightful, naturally, but it\u2019s valuable to hear them regardless. A bad idea can spark a good one.<\/span><\/p>\n

A good all-hands meeting will push people at all levels to share their opinions on how things are going, and make time to dig into any thoughts that are particularly interesting. In addition to helping the organization as a whole, this will bolster the confidence of the people who speak up.<\/span><\/p>\n

They\u2019re great platforms for praise<\/span><\/h3>\n

Though it\u2019s perfectly fine to privately praise an employee for doing a good job, it\u2019s more impactful to do it in a team setting. It makes the gesture grander, makes them feel more appreciated, and has the bonus effect of encouraging others present to get better results so they can be the next ones to have their work highlighted.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s also enjoyable to <\/span>provide <\/span><\/i>praise, and this can be an experience offered to anyone who\u2019s impressed with a colleague and wants to talk about it. If a team can save such endorsements for all-hands meetings, it can give them positive things to anticipate and make the meetings less stressful. <\/span><\/p>\n

How to host an all-hands meeting<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you intend to run an all-hands meeting, you first need to decide whether it\u2019s going to be in-person, remote, or hybrid. A hybrid all-hands meeting is held in person but allows remote participants, looping them in using a camera (or cameras) to show the room and sharing any slideshows presented. <\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how to approach each type:<\/span><\/p>\n

Hosting an in-person all-hands meeting<\/span><\/h3>\n

Though in-person meetings are very familiar, they can be difficult to manage. If this is the route you want to take, follow these three steps:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Find a suitable date and time<\/span><\/h4>\n

How difficult this step is will depend on the nature of your workforce. If you have no remote workers and everyone is in the office on most workdays, your only obstacle here will be avoiding annual leave or other planned absences. Simply ask everyone which day they\u2019d prefer and go with whichever option is the most popular.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you do have remote workers, though, getting people together in person might be complicated. Some organizations even have numerous overseas workers (check out our <\/span>global team working tips<\/span><\/a> if yours is among them). <\/span><\/p>\n

When travel is a major consideration, you need to give people enough warning to arrange their journeys, and that means planning all-hands meetings months in advance.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the end, this really comes down to what the planned attendees want. Unless you want to make attendance mandatory regardless of the convenience, finding a slot that people are happy with will make the difference between a full house and a bunch of empty seats.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Choose an appropriate venue<\/span><\/h4>\n

If you have a small team, a regular meeting room will do, either in your main office space if you have one or in a suitable coworking facility. If you have a bigger team (especially if it gets into the hundreds), you should look into bookable places built for conferences or similar get-togethers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Remember to accommodate those who\u2019ll need to travel for the meeting by preferring locations near the center of your team\u2019s geographical distribution. If that isn\u2019t possible or financially viable, be sure to make life easier for anyone with a long trip ahead of them by giving them extra travel support.<\/span><\/p>\n

Keep in mind that you <\/span>can <\/span><\/i>hold an all-team meeting outdoors in the right circumstances, so that might be an option if the desired area has great weather and you can find an outdoor location where you can set up whatever equipment you need. You might even find that people prefer this approach, so be sure to ask.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Prepare equipment and handouts<\/span><\/h4>\n

Given the amount of information divulged and discussed during an all-hands meeting, you\u2019ll need to figure out how you\u2019re going to manage that. <\/span><\/p>\n

Will you show a classic slideshow presentation on a projector screen or a TV? Will you use animations to indicate progress or highlight key points? Will you offer printed handouts?<\/span><\/p>\n

You might feel that you can simply wing it and talk through everything that needs covering, but attention spans vary and all-hands meetings can run long enough that attendees struggle to remember what\u2019s been addressed. <\/span><\/p>\n

Ensuring that everyone leaves the meeting with documentation of the topics covered will make it much more likely that the work you put into the meeting pays off.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you choose a venue built for large meetings, be sure to check what facilities will be provided for you. If there\u2019s already a large screen and speaker system set up, that\u2019s one thing you don\u2019t need to worry about. If you want to hold the meeting outside, though, you\u2019ll probably need to arrange all the equipment yourself, so look into equipment rental services near the planned location.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hosting a remote all-hands meeting<\/span><\/h3>\n

Many organizations now prefer remote all-hands meetings because they\u2019re cheaper, easier, and just as effective if managed well. <\/span><\/p>\n

Follow these three steps to give your remote meeting the best chance of succeeding:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Ensure a reliable internet connection<\/span><\/h4>\n

You can\u2019t do much about the internet connections of the people who\u2019ll be attending, but you can at least make certain that the connection you\u2019ll be using to host the virtual call<\/a> is strong and stable. It doesn\u2019t matter whether you\u2019re running the meeting from home or from an office, so if your home connection is excellent, use that.<\/span><\/p>\n

It won\u2019t affect the uptime of the meeting (with a cloud platform, that\u2019ll be handled for you), but it will impact your ability to manage the meeting and keep things moving. If your connection drops, attendees will be left to their own devices, leading them to lose focus and wasting a lot of time in the process.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Prepare your digital materials<\/span><\/h4>\n

A remote meeting that consists only of talking will result in attendees switching off. You don\u2019t need fireworks and theatrics, but you do need some presentation materials that succinctly get your points across and keep people engaged. The question, then, is what materials will work best for your organization and your meeting goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can\u2019t go wrong with the classic slideshow, of course, but there are other options. Quizzes, videos, dynamic charts: how far you go depends on what you think is justified and the resources you can commit. Going all-out isn\u2019t necessary, but if it\u2019s the only all-hands meeting you\u2019ll have for half a year, it might be worthwhile.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Choose an online meeting platform<\/span><\/h4>\n

The software solution you use to host and manage your meeting will have a huge effect on how smoothly it runs, so the most important thing you can do is make a careful choice.<\/span><\/p>\n

We recommend <\/span>RingCentral Video<\/span><\/a>, naturally. Here\u2019s how you can use it to host your all-hands meeting:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Sign up for RingCentral Video or RingCentral Webinars.<\/b> The features and add-ons you\u2019ll need will depend on the kind of meeting and the level of attendee participation you\u2019re planning. Take a look at the <\/span>Plans and Pricing page<\/span><\/a> to review the options and sign up for free when you\u2019re ready.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Install the RingCentral app.<\/b> To run RingCentral from a computer, log in to your RingCentral account and download the desktop app. To run it from a mobile device, find it in the App Store or Google Play Store.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Sign in to the RingCentral Video app.<\/b> Signing in to the RingCentral app is a pretty straightforward process. You can log in using a Gmail account or a Google Workspace email address if you have it enabled.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Schedule the meeting.<\/b> You can tap \u201cStart\u201d to start a meeting right away, or hit \u201cSchedule\u201d to input the date and time for a future meeting. If you have admin privileges, you can hop into Settings to enable or disable specific features for the meeting.\"Schedule<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Invite participants.<\/b> Depending on the plan you purchase, you can add up to 200 participants from anywhere in the world\u2014and they don\u2019t need the app to take part, just internet access. You can send invitations via email, SMS, or code, or directly from the RingCentral app.<\/li>\n
  6. Start the meeting.<\/b> Use the settings to let attendees enter the meeting at their leisure, or place them in a \u201cWaiting Room\u201d until you\u2019re ready.<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. End the meeting.<\/b> Attendees can enter and leave your meeting any time, but a host or a co-host can end the meeting. When you\u2019re satisfied things have concluded, wrap it up.<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. (Optional) Have a post-meeting wrap-up.<\/b> Having a cooldown call after a meeting is a great way to <\/span>mimic in-office socializing over video<\/span><\/a> and help people digest what was covered.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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    \ud83d\udd79\ufe0f<\/span> Get a hands-on look at how RingCentral works by booking a product tour:<\/p>\n