Videoconferencing Tips: Create an Agenda
“Here’s an idea: Let’s have a video conference. It will save money and everyone can participate.” Sounds great, doesn’t it? After all, who can object to saving your firm money? If this is your first video conference, you may become consumed with technical details such as installing and testing video conferencing software or booking teleconference rooms for all participants. While it’s important that the technology is in place and working as it should, it’s equally important to create an agenda.
Benefits of a Video Conference Agenda
Whether your team will be meeting using video conferencing software that allows you to meet online or from professional teleconference-enabled meeting rooms, an agenda ensures that you make the most of your limited time together. Just as you would create an agenda for a live staff meeting to ensure that all topics are addressed in a limited period, you should do the same for video conferencing. If you’re renting a meeting space, exceeding your time allotment may not be an option. And if it is, the overtime costs could be prohibitive.
Preparing and distributing an agenda for your video conference helps your participants as well. Not only will they know what to expect and when, but they’ll also know exactly how long the session will last and that you respect their time. Most importantly, if you closely adhere to the agenda and promptly end the video conference at its posted end time, your participants will be more willing to join you in future video conference events than if you allow the conference to wander and extend well past its end time.
Creating the Video Conference Agenda
Creating the agenda isn’t much different than creating a traditional meeting agenda. However, if the technology is new to you and the participants, you may want to include time at the beginning for minor technical issues. If participants must install the software to join the video conference, send instructions several days before the scheduled conference and specify that the software must be installed and tested at least 24 hours before the event.
Video Conferencing Tools
Depending on the video conferencing system you’ll be using, you may have built-in tools to assist you in managing the conference. However, fiddling with an online dashboard during the conference could be more distracting than useful. Bring a small timer or stopwatch to the video conference and assign a clerk to keep track of time. For example, if you’ve assigned ten minutes to discuss a specific topic, set the timer to count down from ten minutes. Once the timer goes off, it’s time to move to the next agenda item.
Video conferencing has an advantage over face-to-face meetings in that the entire session can easily be recorded and viewed later. Make sure to take advantage of this and distribute the recorded session to participants who were unable to attend. Send a copy of the agenda along with the video so these participants can quickly see what was discussed.
Video conferencing technology makes it possible to hold meetings with people from around the globe. Create an agenda, stick to it, and make your video conference a success!
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