The first 10 minutes of any meeting with remote colleagues are too often a waste of time. You’re trying to pull up your presentation, making sure your sound connects, ensure everyone has the link, and approving those waiting to enter the meeting.
While remote videoconferencing is more common than ever—in fact, we’re more likely to mean a video conference when we say, “I’ll call you,” now—it still goes wrong every day.
Most people simply haven’t mastered the art of the video call set up.
If you’re running the meeting, the number of variables you have to take into account can be immediately overwhelming. You have to consider your own tech tools, scheduling across timezones, the content of the meeting invite, the setup and bandwidth on the other end of the line and even whether your chairs should be arranged in a circle or a square, to name a few.
Here are a few video conferencing tips to help you create and manage consistently excellent video calls.
1. Get your conference call set up in advance
Okay, this might seem like obvious advice, but you’d be surprised how difficult it can be to set aside a couple of minutes before your conference call.
Build a 10 (or even 20!) minute buffer into your schedule before the meeting. Log into your video conferencing tool and make sure it’s set up correctly. Test your speaker, headphones, and audio output.
If people start joining the call early, don’t be afraid to let them in so you can confirm their audio and internet connection! Multitask during this time, confirming your call set up and making small talk.
It may feel like this step isn’t a big deal, but it’s like insurance. Most days, it won’t make a huge difference, but one day, it could save you from a potentially embarrassing call failure.
2. Set up in the actual location you’ll be taking the call
It’s all well and good if your video quality is great and you look fantastic right by your router, but you could have problems when you move to your office on the other end of the house.
Do all your testing in the actual location you’ll be taking the call. You want to look at:
- Call quality and internet speed
- How well you can be seen in the lighting
- If there are distractions in your background
- How clearly you can be heard
If you’re managing a virtual meeting from your company’s office, check the conference room. Make sure you understand how to use the technology and screen in the room, that the internet is fast enough, and the lighting is effective.
3. Choose the right video conferencing tool
There are dozens of video tool options, but the big three are Google Meet, Teams, and Zoom. Each video tool has its own benefits and drawbacks, but they’re all strong options.
You’ll want to evaluate each tool for:
- Security
- Specific features (like waiting rooms, breakout rooms, whiteboard collaboration, etc.)
- Video and audio quality
- Ease of use
- Integrations
And don’t forget to consider any other tools that might be part of your video call setup like AI notetaking apps, call recording tools, chat integrations, and more. If you’re planning to use them, be sure to test them before hopping on the real call.
4. Send out a clear agenda in before the meeting
Whether you’re hosting a webinar, interview, routine meeting, or one-off project check-in, your video call can always benefit from a clear agenda.
It’s all too easy for video calls to go awry, especially the larger ones. An agenda gives your meeting structure and keeps everyone focused. Throughout the call, ensure notes are taken by yourself, a coworker, or an AI assistant. Use those notes to send a summary and action items to the attendee list after the call.
An agenda will help you keep your meeting from being one of those “this meeting could be an email” types of meetings.
5. Facilitate the meeting (or assign a facilitator)
Your video conferencing setup is more than the technology you use and the room you’re in. It’s also how you handle the meeting itself.
Just like in-person meetings, there’s a lot of value in assigning a single owner and facilitator for the meeting. This can be the same person responsible for setting up the meeting, or if you have an executive assistant managing the setup, you or someone on your team. Make sure a single person is responsible so there isn’t any confusion.
The facilitator is responsible for:
- Summarizing the goal of the meeting at the beginning
- Introducing everyone if necessary
- Ensuring the meeting is moving along effectively, taking note of what items should be handled offline or in a separate meeting
- Keeping everyone on track
- Ensuring that everything is discussed adequately
- Summarizing action items at the end of the meeting
- Sending out notes and to-dos
If it’s a routine meeting, it might be wise to assign a permanent meeting owner to ensure consistency and efficiency!
Optimizing your calendar for efficient meetings with a Prialto Virtual Assistant
Now that you know how to set up an efficient virtual meeting, you might want to consider how you can optimize your whole calendar.
You only have 24 hours in a day, 8 hours in a business day. Wasted meetings and overscheduled calendars mean you don’t have time for the productive work you need to do.
That’s where a virtual assistant comes in. A virtual executive assistant will help you manage your time and optimize your calendar by:
- Managing your schedule, invites, and time blocking
- Reminding you of key dates and meetings
- Taking over your administrative work
- Putting together meeting documentation and notes
- And more
Curious? Learn more in our Virtual Assistants Master Guide