We here at TDA are all about tips and techniques that can help you find your A-Gamel. Today, we want to break down virtual meetings and give an A-Game perspective on ways to demonstrate great leadership throughout your online interactions. We want you to be virtually brilliant.
We acknowledge there is already a lot of material floating around with some common tips for online meetings. Valid tips such as online etiquette, manage background noise, be careful sharing screens, and meeting security. We trust you as a leader have made the effort to get the basics right.
A fundamental ingredient to VIRTUAL BRILLIANCE is to play for performance rather than play survival. Maintaining a mindset for performance lifts us out of anxiety and into mastery-minded activity.
5 top A-Game tips for virtual meetings
1. Priming: What you do for the 5 to 10-minutes before your online meeting will significantly impact the quality of your online interaction. Priming refers to how you warm the mind and body up for what you are about to perform. A primed and warmed-up mind beats a non-primed mind every single day of the week. Mentally prepare for your meetings by jotting down a meeting set-up, reviewing materials to be covered, jotting down key questions you would like to ask or share. Read over your preparation 3 times quickly to be utterly primed.
2. Results focused meeting set-up: Meeting set-ups are always important, but they are incredibly important now as we work online. My approach is to turn meeting agendas from 'points to be discussed' into 'things we need to achieve on this call'. Set your meeting up with a results focus. Agree up front how much time you have and what you would both like to achieve in this valuable time you have together. As a rule of thumb, 1 result to achieve is a 15-minute call; 2 things to achieve is a 30-minute call; and, 3 things to achieve is a 45-minute call.
3. Activate visual learning styles: As we adjust to working on online video-meetings, what we often see is the 'talking head shot'. We see a person, or multiple team members, from the shoulders up talking to us. One of the more dominant learning styles is actually the visual learning style. However, the talking head shot plays more to the auditory learners. Experiment with screen sharing to stimulate the visual learning. Use a white-board to draw as you talk. On share-screen or on a whiteboard, write up your meeting agenda and refer back to the visible agenda as you progress through the meeting.
4. Activate your body position: Sit the way you would sit if you were bored. Now sit the way you would sit if you were motivated, focused and passionate about being on the call and engaging with your audience. There is often a difference. Be more conscious about what your body language is saying across your screen.
5. Document meeting output: Summarise key points covered, items agreed and actions to be taken from your virtual meetings. Circulate these ASAP to maintain alignment and accountability
Virtual brilliance online is a choice. Play for brilliance deliberately, with intent and purpose, mastering this exciting online capability.
Written by Dr Cory Middleton