By fneedle@hubspot.com (Flori Needle)

Whether it’s with a single client, a large internal team, or external stakeholders, hosting successful, engaging meetings is an art form.

It takes skill to know how to simultaneously capture attention, inform, be interactive, and leave a lasting impression — it’s really not an easy feat.

The prospect of holding a meeting may become even more stressful when the session is online. As meetings are new to the virtual world, there is no roadmap to hosting a successful one.

However, as nice as it would be, a roadmap is not always the key to success. Sometimes the key can be learning from people who have experience hosting virtual meetings and understanding what they think makes them successful. In this post, we’ll discuss common virtual meeting mistakes and get insight from experienced HubSpotters on how to avoid them.

1. Not acknowledging mistakes.

Nobody’s perfect.

Although many people know that, an all-too-common moment in virtual meetings is pushing mistakes under the rug and acting like they haven’t happened. Unfortunately, when everyone is looking at their screen, most people notice mistakes, and ignoring them can create a sense of awkwardness.

In these moments, it’s important to remember that an increasingly virtual world is new to everyone. We’re all aware that adapting to new processes can be difficult, so of course, there will be unexpected issues.

Jon Dick, Senior Vice President of Marketing at HubSpot, agrees, and his advice is relatively straightforward: “As the old saying goes, ‘If you can’t hide it, feature it!’ Slides not sharing? Children bursting into the room? Not on mute? Don’t stress out — just laugh, relax, and acknowledge it.”

2. No backup plan for faulty technology.

A dysfunctional microphone or PowerPoint won’t derail your in-person meeting, but it will effectively shut down a virtual one. Given this, Ashley Ladd, Manager on the Diversity, Inclusion, & Belonging team at HubSpot, says that not having a tech backup plan for your virtual meeting is a mistake.

Ladd says, “Our internet connection is always stable until we need it to be, so having a backup plan ensures flawless execution of your events and less worrying about your connection or having the meeting dropped.”

She says that your plan B can include things like a designated co-host, teammate, or friend to take over if something goes wrong, or while you troubleshoot any issues: “The worst is when you have to spend time fussing with your connection and it interrupts the flow of your meeting.”

3. A lack of discussion and collaboration.

One of the greatest aspects of meetings is the collaboration and discussion that stems from audience engagement. Virtual meetings notably make this harder, and they’re often marked by the opposite.

Becca Stamp, Senior Global Learning and Development Onboarding Specialist at HubSpot, says that a common mistake is not …read more

Source:: HubSpot Blog

Author: Aaron