What’s Different About Online Meetings?

OK, there are some pretty obvious differences between in-person and online meetings. The most relevant is that you can’t catch COVID-19 over the internet! 

Another is that the facilitator may have to master a new tech platform. (Today’s webinar covers which platforms are good for what purposes.)

What’s less obvious — until you start leading an online meeting the way you usually lead an in-person meeting — is how different both the content and process must be.

The key differences between in-person and virtual meetings come down to three:

• The facilitator’s mindset
• The facilitator’s role 
• The facilitator’s behavior 

I hope you notice the common denominator! As facilitator, you are the key to your meeting’s success.

Mindset

Especially now, when people are working from their kitchen tables with their kids doing schoolwork (they hope) in the next room and the dog underfoot, things can and will go wrong. You just have to accept that someone will burst out, “Not now!” or “Drop it!” at some point during the meeting. Be prepared to take a couple of minutes to get everyone back together. 

And remember, everything takes longer online than in person. Plan accordingly.

Role

In addition to the usual roles of an in-person meeting, you also have to set “working agreements” on things like who gets to speak when and how. 

Partly this role is a function of the fact that you’re controlling the tech platform, so that you decide things like when to mute participants and when to share your screen. 

Partly, though, it’s a function of a meatier truth: You’re responsible for enabling everyone to collaborate.

In all collaborative meetings, working agreements govern how the group works together. 

In virtual collaboration, working agreements extend to how the facilitator works with the group. You need to voice up front some virtual-specific rules, for example:

• I may need to mute everyone sometimes.
• I may go around the “room” and call on each person by name.
• You can pass once, but I will come back to you.

These working agreements enable you to manage the group so that all participants can voice their great ideas. 

Behavior

Good online facilitation is more directive than good in-person facilitation. 

I almost hesitate to put this out there, because many leaders who haven’t been trained in meeting facilitation are already too directive to get the best out of their teams. 

So hear this: Good facilitators, in person or online, are content-neutral. They don’t impose their ideas on the group. 

However, good online facilitators do impose process rules, like the one above about calling on everyone in turn. They may also: 

• Cut off discussion to move things forward
• Impose time limits on each participant’s contribution
• Control break out rooms and “drop in” at will
• Make sure meetings start strong and close intentionally (More on openings and closings next time!)

 

What you can do today

This post has barely scratched the surface! Learn more by joining our free webinar on facilitating virtual meetings this afternoon, March 25 at 2:00 Eastern. 

Questions for discussion

What differences have you experienced, as facilitator or as participant, between in-person and virtual meetings?

What do you feel you’ve “nailed” when it comes to facilitating online meetings?

What are your challenges?

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