The COVID-19 outbreak had forced millions of workers around the world into working remotely and businesses are trying to adapt to this business model as quickly and efficiently as possible. Although technology has made this process easier, organizations are looking for ways to replicate their in-office culture in a remote environment, including moving meetings to video conference calls. The outbreak has put alternative digital options such as virtual conferencing or virtual meetings in the spotlight. Business transcription services are an important part of conducting virtual meetings as they ensure that the proceedings are documented for review and decision-making.
Meetings are essential criteria for any business. The agenda of the meeting could be project execution, financial planning or some important strategies and new ideas. With the current virus outbreak, teleworking is becoming commonplace for many companies with a distributed virtual workforce. Video meetings are being used for a wide range of business purposes, from staff meetings to brainstorming sessions to major announcements. However, as teleconferencing and video meeting transcription play an important role, we all need to learn the skills to keep people engaged and use this technology effectively. Going by the following tips can facilitate productive meetings with your remote employees:
- Ensure everyone understands how to use the technology.
- Plan your agenda. It’s highly recommended to plan your agenda before starting the meeting and make sure that all attendees have a copy of it. This helps break down the content into small bits and in explaining each segment with clarity.
- Set a firm start and end time, and show up on time.
- Icebreakers and introductions are important for fostering inclusivity and communication.
- Engage in “water cooler” chat: As it’s challenging to stay connected with your co-workers when everyone is in different locations, allow a reasonable amount of time for colleagues to catch-up and engage in “water cooler” chat. Encourage the participants to give a quick tour of their surroundings.
- Remember: Less Distraction = More Brainstorming. Understand that less distraction = more brainstorming. For that avoid multi-tasking such as typing, checking your email and taking numerous notes all at once, as its very distracting. Teleconferencing and video meeting transcription allows you to focus on what’s being said, not what to write.
- Share the transcript of your meeting. If some of your workers were unable to attend the virtual meeting due scheduling, time zone conflict or maybe because of technical difficulties, send out a transcript of the meeting. Sharing the transcripts of meetings with those who couldn’t be there will keep them from feeling excluded, and also promote transparency across your organization. It will also keep everyone on the same page about agendas, action items and follow ups.
- Allow keywords and topics search. Teleconferencing and video meeting transcription allow you to search for keywords and topics, like you would search your emails. You can quickly find what you’re looking for and share that content with a link.
- Create appropriate ground rules: Ground rules are a foundation for managing effective group interaction, but they need to be tailored to meet the needs of groups meeting virtually. Common ground rules for distributed groups include:
- No sidebar conversations
- No multi-tasking (e.g., running e-mail while participating in the telecom)
- Participants must identify themselves when they speak
- Use of “mute” technology as per group agreement (i.e., most groups prefer that non-active speaker phones be muted to minimize extraneous noise being fed back to other locations.)
- Create a good environment: Be sure to create a safe and friendly environment where attendees can ask for help and raise concerns. Make sure that they are comfortable enough to talk and collaborate with one another and share opinions. You can also set up group activities to encourage people to engage with each other.
Effective communication with remote teams is essential and scheduling virtual meeting every day or a week would be a good idea. With the right tools and tips, you can make your virtual team meetings as productive as or even more productive than your face-to-face meetings.
For transcribing your calls and video meetings, it’s important to have patience and good listening skills. You can save time on this by opting for professional transcription services. Experienced transcriptionists can ensure accurate transcripts of virtual meetings.
