Project planning. Performance reviews. Onboarding interviews. Many situations call for a 1 on 1 meeting with a manager, coworker, or employee. But when some or all of your company works on a remote basis, you need to consider some additional factors for how to run effective virtual meetings. Show
In this guide, you’ll find a detailed breakdown of how 1 on 1 meetings benefit your business and how to
effectively adapt these meetings to a virtual office setting. 3 Reasons Why Virtual 1-on-1 Meetings Are Vital To Your OrganizationVirtual team huddles, town halls, and other group communication formats are, of course, crucial for quickly bringing as many people as possible up to speed and keeping them on the same page when it comes to company objectives, new developments, and performance expectations. What’s
all-too-easily lost in these larger-scale discussions, though, is the human element. #1 Strengthening Investment in IndividualsThat’s what makes 1-on-1 discussions so critical to an organization’s communication needs. When you can cultivate a strong relationship on an individual level, you can cut through the noise and more easily focus on what’s important:
This kind of discussion communicates to the person you’re talking to that your work, your team’s work, and their work all matter to you. It encourages higher effort, greater investment of resources, and better results going forward. #2 Improve Team CohesionIf you’re put in charge of a specific team within your company, you need to evaluate:
Various types of 1-on-1 meetings are an essential part of reaching your team’s short and long-term goals within the timeframe you’ve been given. You’ll need to conduct them with:
#3 Support Employee MoraleWhen you take a more personal approach to employee communication, you also improve their outlook on the organization as a whole. In a
company-wide or team meeting, it’s hard for anyone to feel genuinely seen or heard by other employees or managers. Group meetings like these often involve a few speakers presenting to a big, silent crowd, without much meaningful input from anyone in particular. Even when 1-on-1 meetings with manager-level staff do happen, they can be nerve-wracking for an employee at first, especially if they don’t know what exactly to expect. But a personal recurring meeting can make them feel
great about where they work, lead to job satisfaction, and motivate them to achieve the short and long-term goals set for your team. You can make a team meeting a positive experience by:
How to Adapt Your Meetings to a Virtual FormatWhether
it’s physical or virtual, the ingredients of a positive, productive 1-on-1 meeting are no different. There are certain considerations, though, worth keeping in mind to prevent unnecessary issues from disrupting what could otherwise be a successful conversation. These additional concerns are mainly logistical. A distributed workforce can operate in many time zones at once and follow varied schedules. Technology also sometimes fails, presenting problems that can derail meetings of
any size. At the same time, a virtual 1-on-1 meeting presents opportunities unavailable in an in-person meeting. When your remote employees meet, you have greater access to powerful secondary resources that can enhance your ability to get your message across and personally connect. Step 1: Stay on Top of SchedulingThe most important part of making a remote 1-on-1 meeting work is to make sure it’s scheduled at a convenient time for both yourself and the person
you’re speaking with. It may sound simple, and in theory, it should be easier when it’s as simple as joining a virtual meeting space at the right time. If you’ve set a meeting time without actually finding out what works for the other person, though, or they’ve failed to communicate potential issues on their end that could cause delays, you may find scheduling to be more problematic than expected. Step 2: Be Cognizant of Their EnvironmentsIf you’re
running a 1-on-1 meeting in a digital setting, it pays to be considerate of the physical setting your team member is in. After all, remote work has opened up new possibilities for the business world—but it’s also let a little bit of the personal into that professional realm. Small children might wave hello from the background of a video call. Meetings might be taken in the kitchen or the hall when a roommate or partner has reserved the spare room for their own meetings.
Conversations that coincide with pet feeding times might result in a few extra barks or meows on the line. When you’re managing a 1-on-1 meeting, that session may be a vulnerable space for your teammate. Help them feel comfortable by staying cognizant of their physical space and individual circumstances. You can do this by:
Step 3: Set ExpectationsOpen communication shouldn’t happen just during the meeting. When first setting a meeting agenda, make sure the when, where, and why of the discussion are as clear as possible for both of you. Check these items off to ensure you’re keeping communication lines
open:
Step 4: Don’t Forget The Personal TouchBusinesses have certainly heaped the rewards of remote employees. However, a few of the personal touches may have gotten lost
along the way. Water cooler conversations or spontaneous chats over the coffeemaker are harder to come by when a business resides entirely online. Make a point to have casual conversations on your 1-on-1 to help put your teammate at ease, build trust, and establish rapport. Even if it’s just the first five minutes of your chat, a little time spent building a strong relationship beyond the scope of work will go a long way in boosting morale, confidence, and job
satisfaction. Step 5: Plan and Co-Work with Helpful Secondary ToolsIn many ways, virtual 1-on-1 meetings are much more effective than in-person discussions. It’s easier to incorporate tools for visual reference in virtual communications in general. Slideshow presentations, for instance, are a common part of group meetings of any size. But a call between just two people opens up even more opportunities for additional, more interactive applications. 1-on-1 meetings are
particularly ideal for co-working tools like taking notes in shared spaces and organizational apps. These can:
Run Better Virtual 1-on-1 Meetings with TeamflowProductive 1-on-1 meetings are critical to your company’s success. When you run them through Teamflow, you’ll have access to a dedicated meeting space with shared notes to track every important point for both sides of the discussion. Bring a personal touch back to your meetings with Teamflow’s virtual events and office space. Get started with Teamflow for free now! Reviewed by Florent
Crivillo, CEO and Founder at TeamFlow Florent Crivello is the Founder and CEO of Teamflow, a virtual office that helps remote and hybrid teams do their best work in the best way. In a former life, Flo was the Head of Product for Uber Works, where he experienced firsthand the difficulties of managing a distributed and remote workforce. Following that experience, Flo conceived, coded, and launched the first version of Teamflow in early 2020. Since then, he's raised $50m in funding from top-flight venture capitalists including Menlo Ventures, Battery, and Coatue to revolutionize the way we work. In his spare time, Flo is a contributing writer to Forbes magazine. Sources: 1. Harvard Business Review. How to Make Your One-on-Ones with Employees More Productive.
https://hbr.org/2016/08/how-to-make-your-one-on-ones-with-employees-more-productive 2. The Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network. 9 best practices for engagement in virtual meetings. https://www.nten.org/article/9-best-practices-engagement-virtual-meetings/ Which of the following are common reasons for establishing virtual teams quizlet?Which of the following are common reasons for establishing virtual teams? They are cost effective. They are convenient. Experts who are not in the same location can be brought together.
Which of the following are good ways for virtual team members to get to know one another choose every correct answer?Which of the following are good ways for virtual team members to get to know one another? -Members should socialize in virtual environments. -Members should find ways to communicate spontaneously. retain trust during the period its members work together.
Which of the following is an advantage of a virtual meeting for teams?What are the advantages for holding virtual meetings? reduce costs and resource usage, reduce wear and tear on employees, and give teams access to a wider pool of expertise.
When working together on a group writing project what is the most important stage of the process quizlet?One of the unique challenges of working in virtual teams is the inability to gain information by reading nonverbal cues. The most important stage of group writing is the drafting stage.
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