With the advancement of modern technology, virtual meetings have become a norm in the corporate world.

The lockdown during the pandemic in 2020 saw a significant increase in virtual meetings, as companies that kept operations running, but could not be physically present, needed a way to keep up with their teams.
This need led to an increase in the use of apps like Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and many more.

Virtual meetings in meeting rooms have given rise to many productive collaborations from different people worldwide. They are also a way of staying in close contact with different work teams, ensuring that everyone is doing what they’re meant to do at a specific time.

Despite the fact that the lockdown is long gone, virtual meetings are still held every day because they’re far more convenient than constant physical meetings.
Also, as the remote work culture becomes more predominant, it proves that virtually-held meetings are here to stay.

While virtual meetings are convenient, some workers usually complain that they get boring. One can easily lose interest, staring at the screen for long periods and hearing a bunch of teammates speak, especially when the cameras are not on.

A good solution to this might be minimising the meeting tab and scrolling through social media or playing a mobile game to chase away the boredom. However, this is not ideal as you could lose track of what is going on in the meeting.

This problem of boredom serves as a deterrent for many when it comes to virtual meetings. Some even dread it. However, there are ways to make these meetings interesting, despite people not being physically present.
Employing these methods in your meeting would not only make the experience better but also increase their productivity and willingness to work.

TIPS TO MAKE YOUR VIRTUAL MEETING MORE INTERESTING

• Keep your meetings as short and straightforward as possible
  Research proves that the average adult human has an attention span of about 45 minutes, and the attention levels start declining after about 30 minutes.
  These two basic tips are necessary for ensuring that you stick to time during meetings;
  • Plan the contents for the meeting ahead of time — This includes presentations, topics to talk about, relevant website links, etc. Planning the meeting contents ahead of time makes you more organised and reduces the time that would have been spent scrolling through to look for the content you intended to display.
  • Stick to the set time limit — Setting and sticking to a time limit makes meetings more lively, as your meeting audience is at full attention, knowing that they’ll leave at the designated time set. Also, you can give them the option of leaving once the meeting has winded down and the conversations are not work-related.
    Also, you can give them the option of leaving once the meeting has winded down and the conversations are not work-related.

Another option is to host these meetings in virtual offices. Typically, virtual offices charge higher when you spend long hours using the conference room. Instead of constantly incurring unnecessary extra charges which are not healthy for your business finances, it’s better to be time-conscious and stick to the stipulated time. Sometimes, a meeting can be extended for longer hours when necessary. On occasions like these, you could give break times for them to rest a bit and re-boost their energy. Doing this helps to keep their minds focused and alert.

• Employ visual aids during meetings
  Visuals are one way to maintain your audience’s attention during a meeting. The use of pictures, videos, infographics, etc., helps explain ideas better and makes your team interactive because they’ll focus on the meeting instead of casually scrolling through Twitter.
  Virtual offices help to elevate the experience of sharing visual aids during meetings. The providence of facilities like microphones, headsets, high-power projectors and Webcams are essential for high-quality visual presentations.
  One extra tip is for you to make the visual aids interesting. Instead of posting work-related slides, you could insert a few memes to serve as comic relief and reduce tension.
• Leave room for interactions in-between meetings.
  It’s normal to want to talk continuously during a meeting, especially during presentations. However, it is essential to pause and give your team the chance to interact with what you’ve presented in the interim. Talking too much without pausing to listen becomes monotonous and boring for your audience.
  In a nutshell, have a dialogue during meetings, not a monologue.
• Encourage socialisation and organise game activities during meetings.
  With the inception of virtual offices and remote working, workers no longer have the chance to socialise. However, you can remedy this during virtual meetings. You could either finish the meeting before the stipulated time and leave your team members to interact with each other or arrive early and open the meeting room for them to discuss before the meeting starts. Also, activities like playing games during meetings help foster unity between colleagues. Some fun game activities to play during meetings include;
  • Trivia
  • Debates/light banter
  • Virtual scavenger hunts
  • Food-themed meetings, e.g., pizza/doughnut party.
• End the meeting on a high note
  Ending meetings on a high note gives the team a renewed energy and zest to work more and do better. Some ways to do this are;
  • Playing and dancing to some music
  • Introducing each others’ pets/kids
  • Crack jokes
  • Make a toast to the company
  • Share some personal gossip (depending on how comfortable your teammates are with each other)

CONCLUSION

Virtual offices are increasingly popular, and the remote work culture is being widely adopted by many. As a result of these developments, virtual meetings have become regular.
While there needs to be some professionalism, it is also essential to infuse some fun for it not to be entirely boring. By doing this, you increase interest and boost productivity amongst teammates.
Knowing how to infuse the fun in virtual meetings takes away the stress and makes teammates look forward to more meetings.
The next time you schedule a virtual meeting with your teammates, employing these tips would enhance the meeting experience not only for them but for you, the host.