Tag Archives: Virtual Meeting

Sep13

Virtual Icebreakers For Your Next Team Meeting

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Virtual Icebreakers For Your Next Team Meeting

Icebreakers don’t have to be confined to just kids on their first day of school. An icebreaker is called that for a reason – it helps break the ice and helps facilitate the smoother flow of a conversation. More importantly, it also helps people connect on a more personal level. This could be a challenge in today’s environment when a lot of our meetings are held online.

Icebreakers are simply social opportunities for people to get to know each other. It gives all meeting participants the opportunity to be heard, especially since it’s so hard to interject during a team meeting. A good icebreaker can help you get over awkward silences and loosen everyone up before you get down to business.

Here are five virtual icebreakers you could use for your next team video huddle:

1. Where are you joining from?

This is especially fun for distributed teams who work in different locations. Have everyone share a visual of “the view from their office” and share a titbit about the place where they work. For example, even if it’s just trees outside, they can explain that beyond that is a beautiful park where they can take their pets for a walk.

2. What song on your playlist is on repeat?

Have people share their music recommendations by sharing which song is on loop. This allows people to talk about common interests because everyone loves music.

3. What is your favorite item on your desk?

Have attendees pick their favorite work item and hold it up for everyone to see. Then they can explain its “superpowers”, why they picked it out and how it helps them with work. For example, my favorite is a portable mini desk vacuum that looks like a computer mouse. It helps pick up crumbs and dust and keeps my desk clean. I use it on my desk before and after I start work to signal that I’m starting work and that I’m done with work.

4. Highs and Lows

This works best for teams that know each other relatively well because it involves some vulnerability. Have each person simply share their wins (high) and their challenges (low). This allows the team to celebrate their small wins and congratulate each other when something good happens in their lives. It also allows them to be there for each other during the low times and be able to give each other encouragement.

5. Virtual water cooler

This is great for break time. Icebreakers don’t have to be done during meetings. They can be done on breaks, too. This could be a chance to catch up with the teams during a coffee break and then have each person share what they’re drinking. Aim to chat about something other than work during virtual water cooler breaks.

How does your team break the ice? We’d love to hear your team’s go-to virtual ice breakers. Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Aug23

10 Tips To Keep Your Video Calls Professional

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10 Tips To Keep Your Video Calls Professional

There are still a majority of people working from home. That means a lot of our work meetings, one-on-one coaching, and work catch-ups are done through video conferencing. Some of us may have challenges with maintaining professionalism since not everyone has the benefit of having dedicated work from home workspaces. Inevitable background noises, kids and pets on camera, and messy backdrops are par for the course during video conferences. Everyone understands the struggle and is more forgiving, under the circumstances. However, we must all strive to maintain virtual meeting etiquette in order to make video meetings a fruitful experience for everyone involved. Here are a few tips to ensure that your video calls will go smoothly:

1. Have an agenda

This benefits all participants as:

  • They can prepare for the meeting beforehand
  • They can set expectations of what will be discussed and for how long the meeting will last
  • They can set action items for points related to them on the agenda

2. Find a quiet place

First, let everyone in the household know that you will be on a video call. Let them know that you need this time to be free of noise and distractions. Then, find a quiet place to set up your gear. A private room with a door is best, but if not, a part of the house that is relatively quiet will do.

3. Eliminate distractions

Turn off anything that can make a background noise; fans, phones, a radio, the tv. Shut down the windows to eliminate outside noise. Make sure nobody can walk by and be seen on camera while you are taking a call.

4. Wear a headphone with a mic

Your laptop mic picks up all background noise and may not have the best audio quality. Buy a dedicated headphone with a mic. This will greatly improve your audio.

5. Test your equipment

Test your equipment BEFORE the video call. It would be a shame to not be able to attend just because of technical difficulties, so make sure to check your gear beforehand.

6. Turn off notifications

You won’t be able to concentrate on the meeting if someone keeps pinging your phone or if you are constantly getting alerts from social media. Turning off notifications is an easy way to eliminate one possible distraction.

7. Introduce yourself

It is good manners to let people know that you have joined the call. A simple “Hi everybody, it’s (name) here. Good to see you all!” will do.

8. Use the mute button

When it is not your turn to speak, put yourself on mute. This should be the norm for video calls with more than 3 people. Imagine hearing 10 sources of audio. Wouldn’t that be distracting? Make it easy for others to hear the speaker by putting yourself on mute when you’re not speaking.

9. Address participants by name

To avoid confusion about whom you’re talking to, address the person by name. But don’t talk over someone who is speaking. You can use the raise hand feature in some apps like Zoom.

10. Stick to the schedule

Don’t go over the schedule, follow the agenda and wrap up on time.

What are your video call etiquette tips? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp