1. Set An Agenda
Since it’s our first point, we thought why not start with the elephant in the room. While virtual meetings has its advantages, it comes with multiple disadvantages too. The biggest? It’s not the same as meeting in person. Apart from that, the extensive time spent staring at the screen will also take a toll on us physically through backaches and eye strains as well as mentally and emotionally. One huge way to mitigate that is ensuring the meeting is as short sharp or simpy put, productive and effective as possible by setting a meeting agenda so everyone knows the purpose of the meeting. One mini tip we’ve discovered after conducting over 100 virtual team bonding sessions is, quality is always better than quantity and there’s no point conducting 4-hour sessions if people get fatigued after awhile.

2. Eliminate Unnecessary Attendees
As much as technology has many perks, there’s also some downsides. Even with the top grade providers like Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Webex, most still experience awkward lags and cross-talks. The bigger the meeting, the more it happens. Add that to the fact that some people might be uncomfortable talking to big groups, we suggest keeping the meetings only to those necessary. A rule of thumb for us for our bonding events is a maximum of 8 per group so that might be a starting point.

3. Encourage Everyone To Turn On Their Webcam
Before you start a meeting, encourage everyone to turn on their cameras. It’s always nicer to talk to a person albeit virtually than to a blank screen. Enough said.

4. Ensure Everyone Is Familiar With The Platform
Remember, not everyone is tech savy and navigating something new can be daunting and might deter them from participating actively. For starters, you can either put together a platform guide, get IT or leadership to ensure all attendees are familiar with the platform or if time permits set aside some time to explain the basic functions. PS. the chatbox functions available on most platforms can be helpful for questions and for minimizing disruptions.

5. Focus A Little More On Visuals
Sprucing up your meeting with fun gifs or visuals can help perk up the energy and keep participants engaged. PS, to avoid any copyright issues, always ensure they are royalty-free.

6. Kickstart With Some Cool Jams
As participants wait for the meeting to start, it’s always nice to come in to something different and refreshing. Similar to the above, always ensure the music you play is royalty free.

7. Set Time For A Casual Chit-Chat Before & After The Meeting
If time permits, check-in with everyone either before the start of the meeting or at the end of the session. Although it might feel like you are pro-longing the meeting, trust us, it does wonders for one’s sanity and is a great morale booster.

Till the next time or if you are looking for a virtual team bonding provider as part of your virtual meeting, all the best for everyone’s virtual meetings.