Thanks to the technological wonders of the modern age, you no longer have to be in the same room to have a productive meeting. You can just dial up your colleague, and have a quick conversation right there on your screen. But if you need something more formal, there are eight things you'll need to get right to make your virtual meeting a roaring success. What do you need? Video? Screen sharing? Polling? Work it out! Then pick software that does what you need, and test it in advance. Log in well before your meeting starts in case there are updates to install, and tell everyone else to do the same. Expecting everyone to contribute? Let them know in advance what you'll be discussing. This is especially important for people who aren't native speakers of your language. They need time to think, and translate. Comprende? It might be lunchtime where you are, but what if it's the middle of the night where your colleague is? Think about each person's time zone, and if anyone has to stay up late, or get up early, vary the time of regular meetings to share the load. It's nice to be nice. No "Silent Susans" in your meetings. Make sure everyone stays involved by asking them relevant questions. In bigger meetings, use some of those nifty tools you picked out earlier, like polling and whiteboards, to interact, and keep your attendees engaged. Muting your microphone? How rude. Unless you're in a noisy office, or have a jackhammer in the room, keep your microphone and your brain switched on. You there, pay attention. You can't just check your emails during the meeting. Would you do that in person? Then don't do it in virtual meetings. Going on video? Think about what you're wearing. What else is visible behind you? Nobody wants to see your dirty laundry, clean up. If you're going to share your screen, have the documents and programs you're going to need ready to go. Think about what else you have on screen, too. Close or mute instant messaging apps. And, people can read those browser tabs, you know. Follow these eight tips to make sure your virtual meetings are the talk of the town. © 2022 Mind Tools by Emerald Works Limited.