15 Feb Online Event Hacks to Engage Global Virtual Teams
With more and more meetings and events going virtual, how do you make your remote online meetings more interesting and engaging for your team members? Well, many of the same strategies you might use to liven up your in-person events are applicable online. Even better, the platforms you use online offer a handful of features not otherwise available when meeting in a traditional, face-to-face setting.
The first step to more engaging online meetings is choosing a platform or collection of platforms that fit your business communication needs. As virtual event planners, we can provide the right tools you need to collaborate and create real, genuine engagement. Sometimes a simple video call isn’t enough, you need a platform in which everyone can immerse themselves into. Real, genuine engagement only happens if you give your team the tools they need to collaborate effectively and engage with each other. Regardless of your industry, there’s a solution or solutions out there that will bring your corporate virtual events – and client and business partners closer together.
As much as many businesses have grown quite familiar with online meetings over the past year, there can still be an element of awkwardness that comes with not being in the same room you’re your peers and clients. Meeting icebreakers help break that tension before getting stuck into the serious stuff. Finding the right kind of corporate virtual team building is key and surprisingly worth investing in. From a virtual day at the races to an online cocktail masterclass, your employees will really benefit from and appreciate the extra lengths you go to to get everyone together.
Just because you’re the host, doesn’t mean you have to do all the hard work. Getting attendees involved in the nuts and bolts of your meeting’s organization gives them a vested interest in the meeting’s success, motivates them to make a bigger contribution towards its overall positive atmosphere, and helps create a sense of involvement among all the participants.
Live polls are a fun way to get people thinking, clicking, and checking out the results. You can set up your online meeting polls before or during your meeting, and attendees will find them in the sidebar. Once a poll gets started, how individuals vote is kept private for the audience, but you’ll be able to see the overall results accumulate as the votes roll in.
If your virtual meeting is to cover a lot of ground, share the hosting responsibilities around the team. Ownership of a topic, especially one that has a clear objective outlined from the off, will have the whole team pushing for positive outcomes and helping each other out. Also, what better way to show people your faith in them than by trusting in their ability to lead the way? So give more responsibility to others, sit back, and watch your team bloom.
One notable issue when it comes to global teams is the language barrier. Teams in global organisations speaking different languages can suffer from misunderstandings and slower teamwork. This can be a difficult hurdle when trying to connect global teams – but it doesn’t have to be that way. Using a collaboration tool with a translation facility means that team members from all over the world can preserve language and culture and still communicate effectively with each other.
Always remember that meetings are especially important for remote teams – when else will everyone be in the same space together (albeit a virtual one)? So as well as time dedicated to focusing on the issues of the day, make sure there’s a chance to digest the information as a group. Direct your team towards the private chats in the sidebar, add free-chat breaks to your meeting agendas, and lead the way by asking about the team’s weekend, plans ahead, and what current movie or series they may be watching. Getting the team together isn’t just to get solid solutions and deliverables in place – it’s to bond, interact, and learn about each other, too.
In summary, ensure you are starting on the right foot by utilising your virtual event planners when you are struggling to excite and engage your global remote teams. They will keep you on the right path to following the above steps and keep on top of any handy tips and tricks coming into the virtual event world.