Flexible working environments are the new normal. In fact, a survey by Global Workplace Analytics and FlexJobs indicates that remote work has grown 91% over the last 10 years, and 159% over the last 12 years. This increase has created new opportunities for both employers and employees, as well as new challenges that companies are learning how to adapt to.
One of the most important things to consider when managing a remote team is meeting facilitation. Thanks to today’s technology, it’s easier than ever to bring employees together from all over the world.
These five remote meeting facilitation tools will help you hold efficient and effective remote team meetings. Plus, we’ll share some tips on how to successfully manage your remote team.
The best meeting facilitation tools to add to your toolkit
The following tools and technologies will help you host effective team meetings, no matter where your office is:
Slack
Not only is Slack great for communicating with remote employees during business hours, but it can also help you facilitate meetings. Slack offers video calling and screen sharing options so you can call your team directly through the app. In addition, you can call everyone related to one channel, such as everyone working on a certain client or project. Need quick feedback from your team? We have you covered. Poll Everywhere for Slack can help you collect instant feedback and make key decisions fast.
Google Hangouts
Like Slack, Google Hangouts makes it easy to both video chat and call employees, no matter where they’re working from. A key to successful remote meeting facilitation is making sure everyone feels included. Video calls are a great way to do this because everyone can actively participate. Plus, if you already use Gmail you can easily integrate Hangouts into your existing infrastructure.
Poll Everywhere
Poll Everywhere’s live response and interactive presentation features can help collect instant feedback, improve employee engagement, and drive decision-making. Host engaging meetings with live interactive participation: ask questions, collect live responses, anonymous feedback, and powerful data. With a remote team, collaboration is everything. Bring your team together at every meeting with engaging, interactive, and informative content.
For more in-depth tips on successfully managing a remote team, holding effective meetings, and scaling company culture, download our ebook.
Olaph
Olaph is a meeting facilitation tool that helps with quick stand-up meetings. Just because your team works remotely doesn’t mean you have to give up the casual check-ins that on-site teams often have. Using this tool, you can ask your team in Slack the types of questions you would ask in a stand-up meeting, such as “what are you working on,” “what is your bandwidth this week,” and “what can the team help you with.” These check-ins are important for any team, especially remote ones.
Asana
While Asana isn’t exactly a meeting facilitation tool, it is a great tool to organize your team’s work and have visibility into what everyone is working on. This task management software makes it easy to check the status of projects, assign work to team members, and share documents. Using all this information, you can easily come to your next meeting prepared to discuss the team’s progress and goals. Visibility into your team’s workflow and tasks is key to successfully managing a remote team.
Keys to hosting a successful remote meeting
Now that you have a robust meeting facilitation toolkit, let’s look at some keys to remote meeting success:
- Check your tech. Having high-quality audio and video technology will make all the difference at your remote meeting. Invest in a good pair of headphones with a built-in mic, like these options from Daily Remote. Also, make sure to test your equipment and set up before the meeting to ensure everything is working.
- Set up a “virtual watercooler” to give remote employees the opportunity to chat casually before the meeting. In this virtual watercooler, you could provide icebreakers or trivia questions to help your team get to know each other.
- Schedule meetings around remote time zones. One of the benefits of having a remote workforce is that employees can work from anywhere, but this also means that you’ll have to schedule meetings around these different time zones. Tools like Every Time Zone can help.
- Create a meeting agenda. Agendas are important meeting facilitation strategies for both in-person and remote teams. Knowing what you want to cover, how long you will spend on each point, and when team members can jump in with their own comments and questions will help your meetings run smoothly.
With remote work on the rise, it’s more important than ever to keep up with current meeting facilitation tools. Learn how Poll Everywhere for Enterprise can help you engage your employees, collect powerful data, and collaborate seamlessly.