How To Streamline Productive Online Meetings Using A Physical USB Zoom Mute Button?
Whether you’re working remotely, in a hybrid work setting, or already back in the ordinary office environment, online meetings are most definitely going to stay.
In addition to being very handy, online meetings have made a positive improvement in the environment as well. For example, video calls require less than a tenth of the energy that is used for traveling to in-person meetings.
But there are also some downsides to using online meetings. One of them is the so-called “Zoom fatigue” — a phenomenon that describes the exhaustion people feel after any type of online meeting or video call.
This is caused by requiring our brain to work harder, having to be always “on”, the feeling of unsettling physical closeness to your colleague (quite literally — you see your co-worker’s face on the screen 50 cm away from yours), and other factors.
So, to avoid online meeting fatigue, in this blog article, we’ll explore different ways you can organize your video calls to be more productive, using different approaches and physical devices, such as USB Zoom Mute Buttons.
What makes an online meeting efficient?
There are several factors that determine the overall success of an online meeting. Let’s take a look at some of the most important ones!
The length of the online meeting
You, too, have probably been in a meeting that has felt like an eternity. After some time you notice that you’re starting to lose focus and slowly drifting into an anxious state of mind.
That’s because we can only pay attention for so long. The optimal length of an online meeting should not go over one hour — longer than that will impact its productivity. It is also recommended to make some time for a short break around the middle of the meeting, but the break shouldn’t exceed 15 minutes.
Structured virtual meeting agenda
Nothing can be worse in a virtual setting than a meeting without a clear agenda. An unprepared meeting wastes a lot of time and energy, and it doesn’t lead anywhere.
To make an online meeting successful, prepare a short but well-thought-out agenda for the video call. In an ideal scenario, you should even send out an invitation for attendees.
Include all the necessary information, such as the purpose of the meeting, what topics are going to be covered, and, of course, the date, time, and length of the online meeting.
This allows all attendees to prepare beforehand, writing down any questions and other bullet points, therefore saving time and making the meeting even more productive.
Source: Pexels
The right equipment for online meetings
Virtual meetings are awesome and convenient but we all know that sometimes technology just wants to play tricks on us — especially during bigger online events.
That’s why it is super important to prepare your technologies in advance — test your microphones, webcams, and headphones, make sure the Internet connection is strong enough, and charge your computer the night before.
It would be perfect if you could ask to do the same things to online meeting participants — that would make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible.
Ability to engage all participants during the virtual meeting
No one likes those long monolog-type of online meetings. In fact, more often than not other participants would like to say something as well but it can be a little awkward in the beginning.
To make sure everybody feels comfortable, at the start of the meeting, use some icebreaker questions. Even simple questions like “How was your weekend” can warm people up a little.
It can also be very useful to prepare a list of attendees and check them as they speak, so you have a clear look over the people who haven’t voiced their opinion yet.
How to make online meetings productive?
Now that we’ve determined all the important factors that make virtual meetings successful, let’s talk about the exact steps that need to be taken in order to get the most out of your online meetings productivity-wise.
Step #1: Plan out your online meeting step by step
To streamline a productive online meeting, start by planning out every step of the meeting:
- the online platform it will take place at;
- what will be the duration of the meeting;
- who are the people that will attend this meeting;
- the main topic of the meeting;
- brief bullet points of the smaller topics that will be discussed;
- when will the break be and how long is it’s gonna be;
- will you ask attendees to take turns speaking;
- what specific action items at the end of the meeting are going to be.
Having a clear structure will help to get the most out of the online meeting. Virtual meetings can easily get off-track, especially if you’re not sticking to the meeting agenda.
Step #2: Assign the online meeting moderator
You should always find a person that’s going to be responsible for moderating the meeting. Without a meeting moderator, participants will interrupt one another, causing an unnecessary mess and wasting a lot of time.
The online meeting moderator is going to have the authority to control the meeting — giving a place to speak for one person at a time and sticking strictly to the meeting’s agenda and topics.
Step #3: Minimize distractions using a USB Zoom Mute Button
Nothing can be more annoying than background noise that cuts out the person talking during a virtual meeting. The best way to reduce noise is by staying muted when it’s not your time to speak.
While most online meeting apps have their built-in mute feature, it can significantly slow down the communication flow by having you hover your mouse cursor over a specific window each time you want to say something. That’s where devices like Luxafor Mute Button come into play!
This physical USB Mute Button for online meeting apps, such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and others, allows you to mute/unmute yourself with just a touch of the button. Using a specific color-code system, the button will show you and everyone around you whether you’re on mute or people in the call can hear you.
It is easy to set up — just plug it into your computer via a USB port, connect it to the Luxafor Mute Button software, and use the button with ALL tools by muting the mic computer-wide!
Step #4: Conclude your online meeting with specific action items
If you end your online meeting with some vague promises or no round-ups, it will leave your participants with a sense of confusion about the purpose of the meeting. You should always conclude the meeting with specific action items, assigning them to certain people or groups, as well as agreeing on the deadline.
Step #5: Send out follow-up emails to the participants
The Internet connection can’t be 100% stable at all times (and we have to consider other factors that can interrupt participants’ focus, such as family members), so there may be cases where someone has missed a part of the information discussed in the meeting.
That’s why it is suggested to send out a follow-up email to all the attendees. This email should include:
- A brief summary of the meeting;
- Summary of the next steps (and action items);
- Key meeting accomplishment;
- (In an ideal case) a video recording of the meeting;
- A feedback survey, asking what was useful, what improvements need to be taken into mind next time, etc.
The bottom line
Even though we would think that by now we’re nailing all the online meetings, still to this day many team leaders tend to forget about these important steps mentioned above.
In some way, streamlining a truly productive online meeting is a form of art that takes practice to make it perfect and effective. And there is no shame in adding additional devices that can help with making the virtual call more smooth and flow better. Check out the Luxafor Mute Button and try it yourself!
LUXAFOR HELPS PEOPLE TO ACHIEVE THEIR GREATEST PRODUCTIVITY LEVELS WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF OFFICE PRODUCTS. LET’S BE PRODUCTIVE TOGETHER!
