Firm offers suggestions for virtual meeting participation, leadership

Recent research from Development Dimensions International indicates that nearly 20 percent of all employees have led 10 or more virtual meetings in the past 12 months, and that percentage is expected to double in 2002, according to a DDI news release.

As a result of that expected growth, DDI, a human resources consulting firm specializing in leadership development and selection systems design, has developed "Leading Virtual Meetings," a learning unit to assist individuals with participating in and conducting virtual meetings.

"All meetings, virtual or face-to-face, require preparation, a clear purpose and effective leadership," Jim Davis, DDI vice president of work force and service development.

"When you lead a virtual meeting, you still must do all of the things you did for an effective traditional meeting, but a virtual meeting requires excellent preparation, leadership and follow-up because participants might be in different time zones, speaking different languages and using various technologies."

Among the challenges presented by virtual meetings is that it is difficult to keep track of who is leaving or joining the meeting.

Also, it is nearly impossible to judge reactions and read body language of the participants. Because virtual meetings rely on technology, so another challenge is equipment failure, which can happen at any time for a number of reasons and bring a virtual meeting to a halt. Virtual meetings also make it easier for people to "exit the meeting" and be off the hook for action items that may be discussed during the virtual meeting.

Below are some tips from DDI's "Leading Virtual Meetings," designed to enhance virtual meeting experiences for leaders and participants.

Test technology well in advance of the meeting.

Invite no more than eight participants.

Distribute background information, agendas and reference material well in advance, and confirm that all participants have received it.

Have a contingency plan in place in case the technology fails.

Start each virtual meeting with roll call and designate a note taker.

Present the information in short segments and make the meeting brief and narrow in scope.

Frequently check for understanding and prompt people to participate.

For meetings with local and remote participants, encourage involvement equally.

Review action items at the end of the meeting.

Ask participants for feedback.

Additional tips are available online at www.ddiworld.com/inthenews.