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Virtual meetings have taken off this year, and they’re probably here to stay. The benefits of working from home are too numerous to go back.
At the same time, virtual meetings have an entirely new set of challenges. Online meeting tools are constantly innovating and it’s hard to keep up. The virtual environment is not comfortable for some and takes a lot of effort to get right.
Creating ground rules for virtual meetings can help with these issues. Ground rules create a common working agreement. They establish norms that help everyone know how to act.
This article won’t give you all the ground rules for virtual meetings you need. That’s something your team will have to work out on its own. Instead, we want to show you all the potential issues of virtual meetings and norms you need to define.
Looking to create your own ground rules for virtual meetings? Start with this template and make your own adjustments!
Virtual meeting etiquette is a thing
In-office meeting standards emerged naturally over decades. In contrast, ground rules for virtual meetings are still actively being established. Virtual meeting etiquette is still very much an open topic. As the technology matures, we can take those changes in stride and adjust the rules so meetings can be more efficient and productive.
While no one likes being too constricted by rules, ground rules for virtual meetings actually up your team. They create freedom by organizing the virtual environment and defining what is expected. Your team will thank you for creating ground rules that help them know how to act in the new digital workplace.
What should be in your virtual meeting ground rules?
All organizations are unique and different rules apply to different environments. This is not a copy-paste list of meeting ground rules. Instead, it’s a list of all the things you need to have in yours. It will help you kickstart the rule-creation process by outlining the major issues.
You may need one set of ground rules for internal meetings and another if any clients, customers, or external partners are involved.
1. What deserves a meeting
A meeting is only one tool in your arsenal for handling collaboration problems. Just because you ran out of ideas does not give you the right to grab everyone else’s time. Outline what situations are allowed to be solved with meetings, and what should be handled asynchronously.
Meetings are great for quick collaboration, discussing difficult topics, and kicking off projects. They are overkill for regular announcements and most updates. Define your own list of good and bad uses of meetings.
2. Rhythm
Every team needs some expected rhythm of when meetings will happen. Regular meetings allow people to have more predictable schedules. List all the normal meetings that happen in a week or month that people are expected to attend. Any ad hoc meeting should meet the criteria you set above.
3. Agenda
Every meeting needs an agenda. The agenda keeps the conversation on topic. Whoever calls the meeting should create and distribute the agenda. Some companies allow anyone to decline a meeting request if there is no agenda attached.
Organize your agenda with questions instead of bullet points. Write out the specific problem you are facing and what you want people to consider.
Agendas should also include required pre-work or pre-reading and any useful attachments. Check out our virtual meeting agenda template here.
4. Length
What’s considered a typical meeting time? 15 minutes? 30? 60? What’s the longest amount of time someone can book a meeting for without breaking it up? Do you have mandatory breaks for meetings of more than an hour?
5. Invitations
Just because technology can connect everyone, doesn’t mean everyone needs to be there.
Selecting the right people is easy if you created an agenda. The right attendees are the team members who can contribute and add value to the proposed topics. Everyone else can get the notes afterwards.
6. Scheduling
What times are team members allowed to schedule meetings? Do you have any ‘meeting-free’ slots? Are people allowed to schedule their important meetings over your existing events? If they can’t find a time, what should they do? How far in advance do meetings need to be booked?
7. Late entry/early exit
If you know you are going to be late, whom do you need to tell? Is late entry permitted? How late can a person enter a meeting? If you come in late, should you announce something, or just “grab a seat in the back”?
How about early exits? Some companies allow people to leave as soon as they don’t have anything else to add to the agenda. If the meeting crosses the scheduled time, can anyone leave?
8. Dress code
Is there a dress code for virtual meetings? What is considered ok? What changes if there is a client, customer, or external partner?
9. Video and backgrounds
Is video turned on by default at the start? Do you need to leave it on for the entire call? Are you allowed to have backgrounds? Are there any restrictions?
10. Muting
When are you expected to mute? Anytime you are not speaking, or just when there is background noise?
11. Unexpected video guests
What happens if someone’s kid, housemate, or pet shows up on the screen? Do they need to avoid this at all costs, or is it accepted?
12. Distractions/focus
Are you allowed to do other work while on meetings? Do you need to show your hands/video to make sure you are staying engaged with the conversation? Do you need to apologize if you get distracted and caught unaware?
13. Note taking
Who is supposed to take notes during the meeting? Is that a rotating duty? Should they be appointed at the start of the meeting? Where are notes distributed after the meeting? Do action items get automatically added to people’s task management systems?
14. Chat
Chat can make meetings more interactive, encourage people who are quieter, and be a fun way to carry on an open side conversation. In large meetings, chat can be a quick way to still do an ice-breaker question at the beginning.
But chat can also be distracting and promote secrecy and lead to suspicion. Should people be allowed to use private chat during a meeting?
15. Conflicts
Conflicts are bound to happen in meetings, and most of them can be worked through quickly. But it’s good to have some ground rules in place for those rare situations where tempers really flare. What do you do if people start yelling at their screen? What can the moderator do? Who gets to make that call?
16. Safe words
Your team may want to establish a few safe words for awkward moments. It could be for when someone is going on and on without letting others speak. Or it could be for letting someone know their video is on while they are about to do something embarrassing. Safe words are especially useful if you take client calls with team members.
Ready to set your ground rules for virtual meetings?
Not everyone likes rules, and some people might think they’re unnecessary. While too many rules might make your team feel constricted, too few may feel like chaos. The key is to pick the right rules so you can set the appropriate boundaries necessary that allow meetings to flow productively and efficiently.
Here’s a link to our Team Agreement for Virtual Meetings Template. Feel free to copy and change whatever makes sense for your team!
Photo by Alireza Badiee on Unsplash
Virtual meetings have taken off this year, and they’re probably here to stay. The benefits of working from home are too numerous to go back.
At the same time, virtual meetings have an entirely new set of challenges. Online meeting tools are constantly innovating and it’s hard to keep up. The virtual environment is not comfortable for some and takes a lot of effort to get right.
Creating ground rules for virtual meetings can help with these issues. Ground rules create a common working agreement. They establish norms that help everyone know how to act.
This article won’t give you all the ground rules for virtual meetings you need. That’s something your team will have to work out on its own. Instead, we want to show you all the potential issues of virtual meetings and norms you need to define.
Looking to create your own ground rules for virtual meetings? Start with this template and make your own adjustments!
Virtual meeting etiquette is a thing
In-office meeting standards emerged naturally over decades. In contrast, ground rules for virtual meetings are still actively being established. Virtual meeting etiquette is still very much an open topic. As the technology matures, we can take those changes in stride and adjust the rules so meetings can be more efficient and productive.
While no one likes being too constricted by rules, ground rules for virtual meetings actually up your team. They create freedom by organizing the virtual environment and defining what is expected. Your team will thank you for creating ground rules that help them know how to act in the new digital workplace.
What should be in your virtual meeting ground rules?
All organizations are unique and different rules apply to different environments. This is not a copy-paste list of meeting ground rules. Instead, it’s a list of all the things you need to have in yours. It will help you kickstart the rule-creation process by outlining the major issues.
You may need one set of ground rules for internal meetings and another if any clients, customers, or external partners are involved.
1. What deserves a meeting
A meeting is only one tool in your arsenal for handling collaboration problems. Just because you ran out of ideas does not give you the right to grab everyone else’s time. Outline what situations are allowed to be solved with meetings, and what should be handled asynchronously.
Meetings are great for quick collaboration, discussing difficult topics, and kicking off projects. They are overkill for regular announcements and most updates. Define your own list of good and bad uses of meetings.
2. Rhythm
Every team needs some expected rhythm of when meetings will happen. Regular meetings allow people to have more predictable schedules. List all the normal meetings that happen in a week or month that people are expected to attend. Any ad hoc meeting should meet the criteria you set above.
3. Agenda
Every meeting needs an agenda. The agenda keeps the conversation on topic. Whoever calls the meeting should create and distribute the agenda. Some companies allow anyone to decline a meeting request if there is no agenda attached.
Organize your agenda with questions instead of bullet points. Write out the specific problem you are facing and what you want people to consider.
Agendas should also include required pre-work or pre-reading and any useful attachments. Check out our virtual meeting agenda template here.
4. Length
What’s considered a typical meeting time? 15 minutes? 30? 60? What’s the longest amount of time someone can book a meeting for without breaking it up? Do you have mandatory breaks for meetings of more than an hour?
5. Invitations
Just because technology can connect everyone, doesn’t mean everyone needs to be there.
Selecting the right people is easy if you created an agenda. The right attendees are the team members who can contribute and add value to the proposed topics. Everyone else can get the notes afterwards.
6. Scheduling
What times are team members allowed to schedule meetings? Do you have any ‘meeting-free’ slots? Are people allowed to schedule their important meetings over your existing events? If they can’t find a time, what should they do? How far in advance do meetings need to be booked?
7. Late entry/early exit
If you know you are going to be late, whom do you need to tell? Is late entry permitted? How late can a person enter a meeting? If you come in late, should you announce something, or just “grab a seat in the back”?
How about early exits? Some companies allow people to leave as soon as they don’t have anything else to add to the agenda. If the meeting crosses the scheduled time, can anyone leave?
8. Dress code
Is there a dress code for virtual meetings? What is considered ok? What changes if there is a client, customer, or external partner?
9. Video and backgrounds
Is video turned on by default at the start? Do you need to leave it on for the entire call? Are you allowed to have backgrounds? Are there any restrictions?
10. Muting
When are you expected to mute? Anytime you are not speaking, or just when there is background noise?
11. Unexpected video guests
What happens if someone’s kid, housemate, or pet shows up on the screen? Do they need to avoid this at all costs, or is it accepted?
12. Distractions/focus
Are you allowed to do other work while on meetings? Do you need to show your hands/video to make sure you are staying engaged with the conversation? Do you need to apologize if you get distracted and caught unaware?
13. Note taking
Who is supposed to take notes during the meeting? Is that a rotating duty? Should they be appointed at the start of the meeting? Where are notes distributed after the meeting? Do action items get automatically added to people’s task management systems?
14. Chat
Chat can make meetings more interactive, encourage people who are quieter, and be a fun way to carry on an open side conversation. In large meetings, chat can be a quick way to still do an ice-breaker question at the beginning.
But chat can also be distracting and promote secrecy and lead to suspicion. Should people be allowed to use private chat during a meeting?
15. Conflicts
Conflicts are bound to happen in meetings, and most of them can be worked through quickly. But it’s good to have some ground rules in place for those rare situations where tempers really flare. What do you do if people start yelling at their screen? What can the moderator do? Who gets to make that call?
16. Safe words
Your team may want to establish a few safe words for awkward moments. It could be for when someone is going on and on without letting others speak. Or it could be for letting someone know their video is on while they are about to do something embarrassing. Safe words are especially useful if you take client calls with team members.
Ready to set your ground rules for virtual meetings?
Not everyone likes rules, and some people might think they’re unnecessary. While too many rules might make your team feel constricted, too few may feel like chaos. The key is to pick the right rules so you can set the appropriate boundaries necessary that allow meetings to flow productively and efficiently.
Here’s a link to our Team Agreement for Virtual Meetings Template. Feel free to copy and change whatever makes sense for your team!
Photo by Alireza Badiee on Unsplash
