Keeping everyone engaged during remote conferences is no easy task. Limited involvement, a lack of a shared environment and the unfamiliarity of it all could really drive disengagement. This article will explore important tips on how you can keep your team engaged online.
Why aren’t teams engaged during video conferences?
Want to have more engaging meetings? First, you’ll have to understand why your team isn’t engaged. The reasons could include:
- Lack of shared meeting space. With online video conferences, team members are in different environments. These environments come with their own comforts and distractions that could influence how engaged a team member is. Additionally, without a common space for team bonding and discussions, video conference meetings are left with a colder, mechanical feeling. Additionally, tech issues are also known to decrease the engagement of the meeting participants. It is always worthwhile to check the status of your web camera using a dedicated tool like this one Veed Webcam Test
- Limited opportunities to contribute. Contributing to a discussion in real life is very different compared to contributing online. Zoom meetings don’t abide by social cues, where you can feel out the right moment to interject or build on an idea. Lags and other technical traits could result in mistimed questions or contributions. Because of this, people tend to be reserved during online video conferences and only contribute when a meeting host specifically asks for questions. This takes the spontaneity and energy out of a meeting.
- The unfamiliarity of the situation. Sometimes, people might just mentally check out of a conversation because of how unfamiliar it is. Video conferences tend to be duller than real-life meetings. People who are uncomfortable with this new format are much more likely to be disengaged.
Why is it important to keep your team engaged?
Sure, teams might be less engaged with video conferences. But does team engagement really matter? The answer is yes! Team engagement is essential for your company’s productivity and quality of ideas. It’s also important for the wellness of your entire team. Work does indeed take up most of our lives, and our co-workers are who we rely on for a bulk of our social interactions. Meetings and discussions often form the basis for meaningful social interactions. As such, disengaged teams often have members that start feeling isolated. This is terrible for their wellbeing as well as for their motivation.
How to increase team engagement during video conferences
Team engagement truly is an essential part of any workforce. Here are some tips to continue engaging with your team, even while working together online.
- Encourage more team bonding sessions. Teams shouldn’t just meet during meetings. Incorporate more team bonding sessions into your weekly schedule to keep everyone happy and motivated.
- Spice up your meetings. It’s been found that C-level executives have been using multiplayer games like GTA as a means to have fun, interesting meetings. Hosting in-game meetings is just one way to spice up your team discussions. Try having meetings on new platforms to keep things interesting.
- Try Timeqube Online. A Timeqube is an unobtrusive timer that indicates the passing of time with a change in color. It’s a simple, seamless tool to help your team stay on track – and it’s now available online. Use Timeqube Online as a cool meeting tool to spice up your team discussions. You can also use it to open the floor to team discussions with its special microphone functions. Check out our guide here for more details on Timeqube Online.
