Whether you like it or not, virtual meetings will be there for a considerable amount of time. According to this statistic, over 11 million meetings are held each day. But how to make virtual meetings more effective?

Well, this is where Aira - AI Meeting Assistant comes into the picture. If you want to know what this tool is and what are the best ways to make virtual meetings more effective, read along. We have included some basic points in our list of tips that actually work.

You'll also find a brief comparison of google meet vs. hangouts to determine which one works best in your case. So, let's begin.

9 Best practices for making a virtual meeting more effective

1. Setting an agenda

You should be clear with what you want to discuss in the meeting. You should create an agenda and circulate it to your team ahead of your team meeting. It'll bring everyone on the same page.

Also, when the meeting commences, make sure that you use brief explanations and never deviate from the topic.

2. Always be on time

This seems like a no-brainer but is really important when it comes to professionalism. If you're the host, starting the meeting late is the last thing you would want to do. And to always stay on time, you can use Aira - AI Meeting Assistant.

It is an amazing meeting assistant which will help you autojoin meetings on time. It actually picks up the time from your calendar applications and gets the job done.

3. Limit the time

You should not extend a virtual meeting unless totally necessary. It's because after some time it becomes boring. According to this source, most of the duration of the most meeting is between 31-60 mins.

And to limit the duration, you can use Aira - AI Assistant. It has an AI-based feature known as meeting minutes. Using this feature, you get info on the meeting minutes which can help you wrap the meeting on or before time.

4. Predetermined-host

Having a predetermined host is essential. Otherwise, either everyone will speak, creating chaos, or none will speak, creating a dead silence.

You can brief everyone in the meeting description telling who will lead the meeting. It'll help you keep everything organized and will ensure a smooth flow.

5. Encourage Video

Most of the time, when the video is not on, people tend to multitask. This becomes unengaging and disrupts the purpose of the meeting. So, make sure that everyone turns their video on.

This will keep everyone attentive at all times. Also, this will encourage the participants to contribute.

6. Turn your audio off

If you're done speaking, your audio should be turned off. It will prevent others from hearing embarrassing sounds like your dog barking, which may disturb everyone. And this step should be standard for everyone.

In the meeting briefing, you can instruct the team to stay on mute unless asked to speak. It'll maintain decorum during the meeting.

7. Background & Dress Code

During the meeting, your background should be absolutely clutter-free. Or you can use apps like Zoom, which allows you to change the background virtually.

Even if it's a virtual meeting, it should be professional. And dress code matters a lot. Everyone, especially the host, should attend the meeting in a professional dress code.

8. Encourage contribution

Depending on the kind/type of meeting you're hosting, you should encourage your team to interact or ask questions. It keeps everyone wide awake and active throughout the meeting.

You can ask their opinion on whatever you're talking about. This way, you can improve the overall meeting experience not only for you but for your teammates.

If possible, use graphics like flow charts, infographics, etc., rather than speaking all the time. It helps in the easy consumption of information and facts.

9. Don't be too formal

It can sometimes be hard to concentrate even in physical meetings when the host acts bossy or is too formal. It can make others feel inferior, which can further affect productivity.

So, whenever you're leading an online meeting, try to be a little less formal. This will encourage everyone to participate without hesitation. And it'll definitely boost the effectiveness of the meeting.

10. Bonus tip - Recording the conversation

As you have read this far, you deserve a bonus tip. Sometimes, the topic or agenda is quite extensive, which can increase the meeting time. And it can be quite hard for everyone to stay focused and understand every point.

In such cases, you can use Aira - AI Meeting Assistant. It records the entire call/meeting, prepares a transcript, and forwards it to every team member once the meeting ends. This way, everyone who might have lost track can listen to the recording after the meeting.

Which one should you choose - Google meet vs. Hangouts?

One of the basic differences, which should make everything clear, is that Google Meet is more of a professional meeting tool. And Hangouts, on the other side can be used for casual meetings.

Hangouts are good for small companies and can support up to 25 participants. Google Meet can easily support up to 100 participants for a 60-minute call for free. However, the actual number depends on which plan you have bought.

In a nutshell, both these tools get the job done. But you should always make the decision based on what your requirements are. For a detailed comparison between Google Meet and hangouts, please visit this link.

Conclusion

Virtual meetings have become somewhat permanent. So, you should put in some basic efforts to ensure the effectiveness of these meetings. Not only will it increase productivity, but it will help you completely replace the physical meetings.

You can use meeting assistants like Aira - AI Meeting Assistant to enhance the overall meeting experience. It can help you record the calls, join meetings on time, add or edit action items, limit the meeting time, and whatnot. So, make the best of your meetings using this tool.