The current pandemic has evolved the workspaces completely. Virtual meetings have become mandatory during this era. The lockdown led to online meetings being conducted from your homes.
Employees from organizations from all across the globe discuss their day-to-day activities virtually. Millions of users use several online conferencing tools for efficient and seamless communication during online meetings. The most popular ones include Microsoft teams, zoom, skype, etc.
Benefits of Conducting Online Meetings
The numerous advantages of conducting virtual meetings include the following:
Online Meetings Save Time
The most significant benefit of an online meeting is that it saves time. Virtual meetups don’t require booking up a room or setting up a conference to conduct a meeting. People do not need to move to attend this type of meeting.
You don’t need to worry about the capacity of the meeting room or the physical presence of all the attendees while conducting a virtual meeting. Online meetings have proven to be time-saving as people don’t need to travel a certain distance to attend them.
In-office meeting employees need to pause their ongoing task, have a drink, or perform other such activities to be prepared for a meeting. All these entities become non-significant in the case of online meetings. As a result, a cost-effective solution is achieved.
Focused Agendas
Most professionals feel that online meetings are stressful. As a result, the meetings are kept short and precise. The limitations in the meeting duration of virtual communications also enforce shorter meetings. This leads to virtual meetups that are focused on discussing the most important things without getting into unnecessary details.
It has been observed that the meeting durations have shrunken to an average of 30 minutes during the lockdown. This leads to an elevated productivity level as employees spend more time performing tasks. Shorter meetings result in quick completion of jobs.
Reduced Costs
Digital meetings reduce the costs of meetups immensely. From booking a place to providing meeting equipment, there are numerous costs associated with physician meetings. However, in online meetings, no such additional costs are required. All you need is a platform to connect with your peers and conduct your meeting.
You can also utilize tools like online meeting trackers for keeping a check on the resources and costs of the meeting. This software can help you in recording the time spent on each meeting, list of attendees, and schedule follow-ups.
Can Be Declined Easily
Leaving or declining a meeting you don’t need to attend is quite difficult in physical meetups. Whereas in the case of online meetings, you can simply decline a meeting by rejecting or ending a call. You can make a simple excuse that you are engaged for another meeting for the said time slot.
Direct Communication
Online meetings can be video or audio. During virtual communications, you are not aware of who is being addressed. As a result, the speaker needs to take names to notify the concerned person. This makes the online meetings more explicit and efficient.
To avoid a situation in which multiple people speak making the conversation crowded and inaudible, you must address a person. This mode also offers a democratic way of interacting with your peers and everyone can voice their queries and concerns in this manner.
Humanize Communication In Virtual Meetings
The virtual meeting allows employees to connect without putting much effort into it. People can join in without being physically present at a location and become part of the discussion.
When people attend meetings from the premises of their homes, it makes them more human. It makes you more empathetic towards others and connects well with them.
Non-existent Small Talk
The online meetings are productive as small talks are eliminated during these. This saves the valuable time of the employees and helps them stay focused on work.
Easy To Say No
It’s easy to leave online meetings. You can simply click on the leave meeting button to opt-out of the virtual meeting. Whereas, it’s difficult to say no to a physical meeting you don’t need to attend. Refusing a meeting with your boss or peers seems quite rude.
Improved Collaboration
Online meetings are more focused and precise. The outcomes of these meetings are more effective and productive. The virtual meetings are flexible and encourage seamless brainstorming of ideas.
The tools through which online meetings are conducted also play a vital role in ensuring that these meetings achieve desired goals. If only one microphone is enabled during a meeting, it enables each attendant to have a say in the meeting. This gives a democratic approach to the business discussions and improves collaboration among the team.