We try to pay more attention during virtual meetings. We really do! But then something diverts our attention (it doesn’t take much!) and we find ourselves tuning out, despite our best intentions. It could be that a teammate just IM’d us with an urgent SOS for help. Or that our workload is too crushing to ignore as we put ourselves on mute and type away. Or it could be that the meeting is frankly just so dull that we stop paying attention, or that we really have nothing very valuable to add.
When we’re leading a virtual meeting, we tend to become impatient and frustrated when others are not paying attention. After all, the topic is important and the time is limited. When you sense people have become disengaged, first you need to figure out why, so you can make an effective intervention. (For example, if you gently suggest that people stop multitasking when in fact they’re simply bored or offended, you may quickly lose their attention for the rest of the call at least, as well as your credibility.)
Here are some of the top reasons virtual meeting participants typically become disengaged, and a few quick tips to help reel them back in.
- People imagine they can do several things reasonably well, at the same time. (Though it’s pretty well-established that no one really can bifurcate their frontal lobes very successfully.) Establish ground rules up front, both in the meeting details you post or send in advance as well as at the start of the call. Remind people how important their participation is and ask them to clear their minds, desktops and computer screens. Ask them to close down any applications they don’t need for this call. Give them a minute or two to send that last email, if need be. In exchange, you promise to keep everyone focused and on track.
- People don’t see the meeting as relevant or important to them. They’re not sure why they’re on the call, and have no idea how or when they’ll be contributing. (And they have lots of other work they could be paying attention to right now!) Make sure you have invited the right people to begin with. The temptation is to invite everyone, since selecting the right people takes a lot of time and thought. Figure out who really has to be involved in this conversation, and find ways to involve others before or after the meeting. It’s tough having a productive conversation with more than a handful of people, especially when a weighty decision must be made. You may need to come right out and ask people who seem particularly quiet if they feel this meeting is a good use of their time, without a hint of sarcasm. They may be very happy to make a graceful exit.
- The conversation is meandering all over the place, with no regard for the stated objectives. People are unfocused and off-track. Make sure that you (and everyone else) have an agenda in their mind’s eye and readily visible, so you can all track progress. Periodically refer back to objectives, which should likewise be visible at all times. When you design the meeting, be realistic about how long each part of the agenda should take. If you find that you’ve miscalculated partway through a meeting, give people a choice to keep going on this topic, schedule a follow-up meeting, or park this topic for now. Appointing a timekeeper lets you focus on the group dynamics.
- People are simply bored because there are limited opportunities to interact. A good rule of thumb for virtual meetings is to allow for interaction about every 5-7 minutes. Use virtual meeting technology to fullest advantage. Build in opportunities for participants to multitask on task. Enable people to type in comments and then discuss. Encourage people to “talk across the table” with each other. Go around the virtual room to ask everyone to respond to a quick question relevant to the topic. Make it easy and quick to reel everyone back in. If the group simply does not perk up quickly, be prepared to flex the agenda in the moment, or end the meeting early and build in more interaction the next time.
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