Business happens online. Whether it's to pitch your business on a sales call, onboard remote employees, or organize a team training – chances are a lot of it happens virtually. This is why it's so important for teams to get the most out of these virtual meetings. Online meeting etiquette refers to the guidelines and expectations for conduct during virtual meetings or video conferences. This can include everything from technical requirements such as ensuring good audio and video quality to social norms such as time management and avoiding distractions.
However, creating and delivering effective training can be time-consuming and challenging, especially for small businesses that have to prioritize many different tasks. This is where GoSkills ready-made training templates come in handy. Using templates can help to streamline the training process, ensure consistency in the delivery of content, and make the training more engaging and effective.
Here's why online meeting etiquette is important
With the rise of remote work, virtual meetings have become a crucial means of communication for teams and organizations. However, online meetings can also present unique challenges such as technical difficulties, communication barriers, and distractions. This makes it essential for individuals to be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to participate in online meetings effectively.
- Makes your team seem professional: While email etiquette is important, now online meeting etiquette is becoming critical too. This is why training helps encourage team members to conduct themselves more professionally. Virtual meetings can easily turn unproductive or even chaotic, especially in the absence of visual cues.
- Minimizes the chance of distractions: The flexibility of working from home or hybrid working setups can result in some unwanted distractions. Attendees may be tempted to check emails, Slack notifications, or just see to other tasks. All of these can prevent someone from giving their attention to a virtual meeting and can hinder effective communication.
- Boosts productivity: Poor online meeting etiquette and distractions can mean that focus and attention are harder to come by. By reducing this inefficiency, attendees are likely to get more out of each meeting.
Reasons to use a template to conduct online meeting etiquette training
By incorporating templates into your business training programs, you can deliver effective and engaging training that helps individuals develop the skills needed to participate in virtual meetings with confidence and professionalism. Here are some more reasons to consider using a template for training on online meeting etiquette.
#1: Make your training material consistent
One of the primary benefits of using templates for online meeting etiquette training is that it helps ensure consistency in the delivery of content. With a template, you can ensure that all the essential topics are covered and that the content is presented in a structured and organized way. This consistency is particularly important when training a large group of individuals or when training is delivered across multiple locations or time zones.
#2: Save time for trainers
Creating effective eLearning and training materials can be a time-consuming process. By using templates, trainers can save time by not having to start from scratch each time they create new training materials. Instead, they can customize the template to fit the specific needs of their audience and quickly create high-quality training content. This is helpful especially if training material is being updated or edited.
#3: Improve your learning outcomes
Templates can also help improve learner engagement by providing a visually appealing and interactive format for the training content. This can include incorporating images, videos, and interactive elements such as quizzes or polls. By making the training more engaging, learners are more likely to stay focused and retain the information presented.
#4 Increased knowledge retention
Templates can also help increase knowledge retention by presenting the information in a clear and concise manner. By breaking down complex topics into smaller, digestible pieces, learners are more likely to retain the information presented. This microlearning training approach has been proven to be highly successful. Additionally, incorporating interactive elements such as videos can help reinforce learning and make it more engaging.
#5 Scale with ease
Finally, templates make it easy to scale training across a large group of individuals or multiple locations. With a template, trainers can quickly create and distribute training materials to a large audience, ensuring that everyone receives the same high-quality training. This is especially important for organizations that need to improve training methods to upskill large numbers of employees quickly and efficiently.
What to cover in your online meeting etiquette training
There are plenty of ways to tackle the subject of online meeting etiquette training for your team, so let's break down the most essential parts. Here's what our Online Meeting Etiquette course template from our Template Gallery covers:
Preparing an agenda
Preparing an agenda ahead of time and sharing it with attendees can help ensure that the meeting stays on track and that everyone is aware of what will be discussed. This helps to improve work productivity and minimize the risk of the meeting running over time. Additionally, providing an agenda ahead of time allows attendees to prepare any necessary materials or information ahead of time.
Minimizing distractions
Minimizing distractions, especially for employees that work from home productivity, is crucial for maintaining focus and professionalism. This includes avoiding multitasking, turning off notifications on devices, and finding a quiet location with minimal background noise. Minimizing distractions helps to ensure that everyone can participate fully in the meeting and that the meeting is productive and efficient.
Punctuality
Logging in early is important to ensure that attendees have enough time to troubleshoot any technical issues and that the meeting can start on time. Additionally, logging in early allows attendees to greet each other and establish a rapport, which can help to foster better communication and collaboration during the meeting. These time management tips for remote workers improve meeting etiquette.
Muting and unmuting
Muting and unmuting are key aspects of online meeting etiquette. When not speaking, attendees should mute their microphones to minimize background noise and ensure that the focus remains on the speaker. However, attendees should also be prepared to unmute themselves when called upon to speak. Proper use of muting and unmuting helps to ensure that the meeting runs smoothly and that everyone can hear and be heard.
Leaving meetings
Leaving a meeting early should be avoided whenever possible, as it can disrupt the flow of the meeting and create additional work for the host or other attendees. If leaving a meeting early is necessary, attendees should notify the host ahead of time and provide an explanation. This allows the host to plan accordingly and ensures that the meeting continues without interruption.
Wrapping it up
Providing online meeting etiquette training helps your staff appear more professional, minimize distractions, and boost productivity across the board. Even more importantly, it helps them to increase their confidence and become a better contributor in online meetings — a huge win for the entire organization!
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