Nothing costs your influence quite like an ineffective meeting. The introduction our new hybrid workplace challenges what we’ve ever known about meeting facilitation. Many struggle enough hosting in-person meetings, only to find virtual meetings more difficult. Technical mishaps, over-filled calendars and unproductive conversations result in immediate frustration for our listeners. Hybrid meetings add an extra layer of risk as meeting facilitators juggle both in-person and online listeners. Grow your influence by facilitating hybrid meetings like a pro. In 10 simple steps, attendees will trust your meetings are a productive and valuable use of their time.

1. Don’t over invite.

The larger the meeting, the greater the chance mistakes will occur. Hybrid meetings are challenging enough to facilitate. By over-inviting attendees, your listeners will struggle to hear everyone speaking or even participate themselves.

2. Prepare ahead of time.

You never want someone leaving your meeting feeling it was a waste of their time. Take time to prepare your message, no matter the audience. Write down what you need to cover, and in what order. This will keep your thoughts, and the conversation on track.

3. Provide an agenda.

No one appreciates long-running meetings. An agenda will prevent discussions from going down the wrong path, eating valuable time.

4. Keep meetings short.

Everything competes for your listener’s attention, challenging your ability to be heard above the noise. Short meetings encourage listeners to pay close attention while reinforcing the need to keep the conversation on track.

5. Open Zoom early.

Virtual attendees miss the opportunity to make small talk with other meeting attendees, often leaving them feeling like second-class citizens. By opening the Zoom bridge early, you give virtual attendees a chance to engage with others, reinforcing their valued presence.

6. Establish ground rules.

Explain to attendees how you will facilitate the meeting and take questions in both settings. Invite virtual attendees to utilize the online chat platform, then assign an in-person attendee to monitor the questions posted.

7. Leverage technology.

If you are presenting in person, attempt to project the virtual meeting so in-person attendees are reminded of their presence and participation. If a projection screen is not available, set up multiple computers around the table allowing all attendees to connect and engage with each other.

8. Control the conversation.

We’ve all been in meetings where one or two attendees attempt to dominate the conversation. It’s up to you to guide the conversation, ensuring everyone has an opportunity to speak. Interject when interruptions occur. Let the offender know you’ll come back around to their thought as soon as the speaker can finish what they were sharing.

9. Check in.

It is easy for in-person meeting facilitators to forget their virtual attendees. Every few moments, check-in to ensure they can clearly hear and see. Call on them by name, inviting them to contribute to the conversation. This will help everyone feel better connected.

10. End strongly.

Nothing feels as cold and abrupt as attending a virtual call that immediately ends. Allow yourself a few minutes to wrap up your meeting, inviting others to provide final thoughts or questions. Recap the discussion to reinforce what your meeting accomplished.

Each hybrid meeting facilitation provides you the opportunity to grow your influence and build trust among attendees.

Next time you host a hybrid meeting, implement these 10 tips to ensure your listeners time is well spent.

Podcast: The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast

Check out our Research on Influence in conjunction with the University of Northern Colorado HERE.

Influence Research

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Imagine sitting in a boardroom waiting for a meeting to begin when an attendee calls to say, “I don’t want you to see me today, so I’m going join the meeting from a phone in the hallway.”

This would NEVER happen, and yet every day we struggle to get attendees to show their faces on video calls.

Most of us miss the days when we could engage face-to-face with each other in the hallway, lunchroom or meeting space, and yet, it seems like there is a reluctance to turn on our camera to see each other’s faces.

There are several reasons people don’t turn on their camera. Perhaps they do not like seeing themselves on camera, their hair or makeup isn’t done, or their workspace is a mess.  I venture to guess the biggest reason is because attendees want to multi-task. Let’s face it, multi-tasking is a lot easier to do when you know you can’t be seen.

Either way, when you can’t see each other’s eyes, you can’t make the connection needed to be truly influential in every interaction.

To increase your influence, get your meeting attendees to give you their undivided attention by asking one of these three questions:

1. “I’d love to see you today. Are you able to turn on your camera?”

This is a great question to ask coworkers, peers and others you once could frequently see in person. It is hard for attendees to say ‘no’ to this request, and it will boost the friendly dialogue you once had working together in the office.

2. “To ensure you receive the most from this meeting, would you please turn on your camera?”

This question is a great way to ask existing clients and employees to show their shining faces. Encouraging them to turn on their cameras will maximize engagement, helping everyone focus so details aren’t missed. It also helps you read reactions and evaluate how to move conversations forward.

3. “Would you turn on your camera so I can more easily help you?”

Conversations with prospects can be challenging enough without having to stare at a blank screen. Let your prospects know you are excited to help them and seeing their face will help you do just that. This will maximize engagement and help you navigate the conversation more easily. If asking this question feels uncomfortable, set the expectation when initially schedule the meeting.

Virtual meetings are a part of our new normal and learning to maximize our influence in this new reality is critical to our success. Ask these three questions to get your listeners to turn on their cameras so you can turn up your influence.

Check out our Research on Influence in conjunction with the University of Northern Colorado HERE.

Influence Research

The post Three Ways Turning On the Camera Will Turn Up Your Influence first appeared on Stacey Hanke, Inc..

If you missed one of Stacey’s previous blogs or tips, visit her online.

Download the full report – 5 Risks to avoid with Social Media

What Achievers Read:

The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

by Michael Bungay Stanier

The post The Boring Leading the Boring – 4 Actions to Lead Meetings with Influence first appeared on Stacey Hanke, Inc..

If you missed one of Stacey’s previous blogs or tips, visit her online.

What Achievers Read

Meetings Suck: Turning One of the Most Loathed Elements of Business into One of the Most Valuable by Cameron Herold;

Enjoy a complimentary chapter of my new book “Influence Redefined” –

click here:  http://bit.ly/2tmAisI

The post Meeting Best Practices – 8 Steps You Can Take Immediately To Have Influence first appeared on Stacey Hanke, Inc..

1. Agenda. ALWAYS send a clear and specific agenda at least 48 hours prior to the meeting, and ask for participants’ input. Clearly communicate an action step for each agenda item. Follow your agenda and stay on track.

2. Right Participants. Take time to identify who really needs to attend and why. Only meet to create value.

3. Respect Time. Start and end on time to communicate that you’re organized and respect others’ time. Starting late creates the reputation that you don’t respect your listeners’ time and that it’s okay for them to arrive late. Meet for 45 minutes rather than an hour. Since the actual work of most meetings can be completed in 45 minutes, use the extra 15 minutes to transition from one meeting to the next.

4. Focus. Tech gadgets or no tech gadgets? If you’re going to allow these in your meetings, make sure you and your message are more interesting to keep your listeners’ attention. Without your listeners’ attention, influence cannot occur.

5. Make It About Your Listener. Identify your listeners’ “WHY.” Build your message to meet their WHY. For example: Why is this topic important to your listeners? Why would they want to listen to you? Why is this meeting happening now?

6. Rules of Engagement.Be specific on how you want your listeners to interact rather than you lecturing to them. Immediately interact with them by asking open-ended questions. You will build a reputation as someone who is engaging and doesn’t waste people’s time.

7. Consider Stand-Up Meetings. Research indicates that this approach creates faster and more meaningful decisions.

8. Call to Action.Close with a specific call to action to avoid wasting your listeners’ time. Schedule next steps before you leave. Here’s an example of a specific call to action: By Friday of this week, submit your action plan for completing our customer surveys by the end of this month.

9. Reduce Wasted Time. Effective meetings are effective because they get to the point. Increase the urgency to avoid participants who are tempted to waste time. Avoid letting participants get into the weeds and derail the conversation. As the leader, it’s your responsibility to respect everyone’s time by keeping everyone on track and the conversation moving forward.

10. Audio and video record yourself during meetings to see and hear what your listeners observe rather than what you believe to be true. We cannot improve when we are basing our influence on how we feel rather than how others perceive us.

Drop me a note to share the action steps you will commit to this month to deliver meetings that influence action. Tag me on my Facebook page.

If you missed one of Stacey’s previous blogs or tips, visit her online.

Click here to receive our “10 Lies Business People believe about Their Influence”

What Achievers Read:

 Boring Meetings Suck: Get More Out of Your Meetings, or Get Out of More Meetings,

by Jon Petz – https://www.amazon.com/Boring-Meetings-Suck-More-Your/dp/1118004620/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497987576&sr=8-1&keywords=boring+meetings+suck

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