You’ve hosted dozens of online meetings before, but you’re finally looking to take your conferences to the next level. When graduating from an amateur to a pro, the devil is in the details. To become a professional, you’ll want to pay attention to the smaller aspects of a meeting that can still leave a big impression on your audience. Things like choosing the right conferencing platform and investing in the right hardware can completely change how you come off to guests. We’ve come up with three easy steps to take your meeting from beginner to professional. Use our advice to leave a lasting impression on every meeting you host!
1. Use a robust conferencing platform
Not all conferencing platforms offer the tools you need to convey your data accurately and efficiently. When presenting key information about your business or company, you want a platform that can support things like screen sharing, video recording and playback. These tools can greatly improve the collaborative effort teams have during meetings by giving users more ways to interact with one another online. Ensure that your conferencing platform includes all the basic functions you’ll need to communicate with your team effectively, everything from audio and video conferencing to options for third-party extensions or plugins.
2. Ensure high quality audio and video by investing in reliable equipment
In many cases, using the latest technology has its perks. Many of the built-in microphones and cameras in today’s laptops and smart devices offer high quality video and audio at a low latency transfer rate. That means your 2017 or later iPhone, Android, Mac or PC is more than capable of hosting a professional meeting. However, some of the more outdated technology can cause hosts to come off as an amateur. If this is the case for you, you’ll want to Invest in a quality microphone and camera to ensure your feed is crisp and clear. You also want to ensure your internet connection offers high speeds, since low-speed internet connections can cause lag and a poor user experience.
3. Welcome guests to your conference with a Customized Greeting
While simple, a customized greeting is something rarely used by beginners but can easily boost your professional image. A custom greeting can introduce guests to your meeting before your meeting starts. Here, prerecorded greetings can offer additional information about the meeting as well as include other advertisements or branded content. When guests are welcomed to meetings with a friendly pre-recorded audio file, they feel much more secure that they’ve connected to the right online meeting and have the right presenter. What’s more, prerecorded greetings can contain contact information to help guests get in touch via email, social media or other means.
Adopting the Professional Mindset
It’s one thing to look the part; it becomes a whole different ball game when you’re up to bat. Developing a professional mindset is one of the first steps at becoming a professional. When you believe you’re a professional in some regard, you hold yourself to a higher standard, maintaining a status of professionalism among your colleagues. Some characteristics of business professionals during meetings include:
- Allowing your audience to speak
- Treating others with respect
- Maintaining order
- Staying on Topic
During your meetings, you want to treat your guests with respect and allow your audience to speak when they offer insights. A meeting always involves at least two parties, which means its your responsibility as the host to ensure your guests are comfortable. You’ll also want to ensure that no one speaks out of turn. Generally, when meetings have more than a handful of guests, some attendees can go off on side conversations—wait. Ensure you have your entire audience’s attention before moving forward so no one is lost or left out. Hosts also want to ensure they try to stay on topic as best as possible. Often, if a host gets off topic, the audience may lose interest and turn their attention to something else. Keep to your agenda and ensure you’re keeping your conversations brief and to the point. With our advice, you’ll be well on your way towards hosting professional meetings in no time!
