5 tips for organizing an online meeting

How can you actively involve participants during your online meeting? Online meetings come in all shapes and sizes: from a small working group to a neighborhood gathering with invitees who do not know each other yet. An online meeting works a little differently from a physical event. With these tips, you can make sure you reach the goal of your meeting efficiently.

1. Define the goal and create a program

What do you want to achieve with the online meeting? Having a clear goal makes it easy to set up a program and invite the right speakers and guests. And when is your goal successful? Is there a minimum number of registrations you need to reach for the meeting to go ahead? Also keep in mind that on average 30% of online visitors do not show up, especially when attendance is optional. 

Also consider the following points:

• What roles do you need during the meeting, and do you need to hire external people for these, such as a presenter?
• How long does the meeting last?
• Will the meeting be recorded? If so, how can participants watch it back?
• Are specific people being invited, or is it an open meeting that still needs promotion?
• Will you set up and record the online meeting yourself, or will you let a livestream provider take care of it for you?

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2. Determine which software you need

Look for software that includes all the functions you want to use for the meeting. Consider how you will manage the chat, whether you want to use polls, and whether you want to use breakout rooms where people can discuss in small groups. It is also possible to use extra tools to create more interaction, for example by using quizzes or word clouds. Also read the blog: 8 Online event ideas for more interaction with your online audience

Preferably choose software that your target audience is already familiar with, such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet. It is inconvenient for guests to have to download new software, especially if the audience is less technical. For a small-scale meeting, you can send out the participation link by email, as in a Microsoft Teams invitation. For meetings with many invitees, it is better to automate this via an email marketing program, or from your professional meeting software if it offers that option.

3. Send invitations with clear instructions

Now that you have set a date, program and software, you can send the invitations. Make sure they clearly state the purpose of the meeting and what participants can gain from this meeting themselves. 

Do not forget to include the practical information. This should at least contain the date, start and end time, the subject, an overview of the program and whether participants need to register in advance. You can also choose to ask everyone to log in 5 minutes before the start so the meeting can begin on time. 

Also explain how your target audience can prepare for the meeting. Do you want to use a Q&A? Then it may be a good idea to ask your audience to submit questions in advance so they can be handled efficiently. Or perhaps they can read up in advance on a relevant topic. Send the preparation instructions with the invitation.

4. The run sheet: your guide during the online meeting

The overall content is set and the invitations have been sent: time to work out the details further in a run sheet. Create a timetable with all parts of the meeting, and record per role who needs to do what action at what time. For larger meetings, you can use a show caller who cues the speakers at the right moment. For this, create an action list with all actions that need to be carried out, such as setting up a PowerPoint, starting a countdown or dialing in an external speaker. 

Pay extra attention to the moments where there is interaction, and to transitions to a new program item. When can participants ask questions and how are these handled? Who selects the questions? How do you neatly wrap up a discussion and how do you move on to the next part? The more detailed your run sheet is, the better!

5. After the online meeting 

Did everything go smoothly? Great! Now there are still a few final action points. Don’t forget to thank your participants. You can do this at the end of the meeting, or by sending a thank-you email afterwards. Include a summary of the content, or a link to watch the meeting back. If a new meeting has been scheduled, send along an announcement for the next meeting so interested people can keep the date free.

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As an organization, it is good to evaluate the meeting: did we achieve our goal? What went well, and what can be improved next time? Consider sending out a survey to gather input on what participants thought of the meeting. With some online meeting tools, you can also do this after the meeting by, for example, showing a survey on screen in which a rating can be given for certain parts. 

A professional approach

Does your online meeting include more than a handful of participants? Then you may want to consider a professional livestream provider who can take complete care of the organization and technical setup of the meeting. At Valo, we have 10 years of experience livestreaming professional online events, and we are happy to think along with you about your online meeting without obligation. Call us or leave your details in the contact form below.