Virtual meetings now play a huge role in today’s working world compared to a couple of years ago. I’ve seen lots of articles, blogs, memes, and hilarious videos about ‘etiquette’ during virtual meetings, but what about the considerations of actually setting a virtual meeting up in the first place? 

I bet you’ve recently had a meeting invitation arrive in your inbox and inwardly (or maybe even outwardly; ah the no-filter joys of working from home) groaned, eye-rolled, or muttered expletives. I really hope that none of my meetings provoke this reaction, not because I’m a nice person, but because I want attendees to bring their best to my meetings and help get things done, and that won’t start well if attendees feel negative about the meeting in the first place.    

Here are all the things I try to take into consideration when setting up a meeting, to start off on the best foot possible: 

1. Check attendee schedules 

This one’s especially important for virtual meetings with colleagues internal to your organisation, and it’s so easy to do, I’m constantly surprised (aka a bit annoyed) when people don’t do this. 

If you’re using Outlook, when you’ve opened up the meeting invitation and added all your participants, you can click on the ‘Scheduling Assistant’ tab at the top of the invitation. This will open up a little chart that shows you how your selected meeting time matches up with all your attendees’ free and busy times on their calendars. It’s really easy to visualise a free slot for all your attendees and pop your meeting into that time. If you can be sure your meeting doesn’t clash with any others, you spare your attendees the hassle of having to choose between meetings, decline, propose a new time etc. 

2. Avoid back-to-back scheduling

I try to stick to this one for myself as much as for my attendees.

Virtual meeting fatigue is a real thing, and if you or your meeting participants have come from back-to-back virtual meetings, you’re probably not going to get the best out of everyone. When I’m looking at the Outlook Scheduling Assistant for a free slot, I also try to make sure that there is some buffer of free time on either side of the meeting I’m creating. (Although I’m aware that this is just impossible with some people!)

3. Articulate the ideal outcome of the meeting 

This is another one I try to stick to for myself as much as for my participants’ benefits, and it’s something I’ve not always done well or consistently. I try as much as possible to declare the outcome of the meeting at the outset; ideally within the meeting invitation itself, but also verbally at the start of the meeting, so that everyone knows what the purpose of the meeting is and what we’re trying to achieve within our meeting. 

I think this is especially ideal for regular meetings as well as one-offs (I find that regular meetings can lose their way after a while unless everyone remembers the purpose) and has the obvious benefit of bringing people onto the same page for the discussion. 

4. Schedule an appropriate amount of time 

Another one I don’t always get right but an important one. How much is there to discuss? Are questions and answers likely to be concise? Does there need to be time for throwing ideas around? You’ll know what’s appropriate for what you’re trying to achieve during your meeting.

Scheduling a 15 minute catch-up to develop a new 5 year plan is clearly not going to work, I try to think about what the purpose is and how long I’m likely to need before I set up a meeting. 

These are all things I’m going to really try and consider before each and every virtual meeting that I set up, to hopefully make it easier for my meeting attendees and avoid any eye rolling, in physical or emoji form.  What are your meeting invite top tips?