What is a virtual meeting?
Virtual meetings are conducting a meeting in a virtual environment and not face-to-face. It can be hosted with people in the same city or across the globe. Creating a online meeting room is often seen as a cost saving source for the employees to meet one another for a few hours.
It’s less disruptive to schedules and in-office work. Virtual meeting tools use technology to allow people across the globe to collaborate through an Internet connection. The virtual meeting softwares generally have an video and audio component and is not just an audio call
What are the benefits of conducting virtual meetings -
1. Budget friendly
The most compelling benefit for business owners is that virtual meetings is often budget friendly. There’s no need to pay workers travel allowances and perhaps incur expenses for accommodation and catering.
2. Cover a lot of people in one call
In a face-to-face meeting, it’s difficult to pick a time suitable for all. It’s much easier for virtual meetings, as everyone can connect from wherever they are across the globe. If some people can accommodate only limited time, they can still be able to attend for at least a few minutes.
3. Frequent catch ups
Virtual meeting can be held up more frequently. Short catch ups with the team can last just 10 minutes. These are ideal for solving doubts and making sure everyone is on the same page.
4. Allows to record the meetings
Rather than taking minutes during a meeting, a recording makes it much more easier and useful. Employees can quickly find the piece of recording required for them. Employees may like to save screenshots of key information to use later. This is beneficial for checking details and avoiding mistakes in their work.
5. Real time collaboration
Teams can work during a virtual meeting. Screen Sharing allows for changes in the moment and multiple team members can collaborate on the same subject while talking to each other. There’s no need to remember information and apply it once the meeting is over, then wait for other people to contribute their part, all can be done at that very moment
What are the disadvantages of conducting virtual meetings -
1. Complex interaction
It’s difficult for all attendees to take an active role when the meeting is virtual, particularly when groups are large. In person, it’s possible to have an interaction to some extent, creating a back and forth conversation. In virtual meetings, it’s difficult to hear when a lot of people speak at the same time.
2. Poor internet stability
While having virtual meetings, all team members need a decent internet connection.Poor signal can lead to missing out on important discussions For instance, the meeting participants may miss parts of the meeting (from being kicked out by the software or from freezes), the person’s movements may appear blur to other attendees, or the participant may lose either the video or the sound.
3. Matching time zones
If teams are spread out across the globe, meetings might have to be conducted outside business hours for some people to match time zones. Having meetings at the same time each week could be an inconvenience for these team members. Moving the time of the meeting each week needs to be considered to keep things fair for everyone.
4. Paid Softwares
Virtual meetings are not free, some of the softwares accepted globally to conduct meetings charge to continue meetings post a specific time. For instance, Microsoft Teams, Zoom is a popular choice for virtual meetings It’s free for one-on-one meetings and group meetings with up to 100 people for not more than 40 minutes. If a longer duration of meeting is to be conducted, it needs to be purchased for a specific amount.
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