Leading+a+Connect+Meeting

Show up early. The meeting leader should be the first one to enter the meeting room.

Use headsets instead of speakers.

Place a picture of a participant nearby. This will help you remember you are talking to real people on the other end.

Do what you can to minimize distracting background noise during the meeting. Turn off ringers on phones, pagers, and watch alarms. Lock your office door or place a sign that reads “Quiet please – meeting in session.”

Set an engaging pace and monitor the audience:
 * Vary your pace to keep participants interested.
 * Use an inflection tone or pitch to vary the sound of your voice.
 * Encourage participants to give you feedback about the pace of the session.

Speak with confidence:


 * Use a script or at least note cards.
 * Avoid verbal pauses (umms and ahhs). Eliminate verbal tags (you know, OK).

Actively engage the participants:
 * Use the whiteboard and annotation features to draw attention to certain items on the screen.
 * Include multimedia elements such as video clips, pictures, and audio clips.
 * Turn participants into presenters.
 * Ask learners to share their opinions or experiences with the group.
 * Use polls throughout the meeting. Poll results are immediate. Share and discuss them.
 * Ask thought-provoking questions.
 * Create a segment with a game-show or interview format—think Jeopardy or talk show. Don’t limit yourself to the traditional classroom format.

Recruit a technical assistant to support you while you lead the meeting. This person can resolve technical issues, such as helping participants who cannot log in:
 * Provide a side channel of communication so you and your assistant can share information. Consider a second phone line (such as a cell phone) or some type of instant messaging system.
 * Distribute the e-mail address and phone number of the technical assistant to participants so they know whom to contact without interrupting the flow of the meeting.
 * Consider making the assistant responsible for the Chat pod while the meeting leader speaks.

Consider having a co-presenter during the meeting:
 * Take turns to vary the delivery, or have the co-presenter summarize chat questions so the presenter can address them.
 * Determine in advance who is covering each section of the material.
 * Consider having a colleague in the audience. The colleague can log in remotely as a participant and monitor the participant experience while channelling concerns or considerations to a technical assistant or co-presenter.

Use the Record feature to record the meeting. You can make this recording available for participants who missed the scheduled meeting. You can also learn a lot about the meeting and your delivery by reviewing the recorded presentation.

Visualize the best class you have ever delivered. Smile.