New Virtual World, Same Old Rules
So we’re well into this “new norm” or virtual meeting world since the coronavirus pandemic has turned our worlds upside down only one month ago. Our “in real life” meetings have quickly gone virtual but as we’ve quickly learned, it doesn’t mean productive and engaging meetings can’t happen.
In fact, they can be more valuable than traditional face-to-face meetings. Beyond the fact that they’re inexpensive ways to get people together – think: no travel costs and readily available technology – they’re also great opportunities to build engagement, trust and candor among teams.
Technology is full speed ahead on re-shaping our relationships and how we collaborate… and virtual is not the enemy of the physical meetings if some key rules and processes are still applied.
BEFORE THE MEETING:
1. Set the Room. Just the way you set up the room for an in-person final pitch meeting, you must check the technology on both sides at least 30 minutes prior to the start time. Be sure you have a strong internet connection; check the visual and sound quality. If you are using WIFI (or don’t have a strong connection) do NOT use the computer for the audio connection. Often the audio is broken or garbled and as a result, the other participants can’t understand much of what is being said. Use a land line for the audio connection instead.
2. Check your Surroundings. Aside from technology, check your background and make sure you have a professional setting or a clean background with nothing distracting in the background. Again, this is similar to the way you would dress a conference room for a final presentation. With that said, a touch of real life is acceptable during this unprecedented event since everyone is working from home…And it can even help to humanize the meeting a bit too.
3. Map out the Meeting. Give each attendee time on the agenda. Along with collaborative problem solving, giving each person time on the agenda fosters greater collaboration and helps get input from all the team members. It’s simple: In advance of the session, prepare a detailed agenda to be shared with all participants. If appropriate, have team members write up an issue they’ve been struggling with and add it to the agenda as discussion topics. Each team member then gets a few minutes on the agenda to discuss his or her issue. The group then goes around the meeting so everyone gets a chance to either ask a question about it or pass. Then, you move on to the next issue. It’s a very effective use of a collaboration technique that could easily be managed in a virtual environment.
4. Build Camaraderie. If your meeting is a virtual pitch, remember that the pitch started prior to the final meeting. The final meeting is a culmination of the entire process and building camaraderie is key. How? Send materials 48-hours in advance of the meeting that helps to build the relationship. For example, send a single-sheet overview showcasing the agency team but don’t stop with headshots, names and titles! Consider including:
a. A few lines detailing relevant experience (meaning why they were specifically chosen for this prospect/project).
b. A quote directly from that team member as to why they are passionate about working on this brand or project.
c. A link to their linked-in page so the client team can learn more about the professional background of that agency team member (and everyone should have a complete profile)
d. A very brief personal anecdote detailing why they’re a great fit for the account, other than proper professional experience. A few years back, an agency team member told a very personal story that was directly relevant to the brand that the agency was pitching… it was so powerful and sincere that it tipped them into being awarded the business.
e. A link on the one-sheet with a 90-second “culture video” or “sprit of the agency.”
DURING THE MEETING:
1. Connect people. People interact better when they are comfortable with each other, which affords a greater degree of candor and mutual interest. The job for the leader of the session, particularly when people may not know each other, is to make them feel connected so you can have a productive meeting. How? Do a personal-professional check-in at the beginning of each meeting. Have team members take one minute and go around to introduce themselves and talk about what’s going on in their lives personally and professionally… and again, try to make it relevant to the business or brand.
2. Ban mute and multitasking. Would you hit mute in a physical meeting and walk out of the room? Of course not. So why is a virtual meeting any different? Aside from the leader of the call muting to avoiding background noise, you should not hit mute for sidebar conversations or any other reason. As for multi-tasking – do NOT do it. It is considered rude to look at your phone during a face-to-face meeting and there have been stories where agencies have gotten eliminated from the review process because of it. It is 100 times worse to be looking at your phone or any other distractive device when you’re on camera!
3. Engage Participants through Participation. One of the secrets to a top TED Talk is to be memorable. How? One easy answer to create audience participation. The same applies to the virtual world. In a virtual meeting, you need to stop regularly to take everyone’s temperature. This also helps you to “read the room” in a virtual setting.
a. Incorporate real-time polls or 1-question surveys. Show the results. Body polls are the easiest to do virtually by asking a question and having participants respond with a thumb’s up or down.
b. Another simple way is to encourage all participants to use a chat window to add to the discussion and be involved in the meeting.
c. Scribes or sketch note takers are also a great (and fun) way to capture key meeting points and keep all participants on point and engaged.
d. Stories are the all-time mother of engaging audiences. Keep them brief and bridge them to the topic of discussion but use them to evoke emotion. The idea is to be sure participants don’t fall trap into “watching a meeting.”
AFTER THE MEETING:
1. Summarize. The way you would conclude a physical meeting with a recap and next steps, the same applies in the virtual world. There are visual ways to quickly do this by using a virtual white board and summarizing all vital points in writing so everyone is on the same page during the meeting but afterward, share a meeting report via email (or other means) capturing all vital points and next steps.
THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE MEETING:
1. Posture is Power – watch your body language. If you look disengaged, other participants will immediately disengage.
2. Smile with your eyes – maintain “lens” contact and look alive.
3. Enunciate and speak slower than normal. There can be a lag or break in connection or sound quality and speaking clearly and slowly will offset any issues.
4. Don’t be scripted – just the way you have your talking points for a physical presentation, the same applies virtually. Don’t write a script.
5. Be animated – use voice modulation and look alive at all times.
6. Talk to a person – you may have a group on the video session but be sure to talk to a person by integrating individual names throughout the discussion to be more engaging.
7. KISS – keep the presentation deck tight and concise… keep the slides simple and clean!
The best thing we can do as an industry is to continue with business as usual in the face of an unusual situation. Use the vast tech tools at our fingertips but add an element of human touch to it and remember that much of the “IRL” rules apply virtually too!
Stay healthy during this challenging time – and remember, we’re all in this together so let’s be sure to help one another.
Pitch with Passion and Purpose,
Lisa~
