PMO Standard | How to Host a Virtual Meeting

Virtual meetings become prevalent after COVID-19. PMO needs to provide a guideline to project managers on hosting virtual meetings. An example guideline is shared as follows:

Before the Meeting

• Change background. Many meeting software allows changing the background. You may select different images to give your team some fresh look. 
• Make sure you have enough agenda items to cover in the meeting. If not, cancel the meetings or make them short. 
• ​Confirm that every invitee has a reason to be in the meeting to discuss and make decisions. If not, remove them from your invite. You can send meeting minutes to people who simply need to stay informed. ​

During the Meeting

• Share the agenda slide when waiting for people to dial in. The slide can outline the meeting agenda, tell the team what the meeting is about, and remind people to prepare for their updates. The slide can also remind attendees to test their connections and speakerphone. The slide can also include meeting attendee guidelines like muting while not speaking or asking questions in the chat window during the presentation.
• Start the meeting on time. You can leave sometime in the end, but discussion on time is essential. 
• Make introductions of new members and yourself. If there is anyone new or not, all people know each other, a quick introduction helps. An example interaction is like: Good morning. I an <name>. I am the project manager of …. I will host the meeting today. "
• Request everyone who isn't talking to put themselves on mute.  An example ask is "May I ask everyone to mute your line when you are not talking. Thanks.  You can unmute anytime by press ..."  
• Ensure everyone's participation. Virtual meetings direct attention to people who speak. It removes the possibility for side talks and communication among the attendees. Therefore, the meeting host needs to call everyone for participation. If anyone speak without announcing themselves, you may ask "who is speaking?"
• Repeat significant updates and decisions and ask for confirmation by the speaker and the team to ensure consensus. Speak slowly so everyone can follow.
• Use emotional icons. Emotional supports and feedback to speakers are essential for meeting communications. Since we can't attend in person, using emotion icons helps. As the host, you may teach people to use it by asking, "If you are ready to start, please put a thumb up. "" 
• Use Chat. The chat window can collect questions while not interrupting the speaker. Inviting people to ask questions is a best practice. If you have to leave early, don't interrupt. Type a notice before leaving.  
• Limit the Screen Sharing. Please select an application to share instead of sharing the desktop. If you need time, say, "Please give me a moment to share my screen." 
• Schedule breakout or offline discussions when you find out some deep-dive discussion that is not relevant to all meeting participate or the discussion need extra time. 
• End meeting typically by saying, "We got a lot done today. Thanks for your participation. Have a great day, everyone. We will talk next week." ​

In summary,  meeting hosts need to stay  professional, positive, and engaging.