Tips for Running a Productive Zoom Meeting

By Rehana Paul
Having trouble keeping yourself or your team organized? Even when we all do return to the office, Zoom calls are here to stay, albeit at a reduced scale. Running Zoom meetings and keeping team members engaged, as well as communicating effectively and meeting goals is far easier said than done. Below are a few simple tips for keeping a meeting running efficiently and productively. 

Keep agendas specific
Zoom meetings are difficult enough as is - especially when you’re leading a meeting with multiple participants, a very specific agenda is vital. Free templates are available, for example through GSuite as well as Template.Net, or having just a bullet point list to discuss can be a helpful starting point for meetings.

Encourage participation through guided questions and cold-calling
If getting people to speak up during in-person meetings is difficult, it can feel insurmountable over Zoom. It’s easier to get around this by directly addressing people - encouraging different people to read different sections of the agenda out, asking for updates, planning presentations beforehand, or asking specific people for their opinion on certain topics.
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(Image credit: Chris Montgomery, Unsplash)

Begin with a mic check
Ensure that there are no audio issues beforehand by greeting everyone on the call, and then asking (and double-checking yourself) that all parties are muted before beginning a call. And always ensure that you are muted when not speaking! Construction, family members, or other background noise like a phone ringing can all cause distractions. 

For a two-in-one improvement to your audio-visual experience on zoom, try this combination microphone and webcam. If you’re having sound or video issues, check your computer specs (it may be time for an upgrade whether you need a faster PC like a Dell XPS or an Apple Macbook Pro). You may also want to consider increasing your Wi-Fi speeds or getting a second router for your business internet needs, to handle the demands on your bandwidth for better sound and visual quality.

Use the chat function
In-person, it’s the simplest thing to pull someone aside for a quick one-on-one before, during, or after a meeting -- less so on Zoom. You can get around this with the chat function, which can be used to private message someone with questions or notes, or can be sent to everyone on the call -- in case you needed to, for example, inform them that you’re on notes and no one else needs to take any. In some meetings, especially if you’re meeting others for the first time, chat can also be used to make intros and share links. In other meetings, such as those where many people are providing input and asking questions, chat can also be used to voice opinions and ideas. If the host set the chats to be able to download, there are three buttons used to save the file for participants to be able to reference chats (or you may be able to copy just part of the chat into a notepad if the host allows for copying chats, to go back to for any action items or to recall different parts of the chat discussion).

Keep it short and sweet​
Zoom fatigue is real! Not to mention, many people working from home are juggling work and childcare responsibilities, so time is more limited than ever. Try to keep meetings at the shortest time possible, giving yourself just enough time to run through the agenda and pause for questions at the end. Don’t rush, but avoid overly lengthy meetings, unless there is a specific reason for a longer session such as a deep dive workshop.
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(Image credit: Kari Shea, Unsplash)

If that’s not possible… take breaks!
For meetings longer than an hour and a half, try to schedule five- or ten-minute breaks to allow people to refill their coffee, check in on their kids, or even just walk around for a few minutes. It can also be helpful to regularly change from sitting to standing positions if you can during your work day; we recommend taking a break every hour or even more often when you can to clear your mind and maintain productivity.

Keep the circle (and invite) small
Be mindful that people are most likely managing multiple Zoom calls every day, and cannot duck into a meeting for ten minutes the same way that was possible in pre-COVID times. In addition, the more people on a Zoom call, the fewer opportunities for people to speak. Try to limit the invite list to only those who absolutely must be there. An exception to this guideline might be, for example, when you’re running an all-hands meeting to ensure everyone gets the same information and opportunity to ask questions to leadership; keeping these types of meetings focused and recording content to be accessible asynchronously are also best practices.

​Above all, come prepared and relax. That’ll be useful to you in any meeting, regardless of the format!