The Remote Meetings Advantage

Spoiler alert: They can be better than in-person meetings. 

As we become weirdly accustomed to all things remote, it's time to consider just how, with the right tech tools, there are many advantages to remote meetings. Here are just 8 to consider.

1. Easy breakouts

We no longer have to scrounge around trying to compete for breakout rooms. They're instantly and persistently available. We can intentionally populate breakout groups or let the tech move people randomly around. We can pop in to help out any group reaching out through chat.

2. Full collaboration

We no longer have to endure those dreadful meetings where a whole disengaged group sits around listening to one or a few people dominate. We now have all the affordable and scalable tools we need to keep any sized group completely engaged. We have real-time and asynchronous notes like Google Docs and Microsoft versions. We have workflow boards and whiteboards like Trello, Noteapp, and Mural. People can use cards to post their own ideas, questions, and comments in collaboration on any kind of planning and organizing of work.

3. Instant reports

We no longer have to waste anyone’s time writing up a meeting’s outputs. Every tool features instant output in a variety of useful and editable formats. They can be archived in shared spaces, reducing and even eliminating the noise of emails and their annoying reply-alls. 

4. Engaging status updates

We no longer have to sit through mind-numbing updates. People can post any relevant documents prior to any meeting and in the meeting, the group can do question-based updates. This is where everyone posts their questions in chat and the updater responds to those and anything else relevant. Updaters get to learn what people really need and want to know so every update is meaningful to everyone.

5. Dial-in people inclusion

We no longer have dial-in people feeling like second-class meeting citizens. Everyone has equal access to engagement because anyone can post anything at any time through any channels. We don’t have to wonder if there are people who couldn’t get a word in edgewise, feeling left out, and the group missing their potentially important contributions.

6. Anonymous voting

We no longer need the awkward quick or important votes on the group’s priorities. We can use anonymous voting to quickly capture where a group’s energy is heading so we can do more research, development, and testing ideas. This includes decisions on the timing of projects, initiatives, and strategies.

7. Constant transparency

We no longer have to wonder what everyone is up to and thinking. We can use shared boards to organize all our work and updates. This significantly frees up time in huddles and meetings to do more important things. Everyone can keep their status on anything updated in real-time and everyone can post questions and ideas anytime. This is vital since transparency is accountability.

8. Video becomes optional

We no longer need to endure the energy costs of video fatigue, given that we have a shared screen on all our devices. We also don’t need to compete for bandwidth with the people we live with. For many kinds of meetings, all we need is this array of tech tools and phone. Everything stays visible. We can even use free conference call options for quick breakouts.

If you're reading through the lines here and are getting the interesting impression that remote meetings offer far more advantages than expected, you are reading correctly. Remote meeting tools are ideal for sustaining and growing alignment, accelerating progress and results. 

The Thrive Team has been using these tools as a team and with clients for years. We find they can support all kinds of meetings with any numbers of people, including brief huddles to webinars to retreats and conferences. Contact us and we can get started helping you make the right tech choices and applications for all of your meetings.