How to Increase the Impact of an Online Meeting Despite Working with the Worst Personality Types

Imagine this scenario: you have a meeting that is about to start. Good news is, you do not have to squeeze into a cramped, muggy meeting room. Instead, the meeting will be held through the Blue Jeans business video conferencing solution. Now you can stay at your desk at your desk and participate in the meeting via your desktop or laptop. Even with all the benefits that come with being part of a web meeting, there are still a couple of major issues – the people you have to work with.

Below are some of the aggravating personality types you are likely to find in a web conference.

 

The Comedian

When in a room, real or virtual, the comedian feels that he or she has to twist the presenter’s misspelling or words for a laugh. The comedian is getting the laughs because the comments made are a welcome relief from the monotone monologue of the boss, but this only acts to encourage the comedian to interrupt at every chance they get. You should know better than encourage the joker by laughing at the joke, you just want the meeting to be concluded as fast as possible.

 

Riddler

There is that moment when you are confident that the host of the meeting is just about to close the presentation and call it a day. Then there are those two words that inevitably instill dread in some employees, “Any questions?” As everyone holds his or her breath, wishing no one speaks, the riddler, smilingly, asks a question that will surely stretch the meeting by another 15 minutes. Everyone in the video conference knows that this is not going to end soon. Some people begin to log out, but you do not want to do so because you do not like the idea that others will see you leave the meeting early.

 

Deadpan Boss

Just like you, the boss is not excited about attending another meeting. The deadpan boss adopts a monotone throughout the presentation. He or she is hoping that nothing will go wrong during the meeting, so the slide used are as simple as they come. However, the slides have quarterly reports and mind-numbing charts that only a dedicated scientist can try to figure out. This type of presentation is one where the presenter goes through the meeting by reading out every single line from every slide, adding nothing extra in case they run into overtime – in most cases, it does.

 

The Experienced

Having discussions during the online meeting is a plus. No one is expected to remain completely quiet, especially when the presenter asks open-ended questions. However, there is that one person who will interject frequently imparting their full-length knowledge – just to show everyone that they have been through it all. Every sentence by the experienced starts with “in my experience …”

While meetings are necessary, despite the character flaws above, they are easier to hold. In order to ensure that a video conference meeting is worthwhile, here are a few tips:

 

Understanding Whether a Meeting is Necessary

If the meeting is only for dissemination of new information, would an email do the job? If it is to introduce new employees, maybe a fun activity, like a social lunch or walk around the office, would suffice.

 

A Clear Agenda

If you are unable to communicate the purpose of the meeting, goals and steps to achieve the goal, then a meeting is not necessary.

 

Have Time Limits

Every agenda item should have a time limit. Plan for emergencies or unexpected input, but time limits will send a message to all participants that they cannot dwell too long on a particular point. If people drawn on, warn them via a private message.

 

Stick to Important Things

Call a quick vote if consensus on a matter is important – you can use the video conferencing system’s polling feature to reach a consensus. If one is not needed, make a command decision and move on to the next item on the agenda.

 

Prepare Presenters

Contact presenters ahead of time. Find out if they have any materials they would like distributed before the meeting or loaded to server. Give them time limits for each of their presentations.

 

Have Rules

It might seem like you are stepping back into kindergarten again, but with clear rules, even adults can operate comfortably. The rules are especially critical for organizations with a history of meetings getting out of hand.

 

Conclusion

Technology has seen video conferences occurring more and more often. Virtual meetings are not only efficient, but they can save organizations huge amounts of travel costs. However, such meetings can also be as mundane as the traditional boardroom meetings. If you find yourself in one of these online meetings, you now have several tools to deal with annoying personality types. If there are persistent interrupters, you have the option of muting them and carrying on with your meeting.