Online meeting
Knowledge Center: Digital Skills
Knowledge Center: Digital Skills
Online meetings: how to do them right?
Online meetings have become commonplace—even for volunteer organizations. It saves travel time and makes it easier for people who live further away or have limited mobility. However, an online meeting also has pitfalls that a physical meeting does not.
Online meetings have become commonplace—even for volunteer organizations. It saves travel time and makes it easier for people who live further away or have limited mobility. However, an online meeting also has pitfalls that a physical meeting does not.
Choose a platform
The most used options:
- Zoom — widely used, stable, free version limited to 40 minutes per meeting
- Google Meet — free, works directly from a Google account, no app needed
- Microsoft Teams — good if your organization already works with Microsoft
- WhatsApp video calling — suitable for small groups of up to four people, not for larger meetings
For most volunteer organizations, Google Meet or Zoom works just fine.
Send the invitation on time
Send the meeting link at least a day in advance, along with the agenda. Also provide instructions for participants who are less digitally savvy — how do I open the link, what do I do if it doesn't work?
A link in an email is self-evident for most people, but not for everyone.
Ensure a good start
Start the meeting with a quick technical check: can everyone hear and see you? Ask participants to mute their microphones when they are not speaking — background noise quickly disrupts the meeting.
Make it clear how people can speak. In a small group, this happens naturally; in larger meetings, a fixed procedure helps (raising a hand, using the chat).
Keep it shorter than physical
Online meetings are more tiring than you think. People get distracted more easily, and concentration drops after 45 to 60 minutes.
Keep the agenda tighter than for an in-person meeting. Anything that does not necessarily need to be decided can wait or be handled via email.
Ensure involvement
The risk of online meetings is that people become passive — camera off, leaning back. Ask targeted questions, use the chat function for responses, and ensure that everyone gets a chance to speak.
Smaller groups work better than large ones. Consider subgroups (breakout rooms) for longer meetings with more than eight participants.
To answer or not?
Some platforms offer the option to record the meeting. This can be useful for people who could not attend, but always ask all participants for permission before recording.
Next step
Do you want to improve your online collaboration skills? Also read the article about apps and tools to discover which digital aids support your meeting process.