Preparation Required for an Effective Virtual Meeting
The person facilitating the virtual meeting has to prepare a schedule that would include three main parts: before, during, and after the meeting (Lepsinger & DeRosa, 2010). The before-meeting part would include the virtual meeting’s agenda, inviting attendees, distributing the agenda, securing technologies to be used for the virtual meeting, interacting with the attendees before the meeting, and creating a list of key points. An agenda would include the topics to be discussed in the meeting and the time allocated for each topic. This would guide the attendees on what to do or expect during the meeting and for how long. Inviting attendees is an important part of the before-meeting preparation phase because it ensures that the facilitator identifies his audience and invites them in advance to avoid a last-minute rush (Rubinger et al., 2020). Also, when the attendees are invited in advance, they are likely to attend. The agenda will be distributed after the audience is identified so that when the invitation is sent, the agenda will also be sent. This enables the attendees to familiarize themselves with the detailed schedule of the virtual meeting. The facilitator would then ensure that the technologies to be used for the scheduled virtual meeting are secure. For example, if the facilitator is in the marketing department, he would liaise with the IT department to create a VPN link or use an existing secure APP for the meeting. When everything is set, the facilitator invites his audience to discuss items before the virtual meeting time. This would allow the attendees to interact before the actual meeting and share ideas about the distributed agenda. The facilitator would finally be required to create his list of key points to use during the virtual meeting. During the meeting, the facilitator would ensure that the meeting starts on time, attendees get to know each other, everyone participates equally during the meeting, and that the meeting ends as scheduled. The after-meeting part would ensure that the facilitator distributes the minutes in good time, makes required follow-ups, and gets feedback.
The Main things a Facilitator Requires for The Meeting to be on Track
The facilitator would start by communicating to the attendees about their role in ensuring that the meeting is on track from start to finish (Lepsinger & DeRosa, 2010). This would ensure that the attendees play their part in keeping the meeting on track. The facilitator would then keep observing the activities of the meeting to ensure that it does not go off track. For example, the facilitator would identify groups that have gone off track with their discussions. This means that the group will have lost focus on the main agenda, therefore affecting the scheduled time for the meeting. Consequently, the group’s goal would not be met at an optimal level.
References
Lepsinger, R., & DeRosa, D. (2010). Virtual Team Success: A Practical Guide for Working and Leading from a Distance. John Wiley & Sons.
Rubinger, L., Gazendam, A., Ekhtiari, S., Nucci, N., Payne, A., Johal, H., Khanduja, V., & Bhandari, M. (2020). Maximizing virtual meetings and conferences: a review of best practices. International Orthopaedics, 44(4), 1-7. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341599387_Maximizing_virtual_meetings_and_conferences_a_review_of_best_practices Instructions: Book URL: http://ezproxy.apus.edu/login?url=https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/apus/detail.action?docID=6561784
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Question
Your essay will be graded on content, including grammar and spelling. While there is no end to what you might write, you must convey your thoughts in 1 page or more, excluding the cover page and references section.
Assignment:
Write an essay that describes the preparation required for an effective virtual meeting. What are the key things that a facilitator needs to do to keep the meeting on track? Your essay must also address the V-meeting checklist, V-meeting agenda, Schedule, and other common challenges.