How to run a virtual meeting

Yesterday, I wrote about the 15 tips for designing and executing great, effective meetings. Since then, lots of people have asked me about virtual meetings. Do the same rules apply?

Absolutely! Virtual meetings and teleconferences should follow the same set of rules as conventional, in-person meetings. So use those same 15 tips.

It may be virtual, but it' still a meeting.

There is an obvious difference between in-person meetings and virtual ones, though (you are not in the same room), so I would add these tips for better virtual meetings:

1. Have a very strong leader. Make sure you have a very strong leader who can work through virtual space. If you are leading people virtually, you need a leader who can stay focused and on task, and who can lead others who may be tempted to multitask or stray.

2. Send instructions well in advance. Send the information and instructions for joining the conference call at least three days in advance—what number to call, instructions for doing so, etc. Then, send a reminder the day before, again with the instructions. Also send out the agenda, any supporting docs, and a list of participants a few days in advance so people can be prepared.

3. Check your connection. Don't sign in if you have a bad line, so check your connection the day before the meeting.

4. Choose a quiet spot. Before you sign in, make sure you are in a quiet spot where you won't be distracted or disturbed. No chatty co-workers, crying babies, shouting baristas, or ringing phones.

5. Be first on the line. The meeting leader or host needs to be the first person to sign in. You need to do this at least three minutes before the appointed time.

6. Announce yourself and greet everyone. If you are the host you need to greet each person who joins and tell them who is already on the line, interrupting the chitchat of others if you have to. Say: “I hear someone just joined. This is Mary Abbajay. Who just joined us?” Then say: “Hi Bernie, here is who is already here…”

Introduce yourself and the participants.

7. Run it. As with a regular meeting, you have to run it. Call the meeting to order. State your goals. Review your agenda. Quickly make introductions.

8. Start and end on time. As with all meetings, it is imperative to start and end on time. And never recap for latecomers.

9. Close and recap. At the end of the meeting, bring it to a close, recap, and review next steps.

In-person or virtual, all great meetings share a good agenda and a good execution. Stick to these rules and tips and you'll host a great meeting.

How to Run a Great Meeting: Fifteen tips to design and execute great, effective meetings

We’ve all been there: The people who talk and talk and talk. The pointless digressions and asides. The people who seem to have no place else to be. The time that is sucked forever from our lives. Sadly, that’s the state of most meetings today.

Let’s face it. Most meetings are inefficient and ineffective. In fact, half of people polled say meetings are a complete waste of time.

But meetings are a fact of life, both in business and out of it. If you work in an office today you have at least one meeting a week. According to the National Statistics Council, 37 percent of an employee’s time is spent in meetings. And if you serve on a PTO or board, you probably sit in a lot of meetings.

People generally hate meetings, and with good reason—most meetings are terribly run. But they don't have to be. The key is to design and execute a meeting with purpose and authority, where something actually gets done efficiently and where people feel their time is well used.

Every meeting should follow the same simple set of rules, whether it’s a 20-minute stand-up meeting or an all-day offsite. Here are 15 tips to help you design and executive an effective meeting:

1. Determine the purpose of the meeting. Why do you need to have a meeting? What do you want to accomplish? What do you want the end result to be? Generally speaking, meetings have one or more of these purposes:

• To share or convey information
• To make decisions or develop ideas or directions
• To coordinate activity or actions

Get crystal clear on the purpose of the meeting and design it from there.

2. Create an agenda. Whether it’s a short informational meeting or a major board meeting, every meeting needs an agenda. It needs to be written and circulated in advance so people can prepare. If you know what you want to get out of the meeting you can set an agenda to achieve those goals. And be sure to let people know what they are.

Always write and circulate an agenda.

3. Find a leader. Next, determine who will run the meeting. Someone has to take charge and run it, and they have to be efficient, adult, and stick to the agenda. In general, it is not a good idea to have two people run a meeting. One person needs to take charge, ride herd, and keep things moving.

4. Choose your location. Pick a location that is conducive to your purpose and make it easy for people to attend. If all you need to do is convey information, maybe have a 15-minute stand-up meeting (also known as a huddle). People are pretty succinct when they have to stand.

Consider a short standing meeting.

5. Circulate materials ahead of time. What will people need to bring to the meeting or read and prepare in advance? Circulate the agenda and any related documents at least two days in advance. You want people informed and ready to participate.

6. Invite the right people. If you know the purpose of your meeting you’ll know who to invite, and invite only those people who really need to be there. Think through what you want to accomplish and make sure the right people are there.

7. Prepare your speakers. If you need people to give updates or reports, make sure they know exactly what you expect of them, and let them know how much time they will have. Give them at least two days’ notice.

8. Start and end on time. This is crucial. Start on time. Do not penalize those who show up on time by waiting to start the meeting. Nothing says “I don't value your time” more than saying, “It’s 11, but we are going to wait another 10 minutes for those who are running late.” And if you can end your meeting early, people will love you. We call this buying back time.

9. Lead from the start. Start your meeting at the appointed hour, immediately welcome people, and state the meeting’s purpose and goal. Something like: “Thank you all for coming. Today we are going to discuss the upcoming election, and at the end of the meeting I want to have candidates in place and an outline for the campaigns.”

10. Establish ground rules. Good meetings have good ground rules. They need to be established and articulated right after you state your objectives. I recommend rules like:

• No electronics—ask people top put away their laptops, cell phones, iPads, etc.
• Only one person talks at a time.
• Start and end times will be enforced.
• Accept diversity of opinion.

Good rules will keep your meeting going.

11. Do not encourage or reward latecomers. Do not reward latecomers by stopping and recapping for them what they missed. That says, “It’s ok you were late.” It’s not ok. Don't punish those who were responsible enough to arrive on time by wasting time for the latecomers. Be firm.

12. Get balanced participation. If you have carefully selected the people who need to be there, then make sure you hear from them. Don't let overtalkers overtalk and don't let people hide. Make space for the introverts by curbing overtalkers and invite undertalkers—-by name if you have to—­to speak.

People who overtalk or dominate can really throw the meeting off and discourage others. If someone is overtalking you have to manage that. Say something like: “Bernie, we’ve heard from you on this issue already, and I want to hear from some others.”

This also goes for people who are repeating themselves or what’s already been said. Say: “Sam, I think we already heard that the Penske project is a bad idea, so let’s hear something new.”

13. Stick to the agenda. Don't let people stray off topic. Again, this is where you really have to lead and shut down tangents or stop a discussion that’s gone on too long. If people move the conversation in a direction that isn't relevant, stop them. Say: “Jane, that is a good point and we can address that another time, but I want to stick to the topic at hand.” Encourage people to meet afterward.

14. Run a tight ship. Shut down chitchat. Enforce your rules. Lead the meeting!

15. Close with an action plan and recap. Make sure you build this into the agenda so you don't go over time. Wrap up with what was discussed or decided, and be sure everyone is on the same page about next steps. Who is going to do what? Don't leave people guessing.

And that is how you run a great meeting!

Interview mistakes and how to avoid them

Here is my recent appearance on ABC 7's "Let's Talk Live" discussing the most common interview mistakes people make and how to avoid them (hint: prep and practice!!).

Workplace expert Mary Abbajay on ABC's "Let's Talk Live."

Click here to watch!

The Six Most Common Interview Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

The interview is the most critical aspect of landing a new job. If you’ve gotten to the interview stage (even an informational one), your foot is in the door!

But instead of acing the interview many people—especially those who are out of practice or who are tired of having undergone so many interviews—make the same mistakes over and over again, sinking their chances.

Here are the six most common mistakes people make in interviews, and how to avoid them:

Mistake #1: Winging it.

This is where you say to yourself, I’ve done this before. How hard could it be? I’ll just be myself. Wrong, wrong, wrong! You cannot wing the interview. You have to prepare for every interview afresh, and you need to be strategic about it.

First, think about the impression you want to leave with the interviewer. What are the three qualities or characteristics you want the interviewer to remember? What are the things they are looking for in an employee, and how will you convey to them that you have those qualities? Think specifically about how you are going to do that.

Second, do some research on the company and the industry. Don't just look at the company homepage; that’s the obvious stuff. Look at the company in the framework of the industry.

Check news sites, blogs, etc. How are they positioned in the industry? What are they doing that is new or innovative? What are their challenges and the challenges industry-wide? What are their competitors up to? And how do your qualities or skills relate? Look at your resume; does it match what the company may be looking for?

Third, practice the basic interview questions. There are at least six basic interview questions that almost every interviewer asks, ranging from what your weaknesses are to why they should hire you. I highly recommend that you practice your answers, out loud, several times. Here are two good articles covering these questions:

• CNN: The Top Six Interview Questions
• Monster.com: The Top 10 Interview Questions

Mistake #2: Not asking any questions.

When the interviewer asks you, “Do you have any questions?” Do not say, “Nope, I think I’ve got it.” Worse, don't say, “Yea, what’s the starting salary?”

You need to have good, specific, intelligent questions about the company and the industry. Ask things like, what are some new trends in the industry that we may be working on? What are some of the challenges you've faced in the past year? What are some of the challenges that people in this position have faced? Asking questions shows you are engaged, thoughtful, intelligent, and interested.

Mistake #3: Going in with a bad attitude.

It’s hard, I know. You may have gone on dozens of interviews and are exhausted by the process. But you have to have an upbeat, positive attitude. A defeatist attitude (“They won't hire me; what’s the point?”) will seep into your body language and your persona. They definitely won't hire you if you have a bad attitude. Be confident and positive. Fake it if you have to. Do whatever it takes to psych yourself up. Play your favorite music. Do your Rocky dance. Whatever it takes, be upbeat. No one wants to hire a downer.

Mistake #4: Coming across as arrogant.

There is a huge difference between arrogance and confidence. One may cost you an opportunity, while the other will impress the interviewer. A potential employer wants to see that you are confident. Don't brag or boast. Simply relay your successes and try to talk about teamwork and how your team made achievements. Say “we” not “me.” Confident, capable people share credit; arrogant ones take it.

And listen as much as you talk. Arrogant people talk about themselves incessantly. Yes, you want to sell yourself, but you have to listen, too. (Plus that will help you ask questions later.)

Mistake #5: Being too casual, both in dress and attitude.

Impressions are everything, and if your dress or attitude is too casual it will leave a negative impression. Dress for the job you want, and dress appropriately for the industry. By the same token, don't overdress. You want to look like you already belong there.

Don't overdress for the interview.

If it’s a casual industry, say a start-up where the employees and bosses wear shorts and flip-flops to the office, you don't want to show up in a three-piece suit and highly polished brogues. But you also don't want to show up in jeans and a t-shirt. Strike a professional balance without going overboard. How does the most senior person dress? Copy that. Match the industry standards.

And your demeanor needs to be professional too, even if it’s a casual interview. Never be too familiar or chummy.

Mistake #6: Talking about salary too soon.

Finally, never ask about salary in the interview. If you’ve done your research you should know what the salary range is. If you talk about salary too soon you are just crossing yourself off the list. You want to wait until they fall in love with you; that’s when you have the most leverage. Wait to talk salary until they offer you the job. You will be in a much better position to negotiate.

Got it? Now, go get ‘em!