10 Tips to Effective Online Meetings With On Site Teams

I have had the pleasure of conducting a few online meetings of late; otherwise referred to as "Webinars". As a presenter that is accustomed to adjusting and transforming presentations based on audience response, I found the process to be initially difficult from a delivery standpoint. There were times when I had no idea if anyone was even in the room, as I would ask a question, and no one would answer, or I could hear people assisting clients in the background, once the mute button was turned off. My perception was that people were coming and going: for all I knew, they decided to go practice the skill I had just taught - or maybe they were sleeping. It's difficult when you can't see your audience.

Managing an effective online meeting can be like herding cats; chaos may abound. Or, you can get smart, take control and manage the process effectively.

These events have been a good learning experience,and have inspired my "top 10" list for conducting successful online meetings. Enjoy.

1. Suggest or insist that the group meet before or after hours. It is impossible to conduct business and learn a new concept at the same time, and if you have hired good people, they simply won't be able to, nor should they, resist the client standing in front of them.

2. Send two or three reminder emails before training, and let the group know that you will start promptly on time. Tell them that if they join late, to please do so as quietly as possible, as if they were entering a live meeting already going on.

3. If you're expecting a large crowd, tell them you'll set up the meeting 10 minutes early to make sure everyone is able to sign on.

4. Ask the participants if they can see your screen as they join.

5. Ask participants to mute their phones as you get started.

6. It is always good to "clear" the session to begin by utilizing the Stop Showing button, then Start Showing again before you start.

7. Command of the room and receiving feedback is very difficult during a Webinar. Include questions that you will expect feedback for on the handout.

8. Speaking of handouts, they are crucial and should contain exercise boxes.

9. When you are ready to begin, ask the audience if they have your undivided attention.  Ask if anyone will need to leave to conduct business during the session.

9. As part of your introduction, make sure to tell the audience what they are going to learn, to refer to handouts when conducting exercises and what the benefit to them will be.

10. If you ask a question, and get no response, ask the group a clever question like, "Do I assume that I am not conveying this concept well, or are you all shouting answers and have forgotten to turn off your mute buttons?"

A good online meeting should last no longer than 1.5 hours, and 1 hour is optimal. Managing the meeting is crucial to success, and will result in a team that has been trained in a new concept and is ready to practice technique.

What are your favorite Webinar/online meeting tips?

Staying Out Of The Excuse Swamp

In my consulting practice, I often hear supervisors lamenting over the lack of accountability displayed by those in their charge. Excuses are numerous, and a sense of responsibility seems in short supply.

My 16 year-old might fall into this category. I would love nothing more than for him to wake up on Saturday morning, whistle while he grabs breakfast and head out to mow the lawn. How pleasant our lives would be. Instead, it usually goes something like this:

Friday afternoon
"Jack, I need you to mow the lawn before the weekend."
"Ok, Mom, I'm really tired right now and need to take a nap. I'll do it later."

Friday evening
"Jack, I just pulled in the driveway and the lawn is not mowed."
"Yeah, Pat came over and we played Xbox. I will do it tonight."
"No, you won't. It is getting dark now."
"I'll do it tomorrow morning. What's the big deal?"

Saturday morning
"It's 10 am and you have to mow the lawn before you go to work. Get up."
"Mooooommm, (as he puts the pillow over his head), I'll do it after work. I only work until 4."

And on an on it goes. The end result? Monday morning. Raining. Lawn still not mowed. Mama is not happy. As a matter of fact, Mama is really, really mad. I feel taken advantage of, my son has not lived up to his responsibility and has proven that he will not be accountable on his own, so now there must be a confrontation and potentially, consequences.

How do you keep from being dragged into the "excuse swamp"?

When addressing performance issues, try the following:

State the issue. Do not add opinion or blame.
"One of your jobs as a member of this household is to mow the lawn on a weekly basis. This has not happened of your own initiative, and this week, it did not happen at all."

("Your conversion ratio is 17.5% averaged for the last three months. The expectation is 30%.")

Ask a Future oriented, neutral question
This is where, arms crossed in a defensive posture, we will usually say something like this, "What do you have to say for yourself?" Do not do this! This is a question that looks backward and forces the employee to defend themselves, usually through excuses.
It is what it is. Start thinking future behavior.

"How can we ensure you mow the lawn by Saturday morning?"
("How can we increase your sales conversion ratio?")

Here's where the excuses might start.
My son might say, "I'll quit my job and have no social life."
(Your leasing professional might say, "Drop the price by $100.")
You know that may not be possible, and you might want very much at this point to blow up, roll your eyes or bite back. Don't. Honor it.
"That is one way. How else?"
"Which ideas can we realistically implement to get back on track?"

Reinforce any useful suggestions made. Keep coming back with what or how questions until excuses stop and conversation moves to goals.

Then, close the deal. Get the commitment.
"I think we have agreed that you have not been living up to the expectations we have of you as a family member, and to make sure the lawn is mowed weekly we are going to set a time and day at the beginning of each week that is agreeable to all that you commit to mowing the lawn."

"I think we have agreed that you don’t have the conversion ratio that is expected, and to increase sales, you are going to increase follow through efforts to two hours per day and up outreach efforts by 2 hours per week."

Arrange a time to meet again.
"In 2 weeks on Sunday, we will talk about how this method is working. If you need any help, let me know."

“Let’s review your progress in 2 weeks to see how it is working. If you need any help, let me know."

Make sure to provide feedback and reinforce any improvement. It is as much about changing your behaviors as theirs. Remember, you teach people how to treat you.

The lawn was mowed this week, and though we wavered on the hour, it got done before the weekend. I thanked my son and told him how much it meant to me to be able to enjoy the backyard during the weekend. One week down, one to go...

Roll Out The Barrel

One can learn a lot by hanging out in a beer tent in Southeastern Wisconsin. Take for example, the gentleman pictured. Rumor has it he is 85 years old. Said man decided he wanted to dance, and on the table, no less. A collective gasp was heard throughout the tent as they turned their attention to the elderly gentleman polkaing on the picnic table. One lady turned toward me and said, "Gott in Himmel, ("God in Heaven", for those of you not up on your German) Who does he think he is? He should get down before he hurts himself." The rest of the tent seemed to be enjoying the display. It was obvious the elderly gentleman was having a blast. I wasn't too worried, as he had a number of spotters around him. Secretly, I was proud of him. He decided what he wanted and he went for it. I hope somebody has to pull me off the table when I am 85.

Think about it. What would you like to do that you are too afraid to attempt because you're worried about what people might say or you might fail at? What would you go for if you weren't afraid? Whatever it is, life is short. Make sure you have a few spotters nearby that won't let you fall too hard, and get on that picnic table and dance.

I do believe he is my new hero.

Because 2 Heads are Better Than 1...

You may have noticed something different when you opened this page...then again, maybe not. Though I have elected to leave Creativity For Rent and relaunch The Lori Snider Company (www.lorisnider.com - check it out), Brent and I decided to co-brand Rentplicity and keep relevant and insightful blogs coming your way featuring two perspectives... sometimes similar, sometimes not. We think it keeps it interesting, and hope you will as well. Stay tuned. Good things are happening.

The Ol' Cigarette Technique

My dad, (sales guy extraordinaire) and I were recently conversing about the price of cigarettes and how soon nobody will be smoking anymore. Dad, who is an ex smoker, said, “Years ago, you’d light one up and sometimes it would burn out before you even got back to it.” He went on, “Working in retail, you smoked because your customers smoked. If you noticed a pack of cigarettes in their pocket, you would grab an ashtray, light one up and ask if they would like one. You did this because you knew they might be getting antsy to have a smoke, they would leave otherwise. It worked. You lit up, they sized you up, you smoked and talked and pretty soon, you had a sale.”

Profound. Obviously, we don’t smoke in our places of business anymore, and not nearly as many people regularly light up. However, what Dad essentially did is read his customers and then mirror them. Utilizing powers of observation, and then responding in a fashion the consumer would resonate with developed trust and encouraged conversation. The more the client talked, the easier it was for Dad to identify needs and find the right solution for them.

Before you ever try to sell anything, let the client size you up, and make sure you do some listening. Mirror their behavior and realize that in developing relationships, it’s important to find common ground.