Human Resources Training for Beginners | A Complete Guide
As businesses continue to expand and diversify, the need for effective Human Resources Management becomes increasingly vital. This is because the HR department is responsible
Among the many changes in the present world, the workplace is a component requiring a lot of sudden deliberation. One of the larger obstacles encountered in many businesses is effective communication, without being in the comfort of one another’s presence, at the office. As a result, there is a significant increase in internet-reliance, to maintain a smooth workflow. More specifically, virtual meetings, along with virtual training rooms (VTR), are becoming the primary source of communication within organisations. However, how can businesses maximise the efficiency of their online communication during these virtual meetings? Select Training and Management Consultancy L.L.C. presents a guide to do so.
Creating an Appropriate Atmosphere
It can be argued that one of the most challenging adjustments to working from home is altering what was once a solely personal space into an appropriate place for one’s professional life. An appropriate atmosphere is essential because productivity levels, while completing certain tasks, may be highest in a controlled setting. Thus, a poor at-home work environment among individuals can be a detriment to the efficiency of events such as virtual meetings, webinars and online trainings.
Creating the best possible atmosphere for virtual meetings will vary slightly among businesses; however, to ensure the best possible communication, it is best that each person’s background is not distracting to another participant. This can be in the form of noise, or in possibly-distracting things or people in the frame of one’s screen. Avoiding these distractions will prevent adding additional time to meetings and losing valuable time to complete other work-related tasks.
Planning for Optimal Efficiency
On average, meetings last anywhere from 31 to 60 minutes; however, meeting times are dependent upon the overall efficiency of the participants. Select recommends that prior to each meeting, an agenda is created to maintain concise and ensure effective communication. Obtaining a plan and/or the agenda prior to a meeting can reduce meeting times by up to 80%, preventing lost time among participants and wasted money among businesses.
Being Engaging
Engagement among virtual meeting contributors may plummet in comparison to their participation in conventional, direct meetings. Factors such as distractions in the environment and boredom can be catalysts for this decrease of involvement. Furthermore, the level of interaction, engagement and teambuilding among the participants can also be a great cause of concern to a business.
On average, approximately 73% of people multitask during meetings, compromising their involvement. This will, of course, differ when it comes to online courses, webinars and to some extent, distance learning. Virtually though, this number may increase, resulting in a higher need to maintain engagement among one another. One of the most effective methods of doing this may be to encourage a strict video call meeting policy. This is suggested due to the fact that over 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual. Additionally, upon conducting a survey, The Muse reported that while 57% of participants multitasked during telephone calls, only 4% did the same during video calls. Thus, the visual aspect of a typical, face-to-face meeting is crucial to participation and will not be compromised when attending a meeting online.
Natalie Brown
Group CEO and Executive Coach
