Follow these tips to ensure a more successful video conferencing meeting.

Prior to a meeting:

• When using equipment or locations not regularly used, test your meeting connections in advance.
• When possible, establish online video conferencing connections several minutes before the meeting start time.
• Create a backup communication plan in case you have trouble connecting with remote participants. A backup plan can include asking onsite participants to connect to the meeting through their laptops, using a mobile or speakerphone, and/or collaborating through an online collaboration tool (e.g., Google docs).

During a meeting:

• Have all participants share their video and audio. No lurkers.
• Ensure all participants can see and hear all other participants, as appropriate.
• Ensure conference room microphones are distributed appropriately to pick up all speakers.
• Ensure location lighting does not limit a participant’s visibility (e.g., avoid backlighting from windows or lamps).
• Have participants mute their microphones if their location has excessive background noise or they will not be speaking.
• Have a meeting facilitator — often, but not always, the person who called the meeting. The facilitator is responsible for:
  • providing an agenda to participants — ahead of the meeting is nice, but minimally at the start of the meeting — that includes an overview of topics to be covered and planned outcome;
  • establishing the visual or verbal cues, such as raising a hand, to indicate when someone wants to actively contribute verbally to the meeting;
  • engaging participants at all locations to ensure discussion understanding, and alignment;
  • limiting “side conversations” and multitasking or ensure all participants are made aware of that content;
• Make sure all participants have equal access to content by sharing all content within the video conferencing connection and using online tools (e.g., Google docs) whenever possible.