The complete guide to synchronous meeting and remote communications

Before the switch into working remotely, I did join the remote team of an online banking institution. We would constantly experiment using various types of remote meeting that were mixed, and the majority of them went smoothly.

However, it's not simple to increase efficiency or assure effective communication during remote meetings, or decide what type of remote meeting to have in the first place.

This post (based on my research in addition to my personal expertise) will assist you in understanding the different kinds of meetings that could be held remotely and how you can conduct them effectively as well as some useful strategies and suggestions for choosing the best tools to accomplish the task, and also the most common etiquette to conduct virtual meetings.

Many types of remote meetings

You may not have give the idea much thought before now however, there are a variety of remote meetings (and you're probably already a little familiar with the concept). Thanks to the advancement of technology in this area that we've now been able to communicate with remote workers along with others in the group through one of the primary methods or the combination of these techniques!

Teleconferencing

From all kinds of remote meetings that we'll be discussing, teleconferencing is perhaps the most well-tested and tried method. It's because it's a telephone call that is audio only and the technology used for teleconferencing is simpler and more sophisticated than other options on the list.

The hosts are "on the line" during the time of the meeting and at that point, all other members of the team can dial the conference using a specific phone number. Naturally, this kind of meeting is best suited for small groups of people -- not being able to communicate with one another can cause confusion if multiple people talk at the same time.

Video conferencing

In the wake of the outbreak of a certain pandemic, around 2020, videoconferencing has been a regular aspect of our lives at work thanks to the likes of Zoom meetings, and Microsoft Teams.

Video conferences (conferences) are similar in model to teleconferencing in that hosts organize a live conference where attendees connect by dialing a link or phone number. However, what makes them distinct in that they allow participants to be able to view each other as well as use software that makes the video conference more productive and fun.

Web conferencing

Lastly, the third most frequent type of virtual meetings is the web-based meeting. It's simple to misinterpret this type of meeting with video conferencing, but there's a difference. Web conference are generally used to host virtual events (like an all-hands gathering) in addition to online training or project collaboration where there is an element of practicality.

It is a great option in larger events and large business gatherings. It can be arranged similarly to a videoconference, or it can need pre-registration or ticketed attendance.

For a further layer of different formats for meetings, there is a possibility to sync meetings' and "async" meetings.

What is an asynchronous conference?

Meetings that are based on asynch are a type of meeting that's not time, and don't typically need immediate responses.

Synchronous communication vs asynchronous communication

While working at the institution I mentioned earlier They always tried very extremely hard to ensure that workers who worked remotely had a sense of security and were a part of the decision-making process and update of status, check-ins and team-building events. To do that, we needed to use Asynchronous or Synchronous gatherings, however each has their pros and cons.

 Advantages of synchronous meeting:

• It's the nearest experience to an in-person meet.
• immediate feedback about issues or discussions.
• Communication live can let to bounce ideas off of each other more quickly.

The down side:

• Most often you will meet those who tend to be timid or insecure, and aren't able to feel a part of the group.
• On the other hand when everyone is sharing something The discussion could quickly become a hot chaos of participants arguing about one others.
• There's a chance of technology issues or slowdowns in internet connectivity at the moment you're needing it most.

 The advantages of an the synchronous conference:

• There's no obligation to speak out at once, everyone has the chance to have their voice and be heard.
• It was not necessary to coordinate suitable times for meetings that were global in scope or involving teams that worked night shifts (something my previous workplace benefited tremendously from).

 The down side:

• According to Buffer's state of Remote Work report, 20% of respondents claimed they felt lonely as their biggest significant struggle (which I'm as well able to confirm) Sync meetings provide an opportunity to connect with other people, so switching to asynchronous messaging may increase the feeling of being isolated.
• If quick responses aren't required, team members might not respond or take action at all.
• The most frequent issue when remote working according the Statista and is also applicable to meetings that are in sync (since they are able to move in and out during the day) is that it's not possible unplug.

When you consider all the pros and cons There's no question it's all about picking the best option for your particular event and not choosing one or the other extreme. In the end, I'll concentrate a bit more on meetings that are async-based from here on out (since they're less recognized).

How can you conduct a profitable online meeting

It's obvious what kinds of meetings that can be conducted remotely along with the different choices in how they can be run However, how do you handle an online meeting? It's an issue for those who are accustomed to live meetings.

As I have no personally-experienced experience in running meetings (only participating in meetings) I asked handful of experts, including a the former Project Manager, who later became freelance writer Laura Bosco, what they thought made for efficient and productive asynchronous meetings, here's her response:

"--the nature and context of async messages was a major aspect in my experiences and continues to be a major factor in my interactions with my clients.

Context: Some kinds of feedback, announcements or even inquiries can be sensitive or easy to misinterpret. For these situations, video is more efficient than text as anyone else will be able to hear your voice and also be able to see your face. This reduces the chance of losing communication and causing harm to your relationship.

Format: Big fan of BLUF (bottom-line-up-front) in most written comms. This is also more efficient. If you can make your question clear and concise, you're much more likely to receive what you're looking for. It's also an opportunity to show compassion for the recipient. The gesture of appreciation is a way to show gratitude for their time and every daily influx of emails.

     Also, you can format text. Bold, bullets, headers or italics when giving important requests...these do not devalue the person receiving them. They assist them in digesting messages . "

Laura doesn't stand alone in suggesting that providing context is the best way to utilize async messaging. Michael Steele, CEO of Flywheel Digital (a remote-first technology-driven marketing firm) and an avid user of using Notion, Google Docs, and Slack to build their tech stack. He also said:

     "A important aspect in getting success in asynchronous communication, for clients and employees, is a capacity to convey the context. Everyone involved must understand the purpose of communication and the most recent happenings or newsworthy, and an easy access to documents that are essential including marketing strategies, personas and performance reports.

When communicating asynchronously, errors often arise and the time spent fixing mistakes or making changes that could have been easily made without the proper information available from the beginning. "

Concerning the actual aspect of managing meetings, the creator of ScrapingBee (a 100 percent remote-based business) Kevin Sahin says that in addition to having very short, real-time meetings with memos prepared in Notion and Slack, they also utilize Slack:

"Slack is used asynchronously, it uses Slack status to find out whether our fellow worker is in contact or not. When we write an email on Slack, we are not expected to receive an immediate response. That's the point. The general principle is to choose the best program for your task."

To have a successful asynchronous conference, one must ensure that you're employing the correct tools and providing context, and that the problems you're addressing are done in a manner that makes it simple and easy to handle.

9 tips to help you plan and implement the ideal remote conference

When your remote meeting is either non-synchronous or synchronous but there are few generally applicable tips to make it run more efficiently. Some of these tips come from the latest research and others are derived from experiences. They will be discussed both in the prior as well as after arrangement for people who prefer live meetings however the underlying contents of these ideas could be used to facilitate meetings that happen in asynchronous mode.

HTML0 In advance of this meeting

1. Be sure that only the highest-value participants are invited. If you overcrowd the virtual gathering, for example an online video conference or Slack channel, information is likely to be lost and the fewer participants will be active participants.
2. Set up a precise schedule. You can set agendas which are at a real-time or async meetings in any software that you like, as I did when working in the bank, we built Notion templates using fill-in areas that reflected the problems we were facing along with actions points.
   
3. Meets standards. Laura also mentioned an intriguing strategy she prefers to employ is to write and distribute "how to work alongside myself" documents ( like this one) for helping define norms and expectations in meetings as well as other communication methods.

 In the course of the conference:

1. Begin and end at the same time. This point is particular relevant for meetings that are remote and there's nothing worse than turning up to an event early or running out of time. The time of the people attending is crucial. It's also true for async meetings -- if you fail to reply in a reasonable prompt manner, details could go unnoticed or deadlines could be delayed.
   
2. Be brief. Similar to the above point, there's not anything wrong with having an hour-long real-time meeting that can accomplish your goals by using async communications or smaller sessions. If you're using the async method, try not to write long text or long interspersed pausing on videos recorded.
   
3. It is important to ensure that every person can be heard or recognized. As I mentioned previously, not all individuals have the type of personality that permits them to express their opinion during discussions live, and it is possible for those who aren't to speak up. As a manager or meeting hosts, it's still important to be vigilant about the involvement of participants.

After the gathering:

1. You can get feedback from your attendees. If you're experimenting using different kinds of events, you need to gather feedback from attendees so that you can determine what is successful in terms of method of communication and method of communication. Certain applications are more efficient in comparison to others, based on the type of person.
   
2. Offer a method to communicate with subsequent follow-ups. Generally speaking, it's a good idea to set up a system to communicate or an online space where participants can discuss specific aspects of the conference or any updates on action items without cluttering with the meetings.
   

If you're wondering now, "those tips are all wonderful and all, but What's the problem with software? ", this next article will provide the answer to that question.

Software that facilitates remote meetings

Naturally one of the main considerations for conducting remote meetings of any kind is to make sure that you're using the appropriate technology first. When it comes to meetings that are synchronous, the most popular video conferencing software such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams/Skype, and Google Meet do the trick quite well. It's a different story when it comes to meeting that are async.

The most popular programs for asynchronous meetings (which can also be generally project management tools) The ones that were previously mentioned include:

•       Slack
•       Trello
•       Google Docs
•       Asana
•       Notion
•       Basecamp
• If you're a team of developers, Gitlab or Github are great options.

Selecting the best tool to host your virtual meetings

Most of the tools for collaboration I've listed above are text-based or for messaging and others can combine image, text or video. Additionally, as Laura stated previously, context and formatting is crucial.

For simple project updates

If you're searching for a method to inform people about what the current status of the project is, software like Trello, Asana, and Notion are excellent for this. In my case, for instance I (and my previous work colleagues) utilize Notion  boards to provide an overview of current status of projects and also a means to dive in to read comments.

You can do a similar board-style organization using each of the apps mentioned above.

For continuous updates

If your project or team needs to be easy to communicate to, yet does not need daily meetings in person, the majority of the options mentioned are suitable, Basecamp in particular is fantastic, however Slack is the most effective for this kind of task.

In my previous workplace where I worked, each team had their own Slack channel in which they could have mostly synchronous stand-ups, as well being corporate channels, which allowed more general discussions. Naturally, I do not have access to the specific Slack workspace, but I do have some Slack workspaces that I also use:

 to provide more complex or sensitive information

Like Laura said, certain types of information need a greater human element. It isn't a good option to give information which are not understood or lost in the shuffle of projects and posts. To prevent that the possibility of being misinterpreted, employ video. You will be able to depend on our assistance.

As a bonus as an added bonus you will be able to see who's viewed the videos and participate in the comments.

It's sometimes difficult to figure out which program or process to employ because each team operates in a different way, so it's worth experimenting in the beginning and being ready to alter your decision if something isn't working out for you.

The Remote Playbook: Etiquette for conducting virtual meetings

The final topic we'll discuss in this article is etiquette for meetings. Some of the concepts will be familiar from what we've already covered However, it's essential to understand precisely what typical manners when meeting at a remote location look like.

In synchronous meetings, we've been on a lot of Zoom calls in order to understand the general rules (and occasionally, we've made a mistake in breaking these guidelines):

• Make sure you're not conversing on mute during the time you're talking.
• Sit in a calm area so that guests can concentrate on you (not your washing machine that's running).
• Check out the features you'd like to utilize prior to deciding to make sure you don't spend time trying to figure it out in the middle of the discussion.

The situation can be somewhat different with respect to meeting that are synchronous as well as the way of doing business may differ depending on the mode of communication or method of communication.

for channels that utilize text (e.g. Notion, Slack etc.)

• You should ensure that you're posting pertinent content on the correct channel, thread or page (or when you're addressing something of importance, provide the link to that channel or webpage).
• Don't treat it like mail. By that I mean acknowledging a message, or even a task instead of placing messages in your email inbox (in Slack, it's possible to mark a message with an emoji! ).
• Be aware that everybody has their own lives. In the case of asynchronous communication It's very simple to overlook the fact that there are other people on the same time when you. Find out if anyone is in the area before sending an email to them.

 Video calls that are synchronous

• Make sure your microphone and camera are sufficient for people to comprehend what you're speaking about.
• Get a simple takeaway you'd like to relay on to the world -nobody wants to watch an entire film without acquiring anything new.

Naturally, they do not constitute a collection of general guidelines. You may be in a position to have your specific guidelines for communicating with one other and what tools to utilize. This way, you can bear these while you figure out how to apply them or creating these rules.

Get off to a good start with an online conference

As with the vast majority of relationships within our lives, effective communication is the key to a productive day-to-day enterprise this doesn't need to happen in the present.

Asynchronous remote meetings will assist you in having more productive conversations, involve members of the group in a larger amount, and help to create the culture of transparency (since conversations that happen synchronously conducted are typically documented). If you're thinking of moving to a more asynchronous process try experimenting with various tools to find out what is best for you.

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