Have an online meeting you need to prepare for? We’ve got you covered.

With physical meetings and office presentations going virtual, it can feel difficult and even a bit awkward at first to transition into a remote environment. However, with these key tips, you’ll soon be successfully hosting your own virtual meeting like a pro.

• Plan Ahead

Whether you are meeting in person or online, it is always best to plan ahead. Begin by deciding your meeting goal or objectives and then create a clear agenda to stay on topic and avoid wasting time.  

Once you have your meeting outlined, decide how much time you will need to efficiently cover everything (along with a Q&A portion at the end of the meeting) and then determine what time of day is best for everyone’s schedule.

Remember that communication is key – especially when you are unable to see/speak with your coworkers face to face, so be sure to send out the agenda with your meeting invite to your participants ahead of time to prepare them on what you will be covering and when.  

• Prepare your Surroundings

Whether you have a home office or are making due working at the kitchen table, make sure your work space is neat and tidy and that you will be able to conduct your meeting in a quiet environment.

This can be difficult with little ones, so if you are unable to receive help with childcare, simply let your team know ahead of time that you may have a noisy little coworker pop in here and there.

It is also important to prepare yourself for the meeting by looking professional as you would if you were having a typical meeting in the office. While a suit and tie are surely not required, you will want to look presentable to your audience and show enthusiasm for what you will be covering.     

• Engage your Audience

When having a virtual meeting, distractions are inevitable. Engage your audience with meeting tools such as sharing your screen, doing a poll/Q&A portion, hand raising, as well as chat to help maintain interest.

You will also want to have some questions prepared to help involve participants as much as possible. Check out these tips for more on how you can engage with your audience using Zoom.

While this may be a bit uncomfortable at first, remember that we are all in this together and need to embrace the “new normal” of successfully connecting remotely with our fellow employees.

We are Here for You

We hope that you stay safe and healthy during this time! Like so many of you, we have spent the last several weeks learning about COVID-19 and how it is impacting our world in ways that change almost daily. With all of us practicing social distancing, and many of us experiencing the state-mandated shut-down of many businesses, we want to assure you that Inlanta Mortgage has remained fully operational and working on your loans.

If you have any questions about your current loan, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your loan advisor directly.  

If you’re interested in a new loan to refinance or purchase a new home, or have any other mortgage questions, please contact us to find a loan advisor near you.