We’ve all been doing it for a while now, but there’s just something about this third lockdown that has everyone feeling weary at the thought of remote conference calls, video interviews and webinars.
How can you beat the slump and keep your teams motivated with a natural sense of communication? At The Telemarketing Company, our teams are experts at communicating remotely, so we’ve pulled together some of our tips to help keep your calls feeling fresh and engaging.
Create an agenda
Whether it’s a 20-minute video call or an hour, try to get into a routine of providing (or asking for) an agenda to guide the main points of your meeting, with the host facilitating and keeping track. With set discussion areas to touch on, it also provides everyone in the meeting an opportunity to prepare ahead of time, raise points and contribute to the overall discussion.
Stick to your timing
Similarly, there is nothing worse than a video call that drags on way past its allotted time and, whilst this is sometimes unavoidable, staring into a screen and camera for long periods is not something we are used to doing, so it can feel particularly draining compared to face-to-face meetings.
Take regular screen breaks and encourage movement
Sometimes a change of scenery works wonders for productivity, offering a bit of a break from the norm and, in the current circumstances, the screen! If your office space included breakout areas or your teams would occasionally visit a nearby café or outdoor space for more informal meetings previously, why not encourage them to do the same and change up their environment every now and again by taking a call whilst out walking?
Switch the camera off
Whilst it is good to see colleagues and customers whilst we are all so remote, audio only calls take away many of the fatiguing distractions of the video call. You aren’t focusing intensely to try and read visual cues and body language, scanning the gallery to see who is or isn’t on the call, or checking yourself out in the webcam.
Take a break from the screen and make conference calls or phone calls without hooking up to video every time. This can make it easier to focus and listen to what is actually being said, which in turn creates more natural and better quality communication.
Keep it light
Launching straight into a one-hour conference call can be quite intense and leaves no space for some of that natural ‘water-cooler’ interaction that is essential for meaningful workplace relationships.
Can you leave space at the beginning, middle or end of your meetings to facilitate time for personal interaction and just checking in with one another? Creating ease and encouraging a natural sense of dialogue can help stimulate those small interactions that often end up leading to bigger ideas.
Connect on a more personal level
When holding one-to-one meetings, whether with someone in your team or a new sales prospect, take a bit of time to check in with the other person before diving into business. Many people are finding this lockdown particularly tough, so it’s especially important to connect with your colleagues and check in on how they’re doing. At the same time sharing a bit of normality and asking how they are helps break the ice and build rapport with a potential client.
If you are looking for effective ways to reach out and engage with your target audience, we offer a wide range of flexible phone-based services. Our callers are all natural communicators, experienced in engaging with our clients’ valued prospects and customers to deliver a clear and succinct message at a distance. If you would like to discuss how our services could add value to your remote communication strategy, don’t hesitate to get in touch!