One of the biggest challenges to working remotely or holding virtual rather than in-person meetings is that it can be difficult to establish relationships. Even the best free Microsoft Teams background cannot inherently create connections. Therefore, these are a few ways you can build relationships through virtual meetings.
Creating a Comfortable Atmosphere
Make sure you add a “human” element to your meetings. If you are hosting, minimize distractions, including busy background settings or people coming in and out of your office.
Avoid getting right into the topic of your meeting. Instead, take time to get to know the participants. Allow everyone to introduce themselves, and be sure to introduce yourself. Ask them to tell the group something personal, not work-related, about themselves. You can even use icebreakers to relax the group.
Remember to keep the chat professional. You don’t need the intimate details of others’ lives, and they don’t need yours. Stick with hobbies, pets or other light-hearted topics. Show your interest in others, and they will begin to trust you.
Practicing Transparency
Always be honest with your team members. Pursue transparency in any work discussion. You cannot build trust without honesty and integrity. Therefore, share what is going on with your staff, and encourage them to do the same with you.
Finding Ways To Help
Avoid criticizing your staff, especially in front of others. If you find that some individuals are falling behind, ask what you can do to help rather than reprimanding them. Provide them with any tools or supplies they need to do their job well. You may even conduct one-on-one training for staff members who are struggling in a specific area.
Choosing Creative Virtual Backgrounds
You can lighten the mood of a meeting by choosing a fun Zoom meeting background. You can also encourage your team to do the same. Consider creating theme meetings, such as pet introductions, favorite vacation spots or space, where everyone chooses a background based on the meeting’s theme.
Pursuing Consistency
Like most other management tasks, you need to be consistent in how you develop your virtual relationships. For example, don’t just post your job once and let it go. Include status updates. When you hire your staff, avoid spending a few weeks with ample communication and then dropping off the map.
Your team needs consistency. They need to know that they can count on you to be there when they need you. Consistency builds trust and promotes open communication.
Staying Engaged
Engagement may seem challenging in a virtual environment, and it can be. However, with a little effort, you can show your team that you care about them. First, always stay engaged when you are in meetings. Don’t work on other projects, take calls or zone out. You should also conduct both team and one-on-one meetings.
Connect in multiple ways, including video meetings, phone calls and text messages, but find new ways to engage them. For example, if one member of your staff participates in dog shows, retweet interesting dog show facts to that team member.
These are just a few ways you can build relationships through online meetings. Something as simple as sharing Zoom backgrounds free or asking personal questions can really make a difference. Test these ideas out and see which ones work best for you.