Small Business Manager

Whether you enjoy them or not, morning meetings are a staple of the business world. In the post-COVID world, it is more common for many to have a virtual morning meeting. Virtual meetings can be a great tool for remote work and distance learning, but there are some topics that seem to work better in a virtual environment.

Best Virtual Morning Meeting Ideas

Morning meetings can be a great way to kick off the day. However, having some structure and an agenda to follow is essential for keeping the meeting on task while still connecting your team. Here are some ideas for the best ideas for morning meetings:

1. Use Them For Daily Check-Ins

In today’s virtual world, it is important to have an open line of communication with your team. Daily check-ins are an easy way to get the entire team together for a quick update on what they’re working on. This also helps to keep up a sense of team unity, even when they are spread across a distance.

2. Deliver A Morning Message To Your Team

Similar to the concept of daily announcements at school, a virtual morning meeting can be a useful way for management to deliver a message or professional updates to your team. Whether you work in a big organization or a small company, ensure your team members are receiving relevant information consistently.

3. Utilize The Meeting For Virtual Instruction

Even remote teams will often need to engage in regular training depending on their line of work. Healthcare professionals, for example, will often need to undergo HIPAA training on a regular basis. Morning meetings can be a perfect time to complete required education and training.

4. Engage In A Brainstorming Session

Virtual meetings are a great opportunity for group brainstorming sessions, especially when doing research online. Studies have shown that creativity is much higher in the morning than at the end of the day, so using a morning meeting time is a good idea for brainstorming sessions.

5. Plan Team Building Activities

Team building activities can sometimes end up feeling awkward and out of place. Hosting them on a virtual platform is a good way to alleviate some of that awkward feeling. Pick fun group activities, like an online scavenger hunt or group mad libs. Try to keep team meetings fresh with new activity ideas each month. Oftentimes starting the morning off with a fun activity can lead to a great day for your team.

The Benefits Of Hosting Virtual Morning Meetings

Morning meetings can be a great way to start the day and set the tone for the team. They can help to:

Increase Communication And Collaboration

Morning meetings provide a regular opportunity for team members to share information and ideas. This can help to improve communication and collaboration within the team.

Build Camaraderie And Team Spirit

Morning meetings can help to build camaraderie and team spirit by providing an opportunity for team members to get to know each other better and to work together towards common goals.

Set Goals And Priorities For The Day

Morning meetings can be used to set goals and priorities for the day. This can help team members stay focused and on track.

Review Progress And Address Any Challenges

Morning meetings can be used to review progress on current projects and to address any challenges that team members are facing. This can help to ensure that projects are on track and that team members are getting the support they need.

Celebrate Wins And Offer Recognition

Morning meetings can be used to celebrate successes from the previous day or week. Whether it’s an individual win or continued success as a team, this approach can help to boost morale and motivation.

What Meetings Are Best For Virtual Environments?

The types of meetings that work well for online team meetings and online classroom communities are similar in many ways. Here are some options to consider:

1. Regular synchronous meetings: Regular meetings that occur at the same time each week, allowing team members or students to ask questions, provide updates, and collaborate on tasks.
2. Asynchronous discussions: Discussions that take place over an extended period of time, giving team members or students time to read and respond to messages on their own schedule.
3. One-on-one meetings: Meetings between a team leader or instructor and individual team members or students to discuss progress, provide feedback, and address any concerns.
4. Brainstorming sessions: Synchronous meetings that allow team members or students to share ideas and generate creative solutions to problems.
5. Training sessions: Synchronous or asynchronous meetings that provide team members or students with the training and resources they need to succeed in their roles.
6. Team-building activities: Optional activities that allow team members or students to get to know each other better and build relationships, such as virtual games or social events.
7. Guest speakers: Inviting guest speakers to join online meetings to share their expertise and provide new perspectives.

Remember to consider the needs and preferences of your team members or students when choosing which types of meetings to incorporate into your online community. Additionally, make sure to provide clear guidelines and expectations for online meetings, including the purpose of each meeting, the agenda, and any preparation that team members or students should do in advance.

What Are The Challenges Of Virtual Meetings?

There are several potential downfalls of virtual meetings for online learning and workplaces, including:

• Technical difficulties: Technical issues such as poor internet connection, hardware problems, or software malfunctions can disrupt the virtual meeting and make it difficult to participate.
• Lack of engagement: Students and employees may find it more challenging to stay engaged during virtual meetings than in-person classes, such as those who do best with social-emotional learning. This may be due to distractions in the home environment or difficulty in connecting with other students.
• Limited interaction: In virtual meetings, there may be limited opportunities for interaction between coworkers and managers. This can make it more challenging to ask questions, seek clarification, or engage in discussions.
• Reduced social interaction: Virtual meetings lack the social interaction and networking opportunities that in-person meetings provide. This can be particularly challenging for employees or students who are looking to make connections and build relationships with their peers.
• Potential for distractions: Online learning and virtual meetings can also present distractions that are not present for in-person meetings, such as virtual notifications from social media and email, or distractions in the home environment.
• Time zone differences: Teams that are participating in virtual meetings from different time zones may find it challenging to attend sessions at the same time, leading to missed sessions or reduced participation.

Overall, while virtual meetings can offer flexibility and convenience, they also present a number of potential challenges for both online classrooms and workplaces.

Great Ideas For Fun Virtual Morning Meetings

1. Practice Yoga Poses

While this may sound like an unusual idea for both classroom and workplace settings, it can also be a great way to start the day! Incorporate yoga stretching as a part of morning meeting routines so attendees can count on it every time. Physical exercise can also greatly increase student engagement in an online learning environment.

2. AI Directed Drawing

Utilize an AI bot to come up with drawing prompts for your team. This fun activity can be a good way to start your team off with a positive attitude. Art based activities are often most beneficial for creative teams, like marketing or advertising. This can also be effective when used on young students participating in online learning.

3. Give A Virtual Tour Of Office Spaces

When your team is spread across a large distance, it can be hard to picture where co-workers or students spend their day to day. If your team or classroom is open to it, offer the opportunity to give a virtual tour of their working space. Give advance warning so your group has the chance to tidy up first. This is a great activity for bringing long-distance groups a little closer together.

4. Do Science Experiments

This suggestion is targeted more at remote learning scenarios, but could be an unexpectedly fun way to spice up the work day too! Perform basic science experiments that your group can actively be a part of by asking questions and making observations. Ask each student or member for predictions, moving on to the next student with another question. Engaging in activities like this first thing in the morning can lead to higher creativity and engagement throughout the day.

How To Encourage Social Emotional Learning In A Virtual Setting

Encouraging social emotional learning in a virtual meeting requires intentional planning and implementation. Here are some strategies that can help:

• Establish a positive and inclusive virtual classroom culture: Set the tone for the virtual classroom by creating a welcoming and inclusive environment that fosters a sense of belonging. Encourage students to share their thoughts and feelings and provide opportunities for them to get to know each other.
• Incorporate social emotional learning activities: Embed social emotional learning activities into the curriculum, such as journaling, mindfulness exercises, or team-building games. These activities can help students develop self-awareness, empathy, and social skills.
• Use breakout rooms: Breakout rooms can be used to facilitate small group discussions and collaboration, providing students with opportunities to practice social skills and build relationships with their peers.
• Encourage self-reflection: Encourage students to reflect on their own thoughts and feelings, as well as those of others. Provide prompts or questions that promote self-reflection, such as “How did that make you feel?” or “What was your experience like?”
• Model social emotional skills: As the instructor, model social emotional skills such as active listening, empathy, and respectful communication. This can help students learn by example and provide a positive model for them to follow.
• Celebrate successes and progress: Recognize and celebrate students’ successes and progress in developing social emotional skills. This can help build confidence and reinforce the importance of social emotional learning.

By implementing these strategies, educators can help students develop social emotional skills and support their overall well-being in a virtual meeting setting.

In-Person vs Virtual Meetings: Which Is Better?

The answer to this question depends on the context and specific needs of the individuals involved. While virtual meetings offer flexibility and convenience, in-person meetings have their own unique advantages. Both meeting types have their own unique benefits:

Benefits of Virtual Meetings:

• Greater flexibility in scheduling, as participants can attend from any location with an internet connection.
• Reduced travel costs and time, as participants do not need to commute to a physical location.
• Access to virtual collaboration tools, such as screen sharing and video conferencing, which can enhance communication and collaboration.

Benefits of In-Person Meetings:

• Enhanced nonverbal communication and social interaction, which can facilitate rapport-building and relationship-building.
• Increased opportunities for spontaneous collaboration and brainstorming, which can enhance creativity and productivity.
• Ability to read and respond to the emotional tone of a conversation more accurately than in virtual meetings.

When possible, it is helpful to utilize both meeting types throughout the entire year. Offering alternatives to break up the routine is one of the best ways to keep your team or your classroom engaged.

The Importance Of Leadership In Virtual Meetings

Running a successful virtual meeting can require a certain skill set. It is more difficult to engage with team members and encourage participation. Assigning a strong leader to run virtual team meetings is essential.

If you’re looking to expand on your own leadership skills, or want to cultivate a team member’s leadership skills, check out our blog on The 11 Principles Of Leadership. These principles provide a simple framework to build and grow your own leadership skills.