It is important to have a virtual meeting that flows smoothly. Meeting leaders should send out a timed meeting agenda a week prior to the meeting to let participants know when each presenter will speak and when they can ask questions. A defined question and answer session prevents participants from continually interrupting the meeting.
Develop a set of ground rules for virtual meetings so participants are aware of meeting etiquette. Assign people to different roles. Have one person record the meeting minutes and email them to participants after the meeting. Have another person collect all the questions from their local team and email them to a virtual presenter during the meeting.
Virtual meetings can take longer to set up because of technology considerations. Ask participants to come 10 minutes early so all of these issues can be sorted out. Ask participants to sign on to the same instant messaging service so that they can communicate in the event of an audio problem. Have a backup plan set up so participants can switch to a different method of communication in case there is a major issue.
It is harder to establish connections between people virtually. As a result, it is important to have clear introductions and a methodology for signing off. Start the meeting with a round of introductions if the group is relatively small and new to each other. If the participants know each other, start the meeting with an innocuous question that allows everyone to participate and breaks the ice. At the end of the meeting, ask the participants for feedback and allow time for questions.