Boring Meetings Suck: Get More Out of Your Meetings, or Get Out of More Meetings

Online or Virtual Meetings Suck

Warning: What's exponentially worse than a meeting that sucks? An online or virtual meeting that sucks!

In the words of Shakespeare, “A rose by any other name smells just as sweet.” Well, no matter what you call Webinars, online conferences, or virtual meetings—whatever name you come up with for meetings via computer connections—it still can smell stinky.

Go back to the technology discussion in Agenda Item 2, where I stressed that you are holding the meeting, not the technology. However, technology can either enhance or destroy your meeting. Webinars can be guilty as charged. They sound great on paper. A Webinar is any form of online meeting in which a presentation takes place in your office (or a host location) whereby attendees can converse, view, and interact via a shared workspace and broadband Internet connection. Attendees can be literally anywhere—in their office, in an airport, or even on their mobile device—yet they can see exactly what you are presenting in real time.

Virtual meetings potentially save you the hassle and cost of bringing everyone together physically, and as the concept of “office” expands globally, you have to do that, right?

Well, sort of.

The benefits are obvious. Meetings can now take place across remote locations on a moment's notice. This not only greatly reduces expenses but also expands your ability to collaborate audibly and visibly in real time. For control freaks, that means you're able to control exactly what ...