Categories
Communication Skills

Pitching To Venture Capitalists? Know These First

Readying your slide deck for a VC pitch?

In addition to a killer presentation, you need to be able to answer some specific questions.

Having raised venture capital for my first company, Wordstream (which sold for $150 million last year), I’ve got the inside scoop on the exact kind of questions investors will ask you.

In an interview with Parul Singh, a principal at the venture capital firm Founder Collective, I asked her what she’s wondering as she’s sitting across the table during a pitch.

Prepare for these VC Pitch Questions

Take a look at 10 questions investors are wondering across the table — even if they don’t ask them out loud.

1. Is there a big enough market opportunity for your pitch to be compelling?

“What is compelling depends on the size of the fund. Given the risk involved — the majority of startups fail — many investors expect any single investment to return the entire fund. So we want to know if you can demonstrate realistic sightlines to that number,” explains Parul.

“We’re not expecting you to map out all the revenue projections until that point, but you need to show that A) you can build a real business, and B) you’re tackling a believably big market opportunity (‘believably’ here means that you’re not pointing to the total spend in your space as the market opportunity),” says Parul.

2. Is your ask compatible with what the fund invests in?

“Are you raising a series B round, while we only invest pre-seed and seed?” asks Parul.

3. Does your idea conflict with anything else in the fund’s portfolio?

“We take pride in serving the best interests of our portfolio companies,” says Parul.

If you don’t even take the time to check whether the fund has potential conflicts of interest, it’s a clear indicator that you didn’t do your homework — and a huge red flag.

4. Are there any obvious obstacles to succeeding in this market?

“As investors, we are looking for the best opportunities for our own investors. Most investors will favor a sector where there are acquisition possibilities and where you can grow quickly,” says Parul.

If you’re in a sector where you need to spend years getting regulatory approval or closing deals, never fear: While other investors may be dissuaded, there are investors who specialize in projects of that nature — just make sure that you seek them out.

5. Do I believe in this team?

To “believe” in a team, Parul needs two things:

1) Compelling evidence that the team can execute. For example, can you show traction or LOIs from potential customers?

2) Meaningful commitment to the concept. Have you taken the plunge to be a full-time founder?

“While there absolutely are financial constraints that may prevent founders from leaving their jobs, I’m left wondering if you are asking me to commit more than you have,” says Parul.

“If you want to steer toward financial prudence, moonlight on your idea until you have some traction you can bring to the table — or pre-sell your company to customers, not just me,” she says.

6. Is this product or service exceptional?

“Rough edges are fine on a B2B product, where a clearly expressed value proposition matters more,” says Parul.

Enterprise B2B customers generally will cut you slack when it comes to the UI/UX of your product, since their primary concern is to solve their business problems.

“But if you’re going direct to consumer and your product and brand don’t feel world class, I might question if you have what it takes to retain the average consumer,” says Parul.

7. Are the founders knowledgeable about key market dynamics and competitors?

“This advantage may not be as evident in an early-stage startup (where founders are wrestling to get product, sales, and team mechanics to work), but as a company grows, competitiveness increasingly matters,” says Parul. “The No. 1 and 2 players in a space typically may win big, while other companies may not make it at all.”

Investors want to be confident that you know the big-picture dynamics that will affect your company long term so that you’ll be able to beat out your competition.

8. Is there founder/market alignment?

“Your deep knowledge of your space is your unfair advantage — we’ve seen this time and time again with our most successful companies,” says Parul.

For that reason, investors always want to take a deep dive into why a founder is tackling a particular problem.

9. Do I want to commit to this problem for the next few years?

“Growth is a process that can take time, and there will be times that you and I both question our commitment to the problem,” says Parul. “Beyond just the hard metrics, most investors want to truly care about the problem you’re solving.”

10. Am I excited about working with you?

“In a world of inflated metrics and Steve-Jobs-channeling bluster, VCs crave honesty — in other words, do you treat me as a partner, or are you only telling me the good stuff?” says Parul.

From an investor’s perspective, working together will be much more meaningful and effective if the prospect is willing to be transparent and solve hard problems together.

Thinking about Pitching your Business Idea to a VC? Be Able to Answer 8 of these 10 Questions [Smallbiztrends]

Categories
Communication Skills

Handling Different Communication Styles In Businesses

Have you ever come out of an important meeting feeling confused or frustrated? Was there ever an occasion where you found it difficult to explain yourself to a colleague or customer?

When it comes to communication, there’s no one-size-fits-all style. All of us communicate differently and sometimes this difference can make matters difficult for your business. By understanding different communication styles, you can enhance workplace productivity leading to better business results.

What are communication styles?

Communication styles are our preferred way of interacting with others. Some people may find it easier to articulate confidently how they feel. Others may prefer keeping their opinions to themselves because they want to avoid conflicts.

In every workplace, you will find people with different preferences. A healthy workplace will encourage a good balance of these differences to encourage new ideas and processes.

Why Learn to Handle Different Types of Communication Styles in the Workplace

Successful businesses understand the importance of clear and effective workplace communication. They also understand that it’s tricky because everyone has a preferred style of communicating. But learning to handle these different styles is beneficial for a number of reasons.

  • Improved communication skills: To encourage each team member to share ideas.
  • Improved work-life balance: To avoid miscommunication.
  • Improved teamwork: To get the best out of different team members.
  • Better work relationships: To achieve common goals.
  • Improved self-awareness: To be respectful of different opinions.

What are the 5 communication Styles?

If not managed properly, the differences in our communication styles can cause confusion, misunderstanding and unnecessary stress. To address this challenge and to leverage different learning style, a growing number of businesses are using a tool called DISC.

DISC is a useful tool that can help you better understand people’s behaviors and emotions. It’s designed to provide an insight into why people behave in the way they do. According to this model, there are four distinct personality types:

  • Dominance
  • Influence
  • Steadiness
  • Conscientiousness

Based on this model, there are five communication styles that clearly stand out.

1. Passive Communication Style

Do you know someone who tends to avoid conflicts and prefers to stay under the radar? This is typical of the passive communicators. They don’t mind taking a step back and let the more assertive people lead the way. That’s because they don’t want to get involved in a confrontational situation. To keep peace they may say, “You’re right, let’s go with it.” In doing so, they may avoid sharing their real feelings.

If you observe their body language, you will notice they tend to hold their head down, speak softly and avoid eye contact.

This type of communications style is useful when you need to win small battles. For example, if you have difficult customers only interested in their own ideas, a passive communicator can be brought in to placate them .

How to Handle a Passive Communicator

Dealing with the passive communication style be challenging. If you try to push too much, they may completely shut down. Instead, here are some simple examples of how you can handle them:

  1. Give them space to articulate their opinions and needs
  2. Do not dismiss their ideas
  3. Ask them open ended questions
  4. Engage with them in one-on-one interactions
  5. Do not expect an immediate response

2. Aggressive Communication Style

An aggressive communicator doesn’t believe in staying on the sidelines. In a discussion, aggressive communicators will adopt a loud and hostile demeanor to get their points across. They will also not shy away from rejecting other opinions. It’s therefore not unusual for them to boss around and dismiss other ideas with curt responses like “It’s a terrible article” or “I’m right and you’re wrong.”

Their tone of voice and gestures are all meant to suggest their opinions matter the most and that they’re not interested in what others have to say.

When they don’t get their way, they will scowl or glare at others.

How to handle an Aggressive Communicator

An aggressive person can create a hostile work environment, especially when there are more passive co workers in the team. Here are some ways to handle aggressive communicators:

  1. Do not return the aggression
  2. Explain to them why their behavior is not acceptable
  3. Give them advice on how they should tone down their aggressiveness
  4. Streamline your conversations to stay on topic
  5. Take HR’s help if the situation gets too difficult

3. Passive-Aggressive Communication Style

On the surface, passive-aggressive communicators appear easy-going. In reality, however, they are dissatisfied and angry. Their real emotions come out in the expressions of sarcasm, sly digs and silent treatments.

It’s often challenging to work with passive-aggressive people because they have the same effect as the aggressive communicators. When they cannot get their way, they will look for opportunities to undermine other people. “Don’t worry, I’ll figure it out myself like I always do” or “We’ll work on this if it makes you happy. That’s all they care about anyway.”

It’s their resentment that makes them believe they are powerless in the organization.

How to handle a Passive-Aggressive Communicator

If not handled properly, passive-aggressive individuals can create a toxic team environment.

Here are some examples of how you can manage passive-aggressive team members.

  1. Speak to them privately to understand what motivates their behavior.
  2. Do not react in the same way.
  3. Set boundaries.
  4. Stay calm.
  5. Create an environment where they don’t feel they are underappreciated.

4. Assertive Communication Style

Assertive communication is considered the most effective communications style. Assertive communicators are confident yet not dismissive of other opinions. They can get their message across without hurting people’s feelings. When they want answers they may say, “I’d like to understand your thoughts around the content structure because I don’t think I got it right” or “I felt your edits made my article more generic.”

They excel at both verbal and non-verbal communication. They make direct eye contact and speak with clarity.

An assertive communicator is also a good listener who is firm when dealing with different individuals.

How to handle an Assertive Communicator

Because of their balanced style, assertive communicators are the easiest to handle. Here are some ways to get the most out of these individuals.

  1. Give them space to think.
  2. Come up with solutions.
  3. Listen to their ideas.
  4. Be specific.
  5. Explain the problem clearly.

5. Manipulative Communication Style

Manipulative communicators are shrewd in the way they interact with others. They are skilled at influencing people and getting what they want. If they want a job another colleague is also interested in, they may manipulate them by saying, “I wouldn’t want to be in your position. They couldn’t pay me enough to take this one up.”

Their style of communication is patronizing and aggressive. It is this behavior that often leads to resentment among colleagues. Manipulative communicators, however, have very little regard for what others want or think as long as they get their way.

While their behavior is not ideal, their ability to control people makes them useful in difficult customer interactions.

How to handle a Manipulative Communicator

Managing a manipulative communicator requires some skills because they are good at what they do — controlling others. Here are some simple ways to handle these individuals:

  1. Be cautious when interacting with them.
  2. Stand your ground.
  3. Do not let them sway your opinions.
  4. Be firm but polite.
  5. Stick to the topic at hand.

How are the 5 communication styles different from each other?

Each communications style brings with it a set of opportunities and challenges. With passive communication, it takes a lot of effort to get them to share their feelings with the group. With the aggressive type, having a productive discussion can often seem impossible.

Manipulative and passive-aggressive communication styles involve a shrewd approach in dealing with others. It’s important to call such people out for their behavior. But treating them the way they treat others is not wise. Rather a more direct approach to address their problematic workplace communication styles is the right way to get things done.

5 Methods of Communication to be Aware of in Business

Just as we have a preferred style of communicating with others, we also have preferred or effective communication methods of expressing ourselves. These methods are based on our personalities. For example, a passive communicator eager to stay out of confrontational situations may prefer to use a submissive method of workplace interaction.

A good understanding of these different communication styles can make it easier for you to connect with different individuals and build better relationships.

Analytical

An analytical person loves data. Feelings-driven statements are too vague and confusing for such a person. Quantifiable data, on the other hand, is easy to decipher. For example, a positive sales outlook is an undefined statement. A 10% growth, however, is concrete information.

With an analytical person, it’s easier to look at things objectively. They can separate feelings from work and provide a more rational perspective in their workplace. But the challenge is such individuals are often perceived as cold and unapproachable in communication.

Personal

Those who value human connection and emotion tend to prefer the personal style of communication. These individuals care about people first. They are good listeners and they find great value in understanding how people around them feel. If the sales numbers are poor, they will first try to understand if the team morale is low.

The personal style is important to hold a team together. These people can solve conflicts and find solutions to address unseen issues. However, they find it difficult to come to make quick decisions where logic needs to be applied first.

Submissive

Submissive people believe other people’s needs and opinions are much more important than their own. They lack self esteem and try their best to avoid conflicts. So they stay away from making decisions that they think will upset others. They are also quick to apologize in a conversation even when it’s not their fault.

It’s not difficult to take advantage of a submissive person. Their low energy can also leave others exasperated.

Intuitive

An intuitive person focuses on the big picture.

They don’t let excessive details get in the way of achieving results. They are action-oriented and much more focused on the result than the process. That’s why, they prefer brief conversations that get straight to the point. For example, a quick conversation about a LinkedIn and email campaign is preferred over a detailed explanation of each step to design and execute the digital content plan.

Because they are able to look at the big picture, intuitive communicators find it easy to come up with innovative, creative solutions. They can get things done quickly because they don’t let the steps come in the way. However, these people end up losing patience when something requires a detailed and long-term approach.

Functional

Unlike those who prefer the intuitive style of communication, functional communicators like focusing on details and processes. They like taking their time before coming up with solutions and new ideas. When interacting with them, it’s best to come prepared to answer their questions.

Their detail-oriented approach is helpful when it comes to making project plans, allocating responsibilities and creating timelines.

But it can be a challenge for them to stay focused on the big picture. They can also lose the attention of their audience when they fixate on their methodical style. In other words, it can be quite difficult for them to work well with those who have an intuitive style of communication.

How to Improve Your Communication Style

Clear and effective communication can go a long way in boosting productivity, improving relations and reducing stress. But interacting with people who have different styles than yours can be tricky. By improving your communication skills, you can connect with people more easily. You can also influence them to get your message across.

Here are some simple ways to improve your communication and work well with different styles.

  • Work on your body language: Not all communication is verbal. Physical cues are also important. To communicate clearly, work on your posture, stand straight and avoid slouching.
  • Engage your audience: No matter how important, your message isn’t just about yourself. Engage your audience by asking questions.
  • Focus on your listening skills: A good communicator is also a good listener. Listen to what your audience is telling you, take their opinions into account to earn their trust.
  • Keep your message simple: Use simple language and avoid using jargons that can confuse your audience.
  • Have an open mind: An openminded approach can help when you have to engage with someone whose style is different than yours. It can make things easier especially when you face criticism in the course of a conversation.
  • Request feedback: Are you addressing everyone’s needs when communicating with them? The best way to know this and to improve your style is by asking for feedback. Seek opinions to understand areas where you need to get better.

What is the Best Communication Style in Business?

In business, the assertive communication style is considered the best for a number of reasons. Assertive communicators respect other opinions and needs without neglecting their own. By doing so, they earn the trust and respect of their coworkers and customers.

Assertive communicators are also good at not beating around the bush. They quickly get to the point and are direct when explaining what they need. Their self-awareness is useful especially when dealing with customers.

By improving your assertive communication style, you can influence decisions and make people feel more involved in the process. It’s not always easy, especially when you have to deal with difficult people. But by keeping an open mind when someone is not agreeing with you, you can achieve your goals.

How to Handle Different Communication Styles in Business [SmallBiztrends]

Categories
Communication Skills

How To Engage Your Clients

For the last 20-plus years, has become the standard form of for reaching out to clients. Ask any marketer for the last 10 years in particular, and they’ll say one of the top things a business should focus on is building their (email) list.

Snail mail is just too slow, and this increasingly-fast paced world makes a classic phone call unrealistic – what, are you going to call each person individually on your list? Or worse, are you going to have an automated bot interrupt their day with a phone call that is devoid of actual communication?

But now, email too is reaching a ceiling. Is your email going to their SPAM folder? Is it going to their “junk” email address that they use to sign up for all the mailing lists? Is it getting lost between an advertisement from their favorite clothing store and a digital copy of their phone bill?

I don’t think it’s time for us to throw away email entirely – especially not when it comes to communicating information to your warm audience – but if you’re really trying to maintain contact with your existing customers, you might want to try one of these increasingly popular options.

Everyone in the B2B world knows about Slack by now – and for a good reason. Slack’s no-nonsense interface is perfect for communicating with all your clients at once, or sending messages to people in specific groups by sorting them into different Channels. If you love the flexibility of list segmentation, you’ll appreciate the functionality of Slack.

I personally like using Slack as my general hub for connecting with my mastermind clients. We have different Channels for asking questions, for sharing wins, and for my team to make announcements that everyone needs to see. I’ve also created private Channels for each member to have direct access to me and my team, for scheduling calls and sharing documents that don’t need to be shared with the whole group.

Even better? Slack can be used three ways: In your browser, in a Desktop app, or with a mobile app.

Facebook Groups

This one has its pros and cons, but it’s definitely a contender worth discussing! While most people choose to use Facebook Groups as a strategy for growing a free community of warm leads – you could just as easily use a Facebook Group as the home of your paid community.

On the plus side, a Facebook Group offers you a lot of different ways to communicate with the people inside your community. Live videos, photos, GIFs, polls, posts – your options are nearly limitless. And with Facebook giving you the ability to create modules and lessons inside Groups, you could easily sell and host an entire group program or online course inside a Facebook Group (saving you hundreds, even thousands, a year in course hosting fees using a system like Teachable or Thinkific).

Of course, the obvious downside of this option is that you have to have a Facebook account in order to join a Group, and your clients may not have a Facebook account. (Give “people leaving Facebook” a quick search – there’s a lot of movement away from the platform right now.)

Telegram and Voxer

These two apps are nearly identical in terms of functionality: They’re both messenger apps that give you the ability to send and receive voice messages in real time, like a walkie-talkie. You can use these like a classic one-to-one personal message, or you can create a group message that includes everyone on one thread.

While Voxer is more basic in its very orange UI, Telegram is going to be the prime choice for creatives and millennials who value personalization and expression.

I personally like using these kinds of apps for communicating with my top-level clients, who get more intimate, personal access to me. They love getting to hear my “off the cuff” thoughts on different things that they’re encountering in their business without having to wait for a formal group call or one-on-one session, and I love getting to share my insights in a quick, efficient way that can also benefit the other clients in this group who may have the same struggles or questions.

Instagram Close Friends

This one might be a surprising choice, but it’s growing in popularity as an alternative to Facebook Groups. You won’t be able to host a course for free on Instagram like you can with a Facebook Group, but you can still create a fun, exclusive place for your customers to stay in the loop.

I’ve seen this strategy work best for digital creators, in particular, such as podcasters or YouTubers. Using something like to collect membership fees from your audience, you can have each user fill out a quick form to get their Instagram handle upon signing up to get access to your exclusive content. After that, you’ll go to your Instagram Settings, tap on “Close Friends,” and from there you can hit the + to add new accounts to your Close Friends list. You don’t even have to follow an account to add them to your list!

This is a fun way to take something you’re already doing (creating content) for an audience who is already there consuming it, and monetizing it!

5 Ways to Engage Your Clients (That Aren’t Boring Emails) [Entrepreneur]

Categories
Communication Skills

Do NOT Unleash a Digital Campaign Before Checking These Things

The world of online advertising is very dynamic. Just as fast as the internet and social media change, so do the dos and don’ts of campaigning on them. However, there are some basic guidelines that will stay as long as the internet exists – and that’s quite a long time. We got the chance to have a chat with the owner of Viking Media, Orel Asformas – and if you haven’t heard the name by now, we’re talking about a marketing solution whiz – to learn more about his take on the matter. He gave us four good tips for dazzling online marketing. Ready? Here goes.

Orel Asformas, the man behind Viking Media.

  • Is it unordinary?

Orel: “The first rule of digital marketing is that there are no rules. This may sound like a cliché, but it basically means that nothing should be ruled out automatically. Don’t do what everyone does, and don’t reject an idea just because nobody else has done it yet. Very few things are taboo in the world of online advertising. Quite the contrary: A lot of advertisements are not good enough, just because they don’t bring anything new to the table. 

“If you want to be remembered, your modus operandi needs to be completely different from what everyone else is doing. A successful digital campaign is first and foremost one that entices the viewer to be exposed to it. As opposed to radio, TV or newspapers, in the online world you can just skip an ad if you don’t want to see it. This means that you need to present the viewer with something very unorthodox that will make them stay on your ad, even though they can easily move on to something else.”

  • Is it daring?

Orel: “It’s very easy to wave off an idea just because it may seem forbidden or unacceptable in the online marketing industry. However, in reality there’s very little that’s not allowed in this virtual playground. Gone are the days when advertising needed to be conformative in order to be successful. Today you need to surprise and raise an eyebrow (or two) in order to stand out, so find that very thin line between ‘this is groundbreaking’ and ‘this is too much’ and put one foot on each side of it.

“Remember that even if you cross the line, this isn’t necessarily bad for you. Your digital campaign might draw negative feedback, but in today’s high-speed reality, that feedback will be forgotten faster than you think. What will remain in the minds of consumers is your product, because of that buzz around it.”

  • Is it unforgettable?

Orel: “In direct continuation with the last tip, your goal is not to make people think good things about your product. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice bonus, but it’s not your aim here. Your aim should be to stick in people’s mind. Everyone campaigns by making their product seem positive. You need to make it something that stays in someone’s head – and that pops up at exactly the right moment (during a visit to the grocery store, for example).

“One good tactic is to entice emotions, but not necessarily positive ones. If your ad is, let’s say, disturbing or spooky, you can be sure it won’t be easy for the viewer to brush it off their mind. It’s also important, however, to make sure that the product or service you’re trying to sell sticks inside the mind as well – and that’s done by linking between it and the ‘emotion enticer’. For example, footage of two customers fighting over a shampoo bottle at a grocery store is certainly not something the viewer will forget, and the linkage to the product here is really strong.”

  • Is it extreme?

Orel: “It’s time to meet my ‘est’ rule: When you choose a theme for your online campaign, make sure it’s the best projection possible of that theme. Don’t just make a funny ad, make it the funniest you can. Don’t settle for spooky, go for the spookiest. Being lovely doesn’t suffice, the ad has to be the loveliest thing the viewer has seen lately. Before you publish anything, watch it again, just to see if you can tighten some screws and go even more extreme than you already have.

“That’s not enough, however. When you show your results to other people around you, check out their reaction. Think if you can make them laugh/cry/gasp/flinch even more than they had, and how you can do it. Only when you can say with complete confidence that you put your best effort into the ‘est’ rule, it’s time to unleash the beast.”

Categories
Communication Skills

Making Zoom Meetings Enjoyable

I think it’s fair to say that we are all sick and tired of zoom meetings.

Meetings, in general, are mostly a waste of time but at least you get to interact with other humans in person.

Covid-19 has turned meetings on their head and they have become a drudgery of time.

Tips for Enjoyable Zoom Calls

Here is how to make zoom meetings actually enjoyable.

Email It Over Zoom It

We’ve all been in those zoom meetings where you sit there thinking “this all could have been sent in an email.” This is the fastest way to lose attention and turn it into drudgery. The key to success is to email ahead of an agenda and keep the meeting succinct.

As Andrew Roderick states

“Make the focus around teamwork, and give each person a section to present a project/issue/anything they are working on for 5 minutes, and allow a 5-minute discussion afterward where everyone can help, offer support, feedback on what’s being done. Hosting your team meetings in this way allows you to ensure each team member is actively engaged and involved, while also making sure priorities from each team member are discussed.”

As an additional note make sure to set a hard out. A time that the meeting ends and you don’t go over. Respecting peoples time is a great way to keep people engaged.

Practice Your On-Camera Speaking Skills

Nothing is worse than having a boring presenter be it in person or on camera. Just like public speaking, presenting on camera is a learned skill anyone can achieve if they have the right guidance. Here are 10 tips to speaking on camera

Dress to Impress

Even though no one can see what you are wearing below the computer desk, you want to suit up.

Know what makes you look good too. As Dagmar Spichale says “Patterned tops make me look more awake and refreshed, and patterned button-downs are especially flattering because they create an elongated neckline that doubles to showcase subtle jewelry to its best advantage. My secret hack is wearing perfume and/or my favorite heels — no-one notices but I KNOW!”

Use Interactive Whiteboard Tools

As Mollie Suggests “To make things interesting in our collaboration sessions, we use Mural in Zoom for whiteboarding. It’s an interactive software where everyone could help in mapping out and bouncing off ideas about a project. We use photos, sticky notes, and doodling tools in brainstorming and getting things together.

Kevin builds on this idea “Sometimes, you just have to draw something out on a whiteboard to help everyone else understand what you mean. Using a tablet for your Zoom calls makes it much easier to sketch out diagrams and flowcharts to engage the other meeting participants.“

Start With A Common Interest

With the plethora of various TV shows, Netflix movies, and online entertainment. Its good to engage people in a common interest. As Jason VanDevere states “I discuss with my team a TV show we all agree on that’s worth watching. After a new episode, we spend the first five minutes of the meeting openly discussing the show. Did the episode ending surprise you? Were you shocked a particular character got killed off? How would you rate the episode?

This can be any television show, sports game, Netflix series, or YouTube show. With all the content out there, surely there’s has to be something out there your team can agree on. Participation is also optional. Employees that prefer not to participate may simply log in five minutes later.

I find that everyone appears to be more engaged in the meeting after coming off a discussion of a common interest.”

Use the 8% Rule

As Michael, the CEO of Teambuilding explains “Any Zoom meeting should have at least 8% of its time dedicated to non-meetings activities. This time could include icebreakers, trivia questions, dance breaks or any other light activity. This “off-time” can quickly reenergize attendees to participate in the more dense content of the meeting

Engage with Outside Interest

Willie Greer states “I always make time for stories. Zoom fatigue is real and can take a toll on a person’s mental and emotional aspect, so relaxing time is a must during meetings. Personally, I ask my employees how they are, is there anything they want to share, like their new hobbies during the lockdown, or online businesses they want to promote. It refreshes their minds after work and before leaving the meeting.”

A lot of people who are working from home are also starting side projects, and side businesses.  You never know what interesting hobbies people have or side business they create. Some of the most used Google Tools have started as side projects of employees. What is your side project? For example, I’ve created an entire side project focused on Unicorns.

Rotate The Hot Seat

Getting everyone to talk can be a bit of a challenge, but an easy way to do that is to call on participants throughout the meeting. Call on the first person and let that person choose the next person to speak. It keeps everyone alert and focused because they could be next!

Use Visual Cue Cards

We’ve all experienced an interruption during a meeting. Your speaker is presenting when someone pipes in with their 2 cents. This can be fine when you are in person because we can naturally slip in with perfect timing but due to the delay of zoom, it throws everyone off.

That’s where visual cue cards can come in and keep the rhythm of the zoom meeting flowing. I use visual cue cards made by DigiCards.

They seamlessly integrate with my digital team and keep meetings running smoothly. I especially love the timing cards to let me know there are a few minutes left in the presentation.

These are just some of the best tips when it comes to making your zoom call more enjoyable. Let me know what I missed or if there are any other suggestions to make zoom meetings actually enjoyable.

How To Make Zoom Meetings Actually Enjoyable [Smallbiztrends]