Planning Your Next Virtual Town Hall Meeting
Townhall meetings or virtual all-hands meetings are a great way to get everyone from the organization together at a time. You can discuss big wins, the latest developments, or other notable updates through these meetings. If you’re planning a town hall you might be thinking about how to make it more likeable for your employees.
Here are a few steps on how to plan your next virtual town hall meeting;
Determine the Pre-planning Considerations
Make a list of the set of applications you want to use in your virtual town hall meeting. Decide on the event technology, video conferencing app, screen sharing application, chat messenger tool, and a live poll app.
Do not miss to take a headcount of the number of attendees who’ll be participating. It will enable you to prepare the meeting agenda and determine team-building activities accordingly. Try to pick a date and time that goes well with all your attendees residing in different parts of the world.
Define the Meeting Objective
Every town hall meeting consists of a primary objective. The objective explains the idea of the meeting. It also helps you devise the meeting agenda, presentation, and decide on the speakers. Besides these particular objectives, you can also concentrate on “softer” purposes like stimulating employees and reinforcing the organizational culture.
Plan the Meeting Agenda
After determining the fundamental objectives, jot down the topics you want to discuss in the meeting. Remember to take the valuable inputs of your managers and leaders to make your virtual event more interactive and engaging. Decide on the event format and session timings. Set time for icebreaker activities, breaks, Q&A sessions, and monthly wins to host a successful town hall meeting.
Prepare an Engaging Content
Keep your presentation to the point. Include different language options, so your message is understood by everyone. To explain a complicated topic, summon a subject matter specialist or the department lead from the particular team to present the content. Always look for speakers who can keep the attendees interested and involved in the meeting.
Encourage 2-way communication between the attendees and the exhibitors. You can also use multiple videos, audio, and lively imagery to make your content interesting and significant.
Send Meeting Invitation
Let your potential attendees know about the virtual town hall meeting through calendar invitations, emails, the company’s integrated tool, or official website. The invitation message should ideally include the following:
- Date and time of the meeting
- Agenda of your town hall meeting
- Meeting rules
- FAQs
Keep the Joining Process Extremely Simple
During a virtual town hall meeting, you need to ensure that the joining process is super simple for the attendees. For example, don’t consume your employees’ time by asking them to set up meeting apps or enter login details every time.
Instead, pick a video meeting platform that’s prompt and convenient to join. Ideally, you need to choose a software that doesn’t ask for any specific downloads or set up to begin. Create a meeting invitation link which the attendees can click on to enter the meeting. It eliminates the hurdle of a tedious joining process and assures that attendees join on time.
Perform a Dry-run
Make sure to perform a test rehearsal before you go live or start your virtual town hall meeting. Check the software, Internet connection, and system configurations. Be ready with a plan B to avoid any technical errors.
Final Word
Virtual town hall meetings are way more than just sharing organizational updates. To host engaging and successful virtual town hall meetings, have a strategic approach and schedule them carefully. Make sure to keep a simple and effortless joining process for all the employees.
