For an association, Zoom meetings are a great way to engage your members and industry. It’s a quick and effective way to hold a meeting from anywhere, which is especially useful when you have members around your state or the country. To keep Zoom meetings effective, make sure you follow a few simple tips so you can get the most out of each meeting.

Do: Test or Practice Beforehand

There’s nothing worse than technical difficulties when you are in front of a live audience. Be sure to run through your meeting beforehand, Zoom call and everything. Make sure you know where all the features of your call are, make sure your presentation flows well so that all goes smoothly when it’s time for the real thing.

Don’t: Leave Your Sound On

Unless you are in a 1:1 Zoom call, go ahead and mute yourself by default when entering a meeting. Background noise from participants can be incredibly distracting for others on the call.

Do: Set an Agenda

If you are the meeting organizer, do set an agenda and outline the meeting and expectations clearly for all participants, just like any other meeting. This will help ensure that everyone comes prepared and walks away with a productive meeting under their belt.

Don’t: Just Roll Out of Bed

While appearances aren’t everything, you will want to make sure you do look presentable, just like any other workday. Especially if you are telecommuting or working from home, make sure you get dressed just like any other workday and are set to join a meeting.

Do: Check Your Workspace

While your workspace might reflect how many things you have on your to-do list, it’s important for your background not to be distracting, especially for a video call. Keep a clean and simple backdrop so your members or meeting attendees can pay attention to the subject and not your messy office.

Don’t: Hold a Meeting in a Crowded Space

We get it. Holding a Zoom meeting gives you the freedom to call in from anywhere. Just try to avoid a distracting place like a coffee shop or in the middle of a family dinner. Set a place and time for your call where you’ll have minimal outside distractions.

Do: Stay Focused and On Topic

Zoom meetings, like others, can easily go off-topic and extend past their meeting time. Make sure you keep to an agenda and keep other topics for other meetings. The chat function can be helpful for making sure you don’t stray too far from the subject at hand or cover other topics.

Don’t: Talk Over One Another

Especially for a Zoom meeting, it is so easy to talk over one another. Let others talk and utilize the chat function to ask other questions. Many organizations “raise their hand” in their camera frame to make sure all participants have the chance to ask questions or speak.

Do: Set Meeting Reminders

Time is of the essence. And even for short meetings, every minute counts. Don’t be late for a meeting and make sure you have meeting reminders on so you are logged in and ready to start on the dot.