Virtual Taskforce/Workgroup/Committee
I’ve been a part of several workgroups this year, all titled differently, that have ended-up or started virtually. It seemed like an arduous task, to get up to seventy people, to complete a plan or guiding document but it was done.
I wanted to give my first impressions and lessons to that I observed while participating in this virtual work. You are probably learning lessons as you work through this pandemic too.
Be mindful of the voices you invite to the workgroup. How many are too many? How many is not representative or comprehensive enough? Decide the answers to these questions. I for one believe the more the merrier and it’s harder to get people up to speed midway through the process.
Have a core group of facilitator/writers. For larger groups, you’ll break up into small groups and need good facilitators who are capable of synthesizing all conversations into notes that will eventually converge into a larger document the workgroup is generating. This facilitator must be familiar with the expertise within the specific breakout group. They must listen to their small group. I mean…really listen!
Have a roadmap and plan for each virtual meeting. Set dates for ongoing meetings and have an end date. Assign specific objectives for each meeting.
Be flexible. Not everyone can meet on a specific date and time but have a plan to inform those who miss meetings. Meeting notes and recordings are ways to not lose participants. Also, you might have to adjust your meeting plan, add another day, or change the agenda. That’s okay.
Have a dedicated host. Every meeting has a facilitator but you’ll also need a technology host to assure a seamless meeting. Someone who is going to send out the Zoom invites and follow-ups, mute participants, monitor the chat, and understands Zoom/Teams enough to troubleshoot on the fly. This person has to be organized and knows where all documents or organizing tools are located for this meeting. They are involved in all planning.
Not all information and conversations take place during meetings. Give participants time to digest information and give thoughtful feedback. This means that the core group will have to prepare and disseminate all documents at least a day prior to a scheduled meeting. There might be correspondences or small group meetings in between the whole workgroup meetings. Some groups are chattier than others and they may need more time.
Be gracious and respectful of time. Planning is critical to keep the meeting moving along to meet an objective. No one wants to be on camera for an hour and definitely not for hours. Yes, good conversations are had but there’s diminishing returns on lengthy virtual meetings. Everyone’s time is valuable and anything longer than 2 hours must be discouraged. My rule is a 30 minute max but it seems most don’t agree with me at my organization. Give time limits to sharing out and stick to them!
Hope that was helpful! It can be fun once you get the swing of things.