Last week I attended a fantastic online networking event hosted by NetworkMyClub.
On registering, I was more than a little dubious about how effective the event would be. Ribbons Network members (which now include me) were invited to join the already successful NetworkMyClub members, resulting in a large group of people, all wanting to get the chance to speak, and to listen…
As I’m sure most of you can appreciate, I was imagining a long, frustrating and difficult-to-follow Zoom call. How wrong I was…
The group uses a platform called Remo which allows organisers to personalise and humanise their online meetings. As you can see from my screenshot, the layout looked like an event floor plan, with the tables clearly marked out, as well as help desks and reception, 1-2-1 areas and time out seats. After an initial introduction, the software sat us at a table with 2-3 people and we had ten minutes to have a small personal conversation with those people. We were all given a countdown when there was one minute to go, and the software would then shuffle us to another table for another ten minutes of small group networking. If at any point you wanted to change tables, you were able to move yourself to another seat, and if you needed to step away, you could put yourself at a time out seat so that you didn’t hold up the process, and if you wanted to chat further to an individual, you could meet them at the 1-2-1 seats. After the networking was concluded, the organisers were able to continue their usual event programme and presentations, and the ‘room’ was kept open for half an hour afterwards to allow attendees to continue conversations if needed. I was so impressed with this immersive way of networking, which allowed for much more natural interaction and greater engagement, and it inspired me to think about other ways of increasing engagement during online networking for this week’s post.
So, if we’re not lucky enough to be using flashy new technology, how can we grab the attention of those people who are zoning out and slowly losing the will to live on a 2hr+ networking zoom call?
- Avoid reading a pre-drafted elevator pitch. Yes, it’s good to be prepared and to have spent some time planning what you want to say so that it is punchy and delivers exactly what you want to say without the waffle, but you are coming at people through a computer screen who are probably already only giving you 70% of their attention, and reading a script will only make them switch off quicker.
- Be lively! You don’t have the benefit of being stood in front of your audience and being able to physically share energy, so you need to transfer it through the ether. Body language and expression is harder to pick up on through a screen, so make sure you change the pitch of your voice when you are speaking, and try to exaggerate your feelings, emotions, and gestures as you speak (without getting theatrical!)
- When listening to others, give physical responses. It’s challenging to talk at a panel/grid of faces on a screen, when all you really want to do is have a real interaction with people where you can gauge their thoughts and tailor your pitch accordingly. You don’t have the time to scan through all participants’ videos while you are speaking to try and judge the expression on their faces, so when it’s your turn to listen, make sure you bear that in mind and give them feedback they can easily spot while speaking (nodding, raising a hand, putting your thumbs up, shaking a head etc). They’ll be grateful for it.
- Be wary of the chat box! Yes, it’s tempting to add to conversations, share your contact details, ask people questions after they finish speaking, but be respectful if there is someone else speaking. Ideally you should be giving the speaker your full attention, and sending them messages once the presentations are over. You wouldn’t carry on conversations or ask additional questions of a previous speaker once someone else has the floor if you were there in person, so apply that same level of respect to your online meetings.
Of course, there’s no magic formula, and each meeting and event is different, but it is worth bearing in mind that, generally speaking, you should be behaving in the same way at online meetings as you do in offline meetings. Be respectful to others, deliver a punchy, easy to understand and remember elevator pitch, share your company name and contact details, and take the time to listen to others and truly understand what they need and how you might help.
If you have any additional tips, please do share, and if you have any online networking events you can recommend, we’re always keen to join, so do let us know!
