Are virtual meetings taking up all your time? Do you struggle to maintain engagement? Do you get less and less done, as video calls take up more and more of your day?

For some people, video calls are an opportunity to connect with your team. For others, they are an opportunity to get emails done while pretending to listen. But love them or hate them, video calls are here to stay. So let’s make them work for you. 

AndAlso trainers were among the first to move improvisation training online and, since then, have delivered hundreds of hours of training to all kinds of classes and teams. In this lively and applicable programme, we share our expertise to make your calls more efficient and productive. Whether you’re managing remote teams, collaborating on projects, or conducting client meetings, this workshop will help reduce Zoom fatigue and keep you focused on the task. 

In our Effective Online Meetings programme, you’ll learn actionable strategies for leading focused, goal-oriented meetings, using simple tools and techniques to maintain energy and engagement. From the effective use of breakout rooms and polls to setting agendas and managing distractions, we’ll cover everything you need to make your virtual meetings productive and even enjoyable. 

Book this programme if:

  • Your team spends significant amounts of time on video calls
  • Participants are disengaged or distracted
  • You struggle to retain team connection working online

Programme content

(Pre-work) Video conferencing questionnaire
How does your team feel about video calls? What works for them and what frustrates them? Working on the principle that your people are the experts on their own working practices, this questionnaire opens the conversation and gathers essential information for the programme.
(Workshop 1) Creating and maintaining focus
The internet is based on distraction. With a constant barrage of notifications, an expectation of instant response, and an infinite amount of information one Google away, multitasking has become the norm, at work and at home. Even though we all know it doesn’t work. In this session, you will focus on focus. What it means to give your full attention to one task, the benefits both in efficiency and satisfaction. You will examine ways to create and maintain focus in meetings, and what to do when it seems impossible.
(Workshop 2) Tips, tricks, and best practices
In this second workshop, you will be introduced to ten instantly applicable ways to improve your video calls. From common interactive features to the value of checking in and out, you will understand how practical changes can shift the culture of your meetings toward something more collaborative.
(Workshop 3) Learn to love the camera’
Global lockdown forced everyone to become a cinematographer and sound engineer overnight, whether or not they were wearing trousers. In this short, punchy session, you will be introduced to simple ideas to improve your sound, lighting, and camera use, giving you more confidence and authority in meetings.

By the end of this programme:

#1

Participants will be better able to run and participate in Zoom sessions

#2

Participants will better understand the potential pitfalls of video calls and how to prevent and deal with them

#3

Participants will feel more confident in their technical setup and how to use it
  • "Creating a supportive atmosphere, encouraging boldness, seeing online as a different tool, not a limitation."
    Online student, May 2021
  • "Highly skilled teachers, very good atmosphere, great coaching and exercises so I was both learning a lot and having fun! All whilst online!"
    Online student, May 2020
  • "Team teaching served this class very well. Getting both Heather and Jules’ differing perspectives and styles helped reinforce each online lesson and meant if you missed something one week you would understand it after the next. The built off each other very nicely."
    Online student, February 2021
  • "One of the best things you can do to improve your online social skills, get out of your comfort zone and unlock your creative side."
    Online student, April 2021
  • "They are leagues ahead when it comes to doing quality improv online. The world of improv, and the world at large, have much to learn from these dedicated folks!"
    Online student, April 2020

Find out how we can help you

Practical details

Timings

2-3 1hr sessions + preparation and follow-up

Team size

Up to 8 participants per group

Where

Online