Many companies now have employees from several different offices working on the same projects, making collaborative working more important than ever. This is not to mention all of the employees who are currently telecommuting. Online meetings play a large role in this kind of environment, so it’s important for employees who want to excel in the modern workplace to know how to host and present an online meeting.

　　很多公司現(xiàn)在在不同辦公地點(diǎn)都有員工進(jìn)行相同項(xiàng)目的工作，這使得合作變得尤為重要。這不是說所有員工現(xiàn)在都是遠(yuǎn)程交流。在這種環(huán)境下，線上會(huì)議扮演了一個(gè)重要的角色。所以如果員工想要在現(xiàn)代職場脫穎而出，明白如何主持、出席線上會(huì)議十分重要。

　　Each online meeting tool (such as GoToMeeting, WebEx or even Skype) is different, but all allow for the quick and easy creation of meetings, helping participants share screens, slides and even create polls.

　　每個(gè)線上會(huì)議工具(比如GoToMeeting，WebEx，甚至是Skype)都不一樣，但是他們都能快速、輕松發(fā)起會(huì)議，讓每個(gè)與會(huì)者都能共享屏幕、幻燈片，甚至發(fā)起投票。

　　Regardless of the software you choose, there are some guidelines that should be followed when hosting an online meeting.

　　不管你用的是什么軟件，在主持一場線上會(huì)議的時(shí)候，以下是需要遵循的一些準(zhǔn)則：

　　1. Learn how to use your chosen tool before the first meeting. Your provider will be more than happy to give you a detailed tutorial on all the features that will be available to you during your meetings. Take advantage of that, so you know how to use the software before you schedule your first meeting. On the day of the meeting, log into it at least 15 minutes in advance so you can ensure that there are no problems with the tool and also to prepare all the materials that you will be presenting. Also keep in mind that participants could have questions about the meeting software, and it’s better to answer them before the meeting to avoid disruptions.

　　1. 在第一次會(huì)議之前，學(xué)會(huì)如何使用所選的工具。軟件供應(yīng)商很愿意在會(huì)議中為你提供關(guān)于可以使用的功能的詳盡指導(dǎo)。利用好這一點(diǎn)，你就能在安排第一次會(huì)議前指導(dǎo)如何使用這個(gè)軟件。在會(huì)議當(dāng)天，至少提前15 分鐘登錄軟件，保證軟件沒有任何問題，準(zhǔn)備好你需要展示的所有材料。同樣要記住的一點(diǎn)是，與會(huì)者對于軟件可能會(huì)有問題，所以最好在會(huì)議之前解答，避免會(huì)議中斷。

　　2. Decide on the subject of the meeting, and communicate it to participants. This follows the logic of in-person meetings, and allows your colleagues to not only ensure that the meeting is relevant to them, but to prepare themselves for it in advance. Whether the meeting is online or not, nothing is more frustrating than an employee who clearly hasn’t prepared for a meeting and can’t participate in the discussion. This is even more aggravating during an online meeting, because it’ll seem like the person is doing something else on their computer. So it's a good idea to always prepare an agenda and share it with those invited well before the meeting.

　　2. 定下會(huì)議主題，和與會(huì)人員交流。這和面對面的會(huì)議的邏輯是一樣的。這不僅能能讓他們確定這場會(huì)議與自己相關(guān)，也能讓他們提前做好準(zhǔn)備。無論會(huì)議是線上還是線下，最糟糕的是員工明顯沒有對會(huì)議做過準(zhǔn)備，無法參與討論。這一點(diǎn)在線上會(huì)議中更為嚴(yán)重。因?yàn)檫@看起來像是這個(gè)人在電腦在上干別的事。所以，總是準(zhǔn)備好議程，和受邀參加會(huì)議的人員共享。

　　3. Send invitations ahead of the meeting. Chances are that whatever online meeting tool you have chosen will let you easily send invitations to the participants. Invitations should include the meeting’s time and date and also the link that will let people log in to the meeting. Phone-in details for the meeting are also useful, in case headsets don’t work. And because many people live by their Outlook calendars, it’s also wise to ensure that invitations can be saved in those.

　　3. 在會(huì)議前發(fā)出邀請。很可能你選的軟件能讓邀請與會(huì)人員變得很容易。邀請函中應(yīng)該包括會(huì)議的時(shí)間、日期，還有能登錄到會(huì)議中的鏈接。會(huì)議中電話互動(dòng)也很有用，以防耳機(jī)無法使用。由于很多人根據(jù)outlook郵箱日歷安排日程，明智的做法是保證這些邀請能夠在outloo日歷上保存。

　　4. Prepare your meeting material ahead. Online meetings need a visual element in order to engage the audience and stay interesting throughout. So you should use the meeting’s format to your advantage and share not only the traditional PowerPoint presentation, but also take this as an opportunity to share interesting links – these can be news articles, pictures or even videos. The more creative you get, the more interesting your meeting will become. Just remember to keep all materials relevant and professional.

　　4. 提前準(zhǔn)備會(huì)議材料。線上會(huì)議需要可視化元素來讓觀眾參與進(jìn)來，并全程保持興趣。所以你應(yīng)該對你有利的會(huì)議模板，不僅僅共享傳統(tǒng)的PPT幻燈片展示，還可以分享一些有趣的鏈接——可以是新文章、圖片、視頻。你越有創(chuàng)意，你的會(huì)議就會(huì)變得越有趣。但要記住所有的材料都與會(huì)議相關(guān)并且是專業(yè)的。

　　5. Consider interactive tools such as polls or questionnaires. There’s nothing less interesting than a one-way online meeting, where the host just talks the entire time, but never asks for any sort of input. This makes it more of a lecture than a meeting. Avoid this situation by not only constantly planning breaks in your presentation to ask for input, but also by using polls and short questionnaires to get people participating. Also plan enough time for a question and answer (Q&A) or further discussion section.

　　5. 考慮交互手段，比如投票或是問卷。單向的在線會(huì)議特別無聊，只有主持人一直在講，從不發(fā)問尋求意見。這更像是一場講座，而不是一場會(huì)議。要避免這種情況，在你的演講匯總經(jīng)常停頓咨詢意見，也可以使用投票和簡短的問卷，讓人們參與進(jìn)來。準(zhǔn)備足夠的問答時(shí)間或者是深入討論的環(huán)節(jié)。

　　6. Do a follow up post-meeting. During the meeting, you should announce that you will be both sending the meeting’s minutes and also following up on what’s been discussed the next day, or at most week. This way, you can ensure that anything that needs to be done after the meeting is clarified and has been assigned to someone. But you shouldn’t make this follow-up only about actions. Also ask for input on the meeting’s online format, so your team can come up with solutions that will work to make these meetings more efficient and effective.

　　6. 會(huì)后進(jìn)行追蹤工作。在會(huì)上，你應(yīng)該說明第二天，最多1個(gè)星期，你會(huì)把會(huì)議記錄和要討論的后續(xù)跟進(jìn)都發(fā)送出去。這樣，你可以保證會(huì)后需要完成的事都說清楚了，并分配到具體某人。但是后續(xù)跟進(jìn)不應(yīng)該只包含行到。也要詢問對于會(huì)議在線模式的意見，這樣你的團(tuán)隊(duì)可以提出解決辦法，讓會(huì)議變得更有效。

　　As you can see, running an online meeting isn’t that different from a face-to-face one. All you need is familiarity with the tool together with careful planning ahead so you can be sure that the meeting will be relevant, interactive and interesting. And don’t forget to follow-up, otherwise everything discussed could easily be lowered in the priorities list or even forgotten.

　　可以看出，召開一次線上會(huì)議和面對面的會(huì)議并沒有太大的不同。你需要做的就是熟悉軟件，仔細(xì)提前計(jì)劃，你就可以保證會(huì)議切題、具有互動(dòng)、有趣。不要忘記后續(xù)跟進(jìn)，不然討論的事情很容易失去優(yōu)先權(quán)，甚至被遺忘。