Running a successful business can often result in having different clients and employees all over the country or world. In order to conduct effective business meetings, you may have to prepare a meeting that utilizes people in different time zones. This can pose a challenge for some people. Luckily, with a little preparation you can make this a much simpler process.
Plan and Share the Agenda in Advance
It’s always a good idea to plan your meeting agenda ahead of time. Send it out to everyone ahead of time so they can review the information. This makes better use of the time that you have together on the phone. People can have their questions ready, and other people can have their information ready to be presented. You can even have people go back and forth a bit by phone or email to get some items of business out of the way.
Choose Your Setting Wisely
While virtual meetings can be held anywhere, it is probably wise to choose a place that has minimal noise and distractions while being able to support any technological equipment you may need. You want to make effective use of your time. It’s likely that many of these people don’t converse on a regular basis. Choose a quiet room that you can focus solely on the meeting. If local people can attend, include them in the local version of the meeting. Encourage other people to find a good spot to take the call as well. Technology can be your friend in this scenario.
Think About the Time of the Meeting
It seems like common sense, but not everyone remembers to think about the time zones that will be participating in the meeting. Make sure you pick a time that is going to work for everyone. There may be one or two people that are outside the hours of the typical workday, but try to accommodate everyone as best you can. You can usually get better answers and information when it’s between the hours of 9 and 5.
You can run an effective meeting even though you have people working in different time zones. It just takes a little bit of planning ahead. You probably can’t throw a meeting together at the last minute, and you can’t assume everyone will be there. Think about your meetings at least one week before the actual day of the event.
Free Press Marketing is situated near Los Angeles, but we are happy to meet and have consultations with individuals in any time zone. Schedule an appointment with us today and let us help you market your business!