In this guide, you’ll meet a team of remote employees with unique challenges when it comes to meetings. You’ll gain the tools you need to encourage collaboration and contribution from all of them.

1. How to encourage remote employees
to speak up and share ideas
5 ways to develop a culture of participation
during virtual meetings

2. With the majority of employees
working from home, it’s more
important than ever to focus on
engagement and inclusiveness.
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However, meeting with
colleagues virtually
often presents unique
challenges.

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Participation can be
uneven or difficult based
on technology, format and
even personality types.

5. Meet our remote team!
Learn their unique struggles
working virtually and how you
can help them collaborate.
Shyam Dawn
Patrick
ElenoreFritz
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6. 6
Make sure your team has the right technology. There are so many platforms
available to allow for virtual meetings and chatting. The most important feature? Video.
When people can see each other’s facial expressions and body language, they’ll be
more likely to respond and take part in the discussion.
Shyam is a multi-tasking king and needs more than just
a conference call to keep his attention and focus.
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HOW TO HELP

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Ensure there is equal participation. Be disciplined about including everyone. For regular
meetings, ask at least one round robin-question that everyone has to answer. This will help
your team get used to sharing in a virtual setting. Thank them for their ideas, and make sure to
tell employees their suggestions were heard, appreciated and whenever possible, acted upon.
Dawn is very shy, so she doesn’t speak up unless asked to.
HOW TO HELP

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Make it clear that dialogue is a priority. Collaboration is key, so during each virtual meeting,
ask for team members’ ideas and suggestions. Here are three ways:
• Pose a question to your team instead of presenting information.
• Brainstorm to solve a problem.
• Give your team an assignment that they need to work together to complete.
Patrick is often looking for new ways to solve his challenges
but feels limited working from home.
HOW TO HELP

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Share personal perspectives and stories. Employees want to hear how their colleagues have
dealt with challenges, solved problems and learned new things but may be reluctant to open
up. Lead by example: share your own stories. This will open the floor to encourage employees to
share theirs.
Elenore has great perspectives based on years of experience
but doesn’t share her insights.
HOW TO HELP

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Host social events virtually. Bringing the chatter online by setting up virtual coffee chats or
cocktail hours encourages employees to enjoy the virtual experience. It will also give employees
an informal setting to practice using remote technology. The more comfortable they get, the
more likely they will be to participate.
Fritz often needs help learning how to use new online tools
and he loves water cooler talk.
HOW TO HELP

11. To learn more about engaging meeting
attendees (or generating more participation
in meetings), visit www.davisandco.com/
communication-channels/meetings
11 © Davis Company