Remote Leadership Institute

Helping Remote Leaders Succeed in a Virtual Workplace

Login
  • Organizational Solutions
    • Coaching
    • Customized Training
    • Speaking
    • Workshop Previews
    • Not-for-Profit
  • Individual Learning
    • Topics/Skills
    • Live Events
    • On-Demand
    • e-Learning
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Resources
    • Books
    • Free Whitepapers & Resources
    • Videos
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Meet the Team
    • FAQs
    • Media Mentions
  • Contact

How Can I Maintain Focus During Virtual Meetings?

2 Comments

Tips on how to maintain focus during virtual meetings.
Man attempting to multi-task during a web meeting.

By Wayne Turmel

Often, I am asked, “How can I maintain focus during virtual meetings and conference calls?”

The obvious answer, “Stay focused,” isn’t very helpful.

And I can understand the frustration.

We are good people. (You and I are at least…the others who don’t care about the team, or anyone else but themselves, are apparently weasels.)

We want to be focused, productive and contribute to the team. But darn it, email beckons, the IM won’t stop, and that deadline is looming like an oncoming Mack truck.

We want to focus.

We know we should focus…but, wait…

Squirrel!

Here are some tips for the next time you’re stuck on a virtual meeting or conference call (most of these you know… but you have to actually do them.)

  • Move your cell phone out of arm’s reach. Seriously. Put it in a drawer, on a shelf, or far enough from you that you can’t get to it while staying in your chair.
  • Make notes the “old-school” way: by using pen and paper, you’ll not only be using other important parts of your brain, but you can listen more effectively. Take notes even concerning the boring stuff. You’ll be amazed at the ideas and potential contributions that occur to you.
  • Volunteer for a task. Be the “time nag”. Keep the minutes. Give your brain a valid reason to stay engaged.
  • Close all other windows on your computer. (It’s too tempting, believe me.)
  • Disengage email notifications and use your status updates for email and IM. If people know not to expect an immediate response, you’ll feel less obliged to provide one.
  • Ask that question you really have, and do it early. If you have a question or a comment, don’t hold it until the end of the call. Our thoughts become distractions at that point. Until we clear that thought or question out of the way, there’s no room for more information. (Bizarre, but true.)
  • Challenge yourself to listen as though there’ll be a quiz. Yes, this is simply a mind game, but whatever helps. (This works for me, even though I have the attention span of an Irish Setter.)

Focusing attention has always been a matter of needing a good reason to listen, removing distractions, and avoiding conflicting information that might seem more important.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Wayne Turmel--The Remote Leadership Institute

Wayne Turmel
Co-Founder and Product Line Manager

Wayne Turmel is the co-founder and Product Line Manager for the Remote Leadership Institute. For twenty years he’s been obsessed with helping managers communicate more effectively with their teams, bosses and customers. Wayne is the author of several books that demystify communicating through technology including Meet Like You Mean It – a Leader’s Guide to Painless & Productive Virtual Meetings, 10 Steps to Successful Virtual Presentations and 6 Weeks to a Great Webinar. His work appears frequently in Management-Issues.com.

Wayne, along with Kevin Eikenberry, has co-authored the definitive book on leading remotely, The Long-Distance Leader: Rules for Remarkable Remote Leadership.

Filed Under: Productivity, Technology Tagged With: conference call, engagement, Motivation, online presentation, Technology, Virtual Communication, virtual meeting, virtual meetings, Virtual Teams

Trackbacks

  1. How to Stay Focused During a Video Call - says:
    April 30, 2021 at 10:40 am

    […] volunteering for duties throughout the assembly to help you stay focused. Take the minutes, monitor the time, and even admit individuals from the ready room. No matter […]

    Reply
  2. How to Stay Focused During a Video Call - The Work From Home Queen says:
    April 30, 2021 at 10:25 pm

    […] volunteering for duties through the assembly to help you stay focused. Take the minutes, monitor the time, and even admit folks from the ready room. No matter […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

What Would You Like to Learn About Today?

Career Development
Coaching
Communication
Engagement
Future of Work
Human Resources
Leadership/Management
Meetings
Productivity
Remote/Hybrid Work
Sales
Teamwork
Technology
Training
Trends

Want to Reprint an Article?

Check Out Our Reprint Policy
Order your copy of The Long-Distance Teammate
Demystify Remote Leadership with this free, 4-part video series! Click to sign up!
Meet Like You Mean It
Top 50 Sales & Marketing Blogs 2021

Quick Links

Frequently Asked Questions
The Long-Distance Leader
Free Resources
12 Weeks to Being a Great Remote Teammate
Long-Distance Worklife Podcast

Connect with Us!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Spotify
  • Goodreads

Our Network

Bud to Boss
Remarkable Leadership
DISC Personality Testing
The Kevin Eikenberry Group

Where to Find Us

8021 Westover Drive
Indianapolis, IN 46268
Phone: 317-387-1424
info@kevineikenberry.com

© 2022 · Remarkable Leadership Institute · Privacy Policy

The Remote Leadership Institute is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com