How to End a Remote Meeting - Follow These 6 Masterful Tips

Adapting to the everchanging differences in remote work life can be difficult for some people. While remote work has been around since the internet really gained traction in the late 90s and early 2000s, it has become increasingly more popular in recent years. With many of us transitioning almost completely to remote work, we have to make adjustments in the ways we interact with team members and operate as a workforce.

Although remote meetings have the same purpose as in-person meetings, there are many differences between the two. As a result, tactics that may have worked well in an in-person meeting may not translate successfully into a remote meeting. Case in point - how to end a remote meeting.

How to end a meeting is an incredibly important skill to master to ensure all participants feel informed, connected, and optimistic about the events that transpire in a meeting. Accomplishing those```-- goals in a remote meeting looks different than accomplishing them in an in-person meeting, so how can we ensure we’re properly ending a remote meeting?

1. Keep the Audience Engaged Until the End

Keeping all participants and members engaged is incredibly important in a remote meeting. Since participants aren’t physically connected, we must provide and create a sense of connection. By keeping participants engaged throughout the entire meeting, you are ensuring they collected all necessary information and content. Keeping the engagement throughout the meeting will aid you in ending the meeting by having participants completely present, connected, and included.

There are useful tips on how to keep members engaged during a remote meeting and you can find them here.

2. Summarize the Issues Discussed During the Meeting

Summarizing is a key component in ensuring all participants understood the purpose of the meeting. While you don’t want to bore participants by repeating the same points over and over, it’s good practice to create a meeting highlight. Prepare a short summary ahead of time to present to participants at the end of the meeting to make sure everyone is on board and aware. By summarizing at the end, you can be confident that all participants received the necessary content and information. This will in turn leave them feeling confident, informed, and connected.

3. Re-Emphasize on the Agreed Action Plan

This is something you may not be able to prepare ahead of time, depending on the action plan. If the goal of the meeting is to create an action plan, then you should be taking notes during the meeting to record all suggestions.

At the end of the meeting, state the agreed action plan clearly and concisely to ensure all participants are on the same page. This helps clarify what the action plan is and establishes expectations for team members and participants. Not emphasizing the action plan can leave members feeling confused, unsure, and unmotivated.

4. Present the Next Steps

Once everyone is on board with the action plan, go ahead and present the next steps that need to be made. Without doing this, participants and team members may not know their expectations or what exactly they need to do. It’s good practice to keep team members continuously informed to promote productivity and connection. This also boosts overall productivity by keeping everyone on track for what is to come. Team members work better together when everyone is informed and expectations are clearly understood.

5. Ask For a Rating

While this may feel uncomfortable initially, asking participants for a rating of the meeting can be incredibly beneficial. This allows participants to speak up with any questions, concerns, or suggestions they may have regarding the meeting.

The goal is to present a more effective, efficient, and productive meeting. Be open to suggestions from participants on how to improve the quality of team meetings. This will help you better prepare for the next meeting and will promote connection and inclusivity within the team. People like to feel heard and understood, so asking your team for a rating will make them feel more comfortable speaking up.

6. Close the Meeting on a Positive Note

This one is very important! Always end your meeting on a positive note, even if the meeting did not go as planned. As the leader of the meeting, it is your responsibility to ensure that participants feel optimistic and good after a meeting. Use words of encouragement when necessary to avoid participants from feeling anxious or stressed after the meeting. Meetings are meant to promote connection, inclusivity, and productivity. Promote recognition and praise, and thank all members for attending. Ending a meeting on a bad note will leave participants feeling discouraged and frustrated, so be sure to spread positivity upon ending the meeting.

Keep in mind that closing a remote meeting is just as important as the content you’re presenting. Hopefully, this post has helped you understand how to end a remote meeting confidently. When you’re ready to host your next remote meeting, be sure to book it with Taggg. Our meeting software makes it easier than ever to book remote meetings with your team. Click here to get started for free.