You're on mute.....

At least once a day, you hear it. “Sorry, you’re still muted.” Even as many of us have come back into the office, organizations have found efficiencies and value in hosting meetings virtually. With this approach, how might we host a mindful meeting?

If you are the host, determine if this even needs to be a meeting. We’ve all survived a meeting that should have been an email. Respect both your and your team's time by reserving meeting time for dialog, discussions, and decision-making.

Once you determine that this should be a meeting, it begins with the invite. Are all of the right stakeholders included? Will all attendees add value or are you adding people who can be informed later? Are you scheduling the amount of time needed for appropriate discussion to take place? In order to know this, you must have an agenda. Set out a plan of what you want to cover and an idea of how much time each discussion will take. Remember to send the agenda out prior to the meeting- or ideally with the invite.

Whether you are a host or an attendee, before you click “join” do a quick self-check. Just taking a pause to breathe as you transition from one meeting to another can encourage you to fully arrive and be present as you join the meeting. Using the mouse-click as a prompt to pause can be all the reminder you need.

One of my favorite things to do before starting the agenda is to check in with the team. If there is strong psychological safety on the team, you may do this with open dialog. If the team is new or developing trust, you can use a survey tool like MentiMeter to poll the team. This can give you an idea of where everyone’s headspace is- and whether or not it’s a good time to discuss a difficult or complex topic.

As the leader, you set the example for what behavior is acceptable. If you are distracted by texts and emails, your team will follow suit. Give the team permission to be fully present by encouraging that all other platforms be closed, and phones silenced, during meetings.

Once the meeting is concluding, summarize decisions, next steps, and owners of those steps. Take notes and distribute them afterward so there is clarity and documentation of what was decided and why- this may come in handy in the future!

Remember that you can only control you. Lead yourself by example if role models do not exist around you.