Town halls have been with us for the longest time, and they have been used by both local and regional authorities and officers to meet with the public and hear the issues they are having. Town halls also provide an opportunity to discuss other topics of interest, especially legislation.
Something worth coming to your attention is that businesses are using town halls too, although packaged differently.
Virtual town halls are among the different technologies businesses have incorporated in their operations to create efficiency, boost productivity, and create a better working environment.
Virtual town hall meeting software has replaced the traditional town halls used by local governments, and businesses have embraced the solution for their meeting needs.
What is a virtual town hall?
A virtual platform is an online tool that provides a platform for all company employees to gather and discuss issues regarding the organization. The virtual town halls allow employees from different branches of a company, and even the ones abroad, to come together and participate in forums, get updates from senior management, and even for regular communication between the administration and the employees.
Virtual town halls make it possible for employers to bring employees to one place where they can have face-to-face interactions. The virtual town hall benefit is that the employees can be present in one space from their homes’ comfort.
The virtual town halls also allow for sharing content, be it documents, or videos and even record the sessions for later use during discussions.
Virtual town halls have proved to be instrumental, especially during the Covid-19 times where social distancing is encouraged, and a significant percentage of corporates are working from home.
How to use a virtual town hall effectively
The effectiveness of meetings is critical for the productivity of an organization. Meetings provide an opportunity for everyone to be heard, sharing of ideas, and addressing of issues. To hold a fruitful virtual town hall meeting, here is what you need to do.
1. Have an agenda prepared before the meeting
You want the meeting to have direction, and all issues of interest to be discussed in that sitting. An agenda will ensure that everyone is on the same page, and the meeting moves forward. It is also advisable that the agenda is shared with the attendees in advance so that they can set their expectations right and align with what is going to be discussed.
2. Ensure that the tool you are using is in perfect shape
Ensure that the critical features for the town hall are working. For instance, ensure that video, audio, and screen sharing are working as the meeting’s success will be determined by how well the components work.
Take away
Virtual town hall meetings can get monotonous, and to avoid this; you can have different speakers from your team talking. Encourage participation from the attendees to keep everyone alert. With the right town hall software, you can strengthen your organization’s culture even when working from home.
