Many companies now have employees from several different offices working on the same projects, making collaborative working more important than ever. This is not to mention all of the employees who are currently telecommuting. Online meetings play a large role in this kind of environment, so it’s important for employees who want to excel in the modern workplace to know how to host and present an online meeting.

　　很多公司現在在不同辦公地點都有員工進行相同項目的工作，這使得合作變得尤為重要。這不是說所有員工現在都是遠程交流。在這種環境下，線上會議扮演了一個重要的角色。所以如果員工想要在現代職場脫穎而出，明白如何主持、出席線上會議十分重要。

　　Each online meeting tool (such as GoToMeeting, WebEx or even Skype) is different, but all allow for the quick and easy creation of meetings, helping participants share screens, slides and even create polls.

　　每個線上會議工具(比如GoToMeeting，WebEx，甚至是Skype)都不一樣，但是他們都能快速、輕松發起會議，讓每個與會者都能共享屏幕、幻燈片，甚至發起投票。

　　Regardless of the software you choose, there are some guidelines that should be followed when hosting an online meeting.

　　不管你用的是什么軟件，在主持一場線上會議的時候，以下是需要遵循的一些準則：

　　1. Learn how to use your chosen tool before the first meeting. Your provider will be more than happy to give you a detailed tutorial on all the features that will be available to you during your meetings. Take advantage of that, so you know how to use the software before you schedule your first meeting. On the day of the meeting, log into it at least 15 minutes in advance so you can ensure that there are no problems with the tool and also to prepare all the materials that you will be presenting. Also keep in mind that participants could have questions about the meeting software, and it’s better to answer them before the meeting to avoid disruptions.

　　1. 在第一次會議之前，學會如何使用所選的工具。軟件供應商很愿意在會議中為你提供關于可以使用的功能的詳盡指導。利用好這一點，你就能在安排第一次會議前指導如何使用這個軟件。在會議當天，至少提前15 分鐘登錄軟件，保證軟件沒有任何問題，準備好你需要展示的所有材料。同樣要記住的一點是，與會者對于軟件可能會有問題，所以最好在會議之前解答，避免會議中斷。

　　2. Decide on the subject of the meeting, and communicate it to participants. This follows the logic of in-person meetings, and allows your colleagues to not only ensure that the meeting is relevant to them, but to prepare themselves for it in advance. Whether the meeting is online or not, nothing is more frustrating than an employee who clearly hasn’t prepared for a meeting and can’t participate in the discussion. This is even more aggravating during an online meeting, because it’ll seem like the person is doing something else on their computer. So it's a good idea to always prepare an agenda and share it with those invited well before the meeting.

　　2. 定下會議主題，和與會人員交流。這和面對面的會議的邏輯是一樣的。這不僅能能讓他們確定這場會議與自己相關，也能讓他們提前做好準備。無論會議是線上還是線下，最糟糕的是員工明顯沒有對會議做過準備，無法參與討論。這一點在線上會議中更為嚴重。因為這看起來像是這個人在電腦在上干別的事。所以，總是準備好議程，和受邀參加會議的人員共享。

　　3. Send invitations ahead of the meeting. Chances are that whatever online meeting tool you have chosen will let you easily send invitations to the participants. Invitations should include the meeting’s time and date and also the link that will let people log in to the meeting. Phone-in details for the meeting are also useful, in case headsets don’t work. And because many people live by their Outlook calendars, it’s also wise to ensure that invitations can be saved in those.

　　3. 在會議前發出邀請。很可能你選的軟件能讓邀請與會人員變得很容易。邀請函中應該包括會議的時間、日期，還有能登錄到會議中的鏈接。會議中電話互動也很有用，以防耳機無法使用。由于很多人根據outlook郵箱日歷安排日程，明智的做法是保證這些邀請能夠在outloo日歷上保存。

　　4. Prepare your meeting material ahead. Online meetings need a visual element in order to engage the audience and stay interesting throughout. So you should use the meeting’s format to your advantage and share not only the traditional PowerPoint presentation, but also take this as an opportunity to share interesting links – these can be news articles, pictures or even videos. The more creative you get, the more interesting your meeting will become. Just remember to keep all materials relevant and professional.

　　4. 提前準備會議材料。線上會議需要可視化元素來讓觀眾參與進來，并全程保持興趣。所以你應該對你有利的會議模板，不僅僅共享傳統的PPT幻燈片展示，還可以分享一些有趣的鏈接——可以是新文章、圖片、視頻。你越有創意，你的會議就會變得越有趣。但要記住所有的材料都與會議相關并且是專業的。

　　5. Consider interactive tools such as polls or questionnaires. There’s nothing less interesting than a one-way online meeting, where the host just talks the entire time, but never asks for any sort of input. This makes it more of a lecture than a meeting. Avoid this situation by not only constantly planning breaks in your presentation to ask for input, but also by using polls and short questionnaires to get people participating. Also plan enough time for a question and answer (Q&A) or further discussion section.

　　5. 考慮交互手段，比如投票或是問卷。單向的在線會議特別無聊，只有主持人一直在講，從不發問尋求意見。這更像是一場講座，而不是一場會議。要避免這種情況，在你的演講匯總經常停頓咨詢意見，也可以使用投票和簡短的問卷，讓人們參與進來。準備足夠的問答時間或者是深入討論的環節。

　　6. Do a follow up post-meeting. During the meeting, you should announce that you will be both sending the meeting’s minutes and also following up on what’s been discussed the next day, or at most week. This way, you can ensure that anything that needs to be done after the meeting is clarified and has been assigned to someone. But you shouldn’t make this follow-up only about actions. Also ask for input on the meeting’s online format, so your team can come up with solutions that will work to make these meetings more efficient and effective.

　　6. 會后進行追蹤工作。在會上，你應該說明第二天，最多1個星期，你會把會議記錄和要討論的后續跟進都發送出去。這樣，你可以保證會后需要完成的事都說清楚了，并分配到具體某人。但是后續跟進不應該只包含行到。也要詢問對于會議在線模式的意見，這樣你的團隊可以提出解決辦法，讓會議變得更有效。

　　As you can see, running an online meeting isn’t that different from a face-to-face one. All you need is familiarity with the tool together with careful planning ahead so you can be sure that the meeting will be relevant, interactive and interesting. And don’t forget to follow-up, otherwise everything discussed could easily be lowered in the priorities list or even forgotten.

　　可以看出，召開一次線上會議和面對面的會議并沒有太大的不同。你需要做的就是熟悉軟件，仔細提前計劃，你就可以保證會議切題、具有互動、有趣。不要忘記后續跟進，不然討論的事情很容易失去優先權，甚至被遺忘。